Spring 2023 - EDPR 533 G100

Special Topics (4)

Learn thru Explor/Play

Class Number: 4936

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 4 – Apr 11, 2023: Wed, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
    Location: TBA

  • Instructor:

    Margaret MacDonald
    mjm@sfu.ca
    1 778 782-7085

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

This course involves students in critical examination of policy, curricular, instructional and assessment practices related to a particular theme. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Variable units: 2, 3, 4, 5.

COURSE DETAILS:

Advanced Professional Studies
Graduate Diploma in Advanced Studies in Education
Course Outline
EDPR 533 – Learning through Exploration, Play and Materials
 EDPR 562 – Advanced Field Studies in Educational Practice I
Program/Cohort: Language, Literacy, and Learning in the Early Years (Surrey)
Term: Spring 2023
 

 

Meeting Dates/Times: Wednesdays, January 4 – April 12,,2023 (4:30 pm – 8:00 pm)

Prerequisite:  Participants must be enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in Advanced Studies in Education Program

 

Course Description:

EDPR 533 - This course builds on the themes and principles introduced in previous terms.  In this course, educators are invited to re-vision learning through play as connected to (w)holistic (mind, body, spirit, emotions) forms of knowing, being, relating, and doing. Recognizing that creating spaces where creativity, imagination and play flourish requires educators to honour diversity and co-create enriching places and inclusive spaces of belonging. Educators will explore the complexity of different forms of play, individual and social dimensions of play, and connections between play and (w)holistic development, including aspects of creativity, imagination, critical thinking and self-regulation.  Educators will also consider on-going themes related to (w)holistic teaching practice, such as the role of the environment as the third teacher, designing provocations that support and extend learning, and scaffolding learning through responsive interactions and thoughtful questioning.

EDPR 562 - This course is designed to flow from the principles and inquiry process introduced in the previous term. The principles of inquiry continue to be used as a way to explore issues related to play and development. The intent is to enable teachers to further their disposition toward inquiry by integrating inquiry with professional practice. Teacher inquiry and critical reflection are used to discover, articulate and explore the interface of theory and practice.  

Educational Rationale:
Play nourishes every aspect of children’s development—it forms the foundation of intellectual, social, physical, and emotional skills necessary for success in school and in life. M Kalliala (2006). Play Culture in a Changing World.

EDPR 533 - In this term, participants will deepen their understanding of pedagogical principles and research foundations of learning through play.  Critical reflection, self-study and professional learning are foundational underpinnings, which support personal and professional change, growth and development.  This course provides opportunities for teacher-learners to explore inquiry-based theories, methods and frameworks in order to critically examine practice, inquire into pedagogical practices, and assess the implications of taking on educational stances, in particular the role of play in learning. Learning through play, exploration and materials nurtures holistic growth, supports well-being, and fosters educational environments that honour creativity, curiosity, diversity and inclusive communities of belonging. In this course, educators will deepen their understanding of (w)holistic practices by engaging in explorations and play, which involve the whole person: head, heart and hand as well as the four Indigenous principles of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

EPPR 562 - Critical reflection, self-study and professional learning are foundational underpinnings, which support personal and professional change, growth and development.  This course provides opportunities for teacher-learners to explore inquiry-based theories, methods and frameworks in order to critically examine practice, inquire into pedagogical practices, and assess the implications of taking on particular educational stances.  Teacher-learners will engage in professional learning communities in order to examine theoretical readings, share personal learning, and expand pedagogical understandings.

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Graduate Notes:

Assessment & Grading procedures:
Reflection and self-assessment are essential methods of assessment in a Graduate Diploma in Education course, along with regular feedback from the faculty associate, program mentors, sessional instructors, and peers. Teacher-learners are expected to carefully consider all given feedback during the program and make informed decisions about their growth in relation to the program capacities. The reporting of this growth will take place through the creation of a critically reflective learning portfolio in which each teacher-learner examines their growth in relation to the program learning goals or program capacities. The faculty associate will assign a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory based on the growth in the program capacities demonstrated in the critically reflective portfolio.


Department Policy Statement re Attendance/Participation:
Attendance and active participation in all classes are mandatory in order to attain an 'S' grade.

Because all classes are participatory, a teacher-learner must make arrangements with the instructor/faculty associate to complete readings/assignments to compensate for missed work.  It should be noted that teacher-learners who miss the equivalent of two or more classes may not be able to make up sufficient work to attain an ‘S’ grade.

A teacher-learner who is unable to attend a class due to exceptional circumstances must notify the instructor and/or faculty associate before the class and also contact other teacher-learners before the subsequent class to find out what was discussed and make up work missed.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html