Early Childhood Theory and Practice: Te Kawa o te Whare Kohungahunga

EDU302

This course introduces you to theories of how young children learn and develop, including the importance of attachment. 

  •  
    Level
    3
  •  
    Credits
    20
  •  
    EFTS
    0.1667
  • Teaching weeks 32 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 7 hours per week
  •  
    Prerequisites Check entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying

You will also explore Te Whaariki, the bi-cultural early childhood curriculum in more depth and the value of children’s play, including the role of the adult in supporting meaningful play experiences for children from birth to six (6) years of age. In addition you will learn about observation techniques and how to plan, implement a plan and to evaluate it, with guidance, to foster children’s learning.

Students who successfully complete this Early Childhood Theory and Practice course will be able to

  • Describe key theories of children’s learning and development, including attachment theory. 
  • Demonstrate understanding of the bicultural early childhood curriculum framework Te Whaariki for children’s learning and development .
  • Discuss the value of play and the role of the adult in supporting meaningful play experiences for infants, toddlers and young children.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of observation techniques to inform planning for diverse learners in an early childhood setting.
  • Develop, implement and evaluate a learning plan for an infant, toddler and young child.

Assessment

This course is 100% internally assessed

Textbooks

No textbooks are required for this course

Computer and internet requirements

To complete this course you will need access to a laptop or desktop computer, reliable broadband internet connection and a data plan able to support online learning such as streaming of videos (including YouTube), downloading content, and writing and submitting online assessments. If you are unsure if your current computer or internet access allows you to complete your online learning with us, please contact us before applying to enrol.

How to enrol

Before enrolling in this course you need to:

  • choose the qualification you will study the course under
  • check the order that courses in the qualification should be studied in the Qualification Structure table. This is in the Choose courses and apply tab on the qualification page.

Work towards

Course availability over the next 12 months

Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2025
Jan
Feb
Mar
  •  
    Level
    3
  •  
    Credits
    20
  •  
    EFTS
    0.1667
  • Teaching weeks 32 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 7 hours per week
  •  
    Prerequisites Check entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying