Assessment: Pitch your pedagogy
Assignment Rationale
Early childhood teachers (ECT) need to have a thorough understanding of diverse theoretical and philosophical foundations of play-based pedagogies to critically consider the possibilities and challenges associated with incorporating play into our early childhood education practices. As an ECT, part of our responsibility is to advocate for the recognition and significance of play as a fundamental right of every child. Moreover, we must strive to create inclusive and collaborative learning environments that welcome diverse perspectives and allow for the development of a shared understanding of what ‘play’ entails, as well as the implications of implementing play-based pedagogies in early childhood policies and practices.
Assessment 1 requires students to critically engage with theoretical perspectives of play and reflect upon key issues presented in Modules 1-3 and create a digital presentation.
This assignment aligns with the following Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs)
Learning Outcome 1: Identify and analyse the role of play in learning and examine the challenges pertaining to play and pedagogies.
Learning Outcome 2: discuss the diversity of approaches to pedagogies utilised in early childhood education and care, and how they position children, teachers, and parents/carers.
Learning Outcome 3: analyse the relationships between philosophy, theory, and pedagogy to the learning environment for all young children (birth – 5 years).
Learning Outcome 4: critically reflect on personal philosophy to play and pedagogies for learning and teaching as an early childhood professional.
Task Description
Imagine you are working in an early childhood education and care (ECEC) setting and have been asked to present at the family information night. Some families of children aged 4-5 years voice their concerns about the play-based approaches used in your setting. They believe their children should be engaged in more formal, academic approaches to prepare them for school. Other families are interested in the play-based approach but would like to know more about the potential value and benefits of play.
For assessment 1, your task is to prepare a ‘pitch’ to explain and justify the importance of a play-based pedagogical approach for children now and in their future.
Instructions
Step 1: Develop your Pitch
To ensure your pitch is well-organised and addresses all necessary elements you have been provided with a pitch template. You are required to fill in the ‘Assessment 1 Pitch Template’ and submit the completed document for grading.
To access the template:
Go to the ‘Assessment Tasks and Submissions’ section of the unit learning site (Blackboard).
Open the Assessment 1 folder.
Locate the Word document titled ‘Assessment 1 Pitch Template’.
Download the document and save it to your files.
Complete the pitch template with a detailed plan for your presentation. Include a brief description of each presentation slide (200 words maximum), and a reference list.
Your pitch must identify and justify the following elements:
Introduction: Introduce yourself to the service and briefly address the concerns raised by families (30 seconds to 1 minute).
Role of play: Explain the role of play in children’s learning, development and wellbeing, including an example of a play-based experience and activity. Remember to address different developmental domains (2 minutes).
Personal philosophy: Share your personal philosophy regarding play and how it influences your approach to teaching and learning (2 minutes).
Successful play-based learning environment: Discuss what contributes to a successful play-based learning environment, including physical, social, and temporal elements (2 minutes).
Challenges and solutions: Identify potential challenges when incorporating play into early childhood teaching and how to overcome them (2 minutes).
Summary and farewell: provide a summary and farewell note (30 seconds to 1 minute).
Your pitch must be supported and informed by:
At least 1 theoretical perspective presented in Module 2.
Academic sources (readings, journal articles, book chapters, etc.)
Professional sources and ECEC policies (Early Years Learning Framework, National Ouality Standard, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Code of Ethics, Developmental Milestones)
Step 2: Create your Presentation slides
You are to create (insert max of 15 slides, preferably less) to visually support and enhance your presentation.
You may use PowerPoint, Prezi, or Canva to create your presentation slides. Resources on how to prepare the digital presentation are provided in the Assessment 1 Folder on Blackboard.
Your presentation slides must:
use an easy-to-read font for the text on the slides (e.g., Arial, Times New Roman) and a 1.5 or double-line space.
include clear headings
Step 3: Record your Presentation
Record yourself delivering your 10-minute presentation. You may use Zoom, PowerPoint, or any other recording software to capture your presentation delivery and slides.
Save your recording as an MP4 file.
Referencing
APA referencing is required for this assignment. Please refer to the APA 7th edition.