BLH3270 Play, movement, nature and outdoor education – Nordic Childhoods Emneplan

The Nordic countries have a long tradition for outdoor education. The academic course in Childhood in a Nordic Perspective, have focus on play - movement, and experimental work related to a variety of environments in educational context. The course will treat the topics both theoretically and practically.Central in the course is self-experiences from acting, moving and living in nature. Field trips and hiking tours are embedded.  

The course content is based on the two disciplines Natural science and Physical education. With kindergartens and schools as the target area, the course seeks to give insight in and competency in out-door education, play and movement and how to organize didactic courses and activities for children. Furthermore, the students will have to compare the achieved knowledge to the pedagogical traditions in own country. The focus for the pedagogical project is problem based regarding play, movement, nature and/or outdoor education.

Target group

Target groups are:

• Students in the third year of the full time/seventh semester of the part time Bachelor Programme in Early Childhood Education at Oslo and Akershus University College.
• International exchange students at Faculty of Education and International Studies from preschool and primary school teacher education institutions. Students from other academic areas may also be accepted. 

Students must be prepared to participate in various outdoor activities.

The course is designed to offer a full-time study-program in English for students of Early Childhood and Primary School Teacher Education. The period of study will be for 4 months. The language of all teaching and supervision is English, and the students should therefore have a working knowledge of both spoken and written English. The course may be taken as an elective in-depth study program by students in their final year of the Early Childhood Bachelor Education program at Oslo and Akershus University College. 

Admission

For students at Department of Early Childhood Education:

• Admission to Bachelor Programme in Early Childhood Education. Special requirements applies, please see -Programplan for bachelorstudium i barnehagelærerutdanning, heltid-/-Programplan for bachelorstudium i barnehagelærerutdanning, deltid-. Students in their third or fourth year of the Primary School Teacher Education program at Oslo and Akershus University College may also apply.

For international exchange students:

• Admission as an international student at Faculty of Education and International Studies. Students from other academic areas may also be accepted. Students must have completed at least two year of their undergraduate degree studies at their home institution in order to be accepted. 

No prerequisites

After completion of the course, the student will have acquired the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills and general competence.

The student has developed knowledge about

Knowledge

• outdoor activities and environmental ethics in different aspects of pedagogical work
•  physical literacy

• motor development and learning
• different approaches to outdoor didactics
• sustainable development
• food-literacy

Skills

The student has developed

• basic skills in friluftsliv
• practical skills in (working with different approaches to) outdoor didactics

• skills in working with play and bodily movement in different environments

General competence

The student has developed

• consciousness and reflections on education and child welfare  ¿ values and practices in in a Nordic and comparative perspective
• competencies to analyze and communicate gender-related professional issues related to outdoor education
• knowledge about cultural and comparative pedagogical approaches in different educational programs

The topics of study are:

 Play, movement, nature and outdoor education.

• Outdoor education in different natural environments
• Play and movement in nature and outdoor environments
• Practical work with natural science, food literacy and physical education
• Practical work in selected biotopes
• Motor behavior, physical activity play and risk-taking
• Role model and gender awareness in pedagogical work outdoors
• The Nordic concept of -friluftsliv-

Childhood in a Nordic welfare system

• Education, cultural formation and childhood.
• Welfare state, cultural formation and childhood
• Critical reflective work with play, movement and outdoor education
• Physical literacy and motor development
• Different cultural traditions and pedagogical approaches to outdoor activities 

Field experience, reflective practice and didactic regarding play, movement, nature, food and outdoor education

• Different approaches to outdoor didactics and sustainable development
• Development work connected to institutional work
• Comparative approaches on cultural and pedagogical traditions

Different study methods will be used, such as lecture dialogue in the classroom, activities, hands on training, experiential knowledge, portfolios, reflective practice, self-directed work in groups, individual work, text reading, field study, paper writing and presentations. English is the language of instruction in lectures.

Practical Training

(Applicable to Norwegian students only)

Five mandatory days supervised practical training in kindergarten. 

The following coursework requirements must be met before the examination may be sat:

• Carry out a one-day hike or overnight stay in the forest and an oral presentation of experiences from the hike.
• Group work (4- 6 people): A written paper based on a subjects treated in the course in agreement with teacher. (1500- 1900 words)
• Make a poster in groups (four to six participants) within a selected topic in agreement with teacher. The poster is then to be presented at a presentation day with the class. Each group have to give a presentation of the poster to the class (approximately 10 minutes).

Coursework requirements shall be met within fixed deadlines. Coursework requirements are evaluated Passed/Not Passed.

Coursework requirements shall be met within fixed deadlines. Valid absence documented by such as a medical certificate is not an excuse from not meeting the coursework requirements. Students who, due to illness or other valid and documented reasons, do not meet the coursework requirements within the fixed deadlines, may be given a postponed deadline. A new deadline for meeting the coursework requirements is in each case agreed upon with the relevant teacher. 

Coursework requirements are evaluated Passed/Not Passed. Students who meet the coursework requirements within the fixed deadline, but are evaluated as Not Passed, shall be given the possibility to meet the coursework requirements one more time. A new deadline for meeting the coursework requirements is in each case agreed upon with the relevant teacher.

Final assessment is accomplished in the fall semester. Final assessment is based on two units. The completion of the two units will result in one final overall grade. The final grade for the course will be calculated as the sum of the grades for the first unit and the second unit worth respectively 60% and 40%.

1. Unit 1, 20 ECTS, BLH3270. Individual oral examination (approximately 30 minutes). Each student has to prepare an individually presentation from one of the contents points (maximum 12 minutes). 

New/postponed exam

Postponed/new examinations shall take place within reasonable time after the ordinary examination. Regulations for sitting a postponed/new examination are to be found in -Regulations relating to studies and examinations at  OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University. The student shall be responsible for the registration for a postponed/new examination

No

Grading scale will be according to the ECTS grading scale, with A - E as pass grades and F as fail grade.

The assessment is evaluated by two internal examiners.