EDF2009 Foundational overview to early childhood education
Faculty of Education
EDF2009 Foundational overview to early childhood education is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Education. It isn't offered in 2026. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Other periods
- Singapore
- Assessment
- No exam
- 2 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before EDF2009
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After EDF2009
No unit lists EDF2009 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prerequisite
Enrolment in D2002 Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood
Overview
This unit provides a foundational overview of early childhood education that will enable you to understand the role of history in explaining and defining the present for policy and high-quality practice. The unit examines the theoretical perspectives that have contributed to the history and philosophy of early childhood education, including the emergence of the nursery and kindergarten movements in local and global contexts. Investigating philosophies, sociological influences and theorists, this unit provides you with foundational knowledge for key practicalities in early childhood education and the changing social image of children and childhood over time. The historical and contemporary global conceptualising of early childhood education through theory, philosophy, governance and ethics, will support the development of your own philosophy and policies of practice.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Term 2 | Singapore | Block off |
| Term 4 | Singapore | Block off |
Assessment
- Group Presentation (2000 words or equivalent)Project50%
- Design early childhood service policy: Philosophy informs policy (2000 words equivalent)Written50%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
describe how early childhood education is governed and demonstrate familiarity with key policies, curriculum, and targeted programs and directions
- 2
knowledgeably discuss the roles and responsibilities of early childhood teachers in early childhood education settings and demonstrate an understanding of the professional, legal and ethical requirements
- 3
examine and research the global history, philosophies and theories of early childhood education and the impact they have on current early childhood education practices
- 4
demonstrate understanding of historical perspectives in relation to children, childhood and early childhood education pedagogy and discuss how this has influenced early childhood education in contemporary Singapore society.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials18 hours
- Lectures6 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study.
Usually, you can expect to engage with:
- 18 hours of scheduled learning delivered synchronously on campus and/or online via regular directed learning activities;
- 6 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via synchronous and/or asynchronous directed learning activities; and
- the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study
Scheduled learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
You will be provided with the opportunity to engage with relevant literature and resources. Further, you will be encouraged to deepen your understanding of topic areas through, collegial discussion and debate, and by participating in activities designed to extend your understanding.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
Please visit the unit Moodle site for further information.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Liang Li
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Liang Li
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for EDF2009?
EDF2009 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is EDF2009 offered?
EDF2009 has no offerings listed in the 2026 handbook.
How much work is EDF2009?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does EDF2009 have an exam?
No. EDF2009 has 2 assessment tasks and no exam.