Placed in this document is the Assignment layout.
Also the marking sheet.
Also an email by the teacher on suggestion of layout.
Also pick out of this document a min of 8 reference, I have selected a range for your to choose from.
Play and environment Semester 1, 2019 Play and Environment Assessment 1:Essay Word limit: 1800- 2000 Due date: 23:59 AEST Wednesday 17th April Assessment context This first assessment will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the key theoretical concepts that underpin play and environment. Your essay will include a comparison and critique of both contemporary and traditional theories of play, where you will be required to examine and evaluate the underlying complexities, including social and cultural influences that inform play. You will be provided with a series of different research papers/cases that you can use as points of comparison. Related learning outcomes This task is assessing your ability to demonstrate that you meet the following unit learning outcomes: 1. Evaluate the teacher’s roles in supporting and encouraging children’s play and inquiry in inside and outside learning environments. 2. Compare contemporary and traditional theories of play. 3. Examine play and understand its complexities, including cultural influences and global perspectives. Assessment details The purpose of the essay is for you to discuss a range of aspects that articulate your understanding of play and investigate its complexities within Australian early childhood education, including the underlying reasons for this. To achieve this objective, you need to consider: The different philosophical and theoretical perspectives on play – explore and compare at least one traditional (classical) and one contemporary theory of play using one or two of the vignettes provided, Consider how the different philosophies/ theories offer different interpretations and approaches about play. The cultural, ecological and historical influences. Consider the how diverse histories, identities and views of children/childhood of teachers, children and society influences play and how children’s play is valued or encouraged between cultural contexts The social and historical impact on the perception and practice of what is play and teh relationship between play and learning. The spatial environment, how the place including the materials, objects and nonhuman animals within these places and spaces influence play encounters. The role of other adults in particular a consideration of the teacher’s role within the play context. How all of the above facets have shaped the complexities of the global and cultural perspective of play within today’s Australian early childhood education. Some items to consider with regard to the complexities of play Why are there differences? How have the different theories interacted to influence the concept of play? How has the concept of play changed over time with consideration to the teacher’s roles in supporting and encouraging children’s play in learning environments? The introduction must introduce the topic and discussion points. As a general rule, an introduction should be no more than 10% of the total word count – in this case, no more than 150 words. You will need to be succinct. In the body of your essay you will develop a series of claims that address the statement and present your knowledge and perspectives to reveal its complexity backed up by strong evidence that supports those claims. In the conclusion you will need to sum up your discuss and then make a final statement about your response. As with the introduction, your conclusion should not be any more than 10% of the overall word count – so no more than 150 words. That leaves 1200 words for the body of your essay. You must draw upon research literature to support your discussion. When you use evidence from the literature to support your arguments, you must to ensure that you cite it according to APA referencing conventions. Note that all the readings and activities in the first four weeks of the unit are designed to support this essay. Use 1.5 spacing and 12 font Assessment criteria Your submission will be assessed against the following criteria: 1. Knowledge of traditional and contemporary theories of play 2. Understanding of the complexities of play, particularly the including cultural influences and global perspectives. 3. Breath of examination and evaluation of the role of the child and the teacher in learning environments 4. Essay structure and written expression. Your submission will be assessed according to the following marking guide: Pass (P 50-59%) – In order to pass this assessment task, the requirements of all criteria must be met at a satisfactory level, and all work must be original unless correctly cited according to APA referencing conventions. Specifically this means: · The comparison of traditional and contemporary theories of play identifies the main underlying characteristics of each theory. · The examination and evaluation of the complexities of play provides a broad overview and some description of the contextual factors that influence play including consideration of the role of the teacher. · The essay is well-structured: the introduction introduces both the topic and the essay itself. The essay contains a sequence of ideas that demonstrate a developing understanding with limited insight of the complexities of play. The body of the essay allows for a loose development of ideas. The content tends to be descriptive rather than evaluative. The conclusion sums up the arguments and does not introduce new information · The written expression is consistent with the requirements of a university course: spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure demonstrate competence in academic writing. The work is the author’s own unless where the ideas and words of others have been cited according to APA referencing conventions. There may be minor errors in written expression or referencing. Credit (C 60-69%) – To be awarded a Credit students must fulfil all the requirements of the Pass level but with more sophistication. · Examination of the complexities of play includes in-depth and relevant arguments relating to critical influences on play. The arguments given demonstrate an understanding of the complexities and cultural influences underlying the concepts of play with a balanced discussion and comparison of both traditional and contemporary theories is provided. · The examination and evaluation of the complexities of play provides an in-depth overview and informative description of the contextual factors that influence play including consideration of the role of the teacher. · The essay contains a well-reasoned response, which is logically and coherently structured. Each paragraph contains only one idea and that idea is fully developed with a clear progression and development of ideas evident. · The essay tone and structure shows consideration and use of persuasive techniques, while using alternative viewpoints to support or counter the argument where relevant. · Editing and proofreading have been key to the preparation of the essay. Sentences are complete, and punctuation, including apostrophe use, is generally correct. APA style is used consistently. Distinction (D 70-79%) – to be awarded a Distinction for this task students must meet all the requirements of the Credit level, but with a level of discernment: · A cohesive and persuasive response that explicitly supports the understanding of complexity of play. The arguments and examination are discussed in depth and claims are supported with relevant evidence from scholarly and professional sources. · The comparison of theories and examination of the complexities of play encompass diverse perspectives. Underpinning reasons and causes are critically analysed and evaluated and all the diverse views are seamlessly integrated to support the discussion. · An active voice is used with a broad and fluent vocabulary, and a range of cohesive devices (key words, pronouns, conjunctions, reinforcement, highlighting, similarity). There are a range of sentence types that add interest to the writing style. APA style is used consistently. High Distinction (HD 80 – 100%) – To be awarded an HD for this assignment students must meet all the requirements of the Distinction standard, outlined above, but to a highly sophisticated and insightful standard. · The essay demonstrates attributes of critical reading, critical analysis, and the insightful synthesis of a range of perspectives and ideas through the way the argument is structured across the essay. Each point connects to and builds on the previous one ensuring that the overall thesis is clearly elaborated. · The essay demonstrates capacity to discriminate between what is relevant and what is not in relation to the essay prompt. Thoughtfulness and sophisticated insight into the comparison of theories and evaluation of the complexity of play are evident in all aspects of the essay. · Scholarly literature informed beliefs and the literature is relevant and current. · Any errors that remain in the work do not detract from the overall quality of the essay, or of the meaning communicated. All external sources are referenced according to APA referencing conventions. If the assignment fails to reach a satisfactory standard on each criterion then it must be awarded a fail. Teacher’s advice email layout! Essay Overview 1. Please select TWO articles/reports for comparison from the long list of those readings available for this unit either as attached to the syllabus section of CANVAS, in the readings list or hyperlinked in the CANVAS modules. **you do not need to include the articles with the essay but ensure you should include the articles in your reference list** Once you have chosen your two articles you will then need to do a comparison of the philosophy, theory and pedagogy adopted by the educators/researchers discussed in the articles. Because you are making comparisons it is useful to choose articles where the approaches are different, this way you have more to discuss with the differences. For example, – choose one traditional (classical) and one contemporary theory of play. Start off by exploring the different philosophical and theoretical perspectives on play. Consider how the different philosophies/ theories offer different interpretations and approaches about play. Consider how the different theories offer different interpretations about play. 1. You are then asked to explore specifically at least two of the following areas: The cultural, ecological and historical influences. Consider the how diverse histories, identities and views of children/childhood of teachers, children and society influences play and how children’s play is valued or encouraged between cultural contexts. The social and historical impact on the perception and practice of what is play and the relationship between play and learning. The spatial environment, how the place including the materials, objects and nonhuman animals within these places and spaces influence play encounters. The role of other adults in particular a consideration of the teacher’s role within the play context. Questions you should ask during the comparisons include: Why are there differences? How have the different theories interacted to influence the concept of play? How has the concept of play changed over time with consideration to the teacher’s roles in supporting and encouraging children’s play in learning environments? Essay Structure Advice The introduction must introduce the topic and discussion points. As a general rule, an introduction should be no more than 10% of the total word count – in this case, no more than 150 words. You will need to be succinct. Use this as a chance to broadly introduce the topic of children and play and its role in care and school settings. Introduce key traditional and nontraditional (developmental postdevelopmental) theories of learning that influence play theory. Finish with the stating what articles you will compare. In the body of your