Centres of education and early childhood Education
Code: 102012 ECTS Credits: 8| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Education | FB | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Cecilia Inés Suárez Rivarola
- Email:
- ceciliaines.suarez@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
It is recommended:
- To have a functional knowledge of one European Union language (in addition to one's own).
- To read educational papers related to the contents of this course and that are included in the recommended bibliography.
- To have basic research skills.
- To reflect on one's own educational experience.
- To have a predisposition for teamwork.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The course is aimed at analyzing the situation of any educational institution (schools, programs and projects) for children in the educational systems of the European Union, with particular emphasis on systems Catalan and Spanish.
It also is designed to identify and understand the processes and institutions that have promoted and promote innovations in any European territory.
This systematic approach will certainly consider the educational institution as a unit of analysis and intervention.
By the end of this course, students should:
- Understand the Early Education and Childcare systems and network inside the European region.
- Analyze childcare systems in Spain and Catalonia.
- Identify institutions and innovative programs dedicated to early childhood that promote children's rights.
- Understand the different types of institutions of Early Childhood Education (schools, programs and projects).
- To use educational research to understand the types of Early Childhood Education institutions and their characteristics.
- To understand evidence-informed educational practices as an approach for the improvement and innovation of teaching practices in Early Childhood Education.
- To develop the research competence as early childhood education teachers.
- To develop digital competence as early childhood education teachers.
- To promote knowledge about enculturation and gender socialization in childhood and the role of women and the gender system in these processes.
- To promote knowledge and reflection on gender inequalities and the different forms of sexism in societies, focusing the analysis on Early Childhood Education.
Competences
- Acquire habits and skills for cooperative and autonomous learning and promote the same in pupils.
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
- Appreciate the importance of teamwork.
- Assessing the personal relationship with each student and their family as a quality factor of education.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the role, possibilities and limits of education in today's society and core competencies that affect infant schools and their professionals.
- Demonstrate knowledge of quality improvement models with application to schools.
- Know about international experiences and examples of innovative practices in infant education.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Master social skills in dealing and relating with the family of each pupil and all families.
- Participate and get involved in the events, meetings and events of the institution to which one belongs.
- Participate in the development and monitoring of educational programs in infant education in the framework of school projects and in collaboration with the territory and with other professionals and social agents.
- Place infant schooling in the Spanish education system, and in the European and international context.
- Understand the law governing kindergartens and their organization.
- Work in teams and with teams (in the same field or interdisciplinary).
Learning Outcomes
- Accept that the diversity and plurality of ideas, practices and educational institutions is a value to defend.
- Analyse, contextually and pedagogically, educational projects and national and international assessment reports related to nursery and primary education and that help make decisions in the field of education policy.
- Assessing the value of, and respecting the different pedagogical contributions of, different movements and authors of contemporary relevance.
- Contrast and synthesize information about infant schools in Catalan, Spanish, European and international education systems, explaining experiences and innovative examples through a study produced by a team.
- Critically and independently analyse the main current formulations and pedagogical practices, and be able to defend the assumption of criteria.
- Examining the knowledge of the main international, and especially European, pedagogical movements that have influenced contemporary pedagogical theory and practices that affect nursery and primary schooling.
- Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
- Find out about and develop a monitoring plan for infant education projects in the framework of a school that collaborates with the territory and with other professionals and social agents.
- Gaining a deeper knowledge of certain authors and educational movements that have had a special importance in educational thinking and practice in our country.
- Identifying the main changes affecting educational practice and the way teachers exercise their profession today.
- Observing and describing the main limitations but also the possibilities of current educational projects and practices of different centres and teaching professionals.
- Produce, in a group, innovative training proposals that include the typical interdisciplinary teams in an institution of early childhood care.
- Propose new ways to measure the success or failure of the implementation of innovative proposals or ideas.
- Understand the historical evolution of the main currents of educational thinking in terms of the various changing contexts that affect teaching.
- Understand the main currents of contemporary thought of educational influence and their impact on nursery and primary education.
- Using graphic techniques to analyse the legislation regulating infant schools and their organisation.
- Using social skills in relationships with children, with families and with the professionals from the centres being studied.
- Using techniques such as the genogram, the video frame, family photos and family albums to critically analyse personal and other family relationships.
- Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.
- Weigh up the risks and opportunities of both one's own and other people's proposals for improvement.
Content
Situation of Early Childhood Education in the European and international context.
- Services for children and their families.
- Attention collective bargaining and individual attention to different European countries.
- Quantitative and qualitative aspects of the different services.
Educational innovation in stages 0-6. Precedents and current situation.
- Innovations focus on curriculum development.
- Innovations focus on the organization of the center.
- Innovations focus on the relationship with the environment.
Early Childhood Education in the Spanish and Catalan educational system.
- Different child care services and education in Catalonia and Spain.
- Legislative support for the family.
- The school children. Legislative framework.
Early Childhood Education Organizations. Types and functions.
- Different educational support services for children.
- Different services to support motherhood and parenting.
- Activities of daily life.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Field Work Seminars | 5 | 0.2 | 2, 9, 1, 15, 14, 4, 12, 10, 11, 18, 16, 3 |
| Oral presentations and Lectures | 15 | 0.6 | 2, 9, 1, 15, 14, 4, 12, 10, 11, 18, 16, 3 |
| Reading Seminars | 40 | 1.6 | 2, 9, 1, 15, 14, 4, 12, 10, 11, 18, 16, 3 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Follow-up activities both face-to-face and on-line | 20 | 0.8 | 5, 14, 8, 12, 10, 11, 18, 3 |
| Self-assessment, peer assessment | 20 | 0.8 | 5, 15, 8, 12, 10, 11, 17, 18, 3 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Self-Study activities | 100 | 4 | 5, 9, 1, 8, 4, 12, 17, 18, 16 |
As showed in the following sections, this course is designed considering that the students are at the center of the learning process.
This course includes three types of learning activities: guided, supervised, and self-study activities.
• Guided activities are conducted by the teaching staff involving the active participation of the class group in the learning process. These activities can be large group classes, seminars or small group sessions. Classes with the main group are based on presentations of the topics from the syllabus. The seminars and practical sessions are working spaces to deepen, analyze, contrast, debate, experience, reflect and evaluate the contents of the course.
• Supervised activities are learning activities in which students, individually and/or in groups, work towards achieving learning. These activities will be structured in a concrete way, presented at the beginning of the course, and allow the deepening and application of the course content.
• Self-study activities are carried out independently by the student in order to develop skills and achieve the objectives of the course.
Inclusive Education
Taking into account the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the principles of equity and inclusion promoted by the European Union (Declaration of Paris, 2015), the commitment made by the Faculty of Education Sciences and UAB regarding educational inclusion, and following the Decree 150/2017 on the inclusive education system in Catalonia, the professors of this course recognizes the value of diversity and are committed to considering the uniqueness of the learning needs of the students. Therefore, an inclusive perspective will be considered transversally incorporated in the teaching practices, activities and productions of the students, and contents of this course.
Digital TeachingCompetence.
This course includes activities for the development of Digital Teaching Competence.
Gender Perspective
This subject considers the Gender Perspective in teaching, as well as the need to include mechanisms that allow us to overcome inequalities and build fairer societies from Early Childhood Education. In this regard, this subject considers the assumption of gender equity values as a transversal axis to the proposed content, activities, and teaching practice.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam (individual evaluation) | 40% | 0 | 0 | 5, 9, 15, 14, 7, 10, 6, 13, 3, 19 |
| Group Project Child and Family Care Services in Catalonia (Group Project) | 30% | 0 | 0 | 2, 5, 9, 1, 15, 8, 4, 12, 7, 11, 17, 16, 3 |
| Individual assessment (individual evaluation) | 30% | 0 | 0 | 5, 1, 14, 11, 20, 13, 18, 16, 3 |
The assessment carried out in this course is continuous and final.
Rubrics, checklists, assessment guidelines, and other tools will be used in the assessment process to ensure the continuous and formative monitoring of the practical activities that will be developed throughout the course.
The final assessment consists of two individual written tests and a group assignment that covers all the content from the different sections and are distributed throughout the course.
The assessment and reassessment dates are:
Group 61: 11/12 and 18/06. The reassessment date is July 02nd, 2026.
Group 62: 09/12 and 26/05. The reassessment date is June 23rd, 2026.
Attendance, participation, and attitudes
Attendance and participation during the development of the subject are essential to develop the established competencies. You must have attended at least 80% of the seminar sessions and 100% of the evaluation sessions. The student who does not meet this criterion cannot be evaluated and will be considered Not Evaluable.
The certificates that are sometimes presented in case of absence serve only to explain the absence, but in no case are they exempt from attendance. Only in cases related to medical and judicial issues, and duly documented, the teaching staff responsible for the subject may arbitrate, if possible, complementary activities that compensate for the required face-to-face attendance.
It is necessary to show an attitude compatible with the educational profession as a requirement to pass the subject. Some competencies are active listening, respect, participation, cooperation, empathy, kindness, punctuality, not judging, arguing, and proper use of electronic devices (mobile, computer, etc.)
Also, the student must demonstrate that he/she is responsible and rigorous in autonomous work, actively participate in the classes, and show critical thinkingand behaviours that favour a friendly and positive, democratic environment where differences are respected. The students’ participation, involvement, and attitude during the development of the activities and classroom sessions will be considered for evaluation. Teachers may suspend or lower the grades if they consider it does not meet academic minimums in the mentioned aspects. The importance of demonstrating an ethical commitment to the deontological principles of the teaching profession is recalled.
Qualifications and Reassessment
To pass the subject, it is necessary to have an average equal to or greater than 5 (five). To be able to do the average with the activities, it is necessary to get a minimum of 5 (five) in each of the compulsory evaluation activities. When it is considered that the student has not been able to provide sufficient evidence of evaluation, this subject must be graded as Not Evaluable.
The teaching staff will return the assessment of the evidence within a maximum of 20 working days of the academic calendar. The student who wants to review the note must do so within 15 days after its publication in the established tutorial schedule.
The student will have the opportunity to recover the subject by taking a written test with a maximum grade of 5 (five). Group and cooperative work are not reassessable.
Students who repeat the subject must contact at the beginning of the course to specify the requirements to pass the subject. This subject allows the realization of a synthesis test for assessing the learning results. In this case, the final qualification of the subject will correspond to the grade of the synthesis test.
Activities, evidence, and use of AI
The activities and evidence that are presented in the subject must be original and of one's own creation or of the group (when applicable).
In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed as an integral part of the development of the work, provided that the result reflects a significant contribution of the student in the analysis and personal reflection. The student will have to clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the result of the activity. The non-transparency of the use of AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a penalty in the grade of the activity, or major sanctions in cases of seriousness; the work will not be considered original, and the subject will be suspended in its entirety without the option of re-evaluation. It is considered that it has not been their production when the works are elaborated in their entirety with non-original and exclusive elements of the student and/or when the student does not identify the use that has been made of AI and/or their personal contribution in the analysis and reflection.
All evaluable activities will be subject to formal criteria, including spelling, writing, and presentation. Before submitting evidence of learning, it is necessary to check that the citations in the text and bibliographic references have been correctly written following the APA 7th Ed. regulations.
Linguistic Competence
To pass this subject, students must show a good general communicative competence, both orally and in writing, and a good command of the vehicular language or languages that appear in the teaching guide in the activities proposed. In all the activities (individual and group), therefore, linguistic correctness, writing and formal aspects of presentation will be considered. Students must be able to express themselves fluently and correctly and must show a high degree of understanding of academic texts. An activity can be returned (not evaluated) or suspended if the teacher considers that it does not meet these requirements.
In the case of the Catalanlanguage, in the 1st and 2nd year students are required to have a linguistic competence equivalent to Level 1 for Early Childhood and Primary Education Teachers; and from the 3rd year of the Degree the student must have shown competence equivalent to Level 2 for Early Childhood and Primary Education Teachers (more information about these levels at http://www.uab.cat/web/els-estudis/a-1369).
Copy and plagiarism
Copying or plagiarism in any kind of evaluation activity constitutes a crime and will be penalized with a 0 (zero) as a mark for the subject, losing the possibility of recovering it, whether it is individual or group work (in this case, all members of the group will have a 0). If, during the completion of individual work in class, the teacher considers that a student is trying to copy or discover some type of document or device not authorized by the teacher, the same will be graded with a 0, without the option of reassessment, and therefore, the subject will be suspended. A work, activity, or exam will be considered to be "copied" when it reproduces all or a significant part of the work of another colleague. It will be considered that a work or activity is "plagiarized" when a part of an author's text is presented as its own without citing the sources, regardless of whether the original sources are in paper or digital format. More about UAB’s antiplagiarism rules at: http://wuster.uab.es/web_argumenta_obert/unit_20/sot_2_01.html
Single Assessment System
This course does not provide for a Single Assessment System.
Bibliography
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Alcrudo, P.; Alonso, A.; Escobar, M.; Hoyuelos, A.; Medina, À. y Vallejo, A. (2015). La educación infantil en España. Planteamiento, situación y perspectiva de la educación de 0 a 6 años. Escuela de Fantasía, S.L. Recuperat de https://issuu.com/platamadrid/docs/la_educacion_infantil_en_e
Alderson, J. M., McAlevey, F., Narayan, M., & Williams, S. (2024). A Culture of Innovation in Early Childhood Education: Which Factors Shape How Teachers Use Curriculum Innovation? Early Childhood Education Journal, 52(4), 783–792. Recuperat de: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01463-1
Barbieri, N. (2019). Innovació social i educació 0-3 anys. Barcelona: IGOP (Projecte RecerCaixa “Edu 0-3”).
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Bonal, X.S. & Saurí, E.S. (2016). Equitat en l’accés a les escoles bressol municipal. En Observatori de l’educació local. Informe 2016, (pp. 26-35). Diputació de Barcelona. Disponible en: https://llibreria.diba.cat/es/libro/observatori-de-l-educaciolocal_58236
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Forner, À.; Acedo, C. i Recasens, J. (2001). Serveis per a la infància: Marc de referència per a polítiques educatives en l'àmbit municipal. Estudis educació 7, Diputació de Barcelona.
Gallego, Raquel y Maestripieri, Lara (2022). La innovación social en los cuidados 0-3: entre la desigualdad y la equidad en las políticas públicas. Papers, 107 (3), e3060. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.3060
Garvis, S., & Lenz-Taguchi, H. (Eds.). (2021). Quality Improvement in Early Childhood Education: International Perspectives on Enhancing Learning Outcomes (1st ed. 2021). Springer International Publishing. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73182-3
Garvis, S., Phillipson, S., Harju-Luukkainen, H., Sadownik, R. A. (eds.) (2022). Parental engagement and early childhood education around the world. Routledge.
Hansen, L. S., & Ringsmose, C. (2023). Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care through Leadership and Organizational Learning : Organizational and Professional Development (1st ed. 2023.). Springer International Publishing. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39419-5
Jiménez-Delgado, M.; Jareño-Ruiz, D. & El-Habib Draoui, B. (2016). La expansión de la educación infantil en España: entre la igualdad de oportunidades y la segregación. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación, 72, 19-44. Disponible en: https://rieoei.org/historico/documentos/rie72a01.pdf
Kinkead-Clark, Z., & Escayg, K.-A. (Eds.). (2021). Reconceptualizing Quality in Early Childhood Education, Care and Development : Understanding the Child and Community (1st ed. 2021.). Springer International Publishing. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69013-7
Marbán Gallego, V, & Rodríguez Cabrero, G. (2020). Políticas de protección a la infancia en la Unión Europea. Presupuesto y Gasto Público 98, 49-78. Disponible en:https://dialnet.unirioja.es/ejemplar/554862
Mayordomo Martínez, E. & Millán Cañamares, X. (2017). Avances, límites y retos en la garantía de derechos de la infancia en Cataluña. Una aproximación desde el ámbito municipal. Zerbitzuan, 63, 75-88. Disponible en:http://www.zerbitzuan.net/documentos/zerbitzuan/Zerbitzuan63.pd
Montero, I., Tahull, J. i Berga, È (2021). Canviar el pati per transformar l’educació. El cas de l’escola Salvador Espriu de Vallfogona de Balaguer. Revista Catalana dePedagogia, 20, 93-109. Recuperat de: https://doi.org/10.2436/20.3007.01.167
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OECD. Starting strong IV: monitoring quality in early childhood education and care. (2015th ed.). (2015). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Recuperado de: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264233515-en
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ONU (2006). Comité de los Derechos del Niño. Observación general N°7: Realización de los derechos del niño en la primera infancia, 20 septiembre 2006, CRC/C/GC/7/Rev.1, Recuperado de: http://www.refworld.org.es/docid/4ffd3dc02.html
ONU (2013). Comité de los Derechos del Niño. Observación general N°17 sobre el derecho del niño al descanso, el esparcimiento, el juego, las actividades recreativas, la vida cultural y las artes (artículo 31), 17 abril 2013, CRC/C/GC/17. Recuperado de: http://www.refworld.org.es/docid/51ef9bf14.html
Perines H. (2017). Las murallas invisibles entre la investigación educativa y los docentes. Ciencia y Educación, 1 (1), 11-21.
Ramis Assens, A. (2016). Famílies i mestres, Entendre'ns per educar. Eumo.
Riera-Jaume et al.(2022). La participación de las familias en los procesos de innovación educativa de los centros escolares. Educar, 58/1, pp. 255-271. Disponible en: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8545926
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Sabariego Puig, M., Pose Porto, H., Sánchez Lissen, E., & Buxarrais Estrada, M. R. (2023). La participación de la infancia y la adolescencia en la municipalidad. Discursos y estrategias políticas en Andalucía, Catalunya y Galicia. Bordón, 75(2), 123–141. https://doi.org/10.13042/Bordon.2023.96468
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Trotta, T. i Troya, M.S. (2018, octubre 4). La pobreza infantil en España nos lleva a desaprovechar talento. El País, secció Planeta Futuro. Recuperat de https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/10/03/planeta_futuro/1538570523_817380.html
Tejada, J. (2008). Los agentes de la innovación en los centros educativos. Profesores, directivos y asesores. Ediciones Aljibe.
UNICEF (2022). Experiencias innovadoras de aprendizaje y educación para la primera infancia en América Latina y el Caribe. UNICEF.
Uttech, M. (2009). ¿Qué es la investigación y qué es un maestro investigador? Revista de Educación XXI, 139-150.
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Zabalza, M.A. (2023). Prólogo. La infància digital: entre la esperanza y el riesgo. En M. Area-Moreira, J. Rodríguez Rodríguez, J. Peirats Chacón, Á. San Martin Alonso (coords.), Infanci@ digit@l : los recursos educativos digitales en educación infantil. 1a. edición. Barcelona: Graó, 2023. Print. Disponible online a la Biblioteca d’Humanitats UAB.
Zabalza, M.A. (1996). Calidad en la Educación Infantil. Narcea.
Revistes i pàgines electròniques d’interès:
Diputació de Barcelona – Àrea d’Educació http://www.diba.es/
Institut Infància i adolescència https://institutinfancia.cat/
Observatorio de la Infancia de la Junta de Andalucía: https://www.observatoriodelainfancia.es/oia/esp/index.aspx
Organización para la Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE) https://www.oecd.org/
Revista Infància a Europa https://www.rosasensat.org/revistes/infancia-europa/
Unió Europea https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en
(*) Relevant bibliography and web links for each theme may be provided throughout the course.
Software
Not required.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (SEM) Seminars | 611 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 612 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 613 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 621 | Catalan | annual | afternoon |
| (SEM) Seminars | 622 | Catalan | annual | afternoon |
| (SEM) Seminars | 623 | Catalan | annual | afternoon |
| (TE) Theory | 61 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 62 | Catalan | annual | afternoon |