Education and Learning in Childhood

Specialists in education and learning in childhood take on roles in establishments that provide daycare to children who have yet to reach school age or after-school care to schoolchildren, or that support children and families in various ways. They might work in day nurseries, preschools, primary schools or family support and education centres, or they could deliver parenting courses or early help and intervention. They advise and support front-line staff, draw up educational concepts or quality guidelines, assist associations and organisations that fund childcare and support services to develop and improve their work processes, and conduct research on and evaluation of these services.

The first three semesters revolve around foundational classes in education science, psychology, social sciences, law, and empirical methodologies, with an emphasis on observing children’s development and evaluation and self-evaluation in professional practice.

In semester four, students are introduced to the course’s three focal areas:

• Developing competencies in childhood
• Providing advisory services to families
• Institutional development and management

The fifth and sixth semesters encompass further theoretical and practical (via a project) exploration of two of the three focal areas, as chosen by the student. The project centres on the researching, development and translation of theoretical insights into practice in relation to a specific topic. The course ends with the Bachelor thesis, which is completed in semester seven.

From semesters one to six, students spend a total of 180 hours each semester on practical placements in establishments providing care, support and enrichment to children, along with a thematically related Theory and Practice Seminar in each semester. Students receive supervision and support from us while doing their placements.

Professional practice requires the ability to develop high-quality educational offers, to foster children's individual talents and capabilities and to correctly identify and respond to warning signs pointing to any of the manifold potential threats to their safety and well-being. Taking into account the context where education and learning takes place plays a central role in this respect: in addition to the family situation, this includes the profile, conception and quality of the institutional environment on the one hand and the political, legal and social conditions on the other.

You should also be able and willing to reflect upon your actions in the professional context and to keep up to date with academic developments in the field and integrate them into your professional practice.

It is essential that you are able to read English-language academic literature and participate in discussions in English (in international seminars, on field trips, and at guest lectures).

Interested – but not quite sure yet whether this is the right course for you? Our self-assessment test can help you make up your mind. Take it here: HAW Navigator.