On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

- describe Swedish school-age educare and the role of its teachers
- explain the value of the outdoors as an environment for learning in school-age educare
- describe the difference between child and children's perspectives

- use different theoretical perspectives of children and their learning and play to compare practices in school-age educare
- design multimodal environments for learning

- critically reflect on issues of common values and the handling of conflicts

• Introduction to school-age educare, history, organisation and pedagogy.
• Study visits to school-age educare
• Theories of learning relevant to school-age educare
• Play theories
• Introduction to outdoor and multimodal pedagogy
• Common values of the Swedish schools and dealing with conflicts
• Introduction to child/ren’s perspectives

The teaching consists of lectures, seminars, study visits and exercises performed individually or in groups.

A digital learning platform is used.

Students who have been admitted to and registered on a course have the right to receive instruction/supervision for the duration of the time period specified for the particular course to which they were accepted. After that, the right to receive instruction/supervision expires.

The teaching is conducted in English.

General entry requirements. English proficiency is required. Exemption is granted from the requirement in Swedish.

The course is graded A, B, C, D, E, FX or F.

The grades A, B, C, D and E are all passing grades. For courses with more than one examination, students are given a final grade based on an overall assessment of all examinations included in the course. The final grade of the course is issued only when all course units have been passed.

The examination is based on instruction and course literature.

The examination must allow for students to be assessed on an individual basis. Students may not make a second attempt at any examination (or element of examination) already passed in order to receive a higher grade. Further information concerning assessment and grading criteria is provided in a study guide distributed at the beginning of the course.

Students are guaranteed a minimum of three examination occasions, including the regular occasion.

If a student has failed the same examination three times, the student is entitled to request that the next examination is assessed and graded by a new examiner if possible. The decision to accept or reject such a request is made by the vice dean of education.

In case the course is terminated or significantly altered, examination according to the present course syllabus shall be offered on at least two occasions in the course of one year after the termination/alteration.

Name of the Test	Value	Grading
Group presentation on learning theory	4 credits	U/G
Individual verbal examination	2 credits	U/G
Group presentation on study visits	2 credits	U/G
Individual home assignment1	7 credits	A/B/C/D/E/FX/F

¹ Determines the final grade of the course, which is issued only when all course units have been passed.

At the end of the course, a course evaluation is performed and commented on by the course coordinator and, if possible, a student/students (course developer/s). The course evaluation, which is published on the relevant learning platform and submitted to the study administration, is to function as a basis for future improvements to the course.

Andersson, Birgit (2010). Introducing assessment into Swedish leisure-time centres: pedagogues' attitudes and practices. Education Inquiry, 1 (3), 197-209. (12 p.)

Dahl, Marianne & Karlsudd, Peter (2015). Leisure-time teachers in a changed profession. In Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 68(68), 22-35. (13 p.)

Else, Perry (2009). The value of play. Maidenhead: Continuum. (167 p.)

Faulkner, Dorothy & Coates, Elizabeth (2011). Exploring children's creative narratives. Abingdon: Routledge. (Chapter 1 & 4, 32 p.)

Fredriksen, Biljana J. (2012). Providing materials and spaces for the negotiation of meaning in explorative play: teachers’ responsibilities. Education Inquiry, 3(3), 335-352. (17 p.)

Haglund, Björn (2015). Everyday practice at the Sunflower: the staff’s representations and governing strategies as contributions to the order of discourse. Education Inquiry 6(2), 209-229. (20 p.)

Haglund, Björn (2015). Pupil’s opportunities to influence activities: a study of everyday practice at a Swedish leisure-time centre. In Early Child Development and Care, 185(10), 1556-1568. (12 p.)

Hjalmarsson, Maria (2013). Governance and voluntariness for children, International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 1(1), 86-96. (10 p.)

Illeris, Knud (Ed.) (2009). Contemporary theories of learning: learning theorists in their own words. Abingdon: Routledge. (Chapter 2, 5, 7 & 15, 46 p.)

Kane, Eva (2015). Playing practices in school-age childcare: an action research project in Sweden and England. (Doctoral thesis). Stockholm: Stockholm University. (Chapter 3-4 & 8, 34 p.)

Kane, Eva, Ljusberg, Anna-Lena & Larsson, Håkan. (2013). Making magic soup: the facilitation of play in school-age childcare, International Journal of Play, 2(1), 7-21. doi:10.1080/21594937.2013.769814 (14 p.)

Lester, Stuart & Maudsley, Martin (2006). Play, naturally: a review of children's natural play. London: Children's Play Council for PlayDay. (105 p.)

Lindström, Lars (2012). Aesthetic learning about, in, with and through the arts: a curriculum study. The international journal of art and design education, 31(2), 166-179. (13 p.)

Närvänen, Anna Liisa & Elvstrand, Helene (2015). What is participation? pedagogues’ interpretative repertoires and ideological dilemmas regarding children’s participation in Swedish leisure-time centres. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 3(2), 5-23. (18 p.)

Øksnes, Maria (2008). The carnival goes on and on! Children's perceptions of their leisure time and play in SFO. Leisure Studies, 27(2), 149-164. (15 p.)

Palsdottir, Kolbrun (2012). Care, learning and leisure: the organizational identity of after-school centres for 6-9 year old children in Reykjavik (Doctoral thesis). Reykjavik: School of Education, University of Iceland. (Chapter 2,3 & 9, 84 p.)

Pihlgren, Ann & Rohlin, Malin (2013). "The free child": organized after school activities as the upbringing of a community. In B. Boufoy-Bastick (Red.), The international handbook of cultures of education policy, 1, 437-476. Strasbourg: Analytrics. (39 p.)

Saar, Tomas (2014). Towards a new pedagogy in the after-school setting. In European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 22, 254-270. (16 p.)

Sandell, Klas & Öhman, Johan (2010). Educational encounters with nature: reflections from a Swedish outdoor perspective. Environmental Education Research, 16(1), 113-132 (19 p.)

Skolverket. (2007). General guidelines and comments: quality in leisure-time centres. Stockholm: Skolverket. (39 p.)

Skolverket. (2011). Curriculum for the compulsory school, preschool class and the recreation centre 2011. Stockholm: Skolverket. (20 p.)

Skolverket. (2012). Evaluation of anti-bullying methods. Stockholm: Skolverket. (228 p.)

Sommer, Dion, Pramling Samuelsson, Ingrid & Hundeide, Karsten (2009). Child perspectives and children's perspectives in theory and practice. Dordrecht: Springer. (Introduction and part I, 82 p.)

Warden, Claire (2015). Learning with nature: embedding outdoor practice. London: Sage. (84 p.)

Choice of literature regarding learning theories for self study

Citing Sources – How to Create Literature References. http:ju.se/library/search--write/citing-sources---how-to-create-literature-references.html

Information Material about Anti-Plagiarism at Universities. The Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide – Jönköping University. http:pingpong.hj.se/public/courseId/10565/publicPage.do