ED3BCD: Children's Development

Module code: ED3BCD

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 40

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Miss Linyao Wang, email: l.wang2@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 8 August 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to expand students’ understanding of the role that child development has had on childcare and educational theory and practice from birth to 18 years of age. Influential theories and theorists are selected and analysed in relation to ideology and practice when investigating different aspects of child development. Different ways of knowing about children and young people are introduced from the worlds of psychology, anthropology, education, sociology, neuro-science and literature and the way in which these different perspectives add to our understanding of children and young people is discussed.

Aims:

To develop knowledge and understanding of: 

• The individual and diverse ways in which children and young people develop and learn 
• How to meet children and young people's needs and enable them to develop and learn 
• The links between theoretical perspectives and practice 
• How children and young people’s wellbeing, development, learning and behaviour can be affected by a range of influences and transitions 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Recognise the expected pattern of children and young people's development and draw on how children’s development impacts learning
2. Illustrate how to respond appropriately and take into account children and young people’s ways of thinking in order to promote learning and development
3. Improve effective personalised provision for the children and young people with whom students work
4. Select and use a range of resources suitable for children’s ages (birth to18), interests and abilities

Module content

Students will be introduced to the module in semester one with the module being taught over semester one and two. There will be initial inputs in semester one to the module expectations and the required tasks relating to the assessments e.g. observations and relevant investigation in respect of an identified child’ development.    

Learning opportunities will focus on key child development areas including: 

• attachment theories 
• cognitive development 
• literacy and reading 
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• social and emotional development and children’s identity 
• physical development 
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• moral development 
• special educational needs and disabilities 
• supporting children and young people with English as an additional language  
• supporting children and young people's development through technology  

Within the first semester students will complete a short response paper (1,500 words). In the second semester students will compete a 3,000 word essay.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Online materials will support a combination of lectures, seminars, group discussions, case studies and independent research. Complementary work-based tasks, independent activities and directed tasks will contribute to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.  

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline, excluding self-certified extensions): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Level 3 (i.e. foundation modules for Part 0) and Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline, excluding self-certified extensions), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline, excluding self-certified extensions): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline, excluding self-certified extensions): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline, excluding self-certified extensions): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to a self-certified extension, it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e. considered to be more that three calendar days late).

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs