Overview of the Major
The preschool education major was approved by the Ministry of Education in 2019, catering to the development needs of preschool education in China and Guangdong Province. Based on teacher education standards, the major actively engages in international and school-enterprise cooperation, utilizing advanced educational concepts, high-level teachers, and comprehensive teaching facilities to cultivate preschool education professionals with solid foundations, high qualities, strong abilities, and high-quality employment prospects. Currently, there are 1,431 enrolled students. Since 2021, the major has participated in the Guangdong Provincial Undergraduate Teacher Education Skills Competition organized by the Provincial Department of Education for three consecutive years, winning two first prizes, three second prizes, two third prizes, and three excellence awards. It is the only private university among participating institutions to receive a first prize. One student has received the National Scholarship, and 32 students have received the National Encouragement Scholarship.
Training Objectives
This major aims to cultivate individuals who are comprehensively developed in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor aspects. These individuals should possess homeland emotions, a healthy personality, an international perspective, craftsmanship spirit, and innovation ability. They should have a firm and correct political orientation, excellent professional ethics, scientific and humanistic literacy, advanced educational concepts, solid professional knowledge and skills, outstanding educational and teaching practical abilities, strong research and innovation abilities, and good adaptability and collaboration skills. Graduates are expected to engage in teaching, research, and administrative positions in the field of preschool education as composite and applied talents.
Knowledge and Abilities
1. Professional ethics: Practice socialist core values, enhance ideological, political, theoretical, and emotional identification with socialism with Chinese characteristics. Serve as a role model, implement the party's education policies, and take it as their duty to cultivate people by establishing moral integrity. Adhere to the professional ethics of primary and secondary school teachers, have a sense of teaching according to the law, and aspire to become good teachers with ideals, convictions, knowledge, and compassion.
2. Educational sentiment: Possess advanced educational concepts and ideas, willingness to teach, a deep love for preschool education, and recognition of the significance and professionalism of teachers' work. Have positive emotions, correct attitudes, and values. Respect children's personality, be full of love and responsibility, work carefully and patiently, and serve as an enlightener and guide for children's healthy growth.
3. Childcare knowledge: Possess a certain level of scientific and humanistic literacy, understand the laws and characteristics of children's physical and mental development and learning, have a basic understanding of related disciplines, master the basic methods and strategies of kindergarten education and teaching, and focus on integrating knowledge.
4. Childcare abilities: Able to scientifically plan daily life, create environments, and organize activities based on the "Guidelines for Kindergarten Education" and the "Guide for Learning and Development of Children Aged 3-6," utilizing childcare and education knowledge. Possess the ability to observe, communicate with, record, and analyze children. Have the ability to evaluate kindergarten activities.
5. Class management ability: Understand the characteristics of kindergarten classes, establish class order and rules, plan and utilize time and space, create a good class environment, utilize various educational resources, establish good peer and teacher-student relationships, and foster a positive class atmosphere.
6. Comprehensive education ability: Understand the characteristics and laws of children's social-emotional development, focus on cultivating good willpower and habits, recognize the value of environmental education, understand the value of kindergarten culture and daily life for children's development, and comprehensively utilize resources from kindergartens, families, and communities for comprehensive education.
7. Reflective learning: Possess a sense of lifelong learning and professional development, understand the reform and development trends of preschool education at home and abroad, adapt to the needs of the times and educational development, engage in learning and career planning, possess strong teaching reflection and research abilities, and have a strong sense of innovation and entrepreneurship. Able to use critical thinking methods to analyze and solve problems.
8. Communication and cooperation skills: Understand the role of the learning community, possess teamwork spirit, master communication and cooperation skills, have experience in group assistance and collaborative learning, and be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with others.
Characteristics of the Preschool Education Major
This major aligns with the industries in the Greater Bay Area, following the OBE (Outcome-Based Education) philosophy of "student-centeredness, output orientation, and continuous improvement." It constructs talent cultivation programs and curricula closely aligned with industrial demands, featuring collaborative training between government, schools, and enterprises.
1. Alignment with standards: The major follows national standards for undergraduate majors, preschool education certification standards, teacher competency standards, and kindergarten teacher professional standards to set training objectives and curricula, laying a solid professional foundation.
2. "3+1" talent cultivation mode: Through school-enterprise cooperation in curriculum development, the major achieves seamless integration of professional learning and vocational practice, enabling graduates to secure employment upon graduation. Currently, 73 kindergartens have signed contracts to serve as educational practice bases, and over 550 kindergartens or early childhood education institutions cooperate in receiving interns from this major. The major jointly develops school-enterprise courses with kindergartens, promoting industry-education integration to cultivate high-quality early childhood education talents.
3. "Teacher-student co-construction - professional clubs" promoting internalized professional characteristics: The education college clubs implement formal management mechanisms, with the dean taking responsibility and full participation. The club system has a positive impact on teacher qualification certification, teaching quality evaluation, graduate employment, subject construction, and professional certification.
Curriculum System Topology
Core Courses
Based on the "National Standards for the Quality of Education Teaching" and the "Standards for the Certification of Preschool Education Majors (Trial)" issued by the Ministry of Education, combined with the spirit of documents such as the "Teacher Competency Standards for Normal Students of Preschool Education" and the "Professional Standards for Kindergarten Teachers (Trial)," the major has identified 12 core courses: Preschool Childcare, Preschool Education, Science of Preschool Children's Development, Children's Games and Guidance, Kindergarten Curriculum, Preschool Children's Health Education, Preschool Children's Language Education, Preschool Children's Social Education, Preschool Children's Science Education, Preschool Children's Mathematics Education, Preschool Children's Music Education, and Preschool Children's Art Education.
Practical Teaching
On-campus concentrated practical teaching: Following the principles of theoretical-practical integration and progressive coherence, the major sets up military training, educational internships, and educational research as on-campus concentrated practical teaching links. Specific teaching contents include child healthcare and nursing, teacher writing skills, kindergarten daily life, children's storytelling, observation of children's games, kindergarten class management, design and guidance of kindergarten educational activities, and comprehensive training in preschool education.
Enterprise practical teaching projects: Include online self-study extension modules, professional ethics education, regional/industry/enterprise research (choose one of three), professional internships, graduation internships, and graduation designs.
Teaching Conditions
The preschool education department has initially established a "dual training" practical teaching curriculum system combining on-campus training and off-campus internships.
On-campus training: The education college's practical teaching center currently has 55 training rooms, including children's educational activity rooms, infant hygiene training rooms, infant care training rooms, Montessori education training rooms, art training rooms, Orff music training rooms, digital piano training rooms, individual piano rooms, STEAM training rooms, picture book experience halls, dance studios, and mathematical modeling training rooms.
Off-campus internships: The major has initially established cooperation with high-quality kindergartens in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, and other areas, jointly developing courses and industry-education integration, and establishing off-campus internship bases. It has signed cooperation agreements with 42 kindergartens, including the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee Kindergarten, the Second Guangdong Yucai Kindergarten, and the Dongfanghong Kindergarten.
Employment Prospects
The country currently attaches great importance to the development of preschool education, having issued over a dozen laws and regulations related to preschool education, including the "Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Deepening Reform and Standardizing the Development of Preschool Education" (State Council, 2018), the "Draft Law of the People's Republic of China on Preschool Education (for Comment)" (Ministry of Education, 2020), and the "Guidelines for Assessing the Quality of Kindergarten Care and Education" (Jiao Ji [2022] No. 1). With the vigorous promotion of high-quality kindergartens and non-profit inclusive kindergartens, as well as related industries, graduates of preschool education majors enjoy broad employment prospects.
1. Graduates can engage in childcare work in kindergartens and childcare institutions.
2. Work in educational training institutions, engaging in curriculum design, demonstration, promotion, and guidance.
3. Work in early childhood education product companies, designing, promoting, and guiding projects such as kindergarten cultural design, curriculum systems, indoor and outdoor activity areas, and specialized functional areas.
4. Engage in services, guidance, management, copywriting, and event hosting related to preschool education in cultural, educational, media, and community institutions.
Faculty Team
Currently, there are 44 full-time teachers, including 5 professors, 3 associate professors, 6 doctors, and 3 doctoral candidates. Among them, 18 teachers have an international educational background, and 26 teachers possess dual-teacher qualifications. Additionally, there are 9 part-time teachers from enterprises.
