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Education & Development
Supporting children's mental health and wellbeing
Do you have a professional or personal interest in the mental health issues affecting young children? Are you working with children or are you a parent or carer? This free course, Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing, is designed to give insight into the factors that are contributing to our youngest citizens’ poor mental health; examining factors from a national and global perspective. By the end of the course you will have gained knowledge about strategies and interventions that will help you to understand how you can support children’s mental health and improve their wellbeing.
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Education & Development
How do children learn the concept of race?
‘Children don’t see colour’ is a phrase we often hear when discussing race – but is this true? Mel Green explores how children conceptualise the idea of race and respond to it.
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History & The Arts
Exploring books for children: words and pictures
Many people have fond memories of the stories they encountered in childhood, perhaps especially of those wonderful picture books and illustrated tales which fired our young imaginations and transported us to magical worlds. To an adult’s eye, some picture books may seem remarkably simple, even oversimplified. However, in this free course, Exploring books for children: words and pictures, you will learn how children’s books use words and pictures together in remarkably sophisticated ways to communicate both to young and older readers, drawing on examples from the classics, such as Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Peter Rabbit, and from contemporary children’s authors such as Anthony Browne, author of Gorilla.
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Education & Development
Childhood in the digital age
This free course, Childhood in the digital age, delves into the lives of children and discuss the potential benefits and limitations of technology in their lives.
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Education & Development
Diploma of Higher Education in Childhood Practice
The first few years of children’s lives are crucial to their development and opportunities in later life – and the adults who work with them are ideally placed to make a difference. If you’re looking to extend your expertise as an early years practitioner and working in Scotland, this diploma course will help you build on your knowledge and skills. It is suitable for experienced practitioners working with young children in a wide range of early years settings (such as nurseries, playgroups and children’s centres), including home-based carers and classroom/teaching assistants specialising in early years. It will build on your knowledge of children’s development and learning, as well as developing your understanding of policies and practice in early years settings. You’ll also learn professional and practical skills like planning, assessment and teamwork. The Diploma of Higher Education in Childhood Practice also prepares you to engage with further study, enquiry and practice.
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Society, Politics & Law
Diploma of Higher Education in Social Policy and Criminology
Is there a link between poverty and crime? Are inequality and injustice factors in anti-social behaviour? What can be done to tackle the breakdown of social cohesion that resulted in rioting and looting in Britain’s inner cities? Can early childhood intervention and other crime prevention schemes provide an effective alternative to punishment through the criminal justice system? The Diploma of Higher Education in Social Policy and Criminology explores the debates that lie behind these key questions. You’ll examine contemporary controversies about how to deal with the apparent rise in crime and disorder at a time of recession, rising unemployment and deepening public sector austerity; and investigate issues of crime and social policy in local, national and international contexts. This wide-ranging diploma course will equip you with concepts and theories that underpin contemporary criminology and social policy, and develop the skills you need to evaluate the range of policy alternatives.
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Society, Politics & Law
BA (Honours) Social Sciences
What causes riots? Is commercialisation eroding childhood? Does poverty lead to crime? Social science explores such questions and helps inform others – from police officers to civil servants to business executives – who want to base their decisions on the best evidence. The BA (Honours) Combined Social Science is designed to be very flexible, enabling you to develop a variety of knowledge and skills from a combination of subjects including psychology, sociology, social policy, criminology, geography, politics and economics. You can choose to follow a named specialism by concentrating on one of these areas, or create your own combination of subjects. This degree course will equip you with skills highly valued by employers, such as using IT for the retrieval and effective presentation of information and data; critical evaluation; and concise writing. You’ll have your own specialist, subject-based academic support as well as opportunities to join in online communities of other social sciences students for teaching, learning and peer support.
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History & The Arts
Different cultures, different childhoods
A 'normal' childhood depends on where you live and when you're born. Heather Montgomery wonders how some common British practices might look to other cultures.
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Education & Development
Methods of studying children: the background
How do psychologists study child development? This article inspired by the OU/BBC series 'Child of our Time' explores...
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Education & Development
The Children's Research Centre Hub
The Open University's Children's Research Centre enables participation by children and young people - this collection of FREE resources explores some of their important work.
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History & The Arts
The man behind Matilda – what Roald Dahl was really like
Roald Dahl: the incredible storyteller loved by millions or a belittling bully? Find out what his character was like in this article.
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Education & Development
Do music lessons help with children's other classes?
There's been research which suggests picking up an instrument can improve children's educational performance across the board. But is there really any proof?