Master in Play and Early Motor Development

Course Objectives

The Master in Play and Early Motor Development is a scientifically detailed training offer that allows to respond to several demands in the scope of Children’s play and early motor development. It provides pedagogical and didactic resources and methodologies that allow master’ students to act and intervene appropriately, under different prisms physical activity, playful and sport organization, oriented towards child’s development at pre-school and basic education. This Master also allows students to develop their training, adapted to their needs, interests and / or professional perspectives.
The organization of this master’s degree makes it possible develop students’ initial training obtained in undergraduate courses such as Psychology, Childhood Education, Basic Education, Physical Education, Teachers Training, Social Animation, Sports Sciences, Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Human and Behavioral Sciences, Leisure, as well as other related areas of child development and motor behavior. The practical and experimental matrix of the course is enhanced with the applied research underlying professional intervention. This cycle of studies includes a specialization course, consisting of a set of curricular units, total 60 ECTS.
Therefore, this master objectives are:
1.Train professionals in Play and Early Motor Development in Childhood (PEMDC) who are qualified to perform activity in the area of child motor development and early motor development, and who are capable of designing and implementing projects for physical and sports activities that promote the ability to act socially in formal educational and leisure contexts.
2.Advance technical, pedagogic and scientific training acquired in the 1st cycle -“Licenciatura” – for educating and training children.
3.Provide students with the skills to enact as change agents.
4.Provide tools that guarantee the grounds for the intervention of students as agents of change;
5.Provide knowledge applicable to the development of research-action projects.
6.Provide the students with scientific and cultural autonomy to pursue to 3rd cycle studies – doctoral programme.

Access Conditions

Access is in accordance with the 2nd Cycle of Studies Academic Regulation for IPC’s courses.

Professional Outlets

The Master in Play and Early Motor Development intends to qualify professionals for the performance of functions in the area of motor development and children’s motricity, capable of designing and developing projects of physical and sports activities that enhance the capacity for social intervention in formal and non-formal educational/ leisure settings: Free Time Activities Centers, Elementary and Secondary Schools and their respective communities, Associations and Organizations, Companies, Municipalities.

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Learning Language

Portuguese.

Learning Objectives

1. Design and produce strategic, operational plans, projects and activity programmes to promote the child motor development and early motor development in various contexts (school, club, municipalities, ATL, IPSS).
2. Design the technical-pedagogic intervention in PEMD for the child populations using the results from the research conducted on human early motor development and sport sciences.
3. Createand developing new situations for exercise of a learn-through-play and experimental nature by using and combining the different essential capabilities in order to assure proficiency in the development of fundamental motor standards in the sensitive stages of their development.
4. Designing a research-action programme in PEMD by selecting and developing methods for research, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results and their application to research objectives and/or intervention.

Access to Superior Studies

The Master Diploma in Play and Early Motor Development grants qualification to continue studies in a PhD Degree.

Course Coordinators

Common Core

Curricular Year: 1
Curricular Unit Code ECTS Period
Early Motor Development 20040232 6 1st S
Motor Development 20040221 6 1st S
Play, Leisure and Development Activity Childhood 20000653 6 1st S
Popular Toys and Games 20040243 6 1st S
Seminar 20040257 6 1st S
Analysis of Motor Behavior 20040296 6 2nd S
Early Motor of Pedagogy 20040279 6 2nd S
Play, Sports and Leisure 20040285 6 2nd S
Recreation and Play Spaces 20040268 6 2nd S
Research Metholology 20040303 6 2nd S

Curricular Year: 2
Curricular Unit Code ECTS Period
Action Research Project I 20040314 30 1st S
Action Research Project II 20040320 30 2nd S