Lesson 1: Getting Started - Introduction to Early Childhood Education
A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart. ~Anonymous
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
- Explain their current undertstanding of early childhood educationand what it takes to be an educator.
- Discuss the impact of high quality programming.
- Discuss the personal influences that led to the early childhood education field.
Teaching
Watch the TEDtalk about the importance of early childhood education and take notes on the major points she discusses.
“Healthy children DO NOT come pre-assembled” To work with young children is not all smiles, hugs and art projects. Young children do not “just need to be loved.” Working with young children is not just working with the child. Throughout the early childhood education program, you will become more familiar with what it takes to be an early childhood educator. It is not simply how to “take care” of children. To be successful in early childhood you MUST be prepared for the following:
• Working with the FAMILY
• COLLABORATING with other professionals
• Be WELL VERSED in typical and atypical child development
• Have an UNDERSTANDING of how to build STRATEGIES to work with children with behavior challenges
• KNOW your State guidelines and best practices
• Be RESPECTFUL and PLAN for cultural and linguistic diversity
• Build AWARENESS of yourself and how your own biases and beliefs impact your work
• RECOGNIZE childhood adversity and prepare to build resiliency in children and their families
• ADHERE to the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and strict confidentiality guidelines
• Be OPEN to new ideas, up to date research and practices and recognize that early childhood educators have the MOST IMPORTANT job. . . . . .
We are building the future of the world. We are in charge of shaping and optimizing brain development. Infant and toddler brain development happens at the speed of 700 neural connections every second. 80% of their brain is developed by the time they are three. 90% by the time they are five. Early childhood educators have a significant influence on children, not only through our intentional interactions, but through our work with families.
The KVCC Early Childhood Education program is for you if you are ready to develop the skills you need in order to shape the future.
Are you up for the challenge?
Assessment
Lesson 1 Assignment
For this assignment I do not want you to do any research. Summarize your current understanding of the following topics in relation to the field of early childhood education (ECE). Describe what you currently know. If you do not know what a topic is about, please say that – it is ok! Be sure to save this assignment as we will be referring to it later in the semester.
- Working with the FAMILIES of the children
- COLLABORATING with other professionals (in a setting and in the field)
- KNOWLEDGE of typical and atypical child development
- The IMPORTANCE of the setting/environment in an early childhood setting
- UNDERSTANDING how to build STRATEGIES to work with children with behavior challenges
- KNOWLEDGE of your State guidelines and best practices
- Being RESPECTFUL of and PLANNING for cultural and linguistic diversity
- AWARENESS of yourself and how your own biases and beliefs impact your work
- RECOGNIZING childhood adversity and prepare to build resiliency in children and their families
- NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and strict confidentiality guidelines
Lesson 1 Discussion A
From the video, what was one of the long term results that surprised you between the abecedarian children and the non-abecedarian children? (You CANNOT use any of the statistics shown on any slides)
Lesson 1 Discussion B
Share a memory from your childhood, as a parent, or an experience you have had in an early childhood setting that has influenced your decision to work with young children.
For full credit in the graded discussions you need to post at least ONE response to the prompt in the Lesson and reply to at leaset TWO other students' posts. Your reply posts must be substantive. Please see the grading rubric in the Syllabus for this course for more details.
These instrucitons apply to all the graded discussions in this course and will not be repeated.