My Practice
Developmental Domains
Out of the three developmental domains, physical, cognitive, and affective, I feel I have the strongest foundation in the Affective Domain. This includes emotional development which includes basic emotions, self conscious emotions, attachment, temperament/personality, and self-concept/self-esteem, social development which includes relationships with others and social competence, and moral development which includes moral reasoning and morality. I've had experience working with children with social-emotional concerns twice in an intensive 6 week therapeutic Preschool and Kindergarten program that taught children how to appropriately interact with their peers, express their emotions and themselves, and learn school readiness skills. Through my internship with ABC Early Childhood Center I will continue to use my knowledge to help young children develop the affective skills needed to enter Kindergarten. I will build a mutual relationship with the children, getting to know their personality and temperaments and from observations I will gauge where a child might need more support. I will support children in peer relationships and bringing awareness of how others are feeling and how to appropriately respond to situations where conflict is present. I will model how to respond to others and provide activities and experiences where children can practice their budding skills. I will also remain calm in highly stressful situations, as children are learning these new "rules" great conflict can arise with children and even their families. I can speak with parents/families if they have any concerns about their child and develop a strategy that we can use at school and home to help their children develop the skills that they find important as well as what is to be expected of them at school.
Out of the three developmental domains, physical, cognitive, and affective, I feel I have the strongest foundation in the Affective Domain. This includes emotional development which includes basic emotions, self conscious emotions, attachment, temperament/personality, and self-concept/self-esteem, social development which includes relationships with others and social competence, and moral development which includes moral reasoning and morality. I've had experience working with children with social-emotional concerns twice in an intensive 6 week therapeutic Preschool and Kindergarten program that taught children how to appropriately interact with their peers, express their emotions and themselves, and learn school readiness skills. Through my internship with ABC Early Childhood Center I will continue to use my knowledge to help young children develop the affective skills needed to enter Kindergarten. I will build a mutual relationship with the children, getting to know their personality and temperaments and from observations I will gauge where a child might need more support. I will support children in peer relationships and bringing awareness of how others are feeling and how to appropriately respond to situations where conflict is present. I will model how to respond to others and provide activities and experiences where children can practice their budding skills. I will also remain calm in highly stressful situations, as children are learning these new "rules" great conflict can arise with children and even their families. I can speak with parents/families if they have any concerns about their child and develop a strategy that we can use at school and home to help their children develop the skills that they find important as well as what is to be expected of them at school.
Home-School Partnership
I believe in engaging, empowering, and partnering with families throughout the decision and/or goal making processes. This allows for everyone to feel a part of the process. They will feel like they are in a partnership instead of a one sided leadership when it comes to the education and care of their children. This allows Teachers to provide individualized care to children and their families. By getting to know each family on a personal level we can fully meet the whole family’s needs. Families and educators are the most important influences in helping children learn and develop. When teachers and families work together they are creating a united front and building a link between home and school. When children see that their families and their teachers communicate with each other they feel safe, comfortable, and happy. Also, when teachers and families work together they can come together and provide children with continuous continuity of care, collaborating to help children reach their full potential.Some strategies that I would use to build home-school partnerships would to have in-home visits at least twice a year, once before school starts and once at about the half way point. This allows teachers to get to know each family, see how they live, and get a glimpse into how their unique family dynamics play a part in their child's life. I would also provide opportunities for families to volunteer in the program. They can choose an activity or just be a support to the teachers during certain times of the day. For instance they could help during meal times, circle time they could sit with a child would needs more support, or even during nap time to rub backs. This internship will strengthen my ability to provide positive home-school partnerships by allowing me to engage families in the program through meaningful interactions. This can be done by sharing daily happenings, parent/teacher conferences, and by taking an interest in each families life.
I believe in engaging, empowering, and partnering with families throughout the decision and/or goal making processes. This allows for everyone to feel a part of the process. They will feel like they are in a partnership instead of a one sided leadership when it comes to the education and care of their children. This allows Teachers to provide individualized care to children and their families. By getting to know each family on a personal level we can fully meet the whole family’s needs. Families and educators are the most important influences in helping children learn and develop. When teachers and families work together they are creating a united front and building a link between home and school. When children see that their families and their teachers communicate with each other they feel safe, comfortable, and happy. Also, when teachers and families work together they can come together and provide children with continuous continuity of care, collaborating to help children reach their full potential.Some strategies that I would use to build home-school partnerships would to have in-home visits at least twice a year, once before school starts and once at about the half way point. This allows teachers to get to know each family, see how they live, and get a glimpse into how their unique family dynamics play a part in their child's life. I would also provide opportunities for families to volunteer in the program. They can choose an activity or just be a support to the teachers during certain times of the day. For instance they could help during meal times, circle time they could sit with a child would needs more support, or even during nap time to rub backs. This internship will strengthen my ability to provide positive home-school partnerships by allowing me to engage families in the program through meaningful interactions. This can be done by sharing daily happenings, parent/teacher conferences, and by taking an interest in each families life.
Trends/Issues
ADHD
One trend that I have noticed is the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD, Attention/Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. It seems like every time a child expresses an overt amount of energy they have ADHD. ADHD must be diagnosed by a medical doctor, not a teacher! Teachers can provide doctors with anecdotal notes regarding observations that have made pertaining to the child's behavior but the diagnosing must be done by a medical doctor and the symptoms must be consecutive for 6 months or more. What some may not know is not all children with ADHD are hyper. There are 3 subtypes of ADHD, Predominately Inattentive, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive, and Combined Type. Children who express the predominately inattentive may have trouble staying with one task for an extended amount of time, can be easily distracted, or may have trouble remembering details about a subject. Children who express the hyperactive-impulsive may have difficulty remaining seated, they might also have issues with appropriate peer interactions, speaking out-of-turn, or waiting their turn. Teachers need to be aware of the different special needs/disabilities that are common in ECE because ADHD is listed under the other health impairment (OHI). Many individuals may not know that ADHD is listed under Special Needs and can be supplemented and supported through funding from the Federal Government. It's important that they be aware of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities." (IDEA, 2014) Due to the ever increasing amount of children with special needs entering into typically developing classrooms through this internship I will be able to recognize an issue through ongoing observations and work with specialists who need to come in to work with a child. I will be able to learn how to modify the curriculum so that all activities and experiences are available for all the children to participate in, and I will also be able to educated children and families about the importance of accepting diversity in our classroom and in our lives.
ADHD
One trend that I have noticed is the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD, Attention/Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. It seems like every time a child expresses an overt amount of energy they have ADHD. ADHD must be diagnosed by a medical doctor, not a teacher! Teachers can provide doctors with anecdotal notes regarding observations that have made pertaining to the child's behavior but the diagnosing must be done by a medical doctor and the symptoms must be consecutive for 6 months or more. What some may not know is not all children with ADHD are hyper. There are 3 subtypes of ADHD, Predominately Inattentive, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive, and Combined Type. Children who express the predominately inattentive may have trouble staying with one task for an extended amount of time, can be easily distracted, or may have trouble remembering details about a subject. Children who express the hyperactive-impulsive may have difficulty remaining seated, they might also have issues with appropriate peer interactions, speaking out-of-turn, or waiting their turn. Teachers need to be aware of the different special needs/disabilities that are common in ECE because ADHD is listed under the other health impairment (OHI). Many individuals may not know that ADHD is listed under Special Needs and can be supplemented and supported through funding from the Federal Government. It's important that they be aware of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities." (IDEA, 2014) Due to the ever increasing amount of children with special needs entering into typically developing classrooms through this internship I will be able to recognize an issue through ongoing observations and work with specialists who need to come in to work with a child. I will be able to learn how to modify the curriculum so that all activities and experiences are available for all the children to participate in, and I will also be able to educated children and families about the importance of accepting diversity in our classroom and in our lives.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
To uphold NAEYC's professional preparation standards throughout this internship I will promote child development and learning through my understanding of early childhood education and development. I will help create environments that promote and support children's interests and learning. As I understand what children need both physically and emotionally to feel safe and comfortable I can provide that nurturing guidance to encourage exploration and experimentation. I understand the importance of building a mutual relationship with families and the community connected with the program. I value what each unique family brings to the program and I look for ways that I can support this diversity throughout the program, including the curriculum and the classroom environment. Throughout the internship I will use my skills to observe, document, and assess children according to ABC's standards. I use anecdotal notes, photographs, and work samples from the children to base future goals setting and experiences for children. I will then take this information and share it with families, working together to come up with goals that will help them reach the next level of development. I will use developmentally appropriate approach and theories to base my teachings and to explain to families why ABC chooses these methods. Using my understanding of the many different stages of development and by knowing each child personally I will provide the best possible education and care for children and their families. Using my knowledge of the different developmental domains and stages of development along to develop an DAP curriculum that fosters and develops academic and social-emotional growth in children. Children should be allowed to engage in meaningful play that allows them to understand more about themselves and the world around them. And as always being a professional in the ECE means that I take my position seriously and can eloquently explain it to others. The time of people considering us as glorified babysitters is over, we are molding and shaping our future through teaching young children and helping them reach their full potential.
To uphold NAEYC's professional preparation standards throughout this internship I will promote child development and learning through my understanding of early childhood education and development. I will help create environments that promote and support children's interests and learning. As I understand what children need both physically and emotionally to feel safe and comfortable I can provide that nurturing guidance to encourage exploration and experimentation. I understand the importance of building a mutual relationship with families and the community connected with the program. I value what each unique family brings to the program and I look for ways that I can support this diversity throughout the program, including the curriculum and the classroom environment. Throughout the internship I will use my skills to observe, document, and assess children according to ABC's standards. I use anecdotal notes, photographs, and work samples from the children to base future goals setting and experiences for children. I will then take this information and share it with families, working together to come up with goals that will help them reach the next level of development. I will use developmentally appropriate approach and theories to base my teachings and to explain to families why ABC chooses these methods. Using my understanding of the many different stages of development and by knowing each child personally I will provide the best possible education and care for children and their families. Using my knowledge of the different developmental domains and stages of development along to develop an DAP curriculum that fosters and develops academic and social-emotional growth in children. Children should be allowed to engage in meaningful play that allows them to understand more about themselves and the world around them. And as always being a professional in the ECE means that I take my position seriously and can eloquently explain it to others. The time of people considering us as glorified babysitters is over, we are molding and shaping our future through teaching young children and helping them reach their full potential.