CE114 Unit One Seminar: An Overview of Early Childhood

Thought for the day COMMITMENT I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got. -Walter Cronkite

Introductions… A little about me… What about you? Where are you from and what brought you to Kaplan? Feel free to share your goals!

Contact Information is always the quickest way to get in touch with me!

Course Materials eBook – Can be found in DocSharing Be sure you have Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Powerpoint Viewer installed on your computer.

Course Expectations… Flex Seminar – 4 opportunities to attend 2 pm, 8pm and 10pm ET or 8 ET or …you choose the time that is best for you! You only need to attend one of the above times each week! Unable to attend a live Seminar? Please complete the Option 2 assignment and place it in the Dropbox by 11:59 pm Tuesday evening.

Discussion Board Be sure to respond to each of the questions with your thoughts. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates throughout the discussion week. Responses should be a minimum of 100 words in length.

Graded Content Reviews There are 7 Graded Reviews worth 50 Points each! Based on the content of that Unit. Can only be taken once and must be taken by 11:59 pm of Tuesday evening of the unit week. Open-book, open-notes quiz

Projects… Unit 4 Project – Developmental Milestone Chart Unit 9 Project – Handout for Parents

Unit One Course Outcomes Define early childhood development Discuss the importance of understanding the landmarks of child growth and development Explore theories of child development and learning Identify the ethics required of a child care provider Course outcomes practiced in this unit: GEL-7.1: Identify the ethical issues within the field of infant, toddler, and early childhood development - Assessed in Unit One Discussion

How would you define early childhood care and education? Early childhood education is the organized practice of educating those who are in early childhood, one of the most vulnerable stages in life. According to the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), it spans the human life from birth to age eight.

Did you Know.. “Children between the ages of 3 and 5 are more likely than children younger than 3 to be cared for in a center-based program, such as child care and Head Start… A child’s cognitive development during early childhood, which includes building skills such as pre- reading, language, vocabulary, and numeracy, begins from the moment a child is born… When young children are provided an environment rich in language and literacy interactions and full of opportunities to listen to and use language constantly, they can begin to acquire the essential building blocks for learning how to read…”*

Child Care Statistics 62% of American children receive child care from someone other than their parents* 34% are in Center based programs* “There is a strong connection between the development a child undergoes early in life and the level of success that the child will experience later in life.”*

What are some significant events in the history of child care in the United States? 1828 Boston Infant School 1860 First Kindergarten Day Nursery Movement 1920 Professionalism of child care providers 1933 Government support for child care 1965 Head Start Can you add more?

Choose one specific early childhood theory or theorist and share an activity that would model, teach, or coach preschool-age children in their motor, social, emotional, cognitive, or language development.

16 JEAN PIAGET Sensorimotor: 0 to 18 months Preoperational: 18 months to 6/7 years Concrete Operational: 7/8 years to 12 yrs. Formal Operations: 12 years to adulthood (Atherton, 2005).

LEV VYGOTSKY Zone of Proximal Development The task is too difficult for the student to perform at all. Direct intervention from the teacher or ‘expert’ peer is needed. “Zone of Proximal Development”. The task requires thinking just above a student’s level of current mastery. This is the zone in which a student can learn with help from others. The task is very simple for an individual student. NO help is needed from the teacher. A student regulates own behavior in this zone. Little new knowledge is constructed in this zone. (Black & Puckett, 2005). 17

Erik Erikson Infant - Trust vs. Mistrust Toddler - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Preschooler - Initiative vs. Guilt School-Age Child Industry vs. Inferiority Adolescent Identity vs Role Confusion 18

Developmentally Appropriate Practice According to our text, “Developmentally Appropriate Practice is the term used by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to describe ways of teaching and organizing the children’s experiences that take into account the age and capabilities of each child.”

In light of the developmental theories that were addressed in our unit, think of a time when you might have observed a child doing or saying something that is reflective of one of these theories.

What do our children need? Essential Experiences: “experiences deemed critical at certain times during early growth and development, which have growth- inducing influence on the brain’s neurological structures” (Puckett and Black, p. 10). Some examples: individual attention and emotional affection physical as well as cognitive stimulation enriched activities (language, social, etc.) All these things need to be introduced at critical points in early childhood to help a child develop normally; delays, abuse, or neglect of these can cause impairments or delays in various aspects of a child’s development.* * Perry, B. (2002) Childhood Experience and the Expression of Genetic Potential: What childhood neglect tells us about nature and nurture.

Child Care Providers As child care providers, we are important role models in the lives of children! We should: 1.Model good behaviors (social, emotional, & physical) 2.Build trust with the children we work with 3.Be patient! 4.Try to see things from their point of view 5.Enjoy what we do

Weekly Reminders Complete readings Post to all discussion thread questions Respond to and interact with classmates Attend seminar or complete seminar option 2 Complete Graded Review

Wrap up CONFIDENCE It’s not who you think you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. -Unknown