ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY
ECED 3023-001 (70381)
FOUNDATIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Conceptual Framework: Professionals of the 21st Century.
Catalog Description: Must be taken concurrently with ECED 3033. An introduction to the field of early childhood education: including a history of the movement, influencing concepts and theories, and relevant issues.
Text Required for Course: Essa, E. (2011). Introduction to Early Childhood Education, 6th Edition. Delmar Publishing Co.
TaskStream: You will have a choice of several options for TaskStream. You can go to the Tech bookstore and buy a disc or you can pay on-line with a credit or debit card at this address: http://www.taskstream.com Questions can be addressed to 1-800-311-5656. When you have subscribed to Taskstream you need to e-mail me telling me you have subscribed to Taskstream.
When you have subscribed to Taskstream you have to e-mail me telling me you have subscribed to TaskStream. The deadline for subscribing to TaskStream is October 1, 2011. The code for self enrollment is (fall2011) you are an author…Instructions will be given to you on how to submit work on Taskstream
Justification/Rationale for the Course: The rationale for this course is to provide preservice teachers with basic knowledge of the foundations of early childhood education. The course introduces students to the historical and socio-cultural forces that have impacted the field along with contemporary early childhood programs and models; recent trends and issues; and theories of play.
ECED Conceptual Framework
Focus Arkansas Tech University School of Education
Our Vision: Students are “Professionals for the 21st Century” who will internalize, initiate, and sustain a life-long commitment to impact learners in diverse and evolving learning communities.
Our Mission: The mission of the School of Education at Arkansas Tech University is to positively impact student learning by educating, sustaining, and nurturing professionals who interact within dynamic educational systems through research-, performance,- and standards-based pre-service and graduate education programs.
The Core Values are the context for how professional, state, and institutional standards are addressed within the programs as we prepare Professionals for the Future. The core values direct the development and refinement of the programs, courses, design of instruction, research, service, and assessment. The core values include the following statements of belief.
1) All human beings grow, develop, and learn.
2) Educational processes have disciplined-specific key components.
3) Educational practices are systemically coherent current and developmentally appropriate to produce a quality P-20 community.
4) Educators are moral and ethical professionals that are contributing members of the educational community.
5) Educators focus on maximizing growth, development and learning opportunities for all students.
6) Educators continually assess student learning outcomes.
To summarize, the Professionals for the Future is a continuously learning expert(s) with a (n)
· Strong and developing knowledge of the school system and culture;
· Increasing level of professional and pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions;
· Strong and developing liberal arts background; and
· Developmentally appropriate practices.
These four foundations are unified through the following factors:
· Diversity
· Leadership
· Oral and Written Communication
· Technology
· Purposeful Reflection
· Parents and Community
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Course Objectives:
SS-Arkansas Teacher Licensure Standards
NAEYC-National Association for the Education of Young Children
General Education Objectives: The Early Childhood Educator is a life long learner who uses reflective decision making to implement developmentally appropriate practice.
It is anticipated that upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the different early childhood settings and programs appropriate for children
Birth through age nine. (SS: 1.2.3) (NAEYC: 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d,
4.a, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a)
2. Discuss the philosophical foundations and historical forces that have shaped early
childhood education. (SS: 1.2.3) (NAEYC: 1.b, 1.c, 2.a, 2.c, 3.d, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a, 5.d)
3. Describe socio-cultural, political. and economic contexts forces that have had an impact on early childhood education. (NAEYC: 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.d, 4.a, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a, 5.c, 5.d, 5.e)
4. Identify the various program models for early childhood education. (NAEYC: 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, 2.a, 2.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d, 4.a, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a, 5.b, 5.c, 5.d, 5.e)
5. Explain the theories of play and their contributions to the over-all development of the child. (NAEYC: 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d, 4.a, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a)
6. Develop an understanding of reflective thinking as it relates to early childhood teachers
and professional growth. (NAEYC: 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d, 4.a, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a,
5.b, 5.c. 5.d, 5.e)
7. Discuss basic health, safety and nutritional issues in relation to young children and their
families as well as how to implement such procedures in an early childhood setting.
(NAEYC: 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d, 4.a, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a, 5.b, 5.c, 5.d,
5.e)
8. Define the four domains of Praxis III as utilized in Pathwise. (NAEYC: 1.a, 1.b,
1.c, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d, 4.a, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a, 5.b, 5.c, 5.d, 5.e)
Methods of Instruction: In ECED 3023, Foundations of Early Childhood Education, students are encouraged to actively participate in dialogue, pose questions and share their own perspectives and views on various issues regarding paradigms for early childhood education. Personal histories, written activities, reading assignments, and lectures serve as sources for much of the class dialogue. The field experiences are a vehicle to assist pre-service teachers to critically reflect and understand the relationship between theory and practice.
Assessment Methods: A variety of instructional strategies such as lectures, discussions, on-line technology, current research articles, demonstrations, and cooperative learning will be utilized in teaching this course.
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Activities:
1. Field Based Project:
Visit five different early childhood programs (suggestions include a private day care center, child development center, a public school, a church related school, Head Start). Compare the similarities and differences of the various programs in terms of educational settings, educational purposes, goals, philosophy, and types of experiences provided. Submit on TaskStream a Field Based Project. Field Based project must be written in APA Style.
Artifact--A Field-Based Project paper on different early childhood programs students have visited. (Assessment: Rubric) See activities #1 above…
Examinations: Three
Class participation, Class assignments, Field Trips, Reading and Dispositions….
Assessment: Written examinations, checklists, and rubrics will serve to evaluate comprehension and application of concepts and skills in Foundations of Early Childhood Education.
All work submitted should be of professional quality, neatly presented, grammatically correct and free of spelling and punctuation errors. All late assignments will be handed to the Professor in his office in Tomlinson 105. All late assignments will require the Professors signature and date on the document. Late assignments will be reduced by one point for every day they are late.
The following will be placed in categories for averaging grades: projects and other assignments, exams, and in class participation, field trips.
Assignments to be graded:
1. Field Based Project Components 300 points
2. Examinations (3) @ 10 pts, each 300 points
3. Class Participation, Attendance, Daily Assignment 400 points
Field Trips, Dispositions. Journal Articles, Videos,
Curriculum Web, Learning Center Design, Musical
Instruments, daily quizzes etc. 1000 Total Points
Point Scale:
A =90 - 100 points
B =80 - 89.9 points
C =70 - 79.9 points
D =60 - 69.9 points
F =Below 59.9
Policy on Absences, Cell phones, Cheating, Plagiarism, etc.: Punctual and regular attendance is vital to your success as a student and as a teacher. In-class daily assignments will be completed on the date due and cannot be made-up.
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Your active participation in class exercises and discussion is vital to your growth and development as a reflective practitioner and decision-maker. Missing more than 6 class periods will result in a student’s grade be lowered one letter grade along with the possibility of being administratively dropped from the class.
DISPOSITION REQUIREMENT - In addition, in order to make a passing grade (which is a “C” or better in this course), the student must: display a pleasant, respectful and cooperative “teacher disposition” in class, to students, and the professor at all times.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Computers/laptops may be used for note taking, but at no time are you allowed to leave the word processing mode. Cell phones are to be on silent or vibrate are to be used only for emergency contacts…The first violations will result in a warning. The second violation will result dismissal from the class.
Refer to your Arkansas Tech Student Handbook for the university policy concerning cheating and plagiarism... Reports and papers should be paraphrased rather than "copied" directly from the author. Proper credit should be given to authors.
Course Content:
I. Early Childhood Settings
a. Nursery Schools, Child Care Centers, Kindergartens,
Family Day Care Providers, Profit and Non-Profit Centers, Faith Community
b. Head Start
c. Bilingual Programs
d. Programs for Children with Special Needs
II. Philosophical Foundations and Historical Forces
a. Contrasting Views Through the Centuries
b. Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Century Theorists—
Martin Luther King, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
c. Educators from the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries—
John Pestalozzi, Friedrich Froebel, Susan Blow, Maria Montessori, John Dewey
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III. Socio-Cultural, Political, & Economic Contexts
a. Women’s Movement, Working Parents, Single Parents, Teenage Parents, Changing Families
b. Diversity in the United States
c. Families and Poverty
d. Public Policy and Education
e. Impact of Media
f. Technology
g. Sources of Funding: Children Younger than Five, Children Older than Five
h. Child Advocacy and Public Policy: Advocacy Strategies, Children’s Rights
Early Childhood Policies: Child Abuse Legislation; Child Care Policy; Migratory
Education Policy; Head Start Policy; Health Care Policies; School Desegregation Policy;
Special Education Policy
IV. Identify the various program models for early childhood education.
a. Montessori
b. Constructivism, Piaget, High/Scope Educational Approach
c. Reggio Emilia
d. Bank Street
e. Behaviorist Principles to Early Childhood Education
V. Play Issues
a. Relationship Between Play and Work
b. Theories of Play
c. How Play Influences Other Areas of Development
d. Cultural Factors of Play
VI. Reflection
a. Thinking in Action
b. Thinking on Action
c. Constructivist Perspectives of Reflection
FIELD PROJECT COMPONENTS:
November 28, 2011 Field Project due submitted into TaskStream-No hardcopies will be accepted.
Visit five different early childhood programs (suggestions include a private day care center, child development center, Montessori school, public school kindergarten, church
schools, Head Start). Examine these 5 programs in detail...Research in groups of 3 people or individually (Your choice)…
Each study should be at least 9 pages, typed (12 fonts, one-inch margins).
Page 1 Title Page with each person name included
Page 2 to 6 Description of the program (setting, purposes, goals, philosophies),
The comparison will need be made to the textbook model, your last part the narrative will be the conclusion.
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Page 7 & 8 Drawing or picture of the model you are examining-classroom and outdoor playground
Page 9 APA reference page (textbook, journal article, interviews, etc.)
Follow APA guidelines for doing this project. Your reference page will have each least 9 references. Work does not have to be cited in the text.
TESTS: Multiple choice, vocabulary, true/false and listing, discussion questions will be the type of written responses.
TEST I September 21, 2011 (Wednesday)
TEST II October 12, 2011 (Wednesday)
FINAL EXAMINATION December, 2011
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE: The Professor reserves the right to make any changes that he deems necessary to the course.
Week of: August 22
Welcome, Course Syllabus
Conceptual framework
Week of: August 29
The Scope of and Need for Early Childhood Education (Chapter 1)
Week of: September 5
Holiday
Classroom Project
Week of: September 12
The Children (Chapter 2)
Classroom Project
The Families & Class presentations (Chapter 3)
Week of: September 19
The Teachers/Caregivers (Chapter 4)
Lecture Rational Supporting Early Childhood Education (Chapter 5)
Conference
First Examination (Wednesday)
Week of: September 26
Goals, Objectives, and Evaluation (Chapter 6)
Applications in for Stage/Phase 2—Due by October 01, 2011
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Week of: October 3
The Physical Environment (Chapter 7)
Scheduling and Curriculum Planning (Chapter 8)
Week of: October 10
Creative Development through the Curriculum (Chapter 9)
Second Examination (Wednesday)
Conference
Week of: October 17
Physical Development through the Curriculum (Chapter 10)
Saint Mary’s Hospital Field Trip (Wednesday and Friday)
Week of: October 24
In-Class Assignment
Children are Special Field Trip (Wednesday & Friday)
Week of: October 31
Cognitive Development through the Curriculum (Chapter 11)
Language Development through the Curriculum (Chapter 12)
Head Start Field-Trip (Wednesday & Friday)
Week of: November 07
Class Assignment
Social Development through the Curriculum (Chapter 13)
Pre-registration for Spring Semester 2011
Friendship Pediatric Services Field Trip (Wednesday & Friday)
Week of: November 14
Guiding Routines and Group Activities (Chapter 14)
Crawford Kindergarten Field Trip (Monday & Friday)
Week of: November 21
Guiding Social Behaviors (Chapter 15)
Thanksgiving Holiday (Wednesday & Friday)
Week of: November 28
Helping Children Cope with Stress (Chapter 16)
Class Assignment
Field Project will be due on November28
Week of: December 05
Off-campus activity &
Reading Day & Final Examination Project
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Resources:
Beatty, J.J. (1986). Observing development of the young child. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Belsky, J. (1990). Parental and nonparental childcare and children’s socio-emotional
development: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 885-903.
Billman, J. & Sherman, J. (1996). Observation and participation in early childhood