CE114 Unit Nine Seminar: Providing a Developmentally Appropriate Learning Environment

Paulette Wilson

Final Seminar – Providing a Developmentally Appropriate

Learning Environment

Thought for the Day

“Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the

things we can give to them is unconditional love. Not a love that depends on anything at

all except that they are our children.”  

Rosaleen Dickson

Unit Nine Course Outcomes

• CE114-3: Describe biological and environmental factors affecting infant, toddler, and early childhood development. Assessed in Unit 9 project

• GEL-1.1:  Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard American English – Assessed in Unit 9 Project

Career Focused Seminar

• Reach for the Stars!• Our seminar will focus on what an ideal child care

facility or program looks like. We will consider: the environment; the safety, health, and well-being of the children; the social and emotional interactions between adults and children, as well as between the children themselves; and the cognitive and language learning that is taking place.

Topic One

• How can you create a cheerful environment in your early childhood classroom?

Field Trip• http://www1teachertube.com/viewvideo/php?

title=Items_in_the_Preschool_Classroom&video_id=211044

Learning Environment

“I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.”

Haim Ginott

Topic Two

• Share ways to organize and manage your early childhood classroom to facilitate maximum learning.

Classroom Management Tips for Preschool Teachers• HAVE A PLAN• PREPARE YOUR MATERIALS AHEAD OF

TIME• PLAN SIMPLE ACTIVITIES FOR

TRANSITION TIMES• TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR SEATING

ARRANGEMENT

TIPS CONTINUED

• KEEP CLASSROOM MATERIALS STOCKED• KEEP YOUR CLASSROOM MATERIALS

ORGANIZED• ALWAYS HAVE A BACK UP PLAN• DON’T GET FRUSTRATED WHEN THE

UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

TIPS CONTINUED

• DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP

• DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD????

• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/377742/effective_classroom_management_tips.html?cat=4

Topic Three

• This is our chance to “show what we know” and review content covered throughout the course. As you serve children in your own communities, what ideas will you carry with you into your own professional walk?

Unit Nine Project

• In this project, you will develop an appealing and informative handout for parents offering developmentally appropriate tips for dealing with young children. You may title it "Tips for Toddlers".

• If you work with infants or children ages 4 and/or 5, you may plan for an age level that will be of use to you. You may title it "Tips for Tots", or with infants, "Basics for Babies.“

• You will want to begin with an introductory paragraph on why the topic you selected addresses important biological and environmental factors affecting, infant, toddler and early childhood development.

• Depending on the area or areas you select, include information on behavioral expectations, physical changes, or ways to enrich a child’s learning and language development. You may want to include information on realistic expectations or developmentally appropriate experiences.

Unit Nine Project

This handout may focus on one area of many key issues in infant, toddler, or early childhood growth and development. Possible topics include but are not limited to:

Community Support Services Discipline Issues/Tips(tips for handling tantrums, “NO’S”, time-outs, etc.) Family Outings/Family Time (Tips for FREE activities families can do) Fitness and Exercise Issues/Tips(make sure they are exercising and don’t know

it!) Health Issues/Tips/Services(tips for teaching self-help skills?) Communication Issues/Tips Math/Science - At Home (fun activities to do at home?) Raising Readers - Activities/Tips (tips for parents to encourage reading, etc.) Social Emotional Issues/Tips (tips on how to teach “pro-social behaviors”) Theories - What current research has to say (Vygotsky, Piaget, Erikson)

Sample Final Project

Capstone

*Note: The final course in your degree program will be CE299 Capstone Course.  This course culminates with the development of an electronic portfolio where you will showcase samples of your learning throughout this program.  Therefore, you will want to save this is an example of your learning to include in your portfolio. Be sure to save your projects in a secure place so you will be able to access them when you take the Capstone course.

Food for thought

Why do teachers/daycare providers have to be managers?

Why do teachers/daycare providers have to be team players?

Why do teachers/daycare providers have to be efficient?

Parent/Teacher Conferences

• Know your objectives

• Gather necessary and relevant materials

• Be a listener

• Be a facilitator

• Be positive

• What else can you think of????

Things to do..

• Complete the readings

• Complete the discussion

• Complete the Seminar

• Complete Unit Nine Project

• Be sure to respond to the reflection question in unit 10!!

Think about….

 “Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy