Category: Early childhood education

Educational Philosophy
This assignment is worth 100 pts,  please read each element of Part I and Part II and be sure to answer each prompt in a separate paragraph. Consider all you have learned throughout this course when answering each prompt. Submit the assignment prior to its due date to Smartthinking to ensure you receive full credit.
Description: This assignment is preparing the student to begin thinking of themselves as a professional in the field of early childhood education. 
Task: If someone asked you to explain your philosophy of teaching young children, what would you say? How would you begin to formulate a statement that captures the essence of your belief about teaching and learning? A teaching philosophy is a statement of reflection about what you will do as a teacher. Your beliefs influence your actions. It has been recognized by many teachers that the process of identifying a personal teaching philosophy and continuously examining, testifying, and verifying this philosophy can lead to a change of teaching behaviors and ultimately enhance professional and personal growth.
Overview of Course Competencies and semester learnings.  educational philosophy prep.pptx
Actions
Course Competencies Met:
Develop artifacts to demonstrate teaching competency
Understand the importance of lifelong learning
NAEYC Standard 6: Becoming a Professional
Students integrate knowledgeable, reflective and critical perspectives on early education.
Students engage in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice.
Assignment Objectives:
As a result of this assignment, students will be able to
Utilize reflective thinking to inform practice.
Articulate their beliefs and values effectively for a specific audience.
Assignment Procedures:
For this assignment, articulate your teaching philosophy in two phases
Part I: Prepare a 2-3 page autobiography to begin thinking about your personal philosophy. Include each of the following prompts
·         Why do you want to become an early childhood education teacher?
·         What type of teaching position do you hope to obtain, and why?
·         What are your strongest characteristics or talents as a potential early childhood educator?
·         What are the factors that influence your decision to pursue this career?
Part II: Prepare a 2-4 page paper on your personal teaching philosophy. Respond to each of the following prompts to help you think about your beliefs regarding teaching young children. You may also decide to comment on additional issues as well. Take some time to think about each one in some depth.
How do you view young children?
What is the child’s role in his/her education?       
What do you believe about how young children learn?
How do you view the role of the teacher?
How will your views influence your teaching?
How has your experiences influenced your views?
What kind of environment do you hope to create in your future classroom?
How does this relate to your basic beliefs about young children and learning?
What do you hope young children will become?
What do you want them to achieve, accomplish, learn, feel, etc.?
What do you believe is the role of assessment in early childhood education? 
How do you see yourself connecting planning, instruction and assessment as you work with young children?
How will you remain in tune with new research on child development and early childhood education?
Looking back at the history of early childhood education, who or what approaches have the greatest impression on you, and why?
How will you ensure that your curriculum is developmentally appropriate?
Formatting
·         Use a minimum of 3 references and properly formatted in APA 6th “Edition
·         Write the philosophy in paragraph style. Be sure to answer each prompt in a new paragraph
This is a little about me 
I’ve always been passionate about working with children and
families. Growing up in a big family of 13 children, I was surrounded by
constant activity and a vibrant sense of community. This upbringing gave me a
deep appreciation for the joys and challenges of nurturing young minds, and it catered
to my interest in early childhood education. I began babysitting children at
age 13 and continued all the way to now.
My biggest career goals are to get my doctorate in Early
childhood education and to open a Montessori preschool. From my experience
babysitting and working with children Montessori style teaching with its
hands-on learning, individualized instruction, and fostering independence in
children seems to be one of the best approaches to teaching. My goal is to
create a warm, nurturing environment where children can thrive and grow into
confident, curious learners. I’m most interested in learning about the historical
aspects of early childhood education from this course.

Purpose of Assignment:
To explore current health, safety, and nutrition issues related to children, families, and early childhood programs
Instructions:
Content and Format:
Using this source  (https://www.usnews.com/topics/subjects/childrens-health)or another reliable, credible news source locate a current article related to children (ages birth – 8) in health, safety and nutrition.
Complete the following:
Provide a 2-3 paragraph summary of the article.
Provide a reference citation for the article in APA format.
Answer the following questions:
What do you agree with about the article?
What do you disagree with in the article?
How does this issue impact children and families or programs in your local area? If not, why not?
What makes this issue critical for the future of children, families and programs?
Resources:
https://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/236933
https://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/135510

Purpose of Assignment:
As an Early Childhood provider, it’s helpful to identify and express your own Professional Philosophy Statement. This statement is a summary of your professional beliefs and values about early childhood education.
Instructions:
Content: This assignment is Phase One of your Course Project:
In this 1st phase of the project, you will brainstorm the many aspects of your beliefs about teaching and learning that you might include in a Professional Philosophy Statement.
Looking Ahead: In the 2nd phase of the project (Module 3), you will write a rough draft of your Professional Philosophy Statement — using your brainstorming session as a springboard. The 3rd phase of the project (Module 5) is to take the feedback from your instructor and make the necessary changes from that feedback to produce the best Professional Philosophy Statement.
Your Professional Philosophy Statement MUST address the following:
Your personal values and beliefs as they relate to teaching and learning.
How you believe young children learn and how this has an impact on your role when providing a conducive learning environment
What you believe are other important aspects of your role in working with young children and their families
Format: For this Phase One, you are just thinking this through, so provide a bulleted pointed list, a chart, or pictograph of ideas, strategies, thoughts and comments that answer the following:
Your personal values and beliefs as they relate to teaching and learning.
How you believe young children learn and how this has an impact on your role when providing a conducive learning environment
What you believe are other important aspects of your role in working with young children and their families

Purpose of Assignment:
Students will identify the barriers and challenges that families face when trying to provide a healthy and active lifestyle for their children.
Instructions:
Content:
For this assignment review both case scenarios below and respond to the questions in a question and answer format. Be sure to answer questions in complete sentences and paragraphs. This is an exploration of the
Incorporate at least one credible resource from this course into your responses for each scenario…
Scenario #1: Bella is a preschool-age child who arrives at the child care program late every morning. By the time she arrives (after an hour bus ride), breakfast has already ended and children are actively playing throughout the environment. Bella consistently explains that she is hungry, but is told to wait until snack time which is in another hour. Additionally, she has been found to hoard food in her personal cubby after snack and lunch. Bella’s family often visits the community food pantry to feed their family of six. Their family lives downtown and in an apartment on the 10th floor of a high rise.
Describe the barriers Bella faces when it comes to her nutrition at home and in your program?
Describe the barriers Bella faces when it comes to physical activity at home and in your program?
Provide one suggestion for supporting Bella’s needs nutritionally and one for supporting her needs physically within your program. Basically, what can your program do to help?
Scenario #2: Bo is a toddler in a family child care setting. His family is a first-generation immigrant family from a country in eastern Asia. He wears multiple layers of clothing every day regardless of the weather and often sweats. He prefers to be carried, even though he can walk steadily. His grandmother has been staying with the family since he was born and is a primary caregiver. She will carry him or place him in a carrier even as he is able to walk steadily. Bo is also fed by his grandmother rather than being encouraged to use utensils or his hands for picking up food. Bo’s mother says that feeding him is customary and shows respect for his growth and nutrition. No food should be wasted when it is needed for his healthy development.
Describe challenges for Bo’s healthy physical development in a family child care setting or any group child care setting.
Describe challenges for Bo’s healthy nutrition in a family child care setting or any group child care setting.
Provide one suggestion for supporting Bo’s needs nutritionally and one for supporting his needs physically within your program. Basically, what can your program do to help while still honoring his family’s cultural preferences?
Format: Document – Question and Answer format
Include a title page and a reference page that includes the APA-formatted citations for the resources you used in your research
Resources:

Background
When we work with and educate/support children, we must be mindful of the dynamics of each child’s family. It is important to keep in mind what the children may experience in their daily lives. Because you understand the value of really knowing the children and families in your care, you decide to seek professional development opportunities on the subject. You enroll and attend a professional development session called Understanding Family Trauma in Early Childhood: Strong Relationships are the Key and learned some important information about trauma informed care. You would like to share information you learned with your staff and faculty.
Directions
Step 1: Watch the following video:
Exchange. (n.d.). Violence, abuse, and trauma [https://exchangepress-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/catalog/product/violence-abuse-trauma/7711025/. EdFlicks. (Time 10:17) 
Step 2: Professional Email
Write a professional e-mail to your director asking permission to share your learnings with staff and faculty. You need to write a persuasive email showing the benefits of sharing this information at your next professional development session.
In the email, include the following information to help justify your request.
Explain four signs of trauma and/or abuse children might display (including signs that might not be obvious). Provide a brief example of each sign and what you might observe.
Provide at least two benefits trauma-informed care provides for all children.
Describe five benefits of having strong, positive relationships with families when it comes to discussions about trauma.
Describe three developmentally appropriate strategies that you will include in your own practice to support children experiencing trauma. Include details and examples.
Your assignment will include:
Include APA citations to all sources used for this assignment. Use an in-text citation in your email and list the full citation at the end of your email beneath your signature line. Cited sources should be relevant, credible, and appropriate. No title page or separate reference page is necessary for this assignment.
All work should be formatted professionally and use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Directions:
Background
We often hear adults say things like, “Spanking isn’t the same as beating a child. How else are they going to learn if they aren’t spanked?” or “I was spanked, and I’m fine.”
We never seem to stop and ask ourselves why it is acceptable to hit children when they behave in ways we do not like or think are inappropriate. Why is it that children are the only people in our society where this is considered acceptable?
Note: This discussion may bring up personal emotional experiences as you reflect on your childhood. We encourage you to share honestly and openly as you explore how punishment influences development. If you are uncomfortable sharing specific information, you are not required to do so. Please talk one-on-one with your instructor if you have concerns about this discussion.
Initial Post
In your initial post, address the following prompts and/or questions based on your reading this week about the damage that punishment does to children. Select one of the following sets of questions to respond to.
Questions A:
As a child, how did you feel when you were punished?
How do you feel it has impacted your adult life?
What are some things you struggle with today? (Anxiety, trust issues, depression, attention issues, etc.)
Questions B:
How have you felt when you saw a child being punished when you were out in the community?
In what ways do you feel that punishment might impact the child’s future as an adult? What things might they struggle with as an adult?
Questions C:
How have you felt when you have seen a family member or friend punish children?
Again, in what ways do you feel that punishment might impact the child’s future as an adult?
What things might they struggle with as an adult?
Reply Post
In your reply post, write a reflection on at least one student’s initial post and address the following prompts and questions in no fewer than six sentences. Reply to your peers using understanding, compassion, and empathy. 
Please be respectful and practice sincere, professional care, and empathy as you would in your practice with children and families.
This reply post is an opportunity for you to validate your peers’ feelings.
Use the open-ended protocol – “I wonder…,” “I notice…,” or “This reminds me of…” to share your thoughts.
What connections do you have with their post?
What clarifying questions do you have?