Olivia Teja - Early Childhood Educator
Key Elements
1a: Understand the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and linguistic domains, including bilingual/multilingual development.
1b: Understand and value each child as an individual with unique developmental variations, experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices.
1c: Understand the ways that child development and the learning process occur in multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community, and early learning setting, as well as in a larger societal context that includes structural inequities.
1d: Use this multidimensional knowledge—that is, knowledge about the developmental period of early childhood, about individual children, and about development and learning in cultural contexts—to make evidence-based decisions that support each child.
1a: Understand the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and linguistic domains, including bilingual/multilingual development.
Evidence and Artifacts
1b: Understand and value each child as an individual with unique developmental variation experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices.
Evidence and Artifacts
1c: Understand the ways that child development and the learning process occur in multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community, and early learning setting, as well as in a larger societal context that includes structural inequities.
Evidence and Artifacts
1d: Use this multidimensional knowledge—that is, knowledge about the developmental period of early childhood, about individual children, and about development and learning in cultural contexts—to make evidence-based decisions that support each child.
Evidence and Artifacts
Reflection
A consistent routine will be very helpful for younger children to support their needs. With visual blocked class schedule, children understand the routine through the day. It shows activities from the moment the school is open (Drop off Time) until the school is closed (Pick Up Time). It’s important to have classroom block schedule to help students learn what to expect. To help with their needs, it is very important to allow students to have free choice (3.5 hours), basic needs, learning time, as well as outside time (1 hour) every day. Children should have opportunities to plan, initiate, and make choices and to practice their developing skills. Center time promotes decision-making skills because children make choices about how they will spend their time, what they will do, and with whom they will play. Outdoor play increases exposure to bright light, which enhances health and mental performance as well as reduce their stress level and improved concentration. It also enhances opportunities to learn social skills, overcome fears, and develop a lifelong connection with nature.
Reflection
As a teacher, it’s important for me to understand what influence children’s development and learning.
I learn through brain development’s infographics; our brain develops even when baby is still a fetus. If their mom uses alcohol or drugs, the fetus’ brain is being impacted.
I also learn from the importance of early interaction that children need a nurturing and loving environment to grow. When a caregiver does not respond sensitively towards a baby’s needs, baby feels neglected or abused. They will have attachment disorder and it will impact the baby’s brain development (development delays). If the baby continues to have toxic environment (drugs, alcohols, violent) for more than 6 years, it will have long term impact to their mental and physical health - the child also might have adult heart diseases (3:1 odds)
Reflective Connection
I learn that children thrive when they are in healthy and supportive environments.
I also learn that traditional instruction might not work since teachers typically deliver content in one way and students are passive learners who acquire information through memorizing.
one size can’t fit all.
I learn UDL (Universal Design for learning) is better since teachers deliver content in multiple ways to accommodate student’s learning preference (Visual, Auditory, kinesthetic, as well as tactile learners). Through UDL, students are active learners who engage and analyze the content to gain understanding.
Through UDL, teachers can provide flexible materials, learning techniques, and strategies for delivering instruction that enable all individuals to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning.
To support students with disability, I learn from the InclusionPlanningChecklist.pdf that IEP (Individualize Education Plan) can be created by partnering with parents, admin, as well as specialist. With IEP, students with disability can become more successful in their learning.
Reflective Connection
As a teacher, we need to meet children where they are. We can teach most kids effectively when children come to school with very different levels of vocabulary or mathematics skills through DAP (Development Appropriate Practice) & UDL (Universal Design Learning). Knowing what children, within a given age range, are generally capable of and how they learn provides teachers with a starting point for planning and organizing a program.
Good teachers continually observe children’s engagement with materials, activities, and people in order to learn about each child’s abilities, interests, and needs. Based on this information, they plan curriculum and adapt their teaching strategies to help children make continued progress.
Good teacher also understands that each child comes from different family with different cultural and socio-economic background. This is important to understand what motivates the children.
As a teacher, we need to understand diverse family since we have more children from diverse language and cultural groups.
I learn that culture refers to explicit and implicit values, beliefs, and patterns of behavior that are passed on from generation to generation. In addition to visible elements (Food, Clothes, Music, and celebration), the invisible elements are important as it truly influence behavior and decisions.
If we fail to understand the influence of children’s background on their development, it can lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication about children and their families.
As a teacher, I can make inaccurate assessments of children’s competence and ability that can lead to ineffective teaching that does not meet the needs of all students.
To avoid it, I can integrate diverse perspective into my teaching by engaging in critical self- reflection to uncover implicit personal biases and assumptions, and bridge understanding across cultural groups.
