Introduction to Early Childhood Education Environments

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Introduction to Early Childhood Education Environments Instructor: Phone: Class Meeting Times:

Office: Email: Office Hours: Classroom:

Course Description: The purpose of this course is to explore early childhood environments. Looking at how the environment plays a role in the early care and education setting. We will look at how to incorporate NAEYC and DEC standards into the environment and how to ensure that children’s growth is supported in all the domains of learning throughout the classroom. We will look at common accommodations or modification to support a variety of child abilities. Required Text: Bev, B. (1990) Together We’re Better-Establishing a Coactive Learning Environment. Turn the Page Press, Roseville, CA. Greenman , J. (2005 )Caring Spaces. Learning Places: Children's Environments That Work. Exchange Press,Inc. ISBN : 0-942702-04-2 Please choose one of the following for the age group you are interested in working with. Harms, T., Cryer, D. & Clifford, R. ( 2007 ) Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) or Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS) or Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) or School Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) Resources: Teaching Research Institute: Preparing Early Childhood Professionals for Inclusion, Inclusion Curriculum Models for the Environment: http://www.centeroninclusion.org/PEPI/enhancements/index.html National Association for the Education of Young Children. Teaching Young Children (NAEYC). Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Play Video: www.naeyc.org/tyc/next/video/dap Division for Exceptional Children (DEC). Recommended Practices Video: http://www.decrecpractices.org/ North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) (2010) Reading: http://resources.spaces3.com/c518d93d-d91c-4358-ae5e-b09d493af3f4.pdf

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Division for Exceptional Children and National Association for the Education of Young Children: Joint Position Statement (2009): http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_EC_updatedKS.pdf Heartland Community College, Heartland Equity and Inclusion Project (HEIP). (2012). Preschool Supportive Literacy Environments activity: http://www.heartland.edu/documents/heip/faculty2/CHLD101/Activities/Preschoo lLiteracyEnvironments.pdf Course Outcomes: Students will be able to: • Connect current research and evidence based practices to early childhood program policy and practice to better understand how to structure the classroom environment both indoor and outdoor to support ongoing learning and development to meet the needs of the overall classroom and the individual child. • Connect how room arrangement can have an effect of the overall developmental outcomes for children in the classroom. • Know, understand and design outdoor environments with equipment that is age and developmentally appropriate and inclusive of all children with in the program. • Know, understand and develop policies around outdoor and indoor environments for early childhood settings. • Know, understand and articulate the impact of IDEA and other laws as they relate to Early Childhood Classroom Environments. • Environments are designed and activities are conducted so that children learn or are exposed to multiple cultures and languages by, among other practices, allowing children and families to share their cultures and languages with others to the extent they desire (DEC Std. 5, NAEYC Std. 9) • Physical space and materials are structured and adapted to promote engagement, play, interaction, and learning by attending to children’s preferences and interests, using novelty, using responsive toys, providing adequate amounts of materials, and using defined spaces. (DEC Std. 1, NAEYC Std. 9) Instructional Method/Activities As a community of early childhood education learners and leaders, each person carries the responsibility for what happens during our time together as well as what he/she takes away from this course at the end of the term. Class time will include a wide range of activities, problem-based learning, small and large group discussion and presentations, and limited direct instruction. The informed participation of all members is essential and necessary for learning in this class. Also, as a community of early childhood education learners and leaders, everyone collectively carries the responsibility for developing our own set of expectations for how we function as a group and how we relate to one another.

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Class Calendar** Activities Introductions Pre-assessment Review course syllabus & expectations Theorist How environment fits into Developmentally Appropriate Practices How environment fits into Recommended Practices Inclusion in indoor and outdoor environments Anti-bias environment Universal Design Setting up the indoor environment (room arrangement) Environmental Rating Scale

Indoor environment continued Child Care Licensing requirements for the indoor Inclusion in the indoor environment Floor Plans Outdoor environments (arrangement, equipment/materials) Child Care Licensing requirements Outdoor environment continued Inclusion in the outdoor environment Floor Plans

What's Due

Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals.

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Journal response #1 due in class Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals. • Journal response #2 and 3 due in class Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals. For Week 6 • Journal response #4 due in class Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals. Journal response #5 Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals • Due: 1st Learning Environment Observation • Journal response# 6 due in class Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals.

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What the environment says about a program and how to talk with families about how the environment promotes learning Collaboration with other Early Childhood Professionals to ensure the environment is setup appropriately for all children in a program. Observing and reflection for in the indoor and outdoor to ensure classroom goals and child outcomes are meet Understanding of Center and Family environments Current state standards around environment Writing a policy for an early childhood setting Other rating scales used to assess early childhood environments.

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Journal response # 7 due in class Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals.

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Journal response #8 due in class Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals. •

Journal response #9 due in class Readings: These will be announced in class and are reflected in your journals. • •

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Finals Week

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Wrapping up discussions Complete post-assessment Final Presentations Final Presentations

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Due: 2nd Learning Environment Observation Work on your final projects

Journal response #10 due in class Final Presentation due (1st round) Final Presentation due (2nd round)

** Class assignments and calendar is subject to change with prior notice

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Assignments: Attendance & Participation: (2 pts. at each face-to-face session= 20 pts.) Due to the nature of this course, your attendance is required. If you miss class, you must notify the instructor as to why you are not in class. If you do not notify the instructor or if you miss more than 2 classes , your grade may be dropped one full letter grade. You need to be in class!

Participation: It is expected that you will be an active and engaged participant in this course. In order to get participation points you have to be fully engaged in class activities and discussion.

Our class experiences will be based on the following beliefs about learning (Adapted from Kathy Short): 1. Learning is an active process. We will immerse ourselves in reading and responding in a variety of ways to professional readings and children's books. 2. Learning is a social process of collaboration with others. We will explore our thinking about our reading and experiences through dialogue with others. There will be many opportunities for informal interaction and sharing both in small groups and in whole class discussions and experiences. 3. Learning occurs when we make connections to our own experiences. Responses to our readings and experiences will focus on connections to our lives and teaching experiences. We will share ideas and concerns from our teaching and professional experiences. We will also identify and explore tensions about our current beliefs and past experiences to interrogate our values. 4. Choice allows learners to connect to their experiences and feel ownership in the classroom curriculum. We will have choices in what we read, how we respond, and the specific focus of projects and small group experiences. 5. Learning is reflective as well as active. We will have many opportunities to reflect on what we are learning through writing, talking, and self-reflection. 6. Learning occurs in a multicultural world with many ways of knowing. We will search for professional and children's literature that reflects diversity in experiences and ways of expressing those experiences, expanding our understanding of the cultural pluralism in both children's lives and in literature. 7. Learning is a process of inquiry. As learners, we need to search out the questions that matter in our lives and develop strategies for exploring those questions and sharing our understanding with others. Early Childhood Programs/Classrooms Observation (2 at 25pts. each=50 pts. total)

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Due in class by February 3rd and March 3 . You will observe 2 early childhood classrooms, and write a 2-page reflection on each observation (using the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale for the appropriate age group). Please remember that in the rating scale you will look at both indoor and outdoor environments and both should be reflected in you paper. Classrooms you can observe in include: • WOU/TRI Child Development Center (3-5 years) • Chemeketa Early Childhood Center (3-5 years) • OCDC Head Start in Independence or Salem (birth-5 years) • Family Building Blocks (birth-5 years) • K-3 public school classroom • Willamette Education Service District (birth-5years) • Private preschools • Certified Family Child Care Providers (this must be approved by the Instructor prior to observation) • Other settings as approved by the instructor Journal Entries (10 at 2 pts. each=20 pts. total) Due: Monday of each week beginning .From Week 2- Week 10 Each week you will be given at least one journal entry prompt for you to take time and write about. You will bring the completed response back to class the next week for discussion. You will also be turning in a copy of your response each week to Mandy. Final Presentation (10pts.) Due: March 10th Wednesday by noon . During the last week of class, you will present what you have learned (for your final paper) to the class in a 10minute presentation. See Paper Presentation Assignment Guide for more information and grading rubric. Total class points available: 100 Grading: A = 95-100% A- = 90-94% B+ = 87-89% B = 84-86%

B- = 80-83% C+ = 77-79% C = 74-76% C- = 70-73%

D+ = 67-69% D = 64-66% D- = 60-63% F = below 60

Communication with Instructor: If you have questions, concerns, or need to talk about assignments, etc. please contact the instructor through email, phone call, or make an appointment for an office visit.

When submitting assignments through email, the instructor will send a confirmation email to let you know that the assignment has been received. If you 6

do not hear from the instructor within 24 hours, send another email and ask for confirmation. Students Needing Course Accommodations: If you feel you may need an accommodation for any type of disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services._____________________________________ I would be happy to make accommodations once I know what I am allowed to do. Academic Dishonesty: Dishonesty in any form such as, but not limited to, plagiarism or cheating on tests and assignments will not be tolerated. Students who misrepresent their work or commit another act of academic dishonesty may receive a failing grade for the course. When you borrow from other’s work, you must give them credit in the form of a citation or reference.

Email: Please check your WOU email account regularly in order to receive any class announcements or clarifications. This class will also use Moodle and you are able to find updated information on assignments and grades there. You will also be posting assignments to Moodle. Assignment grades and feedback will be in Moodle. Please make sure you are checking your email and Moodle.

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