Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Settings: Breaking Down Barriers
Course Description: This program will work with daycare workers and preschool teachers to help support more diverse learning strategies and outcomes for children coming from diverse cultures and socioeconomic challenged backgrounds through a ten month training program that involves course work on early literacy skills, child development, best practices in developing emergent literacy skills, an understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic barriers that can impact literacy outcomes, the importance of early intervention, informal means of assessing children in preschool settings to help professionals in these settings know where each child is in their development of key literacy skills needed to enter kindergarten. Multicultural education and the role culture plays in a child’s life will be explored to support more positive outcomes for children coming from a wide range of cultures. This is vital because educational programs must take into account that the cultural backgrounds a student brings to school are intimately connected with that student's loved ones, community, and personal identity.
|
The Teacher as Practioner: Using Reflective Practice to help guide and modify instruction
Course Description: The teacher as practitioner is a role open to a variety of perspectives for analysis and improvement that can offer learners opportunities for growth; one perspective is the discipline of reflective practice. In this workshop learners will analyze and integrate reflective thinking processes, descriptive feedback, and reflective strategies and benefits. The learner will also synthesize experiential learning cycles and perspectives and personal action themes into a plan for ongoing success as a reflective practitioner. Evaluation of present teaching practices will provide a portfolio to improve personal and professional growth, teaching methods and strategies, and student learning. Learning Outcomes 1. Describe the role of reflective practitioner in education. 2. Integrate reflective practice strategies. 3. Identify the benefits of reflective practice. 4. Analyze various instruments/tools used to exercise reflective practice. 5. Create a plan for ongoing reflective practice. 6. Synthesize the various elements needed for successful reflective practice. 7. Evaluate present teaching practices using reflective practice. |