EARLY CHILDHOOD PEDAGOGY AND PRACTICE I

Skills Development

Learning outcomes The course is divided into 3 Phases. Each phase has distinct learning purposes and outcomes: After the successful completion of Phase A, students will be able to: Understand the kindergarten classroom as a learning environment Acknowledge preschoolers as learners Identify factors that affect the quality of the learning environment Familiarise themselves with tools for observing and documenting children's learning and development Interpret documentation using pedagogical theories and approaches Acknowledge the educational process as an exploratory process Familiarise themselves with the reflective process for reviewing and transforming their teaching and learning choices Cooperate with the classroom teacher and their Professors and tutors Pay attention and constantly consult the relevant literature Follow the rules of the school and respect its culture Keep the practicum diary After the successful completion of Phase B, the students will be able to: Communicate effectively with children Create a positive learning environment Select or even design appropriate educational material according to the needs of the children Design learning experiences taking into account: the children's different needs, the classroom conditions, contemporary pedagogical principles and approaches and the State Curriculum for the kindergartens Implement learning experiences and be able to adapt them according to children's needs. Interpret and assess the educational process Reflect critically on teaching and learning Cooperate with the classroom teacher and their Professors and Tutors Pay attention and consult the relevant literature Follow the rules of the school and respect its culture Be formal in their duties as kindergarten teachers To keep their practicum diary After the successful completion of Phase C, students will be able to: Reflect critically on teaching and learning using appropriately the relevant pedagogical theories and approaches Make self-assessment and identify their achievements and issues needing improvement Discuss with their tutors, get and use constructively their feedback Complete their assignments Pay attention and consult the relevant literature Complete their portfolio from their participation in the internship Acknowledge the importance of lifelong learning

Phase A Students get acquainted with the routine and the program of the kindergarten classroom that they attend during the whole semester. They get informed about the practices of the school unit in different subjects (for example children’s arrival -departure, emergency incidents, e.t.c.) and collect information about the social-cultural frame of the kindergarten. They investigate the learning environment materializing specific observations and isolate “crucial incidents” that are related to the aim of each observation. Students, daily, conduct at least one observation and write down detailed data in specific registration forms and then analyze/interpret their data according to theory. The observation axes concern different dimensions of the educational process such as classroom’s management, transfers, routines, children’s play e.t.c. Students develop relationships of trust with the children, try to get in known with them, investigating with different techniques children’s interests, experiences and abilities. In addition, they communicate with them exploiting different ways of communication. Simultaneously, they start to take part as assistants in all the classroom’s activities, under the guidance of the cooperative teacher. Gradually, they start to do personalized interventions (for instance discussions, interviews and plans with a child) and to support small groups of children in daily routines and in their play. In this way they start to manage little “learning incidents”, to “listen” children’s voice, to encourage and facilitate them to develop their thought. Phase B On this phase, students continue to investigate the learning environment with targeted remarks and also they start to participate at the educational process in a more active way, organizing, implementing and evaluating learning actions. They have the opportunity, at the beginning, to take over small groups and later, obtaining more trust and secure to themselves, the whole class, although without having yet the whole responsibility of the daily program. They have the opportunity to exploit the material of their registrations in order to organize learning activities having in mind children’s diversity. In this way they practice in formulating realistic learning goals and the right choice of the suitable strategies and materials in order to achieve them. They get acquainted to the basic learning frame of the kindergarten and also with evaluating processes when they plan, implement and evaluate learning activities for small and large groups. In addition, they gradually adopt professional practices like the use of specific tools for the design and the evaluation of the daily program, they keep diary of the activities and reflection, study of scientific books, information searching, cooperation with the classroom teacher and the parents. PHASE C Feedback- Reflection – Completion of deliverables In this phase students reflect on their personal theory about learning and teaching of the children at the kindergarten investigating the changes that happened from the beginning until the end of the internship. They elaborate and implement reflection processes, self- evaluation and intra evaluation in cooperation with “support team” and the responsible professor. They complete the e-portfolio and learn ways of exploiting the next stages of the internship program also about their profession in the future. Finally, they elaborate the whole material of the internship at the kindergartens, such as “observation’s guides”, “activities guide” “activities diary” “reflecting diary” “case study” and studying the theory, they complete the final deliverables.

early childhood pedagogy and practice

15-06-2022