Achieving the NAEYC Standards - Essay Example

 Achieving the NAEYC Standards Introduction The internship is very necessary to help get professional experience through working on practical and handling real life situations. It helps students to get the courage and confidence to handle difficult or challenging situations on their own. It is also an opportunity for students to use their skills in a meaningful manner. It is good for students to evaluate themselves on how they performed during internship so as to shape their personal and professional development. My major in Education of Early Childhood, and I had an opportunity to get an internship to gain the practical field skills. I successfully met the NAEYC standards during the period of the internship. The NAEYC standards are set to provide guidance on evaluation techniques for professionals to ensure that children have sufficient skills and knowledge. The NAEYC standards help develop programs for the early childhood field and other programs which prepare professionals working in the field. These standards provide a vision and empower children and professionals. The standards goal is more than just a list of rules for programs to follow. It promotes professional excellence and growth. The next section will describe how I met the various NAEYC standards during the internship (NAEYC, 2015). Promoting Child Development and Learning I met this standard. I got to understand what young children are like; understood what influences their development; and used this understanding to create great environments where all children can thrive. During my internship, I took part in various voluntary activities whereby I engaged personally with individual children. For instance, in the first day I hold a child who is five months, and he was crying; I sat with him and played with him by using different toys, and I used a toy to teach him the colors (red, green, yellow, and blue.) The child was smiling, and he said b b brrr. The first couple of weeks was very informative and built block throughout the entire internship; I observed a lot. It is important for any professional teacher to get to know and develop an understanding of children in their classroom. These observations helped me get a deeper view of the thinking and reasoning skills these children possessed. Hence, it gave me an easier time creating any game that would point them in the right direction such as I made a traffic light which helped them to understand what they saw every day on the street when they came to the school. I put it in the outdoor play and, I explained that red means stop, yellow means slow down, and green means go. Then, they pretended that they were the policemen who controlled the traffic. They were very active and happy, and they loved it. Thus, through the sensitive nature the simple it was to meet their learning needs and develop a productive and comfy environment for teaching and learning. Build Family and Community Relationships I was able to develop an understanding and value of the children’s families and communities. I created respectful, reciprocal relationships and involved all families in their children’s development and learning. During the internship, I got several opportunities to meet and interact with some parents and families of the children. Some of these opportunities were at parent-teacher conferences. There was an individual parents’ conference, and I talked with some parents, and I directed them to their child’s teacher. These forums and events helped me realize their significance. In addition, some parents invited me to their house as a friend and others invited me to their children's birthday parties. It is crucial always to accommodate parents and develop flexible times to meet with them. During the meetings I picked some crucial aspects through observing the way that the classroom teacher explained to the parents the things, children were learning and its importance. The child’s performance was also available for the parents to see. Parents were given advice on areas they can improve in their homes to help with their children learning. I gave my suggestions to some parents who have some issues with their children such as the Egyptian parents asked me about how they could teach Arabic to their children, and I told them that when they talk with their children, they have to use some techniques like starting with the basic stuff, repeating the words, playing word games, and once they have built up their vocabulary, the parents can teach them phrases. Moreover, I was involved in guiding and helping some high school students who came to the COM child center got along with their activities smoothly. Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and families In the placement, I was able to understand the purposes of assessment. I was able to use effective assessment which was ECRES to evaluate the classrooms and the teachers to influence positively children’s development and learning. I assessed the different five classrooms in the COM children center. I observed various areas, and then I discussed with several teachers on ways they could improve their classroom environment and the way they teach as well. I used Mr. Robert’s suggestions and the insight developed from my observation to highlight areas of improvements in my assessments. It was beneficial for understanding the strengths and weakness of the classrooms environment and identify areas they needed support and reinforcement. Using Developmentally Effective Approach to Connect with Children and Families During the internship, I was able to build close relationships with children and families. I used developmentally effective teaching and learning strategies. I was able to demonstrate that I have sound knowledge of academic disciplines and content areas. Consequently, I was able to combine all of these to give children experiences that promote development and learning. During the individual’s parent conference, I was able to engage with different parents on the achievements of their children and the benefits of learning the institution. At first, I carefully observed of how the classroom teacher formulated his lesson plans. I got to understand how the teachers carried out the teaching process to ensure the children learned effectively. For instance, in the Creative Arts Early Childhood class with Mr. Roberts I learned the art of using simple activities to engage learners in a professional and developing manner. Teachers should be careful to choose the activity that they want to provide to the children, and also they must know the children’s knowledge to be able to choose the great activity which is appropriate to them. I also attended a teachers meeting whereby the teachers discussed the child portfolio. It was incredible to realize how the whole school staff worked cohesively as one big family to promote the child development. I also took the time to read stories to children since Reading a story helps children to learn different vocabularies, and that relates to the course (Literacy Development in Early Childhood). Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum At my internship, I demonstrated effectiveness in self-regulation, a problem solver, thinking skills and academic, and social competence. I learned the importance of being flexible in teaching to fulfill the needs and interests of the children. For instance, I was with the children from the red room playing outside. It was a physical education lesson. Then I noticed the leaves fall from the trees, and I engaged the children in answering several questions of the phenomena. It was quite informative in hearing their responses and guided them appropriately. I discovered that I could still achieve my goals and learning objectives and even advance the activities to be further than expected. The children were instrumental in guiding my teaching and improving their knowledge base and curiosity to a higher level. Becoming as a Professional I did identify myself as an early childhood professional guided by ethical and other professional standards. I am a continuous, collaborative learner that is able to reflect positively on different situations to foster the development of both the children and families as well as the professional development. During the internship, I always dressed properly and addressed the colleagues I worked with in a respectable manner. I participated in various teacher meetings and shared great insights with one another on how to improve. I was always punctual at school. I was able also to do assessments of the various classes to examine the effectiveness of the learning process and share findings with respective teachers. I personally engaged with infants to preschool during the internship as I advanced the learning process in both the classroom and other activities such as playing and reading story books to create a conducive environment for learning. I also worked with high school students with disability and helped them improve their skills. It also helped me improve my skills on how to deal with children’s with disabilities. During the internship, I self-evaluated my teaching strategies and discussed them with Mr. Robert. I also identified my weaknesses and strengths before I went for the internship and highlighted areas for improvement. I also attended other professional development workshops outside the COM child center to build on my skills whether as a teacher at a child center or as an instructor at the university. At the end of the internship, I wrote down the experiences, I gained to help shape my future professional teaching development. References NAEYC. (2015). NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation. Retrieved from National Association for the Education of Young Children: https://www.naeyc.org/caep/standards Read More