Early childhood education is a recognized profession with a body of core knowledge to be mastered and applied by its practitioners.
Content Knowledge – Student
Outcomes:
Students will demonstrate a knowledge-base of theories of human and socio-cultural development and learning through the life span.
Students will demonstrate research information on social, emotional, cognitive, language, aesthetic, motor, and perceptual development in children from birth through age 8, including children with special needs.
Pedagogical Content Knowledge –
Student Outcomes:
Students will demonstrate appropriate information about early childhood curriculum and instruction and alternative teaching models and methodologies.
Students will demonstrate that they can critically examine alternative perspectives regarding central issues in the field.
Students will demonstrate that they can critically evaluate programs for children from diverse cultural and language backgrounds, as well as children of different age and developmental levels.
Professional Dispositions:
Students will demonstrate patterns of behaviors that are considered to be related to effective teaching; those intentional behaviors, such as reflection, curiosity, creativity, affability, and responsiveness.
Students will demonstrate dispositions for learning and improving early childhood education practices related to teaching strategies, curriculum, and instructional processes.
Professional,
Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills:
Students will demonstrate a variety of appropriate teaching practices with children and families of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Students will demonstrate a repertoire of best assessment practices with children of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.