ECE Knowledge Bases
1. Mission Statement for Early Childhood Education
The early childhood education (M.A.) program addresses the extensive knowledge of how to develop and implement age appropriate, culturally appropriate, and individually appropriate curriculum and teaching practices from birth through age eight.
ECE Conceptual Framework
The Master’s in Early Childhood Education (ECE) offers special preparation for working with young children ages birth through eight years of age. The degree is designed for those who hold teacher certification and have begun or are seeking careers as classroom teachers from preschool through third grade, child care program directors, or other positions related to the care and education of children ages birth through third grade. Michigan is one of five states without Early Childhood Education certification; the endorsement is added on to an elementary K-5 certificate. It is an appropriate degree for those who hold, as well as those who are seeking, an Early Childhood endorsement.
The format of the degree, with Foundation Courses, Concentration courses and Electives, is consistent with the other M.A. programs in the department. The elective courses are selected to compliment the Foundation and Concentration area courses. Students can strengthen their understanding of curriculum content, such as science, reading, math, special education, or technology.
A recently revised and approved ECE master’s program (winter semester 2002) adds depth and breadth, and is believed to be more current and futuristic than the past master’s program. The program contains 20 ECE credits instead of 16. (These credits fulfill the credit requirements for the State of Michigan ECE endorsement.) Two new courses, ECED 613 Curriculum Frameworks in Early Childhood and ECED 615 Social Relationships and Competence in Early Childhood Setting were developed for this revised program.
Each student’s program is worked out in consultation with an advisor, according to the needs, goals, and background of the individual student. A minimum of 30 credits of graduate credit is required. The actual number of credits may be more than 30, depending on the student’s background and professional goals. The program includes 6 hours of Foundation Courses, 14 hours of ECE Concentration Courses, and 6 hours of Restricted Electives and 4 credits of Suggested Electives.
Students enroll in the Advanced Level Program to acquire a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and/or pursue an Endorsement in Early Childhood Education. The Master’s Degree program is designed so that students who are also pursuing the Early Childhood Education Endorsement complete 20 credits of graduate course work which focuses specifically on young children birth through age eight. The objectives of the courses meet the criteria established by the State of Michigan and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Each student must successfully complete courses which address the areas of child development and learning, curriculum development and implementation, family and community relationships, assessment and evaluation, professionalism and program leadership. Student outcomes and specific class activities and assignments are incorporated into the classes to ensure that each student meets the objectives. While the majority of the students enroll with the goal of acquiring a Master’s Degree, some students complete Endorsement requirements only.
All students who enter the program must hold valid Michigan Elementary Certification. Therefore, students enter the program with prior course work in human development and learning, social foundations, including family and community relationships, and practicum experiences. The graduate level program which leads to the Early Childhood Education Endorsement builds on those prior learnings. In addition, adhering to the philosophy that one constructs knowledge over time, some of the content is integrated into more than one course, affording opportunity to revisit important concepts and build upon his/her learning. All courses in the Early Childhood Education sequence include at least one assignment which is field based, some examples are: observing in a child care program; conducting one-on-one assessment of a young child; doing an action research project in the classroom. In addition, any candidate seeking the Early Childhood Education Endorsement must present documented, verifiable evidence that they had 100 hours of recent, successful experience with children under the age of five in a licenses and NAEYC accredited child care program.
Eastern Michigan University’s advanced professional education programs develop leaders who demonstrate reflective thought and scholarship within the context of a culturally diverse society. Specifically, the early childhood education (M.A.) program addresses the extended knowledge of, understanding of, and reflection on the following NCATE Standards adopted from the National Association for the Education of Young Children:
· The dominant theories of human and socio-cultural development and learning in children from birth through age eight,
· Including children with special developmental and learning needs in programs for children ages 0-8.
· Understanding the child in the family and cultures context.
· Theories and content of curriculum and instruction for children from birth through age eight, including alternative models and methodologies.
· Development and implementation of age appropriate and individually appropriate curriculum and expectations for children from birth through age eight.
· The role of research in determining current trends and issues in the field.
· Alternative perspectives regarding central issues in the field of early childhood education.
· Age appropriate assessment and performance based assessment in the early years.
· Development and use of a variety of procedures for assessment of child development and learning, child care and early education environments, and early childhood curricula; and understanding of types, purpose and appropriateness of various assessment procedures
· Dynamics, roles and relationships within families and communities, with sensitivity to differences in family structures and social and cultural backgrounds.
· Professionalism in teaching, leadership, and advocacy and ethics.
2. Program Outcomes Including candidate
knowledge and skills:
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.
Common Principles in Early Childhood Education
In addition to the above NAEYC standards our faculty hold in common the following deeply held beliefs and principles:
· Developmentally appropriate practice means planning for and adapting our teaching to the "typical" child of the age we teach, as well as to the actual child we are teaching, taking into account the child's context, or family, culture, etc.
· The process of and engagement with activities and experiences is more important than the resulting product.
· Children need many concrete objects to manipulate over time before abstractions like letters, words, numerals, and numbers make sense to them. A child who counts on her fingers is using them as manipulatives!
· Children are motoric beings - they are meant to move about most of the time.
· Children need to be given many choices every day. Choices allow them to feel in control and help them learn to take responsibility. They also reduce behavior problems.
· Children must practice problem solving and decision making themselves, rather than having adults always solve problems and make decisions for them.
· Children can and should learn internal self-control, rather than always being externally controlled by adults.
· Children think differently than adults. When they have "wrong" answers, those answers are "right" to them.
· Curriculum should be based upon children's interests and prior knowledge. Our term for that is "emergent curriculum".
The early childhood years are birth through age eight. The Michigan Association of School Boards is now using the term "birth-12" rather than "K-12", implying the importance of the five years before a child enters school.