Child Development (Coursework Sample)

Name
Tutor
Course
Date
Child Development
Introduction
Early Childhood Education (ECE) competencies refer to the skills, knowledge, and behavior that early childhood educators should possess to offer young pupils and their family’s high-quality education and personal care (CDE/CDD, 80). Generally, the teacher has focused on most ECE competencies. The classroom meets almost all requirements from the Preschool Environment Checklist. The teacher is professional, and he promotes dual language development, interaction and guidance, and culture and diversity. However, some areas of the classroom still need some improvement. This report will specify the areas that need improvement, how to relay the suggestions to the teacher, and to how to ensure he implements the suggestions.
Changes to the classroom
Generally, the classroom is in good condition for the children. The school’s environment and the teachers are ideal. The school utilizes the Reggio Emilia constructivism approach. However, the teacher can make some improvements to benefit children. As noted in the Preschool Environment Checklist, the classroom is not accessible to people with disabilities. According to CDE/CDD (45), ECEs requires that the learning environment facilitates the participation of all children, including those with special needs, in the learning process. The school should build ramps and install facilities in the classroom to make it more accessible to persons with disabilities. The school is a public facility, and it is discriminating against the disabled by not having the mentioned facilities.
Strategies I would use when approaching the teacher and the communication strategies
When it comes to the interaction between the teacher (Tim) and his pupils, Tim comes across as a calm, knowledgeable, and experienced professional. He had practical skills to interact with the children. These skills included using different languages to get the pupils to participate in classroom activities, and mediation to prevent physical confrontations and bullying. In one instance, when a pupil refused to share a toy with another pupil, the teacher handled the situation well to prevent a possible confrontation between the two. In another case, in outdoor room area seven, a boy approached the teacher. The boy was sad because some of the girls had told him that he could not paint his nails. The teacher reassured the boy that he could paint his nails and he went on to paint them purple. The teacher also interacts well with the students. In room one during one of the lessons, the teacher reads a book and the children are seated listening and actively participating.
Effective communication is key to effectively pass my recommendations to the teacher during the one on one sitting. Effective one on one communication skills include audibility, listening to feedback, maintaining proper posture and eye contact, and listening to feedback, suggestions, or questions (ezTalks, 1). To ensure an effective one on one communication with Tim, I will ensure that I am audible enough. I will also maintain a calm posture and listen to any feedback or suggestions from him. Furthermore, I will maintain eye contact with Tim to stress the importance of my recommendations.
Considering this, I would approach the teacher calmly and less formally. I would first commend the teacher for all the right things in the classroom. Then I would proceed to inform the teacher that the classroom needs some improvements. I would then inform him of the areas needing adjustments. Furthermore, I would also inform Tim that I will let the school’s administration know of the suggested improvements so that they can facilitate Tim in constructing the ramps.
ECE Competencies
The teacher has already focused on most of the ECE competencies like dual language development, culture and diversity (as seen from the photos), and professionalism. According to CDE/CDD (56), other ECEs that I may integrate are health, safety, and special needs inclusion. Constructing the facilities that aid or facilitate persons with disabilities promotes special needs inclusion.
Ensuring that the teacher implements my suggestions and following up with him.
To ensure that the teacher follows my suggestions, I will write a formal report and letter to the school and the teacher informing them of my recommendatio