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CD 257 Supervised Work with Children I – Fall 2006

Seminar Tuesday and Thursday 4-4:50

Art 23

Seminar Instructor and Morning Lab Supervisor: Claire Knox
Office: Art 22
Phone: 826-5854 Email: cgk1@humboldt.edu Web: www.humboldt.edu/~cgk1
Office hours: TBA

Afternoon Lab Supervisor: Carol West
Office: Art 20
Phone: 826-3763 Email: caw4@humboldt.edu
Office hours: TBA

 

Morning Lab

Head Teacher: Jillian Mooney
Email: jmm14@humboldt.edu

Afternoon Lab:

Head Teacher: Alli Gill
Email: acg1@humboldt.edu

Assistant Teacher: Alissa Stone
Assistant Teacher: Ashley Susich

Lab Phone: 826-3475

Welcome to the Child Development Lab and the CDL team!

We’re pleased to have you join us as we work together to make the CDL a “wonder-full” place to learn. CD 257 is really a course about building relationships: relationships with children and between children, relationships with one another and relationships with our professional selves. It is about entering a journey with wonder and exploring and learning as we go. CD 257 provides an opportunity to be immersed in learning with adults and children and a framework through which to examine this experience and reflect on and extend our learning. We will begin with and return to Stephanie Feeney’s question, “Who am I in the lives of children?” This process of relationship building through reflective practice is one that is at the heart of the life of Child Development professionals whether they are teachers, family support professionals, intervention professionals or child and family advocates. It occurs throughout our professional lives and enriches our personal experiences.

Through your participation in the CDL, we ask that you “try on” one particular approach to working with children. The CDL team implements a humanist/constructivist model with the children at the Lab. Although there are differences between the morning and afternoon programs, these are variations on a shared underlying philosophy. Humanist/Constructivist programs show these variations precisely because they are always predicated on and responsive to the particular characteristics and circumstances of people and ecology of the program: they are constructed/expressed as a unique product meeting the needs of and expressive the experience of the people in that place at that time. The CDL is not “the one best model” for a preschool. From a Humanist/Constructivist perspective, it is not consistent to believe that such a thing exists. We do believe that the CDL model is a thoughtful, responsible and respectful model, and a solid basis for engaging in discussion about the choices that all people face when working with children and families. So we ask that you “try it on” for the purpose of learning and discussion with the intent that you will eventually integrate what you learn through your work in the Lab into the development of your own responsible, respectful reflective practice. We are always in the process of doing that ourselves.

Now to the nuts and bolts. CD 257 is a course, so it has all the logistical “stuff” related to courses, in fact it may have more logistical stuff than a lot of other courses. So here goes….

 

Course Description

Build relationships and communication skills as a foundation for guidance. Create safe and healthy learning environments in a group setting. Engage in reflective responsible practice.

Weekly class time: 3 hours seminar and 3 hours at the Child Development Laboratory

Prerequisites: CD 250, CD 255, CD 256 or PSY 213 or equivalent

Note: students may elect to work two lab sessions for a total of 8 hours and an extra unit of credit. Please contact your Head Teacher or Supervisor if you wish to add a second lab time.

Course Objectives

Participants (teachers and students) will:

1. demonstrate the ability to learn from children.

2. demonstrate the application of developmental concepts to their interactions with children and their observations and interpretations of children’s behavior;

3. identify variables that are associated with a child's growing ability to exercise self-control and utilize self-regulatory skills in support of competence and creative expression;

4. demonstrate the ability to adjust their expectations and behavior in interactions with children based on their own and others’ observations of children;

5. recognize and encourage prosocial behavior, organizational and problem-solving skills, and communicative and expressive competence in children through an integrated approach;

6. conceive/recognize, prepare and support activities that enrich, personalize and extend children’s experiences and competence;

7. identify characteristics of a well-planned environment and how these characteristics foster self-control, creativity, expression, interaction and learning;

8. evaluate the physical set up at the CDL as to its appropriateness for children and the activities planned;

9. observe individual children at the CDL to gain insight into the child's developmental status and interaction patterns with adult guidance and with the physical, social, psychological and learning environments;

10. describe and use a variety of developmentally appropriate guidance strategies

11. describe and apply theoretical models of positive child guidance, specifically Humanistic, Socioteleological, Behaviorist, Developmental (maturational, eclectic, cognitive) and Constructivist- Developmental models

12. identify significant differences in parents' and teachers' relationships with children, and describe how these differences are related to instruction and guidance;

13. identify ways in which parents and teachers can work together to build a supportive guidance system;

14. identify characteristics of adults that affect their ability to work effectively with children, and reflect on our own individual strengths and weaknesses, identifying areas for celebration, practice and continued learning, and,

15. engage in responsible, respectful reflective practice, identifying our own individual responsibilities in meeting the physical, social and psychological health and safety needs of children, and establishing personal guidelines for professional behavior.

 

Texts and Readings

Texts are available at the HSU bookstore. There are usually some used copies available. You might also be able to find used copies and Tin Can Books in Arcata.

Required Texts:

Gartrell, D. (2007). Guidance approach for the encouraging classroom . (4 rd ed.) Clifton Park , New York : Thompson/Delmar Publishers.

Duckworth, E. (1987) “The having of wonderful ideas” and other essays on teaching and learning. NY: Teachers College Press.

Knox, C. (2005) CD 257 Participation Manual. Unpublished Manuscript, Humboldt State University . Arcata , CA .

Recommended Text:

Fields, M.V. and Fields, D (2006). Constructive Guidance and Discipline .Upper Saddle River , New Jersey : Pearson Education Inc.

This text is an excellent resource written from a Constructivist-Developmental perspective.

Additional Readings:

Students are also responsible for reading the materials provided under “Resources” on MOODLE. These readings will help you with your work in the LAB. Reference to specific readings will be made at different points during the semester as indicated in class and on the calendar.

Resource materials:

There are books in the cupboards in the back of A23 that provide resources for planning small groups. We also have some activity/curriculum books at the CDL and there are some in the HSU Library. We also have personal libraries that we are willing to share. Please be respectful of all resources and return materials in a timely manner so that everyone has access to them.

 

There is also a bibliography in your Lab manual that lists some excellent resource books for guidance approaches, growth and development information, teaching/learning strategies and reflective practice.

 

Course Activities

Activities in seminar and activities in the Child Development Lab are highly interrelated and hopefully support and extend one another. The reading assignments are selected and organized to provide information and resources to support your activities in the Lab. Your activities in the Lab provide opportunities to apply and experiment with ideas generated in your readings and in seminar discussions.

Lab responsibilities :

• Punctuality! Arrive at the Lab on time - 8:00 AM for the morning teams, 12:00 PM for the afternoon . Arrival in time for pre-session meeting and set up is critical. You will be meeting to discuss what has been happening in the lab and then assisting with set up of the day’s activities. You must be ready to engage with the children when they start arriving. All pre-session activities must be complete at 9 AM in the morning and 1PM in the afternoon. Remember to sign in on the attendance list on the bulletin board by the kitchen door. Small group materials must be prepared prior to pre-session time. You may do this by coming in at 7:45 or 11:45, preparing materials outside of Lab or making arrangements with the teachers to come to the Lab at another time (after the PM session, Friday afternoons, or at some other mutually agreeable time.)
• Come prepared. Planning and preparations for your small group must be competed in advance. Your lab time is to be devoted to team-work and interactions with the children. Be sure that you are dressed professionally – your body between your armpits and your knees must be covered, clothing should be clean and neat. Think about what children (and booth observers) will see when you bend over or sit on the floor: intimate parts of your body and underwear must not be visible. If in doubt, be conservative! Closed toe shoes are important for safety. (Blocks and small feet can really hurt!) Wear things that are washable. If you need coverage, there are large t-shirts, aprons and smocks available.
• Participate in activity with children . The Lab uses an embedded instruction approach in working with children. This means that adults are actively involved in activities with children, participating in conversations and work. Adults work at child level and position themselves to be available and welcoming to children. Through co-play and participation, adults model appropriate use of materials, support and extend children’s efforts, provide scaffolding and information for problem solving when needed, encourage exploration and enjoy and appreciate children. When housekeeping or other routine activities are required, children and adults engage in these activities together.
• Be an active member of the team. As you work in the Lab you will gain skill in balancing working with children in an area and monitoring the flow of activity in the classroom to watch for places or situations where an adult might be needed. We are all responsible for the quality of life in the classroom as a whole, so adults will have occasion to move with and to children and to support one another during the course of the morning. If you have been in an area with a group of children (especially large blocks or snack inside and woodworking or the climber outside) and you need to leave that area, let another teacher know you are leaving. If you are outside and need to come inside for some reason, be sure teammates know that you are leaving the play area. Teachers count on one another so mutual support and simple, quick, clear communication can improve the flow of classroom life for everyone.
• Plan and carry out a small group activity. Each day you are in the Lab starting approximately the third week of the semester, you will be responsible for planning and carrying out an activity with a small group of approximately five children. Use the guidelines provided to write up and reflect on your small group activities. See “small group notes” in the assignment handout and relevant portions of the Lab Manual for further information.
• Be actively involved with children. Attend to their health, safety and opportunities to learn and express self worth. Our learning and the children’s learning are part of an interactive process. Being in the Lab means being with the children and building positive relationships with them. Avoid getting caught up in conversation with adults. If you are involved in housekeeping activities, encourage children to join you. We take care of the environment together because it belongs to all of us.
• Know the content of the Lab Manual and to follow the Lab Manual guidelines . Make sure you understand the manual and the text readings. Every student is expected to apply reading and seminar concepts to his or her interactions with the children in the Lab.
• Participate in pre- and post-session discussion and in set up and any final cleanup . Pre-session starts at 8AM for the morning program and at 12PM for the afternoon program. Pre-session is a time to catch up on what has been going on in the lab, ask any questions and orient to the days activities. Following pre-session you will be asked to assist with tasks required to set up the day’s activities in the lab. Get to know the routine and be alert to things that might need extra attention. Post-session begins at 11:30 for the morning and at 3:30 for the afternoon or as soon as most of the children have been picked up. This is a time to reflect on the day’s experiences. Bring questions, thoughts, comments, feelings, etc. Make sure you have cleaned up your small group materials and the Lab is clean and ready for the next class before you leave.
• Dress, speak and deport yourself in a professional and respectful manner at all times . This is a demonstration site and so we all work to be at our professional best. In the back of the Lab manual you will find the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct (Appendix A) and the Behavioral Guidelines for the Child Development Lab and Associated Seminars (Appendix B). These documents are provided to help orient you to the standards of the Lab and as a resource and guide for our reflective practice. REMEMBER: Be sure that you are dressed professionally – your body between your armpits and your knees must be covered, clothing should be clean and neat. Wear washable clothing in which you can move easily, bend over without exposing yourself, sit on the floor on in the sandbox comfortably. Closed toe shoes are important for safety. If you need to cover your cloths, there are large t-shirts, aprons and smocks available.

 

Seminar responsibilities

• Punctuality! Special activities will occur at the beginning of seminars including periodic team meetings. Participation in activities and team meetings is a professional responsibility and an important component of the seminar. Teams who use this meeting time to really work together on planning and problem solving have a more positive experience in the Lab. Consistently students have reported that punctuality and teamwork makes a big difference.
• Come prepared with your assignments completed so you can ask questions, raise items of concern or interest, make suggestions and actively engage in reflective practice. Bring your Lab Manual to all seminars and bring whatever text, reading materials or handouts we are currently discussing. I do not lecture specifically on the readings. If you have questions about any part of the readings, please bring them up in class. Take notes in class – they will appear in your portfolio at the end of the semester. It’s a good idea to start your portfolio at the beginning of the semester and just keep everything together. Journals will be submitted on MOODLE and anecdotes will be posted to the discussion board, so there should be no reasons for students to be engaged with these assignments during seminar time. Don’t plan to use your team meeting or activities times to finish assignments, write journals or anecdotes or otherwise complete prep work.
• Participate professionally in activities, team meetings and seminar discussions. As mentioned above, guidelines for professional behavior appear in Appendix A and B of your Lab Manual.
• (Are you seeing a pattern here?)
• Complete assignments in a timely manner . All due dates appear in the calendar. Calendar due dates sometimes have to change to accommodate our work. When this occurs, announcements will be made in class. If you have questions, contact Claire. Not all of you will be in the same place in the assignment cycle, so it may be confusing to compare notes with classmates. Assignment guidelines are provided on MOODLE. Use assignment guidelines to complete all assignments.
• Reading assignments – heavier in the beginning; don’t get behind
• In-class exercises and follow up
• Journals
• Anecdotes
• Mid-term self evaluation
• Portfolio (including exercises and class notes, journals, anecdotes, self-evaluations and final)
• Final
• Final self evaluation
• All work, written and participatory, should be completed in a professional manner .

For written work this means correct grammar and spelling, professional language and APA style. Use the 5 th edition of the APA style manual for reference. For electronic citations, there is also information available on the web at http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html. A rubric for written assignments is also posted on MOODLE.

For participation this means relevant, respectful and receptive communication. By the way, there are no “stupid” questions. Some of the most important professional questions come into discussion because someone has the courage to say something doesn’t make sense. A rubric for participation is also posted on MOODLE.

 

Absences - attendance is essential; don’t miss Lab or seminar

Attendance is taken routinely in seminar even if you don’t notice it happening. It is your responsibility to sign in on the attendance form in the Lab each day you participate there.

Attendance and participation are interpreted as indicators of professionalism, and will effect both seminar and lab grades. The children and families are counting on you, as are your teammates.

In all cases, call BEFORE we expect to see you.

If you must be absent from Lab , call Jillian/Alissa or Alli/Ashley at the LAB BEFORE 8:00 AM – 826-3475

Call Claire (826-5854) before seminar regarding seminar absences.

Do not miss lab or seminar unless you are ill or have an emergency. Apply the same standards that you would for any professional position. In this respect, CD 257 is not like other classes. Lab participation is a professional responsibility to the children and families as well as to your team. With regard to illness, apply the same standard that is applied to the children. See Focus 2 “Health and Safety” in the Lab Manual for this standard.

If you must be absent from the Lab, it is your responsibility to call the Lab at 826-3475 by 8:00 AM so a substitute can be found. If you realize the night before that you are too ill to come in, use the sub-list that will be provided on MOODLE to find a sub for yourself. Then call and leave a message on the Jillian’s or Alli’s voice mail at the lab indicating your illness or emergency and who will be substituting for you. Responsibility to your team and to the children is the most basic aspect of professional behavior and therefore the most fundamental requirement of this course. Failure to carry through this responsibility will strongly affect your grade and could cause you to fail the course.

If you absolutely must miss a lab session, make up your absence as soon as possible . Make arrangements with Jillian or Alli to come in on an additional day. Failure to make up Lab absences will directly affect your grade . If more than three Lab days are missed and not made up, it will not be possible to receive a grade of “C” or better in the course.

Seminar absences reduce your opportunity to participate and to engage in team planning and brainstorming. It is your responsibility to 1) make contact with team members to find out what planning occurred so you can be “in sync,” 2) check with small group team members to find out what the plans are if you miss a small group team meeting, and 3) check with a classmate to get notes and find out about the seminar discussions, activities and any assignments. You can have three “free” seminar absences to cover emergencies, illnesses and unexpected irresolvable conflicts. After the third seminar absence, grades will be lowered one full step (A to B, B to C, etc.) for each subsequent absence. Six absences will result in a “D”. Always, always, always contact Claire regarding seminar absences.

 

Grading

Letter grades will be determined for each type of assignment and for participation in seminar and lab, i.e. Lab Manual exercises, journals, anecdotes, in-class exercises and follow-up, self-evaluations, final, portfolio and seminar and lab participation. Criteria are provided for each of these and will be the basis for determining grades.

• Reading assignments – assessed through reflective completion of in-class exercises, and use and application of text and manual information in seminar discussions, journals, behavior in Lab, self-evaluations, and final.
• Journals – criteria appear in assignment guidelines
• Anecdotes – criteria appear in assignment guidelines
• Mid-term self evaluation –criteria appear in assignment guidelines
• Portfolio and final – criteria appear in assignment guidelines
• Final self evaluation – Reflective use of Final Grade rubric (posted on MOODLE) and support of evaluation through use of portfolio materials and connection to readings.

 

The final course grade will represent a weighted average of the seminar and lab grades: 60% based on participation in Lab and 40% based on seminar participation and assignments.

• The grade of A indicates demonstration of independence and depth of analysis, synthesis, integration and application of course content. Initiative in engaging in reflective practice is a critical component of this demonstration.
• The grade of B indicates demonstration of basic responsibility for analysis, synthesis, integration and application of course content and substantial evidence of beginning independence. Engagement in reflective practice beyond the specific requirements of exercises and journals is a critical component of this demonstration.
• The grade of C indicates demonstration of responsible completion of assigned tasks and engagement in guided analysis, synthesis, integration and application of course count. Completion of in-class reflective practice exercises is essential to this demonstration.

These general descriptions go with the final grade rubric provided on MOODLE.

 

Very Important Notes:

• Grades will be lowered for lack of participation, lack of preparation (both preparation for lab and preparation for seminar), repeated late assignments and unprofessional behavior.
• Late assignments will only be accepted if the student has discussed the situation with the instructor in advance and an agreement has been reached. Journals and anecdotes are expected weekly.
• If late assignments are accepted, they may be evaluated more stringently taking into consideration that extra time was given for preparation. Late assignments may not be returned until the end of the semester.
• Failure to achieve a grade of “C” or better in either the seminar or the Lab portion of the course will result in a final grade of “C” or less.

 

Resources for Assistance

First and foremost please use post-session, team meetings, class discussions, feedback and conferences as opportunities to discuss and clarify issues, seek assistance and identify developing difficulties. Work with your teammates, classmates, CDL team. Make use of the texts, Lab Manual, website and reserve materials. If you have questions, ask them. You can also call, send email and/or write questions into your journals. If you need special assistance to complete any assignment, please contact one of us: Claire, Carol, Jillian, Alissa, Alli or Ashley. We can work with you or with Student Services, the Learning Center or the Counseling Center to develop a plan for success.

 

WE TAKE THIS MOMENT OUT FOR A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE EMERGENCY SANITY SYSTEM!!!!

 

There is a lot of “stuff” to CD 257. If you keep materials in one place and actually write on your syllabus and calendar and in your lab manual it will really help you “keep it together”! Bring your syllabus, calendar and lab manual to EVERY SEMINAR. Use a three ring binder so you can keep adding materials, notes, journals, anecdotes, feedback sheets, etc. This will make it really easy to review your efforts for the two self-evaluations and put together your portfolio at the end of the semester. I can’t emphasize this enough. People get really frustrated when they lose things and get disorganized in this course, and it’s really easy to do because it is a process course with a lot of pieces. It’s an intense journey – keep your backpack streamlined and together! I’ll try to do the same. If things get confused, bring it to my attention right away.

We now return you to our regular programming.

 

Policy on Plagiarism and Cheating

Don’t. You may receive an “F” on the assignment or for the seminar portion of the class. It will certainly effect our evaluation of your professionalism. If a student has previously been contacted with concerns regarding plagiarism or cheating, removal from class is a possibility. University policy, which includes reporting incidences of cheating and plagiarism to the Office of the Dean of Students Affairs, will be followed in all cases. Read the University policy in your catalogue. If you have any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating, or about the consequences, please check with Claire.

Cell phones and other distracters:

Do not bring a cell phone to lab. If you do, turn it off and put it in your backpack.

If you must bring a cell phone to seminar for some reason, set it to vibrate so it does not ring and attach it to your person so it is not sitting out on the desk. If you must take a call, please leave the classroom QUIETLY and conduct your conversation in the hall. When your business is concluded, return to you seat QUIETLY. Noises that disrupt seminar discussion are not welcome and will be considered unprofessional.

Disruptive behavior

Disruptive behavior in the classroom is defined as behavior that interrupts, obstructs, or inhibits the teaching-learning processes. Disruptive behavior may take many forms: persistent questioning, incoherent comments, outbursts of any kind, incessant arguing, inappropriate gestures, intimidating speech or movement and behavior demeaning to any member of our learning community. Maintaining the quality and safety of our learning environment is the responsibility of all members of our class, but it is a special responsibility of the instructor. Therefore, faculty are given the authority to determine what constitutes disruptive behavior and the duty to terminate it. If disruption occurs, the instructor may ask the student to leave class and meet with her at a later time. A complaint may be filed with the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Such a complaint may result in the initiation of disciplinary action which could lead to the student’s permanent exclusion from the course or other disciplinary actions.

A Caring learning space

Just as we seek to provide a safe and supportive environment for learning in the Lab, all of us can work together to provide a safe and supportive learning space in seminar. If at any time, for any reason, it does not feel that way, please let one of us know.

 

Anything else??????

It’s going to seem like a lot at first. Take it one step at a time. There is a lot of reading in the beginning and less later in the semester as your responsibilities in the Lab increase. Try not to get behind. The readings may seem repetitive, but that’s because some things really are key to the process. Use your texts as resources for problem solving and brainstorming. I will be putting outlines of some materials on MOODLE. Your calendar only covers the first part of the semester because we will do a mid-term evaluation and planning process to prioritize for the rest of the semester.

It is natural to feel overwhelmed and to experience crisis somewhere around the third week. It takes a while for things to come together after the end of the “honeymoon.” Even later, you’ll have a bad day at some point and decide you know nothing about children and shouldn’t even try. We all have them. We still have them! Come talk to us. We may come across as judgmental sometimes, but it’s really because we want you and the children to have the best experience possible. If we’re not communicating well, tell us. This course is about building relationships based on responsible reflective practice. That includes all of us.

And don’t forget to laugh, take risks, say “ouch!” when you catch on a thorn, ask for help and smell the roses. Welcome!