Course Description
This course will focus on both the culminating practicum and capstone project/paper for the ECTC concentration. The fieldwork component of the course consists of an on-ground practicum of 200 hours of supervised field work, an ongoing field journal, three video tapings of classroom performance and a practicum paper, and a phone conference. Within the field work practicum students will demonstrate: a) their ability to apply their knowledge of child development theory and approaches; b) their ability to engage in classroom management; c) their ability to plan, organize, and implement daily routine and learning activities independently; and d) their ability to work as part of a team. For the Capstone component of this course the student will demonstrate fulfillment of the various outcomes of the Early Childhood concentration courses. Each student will complete the capstone project to demonstrate that the student understands clearly his or her concentration, has mastered the content of the selected field of study, and can synthesize and apply what he or she has learned. The capstone project may take one of several formats: a research paper, scholarly essay, portfolio, case study, or any other mode appropriate to the student's interest and experience. A minimum grade of "C" must be earned on this project to meet the requirements of the concentration. Students must have completed most of their concentration courses and take this course in their last semester. (6 credits)
Prerequisites
- ECE 101: Introduction to Early Childhood Education
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
- ENG 102: English Composition 2
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
For the practicum component of this course, students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Write (journal) about how they apply their knowledge concerning typical and atypical development in children to create positive learning environments;
- Discuss in their final conference the ways in which they apply their knowledge concerning typical and atypical development in children to create positive learning environments;
- Write about the diverse and complex characteristics of families and communities that establish respectful, reciprocal relationships that help to empower families;
- Discuss in their final conference the ways in which their understanding of working with families has been and will be applied to their classroom setting;
- Write about the value of observing children as a means of assessing their development;
- Discuss in their final conference how they use observing children as a means of assessing their development;
- Demonstrate through videotaped sessions their ability to select and design developmentally appropriate curriculum and activities to promote positive development and learning for children;
- Discuss in their final conference the ways they select and design developmentally appropriate curriculum and activities to promote positive development and learning for children;
- Discuss in their final conference the ways in which they currently or intend to engage in ongoing continuous professional development.
For the capstone component of this course, students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Demonstrate reading and writing communication competence by effectively acquiring, developing and conveying ideas and information;
- Perform, analyze and synthesize an organized and systematic review of current literature related to selected topic (literature includes current research [within 10 years], some of which may be accessed through Charter Oak's virtual library resources);
- Compare and contrast findings/ideas from literature review;
- Integrate ideas and findings from literature review with current developmentally appropriate practices (using NAEYC as the standard) for typically and atypically developing children ages birth through 8 years old;
- Make recommendations for change (of personal practices) based on new findings.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Journal entries (Weeks 1-15) | 10% |
Video 1 (Week 5) | 5% |
Video 2 (Week 9) | 10% |
Video 3 (Week 13) | 15% |
Capstone Paper/Project (Week 15) | 35% |
Conference (Week 15) | 25% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle
- Copple, C. and Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8, 3rd edition. ISBN-10: 1928896642 or ISBN-13: 978-1928896647
Special Computer Requirements
- Students will need to use Vimeo.
Course Schedule
Week | SLOs | Topics & Readings | Assignment(s) |
1 | 1,8 | Topic: Creating a caring community of learners
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| 2 | 1,5,8 | Topic: Creating a caring community of learners (cont'd)
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3 | 1,2,5 | Topic: Teaching to enhance development and learning
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| 4 | 5 | Topic: Teaching to enhance development and learning (cont'd)
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5 | 5 | Topic: Teaching to enhance development and learning (cont'd)
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| 6 | 5 | Topic: Teaching to enhance development and learning (cont'd)
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7 | 5 | Topic: Teaching to enhance development and learning (cont'd)
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| 8 | 5 | Topic: Planning curriculum to achieve important goals
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9 | 5 | Topic: Planning curriculum to achieve important goals (cont'd)
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| 10 | 2 | Topic: Assessing children's development and learning
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11 | 2 | Topic: Assessing children's development and learning (cont'd)
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| 12 | 3,4 | Topic: Establishing reciprocal relationships with families
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13 | 3,4 | Topic: Establishing reciprocal relationships with families (cont'd)
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| 14 | 1,2,3 | Topic: Establishing reciprocal relationships with families (cont'd)
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15 | 2,4,6,7,8,9 | Topic: The Intentional Teacher
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.