Documentation and discourse enable teachers to generate designs for future learning experiences that have continuity with children's thinking and prior experience. Together, these three components of documentation, discourse and design define a negotiated learning process that involves continuous action research of teaching and learning. This course focuses on programs developed for the early childhood and special education population. Students examine philosophy, theoretical framework, curriculum, methodology, role of the teacher, role of the child, service delivery systems, and parent involvement. Students replicate portions of specific models as well as develop teaching strategies that would be characteristic of particular models.
Special attention is given to models for mainstreaming the child with special needs.
This course is designed to expose students to the development and use of a variety of effective techniques for interacting with parents of young children. Students explore situations such as parent-teacher conferences, parent meetings, the use of parents as volunteers, and parents as policymakers. Attention also focuses on needs of the single parent, the student parent, parents working outside the home, foster or adoptive parents, and the older parent. This practicum offers a variety of options for placement and foci for learning. Students may participate in programs for infants and toddlers, preschool-age children, kindergarten, early elementary, early childhood special education, or parent education.