Paradise Valley Community College s Early Childhood Education Conceptual Framework MISSION To teach, guide, and advocate. The goal of Paradise Valley Community College s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program is to create a learning community dedicated to changing the landscape of early childhood education by teaching students through engaging, dynamic, and effective experiences; guiding them in developing their personal and professional dispositions; and supporting professional advocacy efforts. Teaching We create healthy, high quality environments for children and families, students, and staff. We develop and use engaging, dynamic, and effective instructional practices in a variety of formats. We model best practices and hold all students, faculty, and staff accountable to the highest standards. We strive to provide all Early Childhood Education Associate Applied Science (AAS) graduates with opportunities to construct the knowledge and applicable skills necessary to articulate and implement the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) 2009 AAS Standards: 1. Promoting Child Development and Learning 2. Building Family and Community Relationships 3. Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families 4. Using Developmentally Effective Approaches to Connect with Children and Families 5. Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum 6. Becoming a Professional 7. Supportive Skills (2007 NAEYC Accreditation Standards) Guiding We provide varied opportunities for students to develop positive teaching and leadership dispositions. We mentor those who show interest in and dedication to the field of early care and education. We sponsor relevant early childhood education events such as workshops, conferences, seminars, academies, study tours, recognition and family events. Advocacy We build partnerships and promote collegiality and professionalism. We use current research to advocate for public policies that insure the highest quality standards for children and their families.
WHO WE ARE Educators Every faculty member of the ECE program has dedicated his or her adult life to the field of education. We are vibrant, committed, experienced, and energized by our work. We are actively engaged in professional development and study. We serve on local, state, and national early childhood education advisory panels and professional development committees. We are members of the NAEYC and state and local affiliates. Our adjunct faculty are also members of various content-specific professional organizations and one has been awarded National Board Certification in Early Childhood Education. Our current research interests include language acquisition and literacy, the work of the educators of Reggio Emilia, brain development throughout the life span, learning with intelligent materials, the role of nature in child growth and development, and grass roots organizing around social justice. Innovators We live in a state that is currently ranked 39 th in the nation in outcomes for children including children living in poverty, low birth rate babies, child death rate, teen death rate, and percent of high school dropouts (The Kids Count Data Book, 2009). We experience daily encounters with the struggles of young children and families, teachers and directors, programs and policies, budgets and funding streams. Nevertheless, we are committed to changing the early childhood landscape in our community and beyond by providing students with opportunities for observing, discussing, and reflecting upon current conditions. It is our belief that providing opportunities that provoke students thinking will enable them to become powerful advocates for children, families, and programs. Our goal is to provide a transformative educational experience and offer students the opportunity to construct knowledge and secure the resources needed to become effective leaders in the field of early childhood education. We look forward to teaching and learning with diverse student populations. Our students join our courses with differences in educational experience, cultural perspectives, range of interests, and individual talents. We strive to create and maintain a learning community dedicated to improving the status, the strength, and the skills of students, faculty, and the larger local community of early childhood educators. Our Philosophical Foundations The philosophical foundation of our program has both breadth and depth. Each faculty member has extensive, discipline-specific knowledge and has been influenced and inspired by theorists and practitioners in his or her own specialized area of expertise. Collectively, we are in our heart and practice, constructivists, and believe that students gain knowledge and understanding through their own experiences. Therefore, we believe in constructing transformative learning experiences in a social context. A review of our course competencies and supporting materials reveal the names of Dewey, Erikson, Piaget, Malaguzzi, Maslow, Montessori, and Vygotsky. We also look to the works of Sue Bredekamp, Jerome Bruner, Margie Carter and Deb Curtis, Paulo
Freire, Howard Gardner, Lella Gandini, Ken and Yetta Goodman, Elizabeth Jones, Lilian Katz, Malcolm Knowles, Sam Meisels, Sonia Nieto, Vivian Gussin Paley, Louise Derman-Sparks, Diane Trister Dodge, Sylvia Ashton Warner and David Weikart for contemporary early childhood educational ideas, insights, and inspirations. Our philosophy of early childhood practice is rooted in developmentally appropriate practice and the NAEYC accreditation standards. For example, Developmentally Appropriate Practice, which promotes children s optimal learning and development, is a required resource in all of our classes in teaching and learning. Finally, our philosophy of adult learning is rooted in libratory, progressive education. OUR FUNDAMENTAL VALUES Respect We believe that transformative learning takes place when there is respect for all. We respect each learner as an individual worthy of acceptance, safety and security, and intellectual challenge. We strive to provide an atmosphere of reciprocity for students and faculty. Development Each learner joins us with existing knowledge and experience. We work to uncover these, understand them, and use them to scaffold our teaching and learning. We also create individual and shared experiences that have been designed to promote cognitive dissonance and have proved to be successful in constructing new understandings and perspectives. We believe in learning for the present, as opposed to preparing for the future. What we teach is meant to assist us in our present state and be useful. We believe the most powerful learning is learning that is relevant to the learner. We sponsor early childhood education conferences, institutes, seminars, lectures and advocacy events on campus and include students, adjunct faculty, and community members in all aspects of the events. We also attend external conferences, institutes, seminars, lectures, and advocacy events with students, adjunct faculty, and community members. We open our Early Childhood Education Advisory Committee to students, adjunct faculty, and community members. In addition, we recently deepened our connection with our Office of Service-Learning. Service- Learning is another tool that increases meaningful teaching and learning by providing opportunities for interaction in real life classroom situations and the surrounding community. Excellence We hold the image of competent learners in our minds as we plan, teach, and reflect. We all have the right to high quality educational materials and experiences to advance our learning. We look for professional resources that are current, useful, and worthy of a professional library. We believe that literature is another way to provide a shared experience and change lives, so we often use excellent children and adult literature in lieu of textbooks. We believe our own writing
is affected by what we read, so we try to read a variety of authors to improve our skills. We seek out excellence for both our students and ourselves. Community We believe students learn best in psychologically and physically safe environments. We work to provide learning settings that are rich in natural light, natural materials, and designed to foster social interaction. We believe in promoting participation, ensuring equity, and building trust. We also believe that valuable learning takes place when we move beyond the campus classroom and study in stunning early childhood programs, botanical gardens, museums, and community spaces. Our ECE program faculty and staff are eager to engage in healthy, sustained relationships with students, colleagues, and community members. Relationships are essential to the quality of our experience. We make every attempt to connect with every student and most certainly all AAS degree students. We create thoughtful opportunities for developing meaningful friendships, professional relationships, and networks of resources and supports. We plan class experiences that encourage students to get to know each other, work collaboratively on projects, discuss ideas and innovations, and share perspectives. We make ourselves available in person, via the phone, or e-mail. To truly change the landscape of early childhood education we are working to establish PVCC as a center for early childhood education communities of interest, communities of learners, and communities of practice (Professional Development and Knowledge Management Glossary.). We want to provide the space, time, and frameworks for interested learners to come together to explore a common interest, share knowledge and expertise when working and learning together, and to support communities who want to achieve and maintain agreed upon outcomes. We believe that providing support for these three levels of engagement and commitment around common interests, learning, and practice will create a critical part of the infrastructure needed to improve the quality of early childhood and education in this part of Arizona and beyond. Resources Annie E. Casey Foundation, The 2009 Kids Count Data Book, retrieved from http://datacenter.kidscount.org/databook/2009/default.aspx Cadwell, L.B. (1997). Bringing Reggio Emilia Home. New York: Teacher s College Press. Carter, M., & Curtis, D. (2003). Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Carter, M., & Curtis, D. (1996) Reflecting Children s Lives: A Handbook for Planning Child- Centered Curriculum. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Carter, M., & Curtis, D. (2000). The Art of Awareness: How Observation Can Transform Your
Teaching. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Carter, M., & Curtis, D. (1998). The Visionary Director: A Handbook for Dreaming, Organizing, and Improvising in Your Center. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Carter, M., & Curtis, D. (1994) Training Teachers: A Harvest of Theory and Practice. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (Eds.). (2009). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Curtis, D., & Carter, M. (2008). Learning Together with Young Children. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Darder, A. (1991). Culture and Power in the Classroom. New York: Bergin and Garvey. Derman-Sparks, L., & The A.B. C. Task Force. (1989). Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Duckworth, E., (1987). The Having of Wonderful Ideas and Other Essays on Teaching and Learning. New York: Teacher s College Press. Edwards, C., & Rinaldi, C. (Eds.). (2009). The Diary of Laura. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G., (Eds.). (1998). The Hundred Languages of Children. Advanced Reflections. Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing Corporation. Fosnot, C.T., (1989). Enquiring Teachers, Enquiring Learners: A Constructivist Approach for Teaching. New York: Teacher s College Press. Freire, P. (1989). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: The Continuum Publishing Company. Gandini, L., & Edwards, P.E. (Eds.). (2001) Bambini, The Italian Approach to Infant/Toddler Care. New York: Teacher s College Press. Goodman, K. (1986). What s Whole in Whole Language? Portsmith, NH: Heineman. Hyson, M. (Ed.). (2003) Preparing Early Childhood Professionals, NAEYC Standards for Programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Jones, E. (1994). Emergent Curriculum. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Jones, E. (1986). Teaching Adults: An Active Learning Approach. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Jones, E. (2007). Teaching Adults Revisited. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Kamii, C. & DeVries, R. (1993). Physical Knowledge in Preschool Education. New York: Teacher s College Press. Katz. L.C., & Chard, S.C. (1989) Engaging Children s Minds: The Project Approach. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation. Knowles, M., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A., (1998). The Adult Learner. Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Company. Mooney, C.G. (2000). Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget & Vygotsky. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2005). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. Washington, DC: Author. National Association for the Education of Young Children. ( 2004). Code of Ethical Conduct: Supplement for Early Childhood Adult Educators. Washington, DC: Author. National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2005). NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria. Washington, DC: Author. Nieto, S. (1999). The Light in their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Paley, V.G. (1981). Wally s Stories. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Professional Development and Knowledge Management Glossary, retrieved from http://www.eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/professional%20development/organizational%20develo pment/cultivating%20a%20learning%20organization/glossaryprofdevkm.htm TAWL. (1984). A Kid Watching Guide: Evaluation for Whole Language Classrooms. Tucson, AZ: Arizona Center for Research and Development, College of Education, University of Education. Vechhi, V., & Giudici, C. (2004). Children, Art, Artists. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children. Vela, J. (1994) Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Warner, S.A. (1963). Teacher. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Wassermann, S. (2000). Serious Players in the Primary Classroom. New York: Teacher s College Press. Wein, C.A. (1995). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Real Life. New York: Teacher s College Press. Wurm, J.P. (2005). Working the Reggio Way: A Beginner s Guide for American Teachers. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. This first edition of the PVCC Early Childhood Education Conceptual Framework was created and first distributed in the fall semester of 2011.