Description
Background
One way to find out how intentional you are in providing individualized learning experiences for children is to regularly ask yourself and each other, WHY? Being intentional is a key feature of being a professional teacher and can help you improve every aspect of your practice. Answering “why” questions also gives you the opportunity to practice explaining your practices. For example, if a new parent is touring the center and stops in your classroom, you will be able to easily explain to parents what they do in their classroom to provide the best care and support for early learning. This strategy also helps parents see the teachers as professionals and not just babysitters.
Directions
For this assignment, you will write a 2-3 page script sharing what you would say on a tour with a family who is new to your early childhood program.
You will write your script as if you are walking around your early childhood classroom, environment, or family childcare home. If you are not currently working in an early childhood setting, imagine how your space will look in your mind.
Include the following items in your tour:
1. Welcome
- Write as if you are talking directly to the family and showing them around your space on their first visit.
- Be sure to welcome your family to your center.
- Make sure to identify the age of the child joining your program.
- Explain your overall philosophy of your center as context for the specific items you will describe below to set the stage for your tour.
2. Intentional Teacher Practices:
- Incorporate information about intentional teaching practices: including the environment, materials in the classroom, curriculum model/approach and differentiated instruction.
- Include the why for the items you include.
- Include at least one resource from the course lesson content or the Rasmussen Library to support your thinking.
3. Curriculum Plan
- Explain your overall curriculum approach or model for the center. Why do you use this model/approach?
- How do you intentionally plan for the environment and the activities in your program? Where do the ideas come from?
- How do you know what to plan?
- What about intentional teaching practices will benefit their childrens learning?
4. Classroom Items
- Think about the placement of objects in the room – such as shelves, bulletin boards, plants, toys, art materials, books, etc. Why do you place objects and items in specific places?
- Why do you use these materials? How will these materials promote learning?
- Why do you have focus areas and centers?
- Why are the children just playing?
- Why do you have parent boards?
- Address how you incorporate both educator-directed and child-directed experiences.
5. Closing
- Share any closing thoughts about the visit.
- Thank the family for visiting and share how they can follow up with you if they have questions.
Make sure to:
- Include APA citations to all sources used for this assignment, including a title page and reference page in APA format. Include at least one resource from the course lesson content or Rasmussen library.
- All work should be formatted professionally and use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
