provide suggested activities to enhance creativity in each domain of development, a rationale to support your activities, and at least one resource that can be utlized for future ideas.

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Creativity is evident in all aspects of a growing child’s life, and can be learned from daily. “By exposing children to creative experiences, we give them the gift of a rich and memorable childhood while laying the foundation for a lifetime of creative expression – all topped off with a heaping helping of important learning skills” (Kohl, 2008). As teachers and leaders in the field of early childhood education, it is important that we foster each child’s creative self by providing them with ample classroom activities that are both research-based and developmentally appropriate.

Initial Post: In your discussion, you will provide suggested activities to enhance creativity in each domain of development, a rationale to support your activities, and at least one resource that can be utlized for future ideas.

Your discussion must include:

  • One classroom activity that supports emotional development along with a supporting rationale that explains specifically why the activity is appropriate.
  • One classroom activity that supports social development along with a supporting rationale that explains specifically why the activity is appropriate.
  • One classroom activity that supports physical development along with a supporting rationale that explains specifically why the activity is appropriate.
  • One classroom activity that supports language and literacy development along with a supporting rationale that explains specifically why the activity is appropriate.
  • One classroom activity that supports cognitive development along with a supporting rationale that explains specifically why the activity is appropriate.

Reference

Kohl, M.A. 2008. Fostering creativity (Links to an external site.). Earlychildhood NEWS. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=349

What ideas and advice from experts can be useful in supporting children who may be at risk for abuse or are victims of abuse, as well as nonabusive adults in a household

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Last week, you explored a variety of influences on parenting practices and styles, including instances when children are subjected to maltreatment defined as: “intentional harm to or endangerment of a child” (Berns, 2013, p. 144). This week, you focused on the role of early childhood programs in the lives of young children and families. One responsibility of early childhood educators, as well as any professional who works with young children and their families, is to be aware of requirements for responding to suspected child maltreatment and to support children and families to try to prevent child maltreatment. This Action Plan will help you gain information and ideas to do both.

Action Plan Professional Scenario: Imagine that you are an early childhood professional who has recently moved to the state where you are currently working. You know that it is your responsibility to be aware of state child maltreatment regulations. You also want to be prepared to recognize, intervene, and if at all possible, try to prevent child maltreatment.

Before you create your Action Plan together, consider:

  • What you need to know about mandated reporting procedures in your state
  • What ideas and advice from experts can be useful in supporting children who may be at risk for abuse or are victims of abuse, as well as nonabusive adults in a household
  • What you must do in terms of reporting suspected abuse and what you realistically can do to help a child and family

Follow these steps to create your Action Plan.

1. What You Need to Know: Learning About the Reporting Procedures in Your State

States vary in detailing “mandated reporters” as well as official procedures for reporting. Visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway Web site to find out the regulations in your state*:

State Guides and Manuals Search
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/sgm/

At this site, click on your state, then click on the URL. Take notes on the following:

  • The “mandated reporters” in your state (if your state has many mandated reporters, list those who work or interact with young children and note there are “others” as well)
  • The official state procedure for reporting child maltreatment

*If you are unable to locate information for your state at this Web site, check your state board of education’s Web site, or do a Web search, for specific guidance and requirements for reporting child abuse in your state.

2. Ideas and Advice: Checking Resources

According to the NAEYC, early childhood educators are in a unique position to support children and families and, through these efforts, play a critical role in addressing the needs of children who are at risk for abuse and neglect.

Review the “Supporting Parents and Preventing Child Maltreatment” article.

Supporting Parents and Preventing Child Maltreatment (PDF)

Also review at least one other of the following resources.

Helping Children Thrive: Supporting Woman Abuse Survivors as Mothers (PDF)
Review the “For Service Providers” sections (see the Index for pages).

Promoting Effective and Nurturing Parenting (PDF)

Building Circles, Breaking Cycles—Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: The Early Childhood Educator’s Role (PDF)

Take notes on specific ideas and strategies that you, as an early childhood professional, would feel comfortable with and capable of using with children and families.

3. Taking Action: Addressing Child Maltreatment to Support Children in Need

With knowledge and ideas in hand, you’re ready to take action. Organize your Action Plan in two parts, to ensure you cover your two key roles—as a mandated reporter if you suspect abuse, and as an advocate concerned with the well-being of the children and families with whom you work.

Part I: How to Report Suspected Child Abuse in [Your State]
In your own words, explain the procedure for reporting suspected child abuse in your state. List the following:
Criteria to use for determining when abuse may be present and a report must be made
Steps to follow in making a reportPart II: Strategies for Helping Children and Families
Based on the resources, think about the kinds of needs families that have experienced abuse or are at risk for abuse may have in each of the following areas:
Knowledge of child development and positive parenting practices
Information on available community resources
Reassurance for children and nonabusive parentsThen, for each area, explain:
A specific need that a parent or child may have
Two specific strategies or suggestions you could use or recommend for addressing that need

As you write your plan:

  • Choose strategies that you as an early childhood professional would have the skill and influence to implement.
  • Think about how you present ideas and suggestions to families. Be supportive and nonjudgmental in the language you use.

Analyze how the educator’s responses did or did not align with concepts addressed in your textbook and two other scholarly sources.

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Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read the assigned chapters in Introduction to education: Choosing to teach by Krogh. Chapter 5 considers the “community” in conventional classrooms giving strategies and techniques for creating a classroom where children thrive socially and academically. Models for classroom management are discussed in detail.

Chapter 6 examines the complexity of curriculum development while also analyzing the different forms of assessment. Chapter 9 considers the nature of teaching and the occasional controversy over its definition as a profession. This will allow the reader to reflect on if they display a “goodness of fit” as a potential future educator.

In your paper,

  • Summarize the responses of your interviewee in third-person point of view.
  • Analyze how the educator’s responses did or did not align with concepts addressed in your textbook and two other scholarly sources.
  • Evaluate your “goodness of fit” for the profession, using specific details and research to support your conclusion.
  • Describe concerns you might still have about your chosen profession and how you would resolve them.

For the Final Paper, you will demonstrate an understanding of the complex set of issues that must be considered as you embark on your professional preparation to become an educator. The best way to do this is to conduct an interview of an educator to get a realistic perspective of the profession. It is hoped that after the interview you will have a better understanding of the daily responsibilities and how the teaching philosophies and learning theories guide the educator in making decisions. In addition, you will then have an opportunity to reflect on your own “goodness of fit” as a future educator.

Please be courteous of the professionals you are interviewing. Plan and schedule your interviews early. It can be difficult to secure an interview date. Writing or emailing a thank-you note is a recommended professional practice.

Interview Questions: You will interview one educator at the elementary level (K-5) or secondary level (6-12) depending on where your own teaching interests lie.

Please ask your educator the following questions and record his or her responses. Please note the directions for the location of your responses/analysis within your

Final Paper. If you choose to interview a librarian, skip to the section with questions for librarians that appear after the teacher questions.

Questions for a teacher interview: If you have selected a teacher to interview, use this set of questions.

 

Teacher responses/analysis below will go into Section 2:

  1. Why did you decide to become an educator? What was your motivation and what attributes do you think are important for an educator to exhibit to be effective? (Attributes/Motivation)
  2. What is your philosophy of education? What is the role of the educator and the students? (Teaching Philosophy)
  3. What are your learning goals for your students? How do you effectively meet their needs? (Learning Theory)

 

Teacher responses/analysis below will go into Section 3:

  1. What do you believe are the most effective methods for educating students? (Learning Theory)
  2. What is your comfort level with technology and how do you integrate it within your lesson planning? (Technology)
  3. How do academic standards drive your instruction? Do you feel a need to teach to the test? Why or why not? (Academic standards)
  4. What types of assessment do you use in your classroom? Can you give me an example of a formative and summative assessment? (Assessment)
  5. How do you incorporate elements of multicultural education in your classroom? Can you provide a specific example? (Diversity)
  6. How do you effectively manage a classroom? What is most challenging about issues related to discipline and classroom management? (Discipline and Classroom Management)

 

Teacher responses/analysis below will go into Section 4:

  1. How do you foster a positive relationship with students, parents, and the community? (Relationships)
  2. What are the best and worst parts of the teaching profession? What concerns might you have for the future of our education system? (Contemporary Concerns)
  3. As you have gained experience, how has your philosophy of education changed?

**Alternative Option: If you have selected to interview a librarian in lieu of a classroom teacher, this is acceptable, provided you still meet the expectations of the Final Paper. The alternative questions are as follows:

 

Librarian responses/analysis below will go into Section 2:

  1. Why did you decide to become a librarian? What was your motivation and what attributes do you think are important for a librarian to exhibit to be effective? (Attributes/Motivation)
  2. What is your philosophy of education? What is the role of the librarian and the students? (Teaching Philosophy)
  3. What are your learning goals for your students? How do you effectively meet their needs? (Learning Theory)

 

Librarian responses/analysis below will go into Section 3:

  1. What do you believe are the most effective methods for teaching library concepts? (Learning Theory)
  2. What is your comfort level with technology and how might you integrate it in the library? (Technology)
  3. How do academic standards drive your instruction? (Academic standards)
  4. Can you give me an example of a formative and summative assessment you might use in the library? (Assessment)
  5. How do you incorporate elements of multicultural education in the library? Can you provide a specific example? (Diversity)
  6. How do you effectively manage your groups of students? What is most challenging about issues related to discipline and student management? (Discipline and Classroom Management)

 

Librarian responses/analysis below will go into Section 4:

  1. How do you foster a positive relationship with library patrons and the community? (Relationships)
  2. What are the best and worst parts of being a librarian? What concerns might you have for the future of library sciences? (Contemporary Concerns)
  3. As you have gained experience, how has your philosophy of education/library sciences changed?

Final Paper Requirements: After you have collected the responses from your educator, prepare an eight- to 10-page paper to include the following sections. Use the recommended Final Paper TemplatePreview the document to organize your work.

Section 1: Introduction:

Provide an introduction that includes demographic information (educator name, school, grade or discipline taught, number of children at that school, other pertinent information). Include why it is important to seek out and speak to current professionals in the field you are interested in entering. What is the rationale for conducting an interview?

Section 2: Summary and Analysis: Motivation and Philosophy

Summarize the answers the educator gave to the interview questions 1 through 3 in third-person point of view. Remember that a summary is a “retelling” of what the educator said; you may not to use direct quotes from the educator or copy/paste questions and answers directly. For each response, you must also analyze how the educator’s responses aligned or did not align with the information presented in your text and two other scholarly sources. Show how the responses of the educator supported or did not support what you learned in this class. You must have at least two in-text research citations in each section. Please refer to the Final Paper TemplatePreview the document for correct organization of each section.

Section 3: Summary and Analysis: Instructional Practices

Summarize the answers the educator gave to the interview questions 4 through 9 in third-person point of view. Remember that a summary is a “retelling” of what the educator said; you may not to use direct quotes from the educator or copy/paste questions and answers directly. For each response, you must also analyze how the educator’s responses aligned or did not align with the information presented in your text and two other scholarly sources. Show how the responses of the educator supported or did not support what you learned in this class. You must have at least two in-text research citations in each section. Please refer to the Final Paper Template Preview the documentfor correct organization of each section.

Section 4: Summary and Analysis: Relationship-Building and Reflection

Summarize the answers the educator gave to the interview questions 10 through 12 in third-person point of view. Remember that a summary is a “retelling” of what the educator said; you may not to use direct quotes from the educator or copy/paste questions and answers directly. For each response, you must also analyze how the educator’s responses aligned or didn’t align with the information presented in your text and two other scholarly sources. Show how the responses of the educator supported or didn’t support what you learned in this class. You must have at least two in-text research citations in each section. Please refer to the Final Paper TemplatePreview the document for correct organization of each section.

Section 5: Conclusion: End your paper by redefining your specific career goal in the field of education. Discuss your experience with the research portion of this final assignment. What surprised you most about the information you learned from your informational interview? Do you think you are a “good fit” for your career goal? Why or why not? Consider the attributes that you exhibit that make you a good fit and what motivates you to pursue the career you have identified. What concerns do you have and how might you resolve them? End with a powerful, inspirational statement that leaves your reader satisfied.

Your paper should be formatted according to APA Style and must include a title page and reference page. You may find the Introduction to APA (Links to an external site.) resource helpful.  Please refer to important APA style reminders. You must use a minimum of two scholarly sources in addition to the course text. For help in planning and organizing your assignment, please access the Final Paper Template.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Docicon.png Click to view an EXAMPLEPreview the document of this week’s final paper.

Describe at least three (3) specific needs of the students in the  school district including students with special learning needs. 

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Imagine that your locally elected school district board has  commissioned an Assessment Task Force to improve the  overall standardized test scores of the students within the school  district. The superintendent (a role played by your professor) has asked  you, a member of the Assessment Task Force, to research a specific  topic relevant to improving the standardized testing. Your research will  be combined with research from other team members to create a  comprehensive report on the district’s assessment program. The  superintendent will review the parts of your proposal as you develop  each part and provide you feedback. This feedback needs to be  incorporated into subsequent parts of the proposal for presentation.

Your part of the report needs to include:

  • A summary of the local school district’s established assessment goals.
  • A report of the research you have found on your chosen topic.
  • Proposed recommendations for changes to the district’s K-12 assessment strategy based on your research.

The superintendent would like to see research on these topics in the final comprehensive report.

 

Research the assessment strategies and current assessment results  from the school district in which you currently reside or teach. You  will need to find information on the types of assessments used, when  students are assessed, the policy for student accommodations, the test  results for the past few years, and anything that the district is doing  to address improving student scores and achieving state standards.

Use the Internet and Strayer library at research.strayer.edu,  to research one (1) topic from the list of recommendations  the superintendent provided or your own approved topic. Justify your  topic selection by highlighting its relevance to your chosen district  being able to successfully meet its K-12 assessment goals. Your research  should also focus on locating current issues, applications, assessment  strategies, and tools related to your selected topic. Once you complete  your research, submit this portion of the white paper to  your superintendent for review and feedback.

Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you:

  1. Explain your research topic in which you detail its relevance to  meeting one (1) or more K-12 assessment goals in your chosen school  district, focusing on a specific grade level, discipline, or target  student population (gifted students, students with special  needs, traditionally underserved students, etc.).
  2. Examine at least three (3) key political, legal, and / or current issues related to your chosen topic.
  3. Describe at least three (3) specific needs of the students in the  school district including students with special learning needs.
  4. Propose at least three (3) applications your topic has to K-12 assessment in your chosen school district.
  5. Provide atleast four (4) sources that document detailed information  about your proposed topic. The sources must be written within the last  five (5) years.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides
  • Citations and references must follow APA format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
  • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the  student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.  The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required  assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Assess various measures for assessing learners’ progress, including  formal, test-based measures, and informal and observational measures.
  • Analyze traditional theories of assessment.
  • Evaluate strategies for using a variety of assessment instruments and the theories behind them.
  • Utilize a methodology for linking assessment practices to learning objectives.
  • Evaluate alternate forms of assessment for special populations.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in educational assessment.
  • Write clearly and concisely about educational assessment using proper grammar and mechanics