Course
Discontinued
No
Course Code
ECED 1211
Descriptive
Professional Growth and Communication
Department
Early Childhood Education
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
201930
PLAR
Yes
Semester Length
Flexible delivery ranging over 1 to 15 weeks
Max Class Size
30
Contact Hours
60 hours per semester
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Tutorial
Learning Activities
- Lecture
- Discussions
- Group Work
- Audio-visual Aids
- In-class Exercises
Course Description
In this course, students will apply their knowledge of self and interpersonal skills from CFCS 1120 to early childhood education settings. Emphasis will be placed on enhancing communication within the staff-team, creating meaningful partnerships with parents, valuing diversity and working effectively within the professional community.
Course Content
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
- To function fully as an early childhood Educator, one must work from a well-defined set of personal values, be familiar with the professional code of ethics, and understand the process of applying values and ethics in the workplace.
- In the role of early childhood educator, one works cooperatively with others, thereby modeling the desired team approach to children. The development of effective skills for relating interpersonally is essential to fulfilling that role.
- Understanding and valuing diversity means that all children and families are encouraged to develop to their full potential and are appreciated for their individual gifts and abilities, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, age and social class.
- Those who value diversity adapt the whole child care environment to reflect an understanding of, and appreciation for, the developmental, social, cultural and lifestyle realities of the families in the program and of the larger community.
- The early childhood educator takes every opportunity (both formally and informally) to communicate with parents for the purpose of establishing and maintaining strong partnerships between families and ECE centre staff.
- To be successful in helping families who are seeking information and support, early childhood educators must understand the limits of their professional roles, and know when and how to refer parents to appropriate community resources.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Learn and practice skills for effectively working within the staff team.
- Describe the role of collaboration in working with children, families, colleagues and the community
- Describe the characteristics of effective and ineffective groups
- Identify obstacles to group functioning
- Describe effective leadership qualities
- Examine personal leadership style.
- Learn and practice a range of interpersonal skills for use in ECE settings, including:
- Effective listening and responding skills
- Assertive communication skills
- Interpersonal problem solving skills
- Basic conflict resolution skills.
- Gain knowledge about child care in British Columbia
- Identify and apply the provincial child care regulation to early childhood settings
- Identify and describe the types of child care programs found in BC
- Examine the roles and responsibilities of ECE practitioners.
- Gain knowledge about working in partnerships with families
- Setting the tone and sharing information during initial meetings with families
- Helping the child and family to make the transition from home to child care centre
- Identify societal and other factors affecting today’s families
- Demonstrate knowledge of a diverse range of family situations (e.g., living in poverty, divorced parents, recent immigrants to Canada, etc.) and identify strategies used by caregivers to support these families
- Describe family-centred, culturally sensitive child care
- Describe effective practices or establishing relationships with families, including:
- Describe ways in which parents can be encouraged to participate in the child care program
- Identify the steps involved in planning and implementing parent-teacher conferences.
- Demonstrate writing in the workplace, including:
- The centre brochure
- The parent handbook
- Documentations for families
- Parent newsletters
Means of Assessment
This course will conform to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations.
- Written Reports
- Interviews
- Group Projects
Textbook Materials
T.B.A.
Which Prerequisite