Early Childhood Education: Kindergarten Reflection Essay

Early childhood is a time of curiosity, a time for play, and a time of rapid development. Every child is unique and deserving of an early childhood education that facilitates academic, social, and developmental growth through a variety of enjoyable experiences. Differentiated instruction adapts content, products and processes to meet the diverse learning needs and preferences of students (Thousand, Villa, & Nevin, 2007). Friedrich Froebel, the creator of Kindergarten, believed that children grow and learn as they play (Bruno, 2009). Play-based instruction not only enables young learners to have fun, but it also encourages interactive and cooperative learning, passion for discovery, and a foundation for later learning experiences

Early Childhood Education illustrates the teaching and care of children in other environments outside of the home. Early childhood centers on the development of all children no matter their gender, race, abilities, or ethnic orientation and gives knowledge of early childhood learning process, which entails values, culture, desires of parents for their children, and especially a child’s need for knowledgeable functionality in society.

My philosophy of Early childhood education is based on research that indicates that a child’s growth is developmental. Every child is unique in terms of life experiences, developmental readiness, and cultural heritage. A high quality early childhood program that provides a safe and nurturing environment, which promotes physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive development will ensure a positive continuation of the child’s education process

My philosophy of classroom management is that the management of elementary classrooms require several things.  Among patience, determination and motivation are: flexibility, careful planning and consistency.  A well-managed classroom did not get well-managed without a teacher who planned, had a flexible vision and was determined.  Any new teacher, who is asked, will say they want a classroom with as few behavioral problems as possible as well as one that is easily manageable.  But any experienced teacher, who is asked, will tell those new teachers that classrooms do not come "well managed".  They have to be made into well-managed classrooms.  These experienced teachers would also encourage by saying

My classroom management philosophy is rooted in B.F. Skinner’s Behavior Modification theory. I believe that negative and positive reinforcements are a key aspect in classroom management. Providing reinforcement increases the probability that a desired behavior will occur, while undesired behaviors will stop because they are not being reinforced (Manning and Bucher 47). Students who are demonstrating unacceptable behaviors may even begin to change their behavior in hopes of gaining approval through reinforcement (Manning and Bucher 47). In particular, I advocate for this theory because it also serves as another way to continuously reiterate classroom expectations. Through daily dialogue in the classroom, students will be able to understand which behaviors are supported, acceptable, and encouraged and which behaviors are ignored, unacceptable, and discouraged. Continuously putting this into practice will foster a supportive classroom climate with clear expectations. Throughout my field experiences in Horry County, I have seen this strategy used with success. I believe that once I have established relationships with my students this will be the most effective course of action for modifying their misbehaviors.

Teaching early childhood children is not a job that should be taken lightly. At this age, you are building the foundation of learning and setting the precedence of what they see school as. It is my role as an educator to take responsibility for every child’s educational development. Each day in an early childhood classroom is full of challenges, but it is also full of laughs, smiles, and enthusiasm to learn. I firmly believe that every child is capable of learning, however, every child learns in their own pace and in their own way. Children need to feel that their teacher cares for them and is enthusiastic about their learning. This will help motivate them and maximize their learning. From there, the sky is the limit in the classroom! As an educator, I need to be conscious of learning and social development in order to reach every child and make sure they succeed. It is my job to see that every student is growing both academically and socially.

Throughout my course work I have learned how essential Early Childhood Education is to the proper growth and development of young children. Without quality care young children can be limited socially, emotionally, and cognitively. Personally, my reasons for choosing ECE as my field of study has matured into responding to the need to provide quality professionals that produce quality care to every child regardless of ethnicity, ability, culture, or gender. However, looking back on my prior experiences I have worked with children in all capacities within my community. I have coached soccer of various ages, taught Sunday School, ran preteen Bible studies, and taught character building classes for young girls. Even though these experiences motivated me to enter this field, I now see child development from a totally different perspective.

My philosophy of classroom management is to allow students to be responsible for their own behavior at all times. I believe allowing students to be responsible for their behavior and actions allow them to have a sense of freedom. When students have freedom, they seem to be more successful and respectful. Classroom management is more successful when the class is student-centered. Students should be included in the planning of classroom rules, room arrangement, and communication should flow smoothly between teacher and student. Although the class is student-centered the teacher should be in control of the classroom. The teacher should know what is going on at all times, plan interesting and informative lessons, and be

Teachers are not only expected to teach their students, but also provide an environment where everyone feels safe and can learn. Classroom management is a very important part of teaching. Students cannot learn in an unsafe, disruptive environment. This paper will discuss the strategy of SHAPING, how it is used to modify a student’s behavior, and give an example of how to modify a student’s behavior. This paper will also discuss my personal beliefs about classroom management, share rules and expectations for the classroom, rewards for individuals and the class, designing the classroom where the teacher is visible and there are no distractions, and discuss some classroom procedures and how they contribute to classroom management

The education of the young mind is an important step in preparing the child for future learning experiences. The evolution of early childhood education has changed how adults and parents view the importance of offering stimulating and exciting opportunities to the very young. Early childhood Education offers the young child learning experiences that benefit them throughout their educational career. They soon embark on a whole new world of learning. These children are not only experiencing standard brain growth, but verbal and physical skills as well. Early childhood education teachers use a variation of techniques for instructing. They use lesson plans, worksheets, and even teacher resources for these young minds.

Play is usually a natural activity in early childhood and has significant importance in early childhood special education. Play assists in enhancing the children social competence, creativity, language development, and their thinking skills. Play is usually the key vehicle for the developing of language, social skulls in young children (Rogers ET all. 2009). Moreover, it serves as a functional behavior which contributes to the life quality of the children. .

It has been well established that early childhood is a crucial time for children’s cognitive development (Bowman, Donovan & Burns, 2001). Preschool curriculum is the entire span of lessons and teachings that a child will be taught during the course of a preschool year (Rock, 2015). Preschool curriculum covers a wide variety of academic, social, physical, and emotional lessons and usually vary from school to school and teaching method to teaching method. Depending upon the school and the preschool philosophy employed by the preschool, the preschool curriculum can be developed by administrators, teachers, and parents.

Early childhood education is for children from the ages three to eight years old. In this field there are four learning goals that early programs have for a young child.

Classroom management is a key element to establish a successful learning environment in any classroom. An effective classroom management plan creates a positive learning environment. Classroom management is affected by the characteristics of the students and their behavior. Students’ behavior is influenced by their age, academic abilities, goals, interests, and home backgrounds (Evertson, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006). Teachers need a diverse array of classroom management skills to facilitate learning. A classroom with a proper management plan will spend less time in disciplining and more time in learning. Students in effectively managed classrooms know and follow clearly defined rules and routines. A classroom management plan should provide

Classroom management and classroom discipline share a correlation with one another yet; they are uniquely different issues and should remain a separate focus of the teacher. (Cantor, 2006) Behavior and misbehavior also share a connection but represent different degrees of infraction. (Charles, 2008) This essay focuses on the differences and similarities of these topics and their relation to the classroom.