Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education Standard II Rationale for IECE KTS II

Early childhood educators are expected to know more about the brain development of the child, in order for him to read and write, but on the other hand, for the educator to communicate in a better way. The educators have to keep in mind the aspect of life where the children has to interact with the immediate environment and and sensory awareness. Moreover, the children has to learn to take responsibilities of their actions therefore, the educators role has expanded as there is a more complex and diverse society.

The facility appeared to have ample amount of age-appropriate toys, materials, and equipment – although some of the battery operated toys needed new batteries in order for them to work properly. Respectful and responsive curriculum is based on relationships that occur within planned and unplanned activities, experiences, and happenings (26). The caregiver allowed time for play and exploration and when appropriate allowed the children to determine what activity would occur. The environment was developmentally appropriate for the children present. Different areas of the room were sectioned off for certain activities and the materials that belonged with the activity stayed in the appropriate section. For example, the kitchen area had all the kitchen utensils and the library contained the books. All the toys and materials were at the children’s level and picture labels were used in the room to accommodate those who need visual assistance. There was a picture of a toy on the shelf where that toy should be placed when it was time to clean up. Each

2.1. Creating an inclusive learning environment benefits all students to enable effective learning to take place. The environment in which you are teaching the subject can sometimes be restricted but teaching can take place anywhere not necessarily just in a classroom, for example, colleges, learning centres, the workplace, prisons are to name just a few.

Chapter two discusses various theorists that helped to mold and shape early childhood education to where it is today. There are several different theorists that contributed to the development of early childhood education. Some of these theorists include Alfred Adler, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and John Dewey. Each theorist developed a unique theory that has caused early childhood guidance and education to flourish like it has today. Without learning and building on these theories, early childhood guidance and education would never develop or change. The chapter explains how some theories may seem strange to the contemporary families, but these theories are the foundation of how early childhood education got to where it is today. The book goes

An inclusive environment is an environment where everyone has an opportunity to fully participate. In education, this means everyone has the same opportunity, there should be no boundaries such as ethnicity, gender or disability. All students should feel valued, be able to mix and participate with all members of the group be in a safe and positive environment.

In my first semester of college at Concordia, I had the opportunity to have the class EDU 120. A requirement for this class was having 10 hours of fieldwork; at least 3 hours in each level of childhood. The reason for this requirement is to help the students discover what grade level they want to teach in the future.

When setting up an inclusive learning environment we need to focus on individual differences. Francis and Gould (2013: p65) explain, that “it is important to recognise the differences in the learners we teach, as these influence how we interact with them.” Francis and Gould (2013) list few typical differences, like age, physical disability, mental health issues, ethnicity, etc.

This research report presents an analysis of and conclusions drawn from the experiences and perspectives of two educators that work in the early childhood setting. The main objective is to identify key elements and issues in relation to the families, diversity and difference. In particular how an early childhood educator implements, different approaches to honour culture and diversity, and to advocate for social justice in an early childhood settings. As such, it allows an insight into the important role that families and their background plays in the everyday lives of the children and educators within early childhood settings. In today’s ever-changing growing society it is essential for educators to be flexible to the

Inclusive learning is about making sure that every learner in the classroom has their needs identified and met. It is about realising that every learner will have specific individual needs and it is the job of the teacher to accommodate the needs of all of their learners. Booth et al. (2000) state ‘Inclusion is seen to involve the identification and minimising of barriers to learning and participation’ (Booth et al., 2000: 13).

An Inclusive classroom implies learning alongside others and collaborating with them in shared lessons. It involves active engagement with what is learnt and taught and having a say in how education is experienced. But participation also means

Know the background and interest of individual children and draw on these when supporting their learning

To create an inclusive learning environment for my learners I could include : asking individuals questions, using learners names, giving help and support, encouraging paired, group activities and ensuring support is available to those students

Another aspect of creating an enabling environment is the indoor environment. Rich indoor environments have a positive impact on the children's learning and development. An enabling indoor environment is a place where children who spend their time their feel comfortable, interests them and is appropriate for the children's age. It is important that practitioners plan the indoor environment carefully so that it is flexible and accommodates the children's interest and their needs. Also practitioners should make sure that the resources that they are providing are interesting, attractive and to a high quality standard. Practitioners should also make sure that all resources such as building blocks, colouring pens and pencils, dressing up clothes,

Chiles Elementary School’s improvement plan, for its vision statement is to strive “for excellence by actively involving all students, parents, faculty, staff, and the community in a safe, nurturing, and respectful environment” (Lawton M. Chiles Elementary SIP, 2015-2016, pg. 8). Building relationships is extremely important in order to facilitate successful collaboration, which is why the school improvement plan also listed different ways for learning student cultures, building safe and respectful learning environment, and getting parents involved. For example, in order to learn more about student cultures, teachers are encouraged to involve all students in activities to share about themselves, their families, and their work with peers. Teachers are also encouraged to meet with parents, to listen to concerns, and to learn about special needs that a child may have. To create a safe and respectful learning environment, teachers have general tasks that they must do before, during, and after school, such as providing supervision in their grade level’s common area before the first bell, utilizing school-wide classroom management system, and supervising students in the car loop or bus loop

One of the central principles of teaching is to provide learners with an environment to learn and flourish. It is upon this principle that the fundamentals of inclusive learning have been established.