Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

• Understand the teacher's role in family engagement and coaching children.  Use inclusive practices for children with special needs
• Explain indoor and outdoor environment set-up, classroom schedule, routine events, and transitions
• Develop indoor and outdoor environment and interest centers that are aesthetically pleasing and  developmentally and culturally appropriate
• Identify loose parts, recyclable, natural materials for use indoors and outdoors
• How to choose props, materials, equipment for indoor and outdoor environment and curriculum
• Create learning invitations to enhance children's emerging interests
• Apply reflective teaching
• Understand the teacher's role in family engagement and coaching children

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

• Plan for indoor and outdoor classrooms, understanding the impact of social, emotional, cognitive, physical and language development on young children. 
• Apply developmental theories for children's indoor and outdoor learning when planning indoor and outdoor activities.
• Distinguish the difference between developmentally and culturally appropriate practices.
• Use documentation and environment ratings scales to develop and assess curriculum and environments.
• Explain indoor and outdoor environment set-up, materials and schedules.
• Create indoor and outdoor lesson plans and activity plans for different learning styles, abilities and needs.
• Demonstrate emergent curriculum and project approach knowledge and skills.

Individual reading, PowerPoint, small and large groups, planning, implementing and evaluating activities and environments, field trips, community indoor and outdoor environment and curriculum observations, videos, guest speakers, documentation boards, reflection, environmental rating scales (ECERS or FECERS).

• Complete 10 hours of observation and participation at a Head Start Site

• Attend and actively participate in class and small group discussions.
• Complete site observation and evaluation reports.
• Complete and present a term project.
• Complete written quizzes or exams.
• Complete 10 hours of observation and participation at a Head Start Site

·         The role of play in developing: social, emotional, cognitive, physical and language development

·         Reflective Teaching and the cycle of teacher research

·         Developmental theories and curriculum models' impact on children’s learning

·         Define developmentally, culturally appropriate practices to support family involvement

·         Emergent curriculum and Project Approach and inclusion

·         Lesson Planning, cycle of planning and activity plans

·         Classroom environment set-up, classroom schedule, routine events, and transitions

·         Developing aesthetic physical environment

·         Using loose parts, recyclable, natural materials

·         Social environments (teacher’s role and coaching children) to support children’s learning

·         Documentation and Assessment