Fwashington_Leadership Capstone Portfolio

docx

School

Rasmussen College, Florida *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

3011

Subject

Mechanical Engineering

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by CorporalGuanaco3738

EEC4910 Leadership Capstone Final Project Portfolio Finesha Washington Rasmussen University EEC4910 Leadership Capstone Doreen Anzalone Date of Submission Table of Contents Self-Assessment of Skills

Philosophy Statement Advocacy (Elevator Speech) Ethical Conduct Example Self-Assessment Checklist – Module 1 Reflective practice is a crucial tool for early childhood educators, helping them understand situations and develop their theories, philosophy, and pedagogy. It provides valuable data and evidence of professional growth and development. Teachers, managers, mentors, and early childhood education facilitators often use

reflective practice throughout their working day, including anticipating, during, and after events. However, true reflective practice goes beyond just looking back and involves thinking about values, assumptions, and beliefs. Good reflective practice involves asking questions about the role of the educator, their actions and reasons, the adherence to curriculum and philosophy principles, and the changes they could make to improve outcomes. Some educators may need support to strengthen their skills for deep reflective practice, allowing them to unpack inconsistencies between beliefs and practices and actions in practice. Reflective practice in early childhood education can help educators understand their identity and how their values and beliefs impact their actions and decisions (Carlson, 2022) . Upon my self-reflection, I notice that there a quite a few things I could work on. Not because I don’t know how to do them but more so because I doubt myself and let others think for me. Working with children is my passion and has been since I was 12 years old. However, since I was 12 years old, I’ve been allowing others tell me what’s right and what’s wrong for the students in my care. Granted, sometime, some of them are right, however, majority of the time the advice is coming from someone who hasn’t worked in any classroom for many of years or have never worked in my classroom to get to know the students in my care. Yes, I can work on understanding how to include bilingual/multilingual development into the classroom, however, I’ve had a child be placed in my classroom who did not speak English and I did not speak Spanish, but she left that school year know 100% more than she knew when she came in. I may not know how to do things ahead of time, but I learn as I work. Yes, I can learn more about accommodating students if I have students who have actual accommodations, but I know how to work with those students who don’t but should. I know how to make their learning experience

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

beneficial to them. I could also work on understanding different cultures. Do I know a lot about culture? No, but, I’m willing to learn. Whether it be a training or hands- on learning once a child from a different culture is placed in my care, I’m willing to learn. Of course, I need to learn more about advocating for the students in my care, if not me, then who? Do I need to learn when to advocate and when not to? Definitely! However, I rather bring the smallest issue to light than not bring anything to the light and later find out that there’s something a child in my care really needed. But again, there’s trainings and professional development for that, and I’m willing to learn. As I stated before, working with children is my passion and I will do anything to take continue my passion. May it be trainings every day or professional development every week, I will do it and I will perfect my passion, not only for the children in my care but for their parents as well. Reference: Carlson, S. (2022, December 13). Reflective practice in early childhood education . Storypark Blog. https://blog.storypark.com/2022/09/reflective-practice-in-early-childhood- education/#:~:text=Reflective%20practice%20in%20early%20childhood%20education %20can%20support%20a%20greater,what%20we%20do%20and%20why . Professional Teaching Practices Self-Assessment Checklist Teacher Name: Finesha Washington Date: November 12, 2023

Standard Emerging Developing Meets For each criterion, answer these questions: 1. What is your current skill level for these criteria? 2. What is 1 strength you have in this area? 3. What is 1 weakness you have in this area and what plan will you make to improve? Standard 1: Child Development and Learning in Context (NAEYC, 1a. Understand development birth through age 8 across physical, cognitive, social/emotional, and linguistic domains, including bilingual/multiling ual development. X Strength: I understand that play is essential for children birth to 8. I also understand that children grow and develop differently. Weakness: One weakness I have is understanding hoe to include bilingual/multilingual development. I plan to take trainings to help better understand. 1b. Understand and value each child as an individual with unique developmental variations, experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices. X Strength: I understand that all children are different and require different accommodations. With that understanding, I’m able to meet the individual needs of the children. Weakness: I do not have enough hands-on experience working with multiple children. I plan to improve this weakness by receiving more hands-on training and volunteering in the classrooms. 1c. Understand the ways that child development and the learning process occur in multiple contexts, X Strength: I understand that each child’s background plays a major role in their development. Weakness: One weakness I have is understanding culture. I plan to improve this

including family, culture, language, community, and learning settings, as well as in larger societal context that includes structural inequities. by becoming more culturally aware. 1d. Use knowledge about development, individual children, and cultural contexts to make evidence- based decisions that support each child. X Strength: I understand that as educators, we have to be able to advocate for our students. I use knowledge and information gathered about each child to make sure that they receive the support they need. Weakness: One weakness I have is advocating at the wrong time, with the wrong people, in the wrong way. I plan to make sure that I have adequate information before advocating for children to make sure that they are receiving the right support at the right time. Standard 4: Developmentall y, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices 4a. Understand and demonstrate positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation of early childhood educator’s work with young children. X Strength: Working with children is my passion. I make it my job to treat them all as if they were my own children. Weakness: I get too close to my students and sometimes have separation issue. Moving forward, I plan to separate my work life from my private life. 4b. Understand and use teaching skills that are responsive to the X Strength: I do very well at modifying things to meet the needs of children. Weakness: One weakness I have is knowing when to stick to the strip and when to modify.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

learning trajectories of young children and to the needs of each child, recognizing that differentiating instruction, incorporating play as a core teaching practice, and supporting the development of executive function skills are critical for young children. I plan to improve this by attending professional developments and having coaches model for me. 4c. Use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant, anti- bias, evidence- based teaching skills and strategies that reflect the principles of universal design for learning. X Strength: I know how to separate my work beliefs from my personal beliefs. Weakness: I sometimes let the beliefs of others effect my work with children. I plan to improve this by taking peoples beliefs and suggestions into consideration but not to the point where I disregard my own beliefs. Professional Philosophy – Module 2 I am currently a Kindergarten teacher and as an early childhood professional I am responsible for creating and implementing lesson plans, maintaining a safe learning environment, supervising and disciplining students, communicating with parents, and regularly

evaluating their progress to ensure effective education. I also ensure a safe, emotionally, and culturally safe learning environment for my students. It is important to spark students' curiosity through various strategies, including encouraging questions, reading, and participation in creating classroom rules. It also important to partner with families and involve the community in the learning process to create a nurturing environment for children's development and learning. A few ways I involve the community in learning are by allowing community helpers to come in and volunteer in the classrooms; this can be reading to the class, tutoring, or assisting the teacher. I also take the students on field trips out into the community to learn about the local professional, their jobs, and how they help people in the community. Teamwork is crucial for success, as without it, everything clashes. As an educator, I create a nurturing environment for children's development and learning by providing stimulating experiences, rotating materials, encouraging meaningful choices, and organizing schedules. I also allow the students to create the classroom rules. I start by creating a list of them and have the students contribute additional items. I write the list as the students tell me them and have the students sign their names at the bottom. I support all children and encourage play. Learner motivation is a fundamental aspect of learning, influenced by internal and external influences. Metacognitive strategies help identify and regulate cognitive processes, and socially supported interactions enhance learning. Learning can occur in various ways, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observation. To address special needs, different learning styles, individuality, and diversity, I practice inclusion in the classroom. This involves understanding each student's unique background, creating an interactive learning environment,

and collaborating with stakeholders. This includes providing diverse materials, incorporating diverse activities into lesson plans, and offering additional support such as tutoring Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) involve understanding a child's development, providing learning opportunities based on this knowledge, valuing parents as partners, and meeting individual child needs while considering their home culture. Therefore, activities would be play-oriented, child-centered, and aligned with state early learning guidelines. Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson are two theorists who emphasize the impact of changes on a child's development. Erikson posits that society influences our personality, while Piaget focuses on intellectual development. Early childhood education aims to develop a child's holistic development, encompassing social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs. Knowledge is primarily derived from experiences experienced through the five senses, making learning easier. Observation methods for children's play, development, and learning include anecdotal observations, running records, time-sampling, sociograms, checklists, photos, audio or video records, and learning stories. These methods help to document children's experiences, document behavior patterns, and assess their learning in early childhood curriculum contexts. To teach appropriate behavior, positive guidance strategies such as positive language, tone, choice-making, redirection, timing guidance, and regular observation and documentation are used. These strategies help children feel a sense of control and practice good decision-making. Engaging families through communication methods, acknowledging busy families, initiating

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

positive interactions, involving parents in classroom activities, and organizing events empowers them. Elevator Speech – Module 3 Masks are crucial during the school year, but they can spread more germs than without them. Children under 3 are more susceptible to spreading germs due to their constant loss, accidental switching, and playing with them. Instead of forcing them to wear masks, it is better to clean classrooms consistently and conduct wellness checks in the morning. Older children should be required to wear masks at all times, as staff members often overlook their own illnesses and unintentionally pass them onto students. Masks are essential to reduce communicable sickness, but teaching children to be responsible and wearing masks should be necessary. According to Kids Health, teachers should promote good health by teaching kids how to put and take masks on and off, reminding them to cover their nose and mouth, and handling masks with ear loops and ties. Fun and personal masks can help make masks a regular part of their routine. Teachers should show children how to correctly wear masks, ensure they fit their face and are comfortable, and explain the purpose of masks to protect themselves and others. While masks are helpful in stopping the spread of illness, it is important to continue cleaning and disinfecting areas to build children's immune systems. Wearing masks for young children only spreads the illness, and it is not guaranteed to stop.

Diverse Family Engagement – Module 4 1) How will you invite and engage families to participate in making decisions and goal setting for their children? I will invite and engage families to participate in making decisions and goal setting for their children by keeping them up-yo-date on their childs academics and behavior progress weekly, if not daily. a) Provide at least one example of how families will be involved in the decision- making and goal-setting process Families will be involved in the process by attending parent-teacher conferences to see where their child is and what things we can do to help them succeed. b) Address how often this will occur. This will occur every nine-weeks, but parents are allowed to request a conference whenever they feel the need to do so. c) How might a family’s culture or language influence their goals for their child? The family may have different goals for their child that may not be curriculum aligned or that the teacher may not feel is needed. For example, some cultures still hand feed their children at the age of 3 or 4 and the teacher may feel that self-feeding could be a goal while the parents don’t. d) What might you need to know about a family to better support their goals? To better support the students goals, it’s important to understand the family’s background, culture and beliefs.

2) How will you engage families in two-way communication? I will engage family in two- way communication by giving them several options to choose from to communicate with me such as emails, phone calls, text, messages or apps. a) Provide at least one example of a communication piece you will implement that is a two-way correspondence. My favorite communication piece to use with families is ClassDojo. It allows two-way communication as well as allows me to share the students work in a picture portfolio for the families to see. 3) How will you and your program engage families in ways that are reciprocal? I will engage families by sharing both positive and negative feedback regarding their child as well as accepting any positive or negative feedback regarding my teaching style or the program. a) Provide at least one example of an activity that would support relationships. One activity that would support relationships is Open House. The parents have the opportunity to come in and get to the know their child’s teacher as well as the space where their child will be learning. 4) How will you and your program support learning at home and in the community? To support learning at home and in the community, I will make sure to send things home that we’re working on in the classroom and involve the community in our learning. a) Describe at least one way you will provide learning activities at home. One way I will provide learning activities at home will be by sending home activities that relate to what we’re working on in the class.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

b) Describe one way you can support learning in the community. I can support learning in the community by bringing the community into the schools and the school into the community. 5) How will you involve families in program-level decisions and wider advocacy efforts? I will involve families by creating a Parent-Teacher Association where parents can combine with staff to make decision for the program as well as the students. a) Describe at least one idea you have to engage families in your program decisions and/or advocacy. One idea I have is creating a Parent-Teacher Association where the parents and staff will combine to meet monthly, if not bi- monthly, to discuss the program changes and what the students will benefit from. 6) How might your program implement a comprehensive program-level system of family engagement? School-wide goals will guide family engagement planning and implementation. A team will coordinate collaboration, invite families to share information, and create a list for effective communication. Various formats and strategies will be offered for information exchange, and two-way communication will be essential. Addressing communication challenges and maintaining open conversations will be crucial. Emergency preparedness policies will be explained, and regular family-teacher conferences will be held. Partnering with the community will build connections between families and organizations, ensuring a supportive environment for children (NEMETH et al., 2020). a) What kinds of family engagement policies and practices ensure that teachers, administrators, and other staff receive the supports they need to fully engage families? Policies and procedures developed through collaboration with various

parent, education, and community organizations that outline standards for engaging families in their children's education and focusing on capacity building, leadership, resource allocation, progress monitoring, access, and equity (Torlakson, 2014). References: NEMETH, K., RAMSEY, K., & KORALEK, D. (2020, January 13). Building a system to support family engagement . NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/family- engagement-system#:~:text=Here%20are%20the%20steps%20you,a%20team%20or %20point%20person Torlakson, T. (2014). Family engagement framework - california department of education . California Department of Education . https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/pf/documents/famengageframeenglish.pdf

Ethical Dilemma – Module 5 I have a family who has requested that their 5-year-old does not take naps during the day due to the fact that she will start kindergarten soon and will not be able to take naps then. I have respected the family’s decision and have provided the child with activities to do during nap time, however, the child still falls asleep. I have also observed that the child still needs rest time to support her social-emotional temperament in the afternoons. This dilemma is an ethical issue because although the family has requested one thing, I believe that that request is both hard to fulfill and not effective for the child. The family wants to prepare the child for Kindergarten as far as not being able to take naps, but they are affecting the child’s social- emotional temperament by doing so. In my opinion, the best solution would be to compromise with the family. I would suggest letting the child sleep for half of the scheduled nap time, whether it be the first half or the last half, and gradually decrease the amount of time she naps each day. Doing so, will fulfill the family’s request while also taking into consideration the child social-emotional temperament. I believe this is the best solution based on the Code because it respects the family’s wishes while also making sure to consider the child’s development. I believe this solution will put the family at ease with knowing that their child isn’t sleeping the entire time and that we, the center, aren’t disregarding their request but working with them by decreasing the child’s nap time gradually. It will also prepare the child for kindergarten without social-emotional problems. Working with this family, would inspire me to use this same method for all students that are preparing for kindergarten. As a class, I would gradually decrease the

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version