Whole Child Development: Strategies for Inclusive Education

1 ECE 624: Advanced Topics in Child Development, Learning and Development Appropriate Practices Professor Brian Whitney February 26, 2024 Presentation Thais Alexander Developing the Whole Child by Becoming the Whole Teacher

Mission Statement As an educator, my mission is to provide the best support possible through an inclusive and warm learning environment that is open to both students and their families. This environment will be based upon child development yet nurtured in fun through a meaningful education. It will also promote positive social and community based relationships through creativity, and imagination. I want them to be inspired to learn and grow using out-of-the-box thinking while also respecting the differences in diversity and culture of based upon trust and respect.

3 Philosophy Statement My philosophy of Education focuses on utilizing a variety of learning styles through engaging and interactive means to reach the student wherever they are currently at. I believe that education is fluid and that children should be taught based upon their comprehension and current level of development. Therefore, my philosophy is to teach the while child by reaching the whole child. This approach emphasizes the different learning styles and considers each child’s current abilities to determine an appropriate individualized plan suited to the child’s ability and growth progression. This learning approach is utilized throughout the learning center to ensure a smooth transition as the child ages to promote continuity and guidance as the child grows into an independence.

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4 What We Are About Here at Alexander Learning Center, we have created our curriculum based upon 5 core values: -Practice Intentional Teaching (teaching on purpose and with thought and planning) -Incorporate Developmentally Appropriate Practice (recognizing individual students and building upon their strengths) -Develop an Integrated Curriculum (individual assessment and using measurable outcomes) -Encourage Child-Centered Active Learning (open environment that supports children exploring and discovering) -Focus on Teaching Happiness and Joy in Learning as Much as Skills (using positive behavior and reinforcements)

5 Practicing Intentional Teaching We teach with a purpose, so that the students can learn on purpose. Educators have a direct impact on the students they serve. Therefore, they are lifelong learners and are obligated to stay updated on relevant educational issues, development courses, and the latest teaching strategies. NAEYC, 2011 states that “children benefit when teachers have at their disposal a wide range of teaching strategies.” Our educators are required to receive routine scheduled and unscheduled evaluations and participate in professional development courses as they become available to ensure the philosophy of education remains active as well as to ensure educators remain knowledgeable in relevant topics of education.

6 Practicing Intentional Teaching Alongside with our philosophy of education, we have ensured that our students and curriculum is not susceptible to gender and learning bias. Anti-Bias Curriculums will be implemented by ensuring that every child: -demonstrates self-awareness, confidence, family pride, empowerment, and exhibits a positive social identity and the skills to protest. -can express comfort and joy with human diversity, speak accurately language skills. -Can recognize and understand unfairness. (Derman-Sparks, 2010)

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Incorporating Developmentally Appropriate Practices 7 Educators will use training and guidance to establish learning centers that allow for individual and peer learning that builds upon student understanding. These will create and establish structure through the use of rubrics. Rubrics will be incorporated and enforced to ensure effective implementation of developmentally appropriate strategies in the classroom for play, transitions, and disruptions. These rubrics will measure the physical, cognitive, and social characteristics of play as well as ease in transitions and disruptions based upon performance levels and will be used to allow educators to self-reflect upon their strengths and weaknesses. This is because “A rubric helps to anchor judgments because it continually draws the reviewer’s attention to each of the key criteria so that the teacher is less likely to vary her application of the criteria from student to student.” (Wolf & Stevens, 2007)

8 Incorporating Developmentally Appropriate Practices Our students are viewed as active participants, this is because “children are active constructors of their own understanding of the world around them; as such, they benefit from initiating and regulating their own learning activities and from interacting with peers.” NAEYC 2011. We are able to incorporate or build upon the children’s current learning through both child-led and adult-led instruction. This allows the child to learn at their own pace, and have a choice in what they learn and how long they learn.

9 Developing an Integrate d Curriculum Here at the center, we also utilize Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences which states that “individuals possess various distinct types of intelligences, rather than a single general intelligence. These types encompass areas like linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligences, emphasizing a broader understanding of human capability.” This is important as it helps us to establish The curriculum as well as the classroom structure and environment to ensure the multiple intelligences or encompassed about the classroom.

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Developing an Integrated Curriculum 10 By using skills learned and building upon students' strengths and weaknesses through both formative and summative assessments. Educators can create comprehensive and personalized integrated curriculums designed to promote learning based on all of the developmental domains as well as each students learning style that conforms to NAEYC guidelines that state that “Educators follow Universal Design for Learning principles by proactively providing multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression.” This allows the students to actively learn using play-based interactions and builds upon their skills which focus on social, emotional, physical, adaptive, and cognitively domains.

11 Encouraging Child-Centered Active Learning • The classroom environment and structure created is designed to offer a smooth transition between the different centers. • They also provide rich and fluid colors that guide and promote positivity through materials, challenges, and ideas to further build upon the child’s learning through play and understanding. • This aligns well with NAEYC strategies and tools that “Educators plan the environment, schedule, and daily activities to promote each child’s development and learning.”

12 Encouraging Child-Centered Active Learning This classroom is designed on the Universal Design model which ensures it to be open, interactive, and engaging while also providing the foundation in development for the young children being taught. There is a play area that inspires the mind through exploration using the imagination through creative play. There are labels of objects in both English and various other languages to create a culture of languages and understanding based upon the cultures in the classroom. There is a comfortable reading area with plush pillows and chairs and a variety of books in diverse cultures and variety. This area is beneficial for reading sessions as a group or independently for families, parents, and children. The goal here is to surround them with language through storytelling. There are different stations situated around the classroom to accommodate all the learning differences and styles within the students, this is to respect each child’s pace and development.

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13 I use the curriculum approach where every student learns and grows based upon their intelligence and abilities. I find that this best supports and aligns with my philosophy because it allows the student to grow and develop at their own pace. Therefore, my position is to guide them as they learn, discover, and explore independently at the different centers Encouraging Child- Centered Active Learning

14 Happiness and Joy is taught through modeling. Therefore, the learning environment in our classrooms will include positive actions and reinforcements to ensure that the students are modeling exemplary behavior. Educators will be assessed and evaluated to determine stress levels and as a source of self- reflection. Teaching Happiness and Joy in Learning I think that in order to be happy one must think themselves happy. This is why self-reflection is very important. Because it is the foundation required in establishing and teaching happiness and joy to others. This is because self-reflections allows the educator to analyze themselves from an internal stance. It allows them to view from a different perspective what works and does not Educators require an understanding of oneself before an educator can completely understand the needs of a child. Self-reflections and processing will be completed using assessments to analyze results. Then the results will be reviewed and a plan developed to foster the center’s objective and goals are being met.

15 References Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). What is anti-bias education? Download What is anti-bias education?In Anti-Bias education for young children and ourselves (pp.1-9). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/store/files/store/TOC/254.pdf National Association for the Education of Young Children.( 2011). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitmentLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/image/public_policy/Ethics%20Position %20Statement2011_09202013update.pdf Weissman, P., & Hendrick, J. (2014). The whole child: Developmental education for the early years (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River: New Jersey. Wolf, K., & Stevens, E. (2007). The Role of Rubrics in Advancing and Assessing Student Learning. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 7(1), 3-14.

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