Reflective Analysis of Portfolio Artifact Rationale/Reflection NAEYC Standard:

STANDARD 1. PROMOTING CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING Candidates prepared in early childhood degree programs are grounded in a child development knowledge base. They use their understanding of young childrens characteristics and needs, and of multiple interacting influences on childrens development and learning, to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for each child.

Brief Description of Evidence:

During the fall semester of 2012 in my ECED 120- Child Growth and Development course, through personal recollection, family interviews, reflection and self-study, I created an essay explaining my own stages of development as a child. Using Erik Eriksons theory on stages of development, I assessed my own childhood at varying ages to better understand my social, cognitive and emotional development. I presented the information that I collected from family members and research in this thorough essay.

Analysis of What I Learned:

Through the completion of this Erikson self-study I was able to use my own personal experiences to help me understand how family, school, environment, and other key factors affect the development of young children. I now know the importance of multiple influences such as parenting style, home environment, family size, and many other factors in regards to childrens social, emotional, and cognitive development. Through this artifact I have learned how to better understand and identify various factors in any childs life that have made an impact on his or her development.

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC Standard:

This project is one that allowed me to independently assess experiences and gain an understanding of my own characteristics and needs based on events in the past. By better understanding the key concepts in a childs development, I can use my Knowledge to better assist children and families that I am involved with by taking into consideration environment, family dynamics and a multitude of other influences.