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. (NAEYC, 2010)

Brief Description of Evidence:

As part of my ECED 120-10F, Child Growth and Development course, in the Spring of
2014, I wrote a research paper about psychologist Eric Erikson. While constructing this
paper I researched Eriksons life. This included what he experienced as a child and his
work as a psychologist. I then used his ideas to reflect on my own childhood.

Analysis of What I Learned:

As a result of completing this project, I learned how every individual goes through the
same eight basic stages in life, though this does not mean that anyone has the same
experiences. I learned that those stages build on top of each other and if the child does
not have good self-confidence from the beginning it is harder for the child to have this
later on in life.

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC

Standard:
This artifact demonstrates my competence on NAEYC Standard 1, Promoting Child
Development and Learning, by demonstrating my knowledge of the basics of child
development. This paper helped me to understand how different characteristics of each
child, as well as whether the childs needs are met, help influence each childs
development. I can use this standard in my classroom to help me make better lesson
plans for my children to help them learn to become more independent and self-reliant. I
do this through providing experiences such as opportunities to explore all their senses
during play. This includes freedom to discover different textures (a cotton cloth vs
sandpaper), different colors (yellow vs brown), tastes (sweet vs sour), and smells
(flowers vs oranges). This will allow children to guide their own exploration and
encourage them to eventually leave their second stage of development with a sense of
autonomy.