Course Competencies

Marissa Haroldson

Integrate strategies that support diversity and anti-bias

perspectives
Bias is everywhere, intentional or not, in a childs day. Posters around
hallways, TV shows, library books, toy dolls, and even the words of those
closest to them can all display bias. In order to combat such relentless
advertising, we must do everything we can do display as much diversity and
difference as we can. We, as educators, should pride ourselves on picking
books for children that are non-stereotypical, dont focus on only one culture,
and dont promote gender roles. A book that has a working Caucasian
mother, a stay-at-home Latino father, and adopted children of other races
would be the epitome of anti-bias. There are so many ways that books
engage children, so what better way to show them that normal is the same
as diverse. In the area I live in, there is a lack of other cultures or races
until you travel at least 45 minutes in most directions. Areas like this make it
even more important to display other racial backgrounds, simply to let
children know that not everyone in the world looks the way they do, but that
doesnt make them any different on the inside.
It is also important to keep in mind that bias is not only something kids
see, but something they hear or even experience. A teacher, who has had a
bad experience with one white family, may have a different attitude when it
comes to dealing with white students or their parents. The student may feel
exclusion for reasons they cant yet understand, and feel that they are doing
something wrong. A child may hear or see their teacher acting differently
towards their white friend, or notice that the teacher doesnt seem to like
their friend as much as some of their other peers. For a role model- and
someone who is responsible for a huge, important amount of lessons learned

in a childs life- to promote treating races differently, that lesson is

something that will follow the child until they can learn enough to change
their minds, or unfortunately have their feelings be validated by others who
tell them they are right.

Analyze development of infants and toddlers (conception to 3)

From conception to their first birthday, babies experience a rapid
period of growth unlike any other in our lifetimes. Infants double their birth
weight by the age of 4 months, and nearly triple it by age 1. They grow 1
inch per month in the first year, growing to 1.5 times their length by age 1.
By two, they are half their adult height. Growth slows in the second year of
life. Children grow in a cephalocaudal pattern, which is the sequence in
which the earliest growth always occurs at the top-the head- with growth
working its way from top to bottom. Even the top parts of the head grow top
to bottom. They also grow in a proximodistal pattern, where growth starts at
the center of the body and moves out towards the extremities. Sleep
patterns change drastically during the first three years, and often change
with milestones, disruptions in routines, or as they mature. Newborns sleep
16-17 hours a day, and by six months of age the majority of infants sleep
through the night, awakening only once or twice a week. Nighttime waking at
1 year of age predicted lower sleep efficiency at 4 years of age.
Development happens because childrens needs are being met, and they feel
safe to explore their environments, and thats when they learn best. If the
adults that are guiding them in their growth are excited about what they are
doing, the children will be interested.

Correlate prenatal and postnatal conditions with development

From the moment sperm meets an egg, development begins at an

extreme rate. In such an important and rapid process, its a wonder any of us
are born without abnormalities or delays. There are hazards for pregnant
women and their fetuses everywhere, from lifestyle choices such as drugs,
alcohol or cigarettes, to environmental hazards, job hazards, lack of a proper
diet and exercise, maternal stress, paternal diet, preexisting conditions, and
everyday life. A teratogen is any agent that can potentially cause a birth
defect. Fetuses are more sensitive to some teratogens at different times, and
some teratogens affect different developments more at different times.
The time of greatest sensitivity to teratogens for the central nervous
system is between 3 weeks to 5-6 weeks. For the heart it is 4 weeks 6.5
weeks, the ears 4.5-9.5 weeks, the eyes 5-8.5 weeks, arms and legs 5-7,
teeth 7-9, palate 7-8, and external genitalia are the most sensitive between
7-9 weeks. That is not to say that it is safe to be exposed to teratogens
before or after these periods, as it is still dangerous, but that those periods
result in the biggest risks. The biggest risks include the mothers lifestyle
prior to and especially during pregnancy. These risks include psychoactive
drugs such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, often in the form of coffee and
smoking cigarettes before the pregnancy is known, and drugs like cocaine,
meth, marijuana and heroin. These drugs affect the development in different
ways, but all have been linked to harm either at birth or during adolescence.
Caffeine is linked to low birth weight, alcohol linked to FASD, however a study
of 7000 children in the UK showed that light drinking showed no
developmental deficits. Nicotine is linked to preterm births, low birth weights,
fetal/neonatal deaths, respiratory problems and SIDS. Cocaine can result in
low birth weight, reduced length and circumference, lower arousal, less
effective self-regulation and lower quality of reflexes at one month of age.
Meth acts similar to cocaine, but can result in high infant mortality, low birth
weight, and developmental/behavioral problems. Marijuana is related to
deficits in memory and information processing, as well as a link to stillbirth.

Heroin contributes to several behavioral problems at birth, and many

withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, irritability, abnormal crying,
disturbed sleep, and impaired motor function. Other potential hazards
include maternal disease, incompatible blood types, environmental hazards,
maternal malnutrition, maternal age, and emotional state and stress. When a
mother is stressed, depressed or experiencing anxiety during pregnancy, it
can result in internalizing problems in adolescence, ADHD, and emotional or
cognitive problems. Even paternal factors affect the fetus. Studies have
shown that a father with a diet low in vitamin C can lead to childhood cancer.
Summarize child development theories
I feel privileged to live in a time where there are already thousands if
not more child education resources available, so easily accessed and often
for no charge. These include websites like Zerotothree, foundations like
NAEYC, the standards of WMELS, and theories like Piaget, Emilia, Montessori,
and Vygotsky. While each method has differences in its execution, the
majority of them have one thing in common: children learn when they play.
The Montessori method is one that centers often claim they practice, simply
because they include a few details such as child-sized furniture or facilities,
or because they believe in bright, colorful rooms. This method involves much
more than that.
Some of Montessoris advice includes not pulling children away when
theyre engaged, because they will not be interested in what you have for
them, therefore the lessons wont be accomplished, and the idea that the
children should play like you dont exist although you wont actually leave.
She believed children should be so enthralled in their play, that they
wouldnt care if you werent there, rather than play where they try to include
you or get distracted by your presence. Her theories preached freedom and
spontaneity in choices, encouraging children to make choices at an early
age, opportunities for self-regulated problem solving, and chances to

manage time effectively. Lev Vygotsky also believed in the power of play,
stating learning takes place when children are playing. Vygotsky is also
credited with the Zone of Proximal Development, the idea that some tasks
can be too challenging for a child to accomplish on their own, but it can be
done with the assistance and guidance of adults or more skilled children.
This term also brought to light the idea that some children are at different
developmental levels as other children at the same age, and it is not
something to fear. Many children are advanced at one tasks, such as rolling,
and like practicing it enough, or feel its sufficient for their needs, therefore
they dont feel the need to immediately learn to crawl. Another example is a
child who is behind in social circles and in their language skills, but shares
well and controls their emotions better than others their age.
Vygotsky also preached the importance of sociocultural influences on
development, saying that children actively construct their knowledge and
understanding. His strategies for success include: assess each childs ZPD,
use the ZPD in teaching, use skilled peers as teachers, place instruction in
meaningful context, and to treat teachers as facilitators and guides in
learning. Piagets theories were becoming known around the same time as
Vygotskys, however his were circulated shortly before, and therefore
became more well-known and evaluated. He, too, placed an emphasis on
free choice, stating Children need lots of free play and If you want it in
their heads, put it in their hands.
Piagets theory includes four stages of cognitive development:
sensorimotor (birth 2 years) where senses coordinate with movements,
preoperational (2-7 years) where the world is expanding beyond the physical
into words, images and drawings, concrete operational stage (7-11 years)
where they can reason logically through concrete examples, and formal
operational stage (11-15 years) where logical and abstract thinking occurs.

Along with these theories, one important approach to teaching is the

knowledge of the different environments a child is involved and influenced
by. The Brofenbrenner ecological approach teaches us about the systems
that we are parts of, and that are influencing us directly and indirectly. There
are four systems: the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and
macrosystem. The microsystem includes the immediate environment such as
family members, school friends, church groups, and neighbors. The
mesosystem is the influences of microsystems on each other, for example
when school and home life affect each other. The exosytem involves social or
environmental changes that indirectly affect environment, such as student
loan prices or curriculum changes. The final system is the macrosystem,
which includes subcultures in which the other three systems are imbedded,
like sickness outbreaks, traditions, and social prejudices. Macro systems do
not always stay the same, as people who immigrate go from one
macrosystem to another, and the macrosystem changes as the
microsystems and exosystem develop.
Another piece that all of these theories share and emphasize, is that
observation is everything. Through observing, taking notes, evaluating what
youve seen, and applying what you know, any problem can be approached
in a meaningful, appropriate way.

Analyze the role of heredity and the environment

One of the long debated topics in the science of human biology and
development is nature vs. nurture. We may never know exactly which
diseases, mental, or physical disorders come to us from genetics, which
come from the environment, which occur because of a combination of both,
or which couldve been prevented, despite all the knowledge we have and
can gain, because our biology is so complex and easily affected. Sometimes,
even diseases that we know are hereditary wont be passed on to offspring,

whereas some disorders that arent genetic are found in many members of a
family who dont share the same environment. With all of this information,
we have the resources to do our best to prevent as much as we can, but I
believe we will never be able to completely end the nature vs. nurture
debate. Sometimes our genetics give us a predisposition to certain traits,
and sometimes the environment completely changes who we were at birth.
In some cases, individuals inherit, seek out, or construct environments that
may be related or linked to genetic propensities.
However, nature and nurture arent separate influences. Environment
and heredity can be related in three ways: Passive genotype-environment
correlations, which occur because biological parents provide a rearing
environment. Therefore what the parents are strong in will rub off on the
child because it is something they do well. Next, Evocative genotypeenvironment correlations occur because a childs genetically influenced
characteristics elicit certain types of environments. If a child is well behaved,
they receive more positive feedback than those children who misbehave;
therefore they may be exposed to more positivity and become more positive
themselves. Last is active (niche-picking) genotype-environment correlation,
which occurs when children seek out environments that they find compatible
and stimulating. This happens when a social child seeks out environments
where they can meet people and socialize, and shy children seek out quiet,
secluded areas.

Examine culturally and developmentally appropriate environments

for infants and toddlers
For a child to be comfortable in an environment, especially infants and
toddlers who may be away from their family for the first time, it needs to
have a homey feel, while still being appropriate for learning. One way to
achieve a more at-home feel is to avoid having an all-plastic room. While it is

a common and practical feature, plastic can feel artificial, cold, and
sometimes even overload the senses with colors. Keeping plastic furniture,
play areas and chairs to a minimum can make way for more comfortable
options, plastic toys are always okay in excess. Having a traditional, soft
rocking chair, a rug or carpeted area, a pillow/blanket corner, and/or a
calming little couch can add a home vibe and offset the colors and plastic
that usually overrules classrooms. In an infant toddler room, its also a
necessity to include an area for infants to practice jumping, walking,
crawling, rolling, and pulling themselves up. These skills need to be
practiced, so having an area where this can be done independently and
safely is essential.
As stated before, the room should be colorful, but not overloaded, as
this can cause behavior problems. However, if a room is already too colorful
or busy, changing it drastically can cause an upset as well, so changes
should be made slowly and in small doses. Along with those infants who are
mobile, there should be a safe area for infants who cant move to be set
down, such as a gated corner, a swing, or crib. For the toddlers, a dramatic
play area, inviting spaces, and comfortable places to read are important
assets. Dramatic play corners or areas should be more than just a bin full of
dress up clothes. There are tons of ideas and sets you can look up and
purchase, but as Lisa Murphy says, sometimes the simplest ideas are the
best. A large cardboard box can become the front of a ship and by simply
adding a steering wheel, a few pillows to sit on, and ship or pirate themed
props, your play corner can become an old pirate ship forging on to find a
new land. A few thin bed sheets, milk crates, pool noodles, and paper crowns
can create an indoor fort fit for the King and Queen of Fort Land.
Along with being developmentally appropriate and feeling like home,
rooms need to reflect home life and the different cultures that go with it. To
achieve this most effectively and authentically, we should include parents in
conversations about their traditions, day-to-day lifestyle, and cultural

background, by bringing them into the room to explain and teach about it.
While some parents may be able to do this, we know well that parents are
busy, and may not have the time to come to class, or even talk for long
about their traditions. In such cases, asking for what they feel is most
important to represent in the room will allow us to make their culture
relevant, without needing to be an expert on it. From there we can do our
own research to find other ways to introduce different cultures, or let the
children teach us.

Examine the role of brain development in early learning (conception

through age three)
The brain is one of the most fascinating organs in the human body, and
in the time between conception and toddler years, the brain does incredible
things in an amazing amount of time. By the time babies are born, the have
100 billion neurons, which handle information processes at a cellular level.
The architecture of the brain is assembled during the first two trimesters,
and in the third trimester to the first two years of postnatal life, there is
increasing connectivity and functioning of neurons.
The important parts of development in the brain involve the neural
tube, neurogenesis, neural migration, and neural connectivity. The
generation of new neurons is called neurogenesis, and at its peak, it is
estimated that 200,000 neurons are being generated every minute. Each
time an infant experiences something new, a pathway is formed in the brain,
meaning that having new experiences and learning new things, builds a
bigger brain and creates more pathways. Knowing this, we can extrapolate
that every moment, lesson, play time, and interaction with a child, creates a
neuron pathway in a childs brain. This means the more experiences we can
give to a child, the more their brain can grow. There are times during

development where some skills can be picked up on and learned easier than
at other times, and these are called windows of opportunity.
Windows of opportunity for development include reading, emotions,
and motor developments. The window for learning a second language is
optimal between 5-10 years of age. Thinking development is critical between
0-48 months, and optimal between 4-12 years. Reading is critical between 024 months and optimal from 2-5 years, emotional development is critical
from 0-24 months and optimal 2-5 years. Vision is critical from 0-6 months
and optimal 6-60 months, motor development is critical from 0-24 months
and optimal 2-5 years, and music development is critical from 0-36 months,
while it is learned best between 3-10 years.

Examine caregiving routines as curriculum

While there are windows of opportunity for developmental milestones,
there are also windows of opportunity for teaching infants and toddlers,
without using lesson plans or activities. These are moments of daily routine,
such as diapering, bottle feeding, rocking to sleep, or getting dressed, that
create chances to include learning. You can count toes during diaper
changes, making math and a sense of their own body a lesson thats fun and
easy, or you can sing a dress up song to distract a fidgety, squirmy baby and
make a troublesome routine into a music lesson. Counting sheep while
putting an infant to sleep, or asking about the colors on their clothes as they
put their arm through are all other examples of including learning in daily
routines that would otherwise be silent or stressful. Building bonds during
alone times will further achieve the goal of a loving bond between baby and
caregiver, which helps the children feel that their needs for interaction are
being met. This helps in the separation process from parents, as well as the
trust needed to try new things.

Learning opportunities can be created during adding layers to go

outside, by counting mittens, boots and hats, while waiting in line for the
bathroom by playing I-spy, or cleaning up after science projects by
separating and differentiating what gets put away and what gets thrown
away.