Anna Tsai - #75536

EDUC 110 - Mrs. Muir

September 16, 2023
Commenter - Amanda Yoder
“Chapter 1 Summary Exchange”

Summary of Chapter 1

The first chapter of Early Childhood Education Today establishes the role of an early
childhood educator and displays the importance of an adult educator in an early childhood
setting. By explaining who a childhood educator is, this gives the reader a better understanding
of how a teacher influences children and their development through support, intervention, and
personal conduct. She promotes high standards for not only her students but for herself to
maintain a professional impact on the student learners and their parents or caregivers throughout
the education environment and the programs and practices.

Early childhood education is constantly changing as improvements are implemented in

the quality of the environments and practices. Research based programs help educators to
provide quality education based on the interests and needs of each child to ensure that each
child’s needs are met due to the child-based approach. Educators are certainly in demand as more
parents and community members realize how important the early years are for educating their
children through programs. All of these aspects are impacting the field of education for children
and motivate professionals to improve current practices and introduce new programs to enhance
the education of learners.

In Early Childhood Education there are 6 Standards of Practice that support RECE’s in
using their professional judgment as they make decisions in their daily practice. The main point
of the Standards of Practice are to ensure that children’s development and learning is adequately
supported by outlining key factors and knowledge types for the educator to adhere to in the
education environments. Each Standard details the ways in which children require support to
achieve optimal development based on their age and development. Additionally, the educator
uses these standards to develop appropriate practices based on the level and range of the child’s
developmental capabilities.

The 1st Standard focuses on Child Development in the context of their culture. This
development involves each aspect of the stages physically, socially, mentally, and linguistically
and how each of these growth areas apply to the pedagogical practices of each learning domain.
These learning practices incorporate the way of life to portray the culture to the learner through
language and practices,
 Standard Practice #2 outlines the supportive framework for the child learner through the
Family-Teacher Partnership. It emphasizes the importance of relationships in the classroom and
the community to form meaningful partnerships that promote a positive learning environment for
the child, her family and the educators.

The observations of children, their development and assessment of the learning process
of the student are the focus point of the 3rd Standard Practice. By assessing the learner and
gathering data, the educator can share the information with her colleagues and use the data to
develop and plan instructional strategies for the programs. This supports the child learner and
helps the educator to accommodate the child’s learning needs and provide communication for the
parents. Knowing how a child learns supports the teacher’s responsibility to provide
developmentally appropriate lesson plans.

The 4th Standard promotes the best teaching practices that are focused on the
developmental, cultural, and linguistic needs of the child. This practice involves prior knowledge
of the child to understand the contexts of each of these learning areas. With the development of
the classroom and the planned activities children can experience and explore life through
culturally appropriate practices that are developmentally healthy for their needs.

Standard Practice #5 places importance on the knowledge, application, and integration of

academic content in the early childhood curriculum. This practice aids educators to support
children through opportunities to learn through content areas, collaborative planning, reflective
practices to produce effective teaching and learning in the classroom.

The 6th and final Standard of Practice demands professionalism by the Early Childhood
Educator. This emphasis ensures that the educator is held accountable for her methods as she
engages in an ethical manner engaging in a lifetime commitment to education with the children
and their families through reflective practice. Maintaining a professional attitude is a lifetime
opportunity for educators and can be improved through continuing education and collaboration
and mentoring among colleagues.

All of these standards of practice are an integral part of an educator’s professional

teaching career that help to maintain a standard of professional education. This chapter also
introduces using a professional portfolio to demonstrate the growth and development as an early
childhood professional educator. In addition to the pathways of professional development, an
educator should develop a philosophy of professional education that details how a child should
be taught. By developing a professional philosophy, an educator can better accommodate the
needs of diverse learners and provide an inclusive classroom environment.