Assignment:
1. Leading Early Childhood Education Scenario
Prior to completing this discussion, review the textbook, which describes the importance of early childhood education, as well as the importance of the early childhood education administrator; then review the article Leadership in Early Childhood Education Contexts: Looks, Roles, and Functions.
Quality early childhood education has shown to have lasting benefits for children, families, and society. Leading an early childhood education program is a very important role in today's society and comes with a high level of responsibility because early childhood administrators are trusted to oversee the crucial years of education, social development, safety, and well-being of our children (Gadzikowski, 2013). As a new administrator, it is so important to truly understand this role and how to best lead your organization.
For your initial post, create 300 word position statement that you could share with your staff and families in your early childhood environment to communicate how you will effectively lead early childhood education.
Complete the following:
· Discuss your stance on the importance of early childhood education. (Refer to Section 1.1 to 1.2 in your textbook for support.)
· Explain your responsibilities as an early childhood education leader in managing operations, coaching staff members, and building community. (Refer to Section 1.3.)
· Describe your priorities as an early childhood education leader in managing operations, coaching staff members, and building community. (Refer to Section 1.3.)
Required Text
Gadzikowski, A. (2013). Administration of early childhood education programs [Electronic version].
2. Philosophy, Mission, and Vision Role-Play
Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read your textbook. Additionally, review the following websites and web pages that show examples of organizations' philosophies:
· Queen Emma Preschool: Our Philosophy & Daily Schedule
· Shining Stars Academy
· The School District of Lee County: Early Childhood Learning Center
· Asbury Day Care Center: Mission Statement, Philosophy
According to Gadikowski (2013), "The vision and mission statements of an early childhood program often reflect the organization's philosophy, that is, its beliefs about how children best learn and develop" (Section 1.4).
Imagine you have just been hired as the leader of a new ECE program. Your first task is to develop the philosophy, vision, and mission for the program. To assist you with this task, first evaluate the philosophy, vision, and mission using Table 1.1 "Philosophy, Vision, and Mission as Administrative Tools" in your textbook for the provided schools above. Then, choose two of the schools and complete the following table:
Identify the strengths of this organization's philosophy, vision and mission.
Discuss areas for improvement of this organization's philosophy and mission in your opinion.
After completing the table, develop a draft of your philosophy, vision, and mission for your new childcare center. Be sure to include what you have learned from the text and from your evaluations to help shape your ideas. You will build on this later in the course, as well as throughout your degree program. Your discussion post should be at least 300 words in length. Please be sure to cite the two schools you choose within your post and provide corresponding reference entries. If you need assistance with APA formatting for online sources, refer to the Writing Center resource, the APA References Guide.
Required Text
Gadzikowski, A. (2013). Administration of early childhood education programs [Electronic version].
3. Cognition and Our Environment
Prior to engaging in this discussion, read Chapter: Cognition, Learning, and the Environment in your required e-book, review the article "Socially Situated Cognition in Perspective" and the Instructor Guidance, and view the video What Are Schemas?
Cognition incorporates numerous variables that are suggested to affect how we learn. For this discussion please address the following theories that support this suggestion:
· Evaluate and discuss the applicability of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Why are developmental phases important to consider when addressing how we learn?
· How does effective schema development affect our ability to move knowledge (memories) from working memory to long-term memory?
o How do the differing types of schema (Table 4.2: Types of comprehension-associated schema in your required e-book) potentially play differing roles? Why might one type of schema be harder for a person to develop than another?
· How does the term reciprocal determinism further explain the dynamic of learning that is suggested to be affected by our environment? (social learning theory and social cognitive theory)
· Based on your previous answers, how do these sub-theories and frameworks affect your own learning success, past and future?
Required Resources
Text
Rosser-Majors, M. L. (2017). Theories of learning: An exploration.
· Chapter: Cognition, Learning, and the Environment
Article
Fishman, E. J., & Husman, J. (2017). Extending attribution theory: Considering students' perceived control of the attribution process. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 109(4), 559-573.
· This article addresses attribution theory in the context of being a student. It suggests that when students are better able to effectively assign outcomes with the cause, they will have increased motivation and performance.
Semin, G. R., & Smith, E. R. (2013). Socially situated cognition in perspectivePreview the document. Social Cognition, 31(2), 125-146.
· The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This article provides information on cognition as the combination of body and sensory-motor systems.
Multimedia
The Leadership Difference. (2010, February 15). What are schemas?
· This video provides a summary explanation of schema development. The information it provides will support you develop a more in-depth discussion posting.
Website
The Critical Thinking Community
· This website provides information about applying increased critical thinking to your academic activities. It may assist you in developing a better understanding of all of your activities and associated content this week.
Recommended Resources
Article
Morris, G., Baker-Ward, L., & Bauer, P. J. (2010). What remains of that day: The survival of children's autobiographical memories across time. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24(4), 527-544.
· The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library.
Web Page
Instructional design.org. (2013). Social learning theory (Albert Bandura).