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. Brief Description of Evidence: Over a period of sixteen weeks, in ECED 235 Preschool Practicum, I observed, assessed, and developed age appropriate lesson plans for a typically developing child in a preschool classroom. The lesson plans benefited the whole class, as the objectives were typical among this age group. The observations and assessments involved all areas of development from the four developmental domains of Physical, Social, Emotional, and Cognitive. The artifacts collected show progression in the childs development over the sixteen-week period. Analysis of What I Learned: Through the completion of this child case study, I utilized several different observational methods. By combining these methods such as anecdotal, video, pictures, and hand made artifacts, it helps to give a more detailed analysis of where the child is developmentally and what goals need to be set in order for progress to occur. In addition, by assessing the child in all domains, this also helps to develop lesson plans that are appropriate for the way in which children learn best. I can apply this experience to future observations and assessments. How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC Standard: This project is demonstrative of my competence on the NAEYC Standard because it is a comprehensive overview of weeks worth of observation and assessment. By taking the information that was gathered, I was able to set objectives and goals that represent the childs needs, learning style, and accommodate for the varying factors that occur in the life of a preschool child. By identifying these characteristics, I am able to effectively plan activities that are developmentally appropriate as well as child specific.