Self-Reflection

When implementing activities in my classroom, I try to follow the WMELS teaching cycle:
Assessment-collect data on the child to determine where they are developmentally,
Planning and Curriculum Goals-set goals that I want children to learn based off their
assessment, Implementation-plan activities to help the child meet said goals. Repeat.
WMELS is about teaching the “whole child”, and there are five developmental domains
that encompass the whole child: Health and Physical Development, Approaches to
Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Cognition and General Knowledge, and
Language Development and Communication. “Wisconsin model early learning standards
set the stage for the development of appropriate curriculum and the use of assessment
practice that support and promote children’s learning and development”. (WECCP, 2013,
p. 5) WMELS helps early childhood educators to know what the children should know, at
their stage of development, in order to plan the appropriate activities.

When planning activities for children, I am sure to plan activities for all domains of
development because if a child falls behind in one domain, it could affect their
development in other domains. An example of how one activity could meet developmental
goals in more than one area, or more than one domain, would be through block play.
During block play the child could learn motor development (Health and Physical
Development) by using hand-eye control and object manipulation. The child could engage
in social interactions and problem-solving (Social and Emotional Development). The child
could listen and respond to communication with others (Language Development and
Communication). The child could exhibit persistence and flexibility (Approaches to
Learning) while stacking blocks or making a tower. The child could exhibit mathematical
thinking (Cognition and General Knowledge) by using one-to-one correspondence while
counting blocks. This one activity with blocks could cover all areas of development for a
child.

Developmentally appropriate practice is knowing how children learn, teaching children at

their level of development, all while taking into consideration their cultural beliefs. In an
ideal early childhood classroom setting, children should be able to see themselves in the
room as the classroom should reflect the children in your care. I do this by providing a
variety of materials that reflect the cultures of children in my care: dolls of varying colors,
adaptive equipment, real and toy versions, books: homemade and purchased that depict
different cultures and children, and pictures of the children in my care and their families.
I also have parents fill out a questionnaire when enrolling their child that gives me insights
into their life and culture. This helps me better understand their child and their family’s
beliefs. I have in my policy book that I celebrate certain holidays, and I also ask parents
for their input in policies and practices. My childcare philosophy states that children are
given choices and time and are encouraged to play and explore their surroundings. DAP
classrooms should also be aware of sending social messages that are biased; one
parents job is better or more important than someone else’s. We need to validate each
child and their family for their uniqueness, and we need to remember that about ourselves,
as well.

No two children develop at the same rate, and WMELS doesn’t specify at what age a
child should be at in each performance standard, just that children develop in similar
stages and sequences, e.g., move arms then hands, crawl then walk, speak in words
then in sentences. “WMELS reflect expectations for a typically-developing child; adapting
and individualizing learning experiences accommodates optimal development for all
children”. (WECCP, 2013, p. 4) This makes WMELS a good tool to use when planning
activities to meet children’s individual needs.

I am intentional in my teachings. When planning curriculum, it is important to keep the

child’s goals in mind, as well as, their interests, and abilities. Planning activities that do
not interest the child, will also not engage the child, just like setting goals that are too
advanced, will not make the child successful in accomplishing their goals. Children’s
experiences need to reflect them: their developmental level, their individuality, and their
culture.

Children learn through their senses, through playing, and activity exploring their
environments. Research shows that children need hands-on activities for development to
occur, this is why I chose play as a major component of my childcare.

Play and learning go hand-in-hand; they are not separate activities. Research
demonstrates that children who partake in play-based learning show greater
social/emotional and academic success later in life. Understanding that children are
developing their curiosity, problem-solving skills, language development, cognitive skills,
gross and fine motor skills and social skills all through play, helps me to plan appropriately
for the children in my care.

Fred Rogers said “Play is often talked about as if it were relief from serious learning. But
for children, play is serious learning”, I think this quote sums up play in early childhood
very well.

Keeping safety as my number one priority, I will create stimulating, exciting indoor and
outdoor environments that are developmentally appropriate and offer a rich variety of
materials and activities to choose from. Taking into consideration children’s physical and
developmental abilities, I will ensure that my environments meet the needs, interests and
abilities of all the children in my care, as well as, ensure that my environments are
accessible to all children. I will provide an environment that gives all children adequate
time and opportunity to gain self-awareness, promote cultural awareness, encourage
independence, promotes positive behavior, and foster freedom of choice. I offer the
flexibility for children to express their creativity, safely explore, and feel secure in their
surroundings.

My indoor environment has a calming and visually appealing look for young children. I do
this by keeping the walls a neutral color, have lamps, play soft music, provide child-sized
furnishing, and use rugs, pillows, curtains and plants for a more “home-like” feel. Children
are able to display their artwork on the walls or on shelves, as they wish. My indoor
environment is open concept, so I always have children within sight and sound. My indoor
environment is made up of interest centers that offer a wide variety of age-appropriate
materials with differing levels of difficulty. Each interest area also has books that relate to
the specified centers. My active areas are separate from my quiet areas and there are
spaces for children whom want to be alone. I have cubbies for children to store their
personal belongings and a separate space for nursing mothers. To better enhance
relationships and communication with families, I have a parent welcome/communication
center where parents have access to community resources, policies, and newsletters, as
well as, adult furnishings for families when they would like to stay and visit.
My outdoor environment is a place where children can learn from building, digging,
constructing, exploring, working with peers or individually, where they can be kids and
use their wonder and curiosity to lead their play. An environment that nurtures children’s
sense of self-worth and self-esteem, develops their large motor skill, their balance and
strength, refines their fine motor skills and increase their language development. An area
where children can practice using their sensory motor system; proprioceptive and
vestibular systems. An outdoor environment that reaches the whole child. I will model
expected behaviors and allow children to determine their capabilities in trying new and
risky actions.

I will listen to and acknowledge children in order to allow children to lead their play and
explorations. I will ask children open-ended question, give children new vocabulary, and
give children opportunities to speak individually or in group discussions about their
interests and ideas, and then help children to accomplish their play ideas.

I provide environments that promote independence by ensuring that all materials are
accessible to children, organized, labeled with words and pictures, and enough in quantity
that all children have materials to use. Materials will vary in texture, be in good condition,
some self-correcting, will promote fine and gross motor development, balance, strength,
control, and manipulation skills. Materials for promoting and enhancing sensory
exploration and creative expression will also be supplied.

I will be sure to document children’s learning and playing experiences by taking notes,
pictures, and using children’s exact wording. I will use this documentation to be better
able to plan for each child, know what their abilities are, and know what they are interested
in. I create documentation boards of their experiences that will help children revisit their
experiences, start conversations, and help connect them to the world around them. This
will also help keep families connected to their child’s learning and creates a partnership
with parents in order to have continuity of limits between childcare and home.

Demonstrating professional behavior is very important in early childhood education. To

me, being a professional equals respect. Respect not only for us Early Childhood
Professionals, but also for our profession itself. As a professional, we must follow a code
of ethics. NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct is put in place for us to have something to
refer to if a situation arises with children in our care, families, or coworkers. As a
professional, we have responsibilities. Responsibilities towards the children we care for,
their parents and families, our childcare, and ourselves. When I think about myself and
being an early childhood professional, I think about the qualities that make a great early
childhood professional: compassionate, honest, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and
understanding, to name just a few.

NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct is a great tool for Early Childhood

Educators. NAEYC’s took into consideration the many ethical and moral decisions that
we must make daily when creating their guidelines. These guidelines assist educators in
resolving ethical dilemmas. I feel like NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct and our
responsibilities as an Early Childhood Professional go hand in hand. I don’t think we can
be responsible in our field without being ethical, as well. We have many responsibilities
as an educator, most important of all is the safety and welfare of the children in our care.
We have a responsibility to the children to be the best provider and advocator of children
that we can be. That can look differently depending on who we are as educators; we all
have different values, ideas, philosophies, backgrounds, and different cultures that we
bring to the table. We have a responsibility to the parents and families in our care. We
need to follow the agreed upon policies so that there is no question about what services
you provide or how you handle your childcare business. We have a responsibility to our
coworkers to be respectful, supportive, trustworthy, ethical, professional, and
cooperative. Those same qualities that we show our coworkers, are the same qualities
we should show the children and families we care for, and the same qualities that families
in our care should show us. We also have a responsibility to ourselves. If we don’t take
the time to take care of ourselves; physically and mentally, we won’t be the best educator
of children that we can be.

An Early Childhood Professional should possess many qualities. Some of the qualities
are knowledge; in child development and the field of early childhood, culturally competent,
ethical, engaging, supportive, stable, dedicated, flexible, caring, patient, anti-biased, and
professional. It isn’t one size fits all. The diversity among educators is what makes us
unique. Being professional in the early childhood field is important. Having the right
qualities, attitude, beliefs, the need or want to learn, and being responsible and ethical all
makes for well-rounded early childhood education professionals.

I started out as an assistant teacher in a group center, and within two weeks became a
lead teacher in the two-and-a-half-year-old room. I had absolutely no training or
experience working in that type of setting. As the lead teacher, I had many
responsibilities, one of which was lesson plans. I had no idea how to create a lesson
plan, but with the help of another teacher, I was able to complete them weekly. At the
time, I was proud of myself for “knowing” what I was doing when planning curriculum.
Contrary to what I believed then, I really had no idea. I didn’t have any rhyme or reason
for my lesson plans or activities. Assessments, developmental goals, child outcomes,
family engagement, portfolios, WMELS…What? I had never even picked up a
licensing/regulation handbook, let alone know what developmentally appropriate practice
was all about! I had my clipboard with children’s names that I circled when they arrived
(which I still do, well, because I’m good at making circles), highlighted when they left, and
my lesson plans I created that said on Monday we are water coloring a picture of a
dinosaur! I. Was. Golden. Unfortunately, since this was all I knew, this is what I did; for a
long time.

I have experimented with several types of curriculums and assessments and the
curriculum that has shown to be the most successful for me and that the children seem
to be most interested in and learn the most from, is emergent curriculum. Emergent
curriculum is planned curriculum that is based off the children’s interests. Since I started
using this curriculum, I have found that I don’t struggle with keeping children at an activity
or have the activity completely chaotic when working in small or even large groups. It is
slightly more challenging to plan curriculum based off their assessments and
observations, because basing activities off their interests, while keeping their goals in
mind, does limit what activities I can offer. I still find that this type of curriculum has been
the most effective.

By using reflective practices, my way of teaching and interacting with children has
changed. I now run a program that I believe is developmentally appropriate. It is child-led,
allows the children ample free play, I complete assessments, set child goals, implement
activities that interest the child, while keeping their goals in mind. If it wasn’t for me taking
classes in early childhood, I still might think it is appropriate to have children watercolor a
picture of a dinosaur.