Discussion 1

Curriculum Philosophy

In Chapter 2, the author of your text discusses the connection between assumptions and beliefs and the profound effect our perception of these can have on our ability to become effective teachers. As Jaruszewicz (2013) explains, “Your growth as a teacher and your ability to create, manage, and facilitate an environment conducive to powerful learning depends on your willingness to honestly, intentionally, and regularly identify, examine, and revise your assumptions as needed” (section 2.4, para. 6). Reflecting on Jaruszewicz’s assertion about teacher growth and effectiveness, this discussion provides you with an opportunity to start creating your curriculum philosophy by comparing and contrasting your beliefs to curriculums seen in today’s early childhood classrooms. 

Initial Post:  First, complete the  Reflection & Decision Making Matrix . Attach your completed matrix to your discussion post by clicking the paperclip icon to add an attachment. Second, based on your completed matrix, create a curriculum philosophy statement. Your philosophy statement must be at least one paragraph, include at least one strategy you can use to effectively educate young children and be supported by at least one scholarly resource. 

Discussion 2

Preparing for Individualism

An important step in preparing our classrooms and curriculum is getting to know our students as individuals and building a relationship that is reciprocal and characterized by trust. Jaruszewicz (2013) discusses the importance of building individual connections, stating that

Building trust requires connecting with each child on a personal level, so that they know you care about them and what happens to them, are curious about what they think, and firm with them when they need guidance. These things give children the emotional security they need to share with you their impressions, confidences, questions, and fears—information you can use to develop, adapt, and personalize whatever curriculum you use to best represent what your children know and do. (Jaruszewicz, 2013, section 3.3, para. 32)

Notice how Jaruszewicz emphasizes that knowing the students as individuals allows for designing individualized curriculum which is more aligned with their needs. In this discussion, we explore the importance of building trust with students to gain insights into how to best meet their needs in an education environment.

Initial Post:  After reading Chapter 3 of your text, the  Tips for Developing Positive Teacher Student Relationships  article, and the  Reciprocal Relationships  article 

Discuss one or more strategies you will use to gather information on your students in an effort to get to know them and their family (interest inventory, home visit, etc.). Include the benefits of the strategy and use a specific example of how you plan to implement it in your classroom. Reflect on the reading, “Tips for Developing Positive Teacher Student Relationships .” Discuss two approaches you will use to build trust with each of your students and why you believe these approaches will be effective. Reflect on the reading, “Reciprocal Relationships .” Discuss two approaches you will use to build trust with families and why you believe these approaches will be effective. Discuss one or more strategies you can use to prepare your classroom to represent the students, such as through a family bulletin board or a community college. Support your strategies with the text and at least one scholarly resource.