ECED-51000 Foundations of Early Childhood Education

This course focuses on the underlying principles and philosophies of the field of early childhood education. It helps candidates understand the processes and reasoning behind practices in the field. It puts programs, curriculum, and child development into social, cultural, and historical contexts in order for candidates to understand how young children learn. Special emphasis is placed on child development theories of Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky, Skinner, etc., and significance of family, peers, culture, and school. It examines the role of the teacher as a facilitator of learning by critically examining such issues as reflective teaching, classroom management, equity in education, parental involvement, and professionalism in the field. Multicultural education, issues of poverty, and inclusion of special needs children into the classroom will be presented in depth and integrated into the course content and discussion.

Credits

3