After completing my observation and assessment assignments, I will compile my finding and describe how they can be used to improve the observed education center.
During my observation, I found out that values proposed by the center are very visible in the environment. Child interaction is definitely a priority for the teacher. As I wrote in my observation notes: “When the teacher saw Christine was lying at the loft area by herself, she was approaching to Christine and starting the conversation with the child to get to know what happened to the child.” She quickly noticed that Christine was not feeling well and addressed the problem by working with the girl directly and engaging her in the learning process. The environment emphasizes child independence and safety. All of the furniture in the room was made specifically for children. So they can use it by themselves without any help and do not risk getting hurt. That is a really good setup for children to learn to do things without help which is great for their education. The center states that child independence is important for them, and the way the room is designed supports that. Overall, all of the values the center focuses one could be observed easily. That indicates that they do not just speak about those things but base their program on their values.
The ECERS scale is a really useful tool which can be used to determine the quality of the education center. The system is detailed and describes many different factors which can affect the children (Clifford & Reszka, 2010). By analyzing the worksheet, specific issues can be detected, and we can figure out what exactly needs to be fixed. It is convenient to work with the results since all issues are evident by the low scores. As our class readings mention, the documentation is really important for the efficient dialogue between the parents and the teachers which can ensure that the children get the best education possible (Gandini & Goldhaber, 2001). The materials gathered through the ECERS assessment can also be used to advocate the proper education for children in other places. My observed center got high scores and, I am overall really pleased with it. So it can be used as an example to organize programs in other preschool education facilities. However, using the ECERS I was able to determine several issues. If those problems are solved, the center will be able to help the children develop even better.
The first one is that classroom was not accessible for the disabled children. That is a problem since, as our reading indicates all children have the potential and should be allowed to realize it (Gandini & Goldhaber, 2001). Since the room is made for children and is safe for them, the only things to add are the specific courses for the disabled children. The teachers should be educated to support students with vision and hearing problems, as well as autistic and language disorders. At this age there is no need for special equipment for the disabled children, so they can be admitted to the classroom if the teacher is skilled in working with them (NSW Government, 2014). They need to know how to handle disabled children and what dangers the disadvantaged students can encounter.
It is also important to develop specific learning programs which will allow the disabled children to learn the skills which are important for them specifically (Act Government, 2010). The evidence proves that inclusive education is beneficial for the disadvantaged children, and the center should definitely support it. Another problem which I determined during the observation process is the lack of focus on the reasoning skills. The teacher worked with Christine to develop her understanding but ignored the need to improve her ability to connect meaning and make conclusions on her own. That issue can be addressed by the teacher working with the children to explain the connections between various words and their meanings. That is an important part of developing the children’s ability to think coherently (Bowman, Donovan & Burns, 2000). Overall, the center needs to improve their teaching program to allow the disadvantaged children to learn there and better develop the students’ ability to think logically.
The center supports the education of my focus child really well. It is not surprising, considering the environment was rated high on the ECERS scale. I have identified a single problem through my analysis: “She just needs to work on more intricate with her peers other than Darren.” That is connected to the problematic ECERS area which is language-reasoning. The center only scored 6 points in that category compared to 7 in the other ones. The teacher does not engage her in group activities to learn those skills enough. Otherwise, the center helps Christine develop adequately. The teacher operated in the ZPD, which is a great way to teach the student by guiding and supporting them (Zaretskii, 2009). The personal interaction between the teacher and her students really helps my focus child to learn about language. She has really good language skills, and they were supported by her education. Overall, the program supports Christine’s learning well.
References
Act Government. (2010). Student Centred Appraisal of Need. Web.
Bowman, B., Donovan, S., & Burns, S. (2000). Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Clifford, R., & Reszka, S. (2010). Reliability and Validity of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Web.
Gandini, L., & Goldhaber, J. (2001).Bambini: The Italian Approach to Infant/Toddler Care. Danvers, MA: Columbia University Press.
NSW Government. (2014). Children with disability in inclusive early childhood education and care. Web.
Zaretskii, V. K. (2009). The Zone of Proximal Development What Vygotsky Did Not Have Time to Write. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 47, 70-93.