Reflective Analysis of Portfolio Artifact Rationale/Reflection NAEYC Standard:

STANDARD 7. EARLY CHILDHOOD FIELD EXPERIENCES Field experiences and clinical practice are planned and sequenced so that candidates develop the knowledge, skills and professional dispositions necessary to promote the development and learning of young children across the entire developmental period of early childhood in at least two of the three early childhood age groups (birth age 3, 3 through 5, 5 through 8 years) and in the variety of settings that offer early education (early school grades, child care centers and homes, Head Start programs). (NAEYC, 2010)

Brief Description of Evidence:

As part of my ECED 225 Infant and Toddler Practicum, in the fall semester of 2013, I was expected to document and put in 144 hours at an accredited childcare facility, as well as going and doing observations on many different subjects throughout the classroom. I spent this time creating and implementing lesson plans, working hands-on and side-by-side with a mentor. This allowed me to get every day experience in an infant and toddler classroom.

Analysis of What I Learned:

Through this class, I gained a lot of knowledge about the skills needed to be an infant and toddler teacher, and gained a better understanding of the disposition you must have as a teacher.

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC Standard:

By having participated in this practicum, I now have a better understanding of what is expected of you as an infant and toddler teacher. It gave me the knowledge base to have the ability to run and manage an infant and toddler room on my own one-day in the future. I had the opportunity of documenting and assembling all of the things possible for a child case study throughout this course as well, so I am now able to create, implement, and document all of the necessary milestones and activities needed in a childs particular developmental period. I also had the opportunity to administer different observations on different parts of the classroom throughout this course. Along with working with infants and toddlers, I have done a practicum in the preschool classroom setting, as well as working with school age children at an after school latchkey program in the fall of 2013.