PREPRIMARY STUDENT PRACTICUM EVALUATION: HDFS 424 Student: Smith Katherine_ Student Number:_A43993079_ Semester/Year: Summer 2014 Last First Center: The Child Development Laboratories, Department of Human Development and Family Studies Address: College of Social Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48823 Supervising Teacher Signature: Faculty Coordinatar Signature: 4f jo aera cl Sapa Student Teacher's Signature: Kicthon ne Ay (pass X_NOPASS Teaching Situation: Katherine Smith successfully completed a student teaching experience at the Michigan State University Child Development Laboratories, an early childhood teacher education training faclity, accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. The Child Development Laboratories offers an inclusive environment attended by approximately 200 children, ages thee months to six years, Families whose children are enroled in the program represent great diversity in their ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and family structure. Student teachers in the Child Development Laboratories begin the semester in a support role and gradually assume primary responsibilty for planning, implementing and evaluating major portions of the children’s program. Assignments include creating single-week and mult-week teaching units. Each unit is theme-centered and consists of a factual database researched by the student teacher. Student teachers plan all classroom activities, develop an overview of each week's activities, write numerous activity plans, construct and distribute newsletters that inform parents about how the unit is being carried out as well as offering ideas for family involvement at home. Students are involved in collecting evidence of NAEYC accreditation criteria. In addition, they are responsible for aligning curricular objectives with Michigan Department of Education Early Childhood Quality Standards. Student teachers are expected to use a variety of evaluation formats to determine the children’s progress and the program's effectiveness. This kind of authentic assessment results in the development of child portfolios, consisting of children's work samples, teacher observations, photographs and other documentation of chikiren’s learning. Student teachers develop their administrative and supervisory skills by supervising other student staff members who are at various levels of training. They are responsible for directing these adults in the classroom and for giving them constructive feedback. Student teachers are observed and evaluated daily on their growth and development as early childhood educators. In addition, student teachers develop individual inquiry projects to advance their own learning about a particular area of development or practice Ms. Smith completed her student teaching assignment in a half-day preschool classroom of 14 children in the morning session ‘and 13 children in the afternoon session. The children enrolled were 3-4 years of age. Children in the classroom were funded through multiple sources including Head Start, Scholarships and tuition. Three children in the class spoke English as a second language. Ms. Smith worked with six children in the class enrolled through the school district's Special Education Program. Given the diverse needs of the children in this classroom, Ms. Smith obtained experience working closely with ancillary staff such as a speech and language pathologist, paraprofessional, and a special education teacher consultant. Parent volunteers were also ‘occasionally involved in the classroom, ‘Seminar: Student teachers participated in a series of seminars in which issues in the early childhood profession were examined ‘These seminars were designed to build and support professional development. Presentation topics included discussions of best Practice strategies, exploration of current trends in theory and delivery, examining practices related to home and school partnerships, implementation of an anti-bias curriculum, as well as the role of emergent literacy in early childhood settings. Ms ‘Smith regularly attended seminar. She participated in professional skill building activities in support of the practicum experience. She displayed an interest in exploring theory and concepts. Ms. Smith designed a teacher research project and presented her findings to her teaching colleagues. Ms. Smith planned and implemented a school wide Family Sustainability Event that was well attended Program Planning: Ms. Smith successfully planned and implemented a developmentally appropriate program for young children. Her activities were well designed to support children’s aesthetic, affective, cognitive, language, physical, and social development She planned an excellent developmentally appropriate program for children. Ms, Smith used a thematic format in planning units of study for the three and four year olds in the class. Through her planning she gave the children time to thoroughly explore the Concepts she presented in concrete, hands-on and developmentally appropriate ways. One unit planned by Ms. Smith was a two week unit on weather in which the children were engaged in a variety of activities. The children had the opportunity to dress in the Clothes for all the previous seasons in pretend play, and ice skated by sliding on paper plates. She engaged the tactile learner by MSU isan affirmative actiowequal opportunity institution.having the children make different shelters using play dough, sticks, pebbles and other materials found in nature. She arranged to have a Ranger from a nearby park come speak to the children about how to be safe during the summer weather while enjoying the park and lake. She planned science experiences for the children, such as using droppers and cotton balls to simulate rainfall and using the wind to carry dandelion seeds. Ms. Smith's planning was creative, thorough and balanced across all leaming domains. She planned for our outdoor classroom as well. Ms. Smith created activities to allow the children the opportunity to explore their environment. For example, the children used nature items to create 3D artwork, they used the sun to make shadows and trace them with chalk. The children took their journals outside to observe, draw and comment on the clouds in the sky based (on Eric Carle's book Little Cloud." Program Supervision: Ms. Smith was an excellent professional and organized classroom manager. Her interactions with the children and adults in the classroom were enthusiastic, warm, caring and respectful. She had the opportunity to experience applying appropriate guidance techniques to help maintain or change classroom behaviors in accordance with classroom ‘expectations, Ms, Smith managed the sessions in a timely manner. She prepared the materials in advance and discussed in detail the daily events during pre and post sessions. Ms. Smith's leadership of other adults was demonstrated through the use of tonsistent, specific and professional feedback. She positively acknowiedged their efforts as well as offered guided instruction in areas where improvement was needed. She encouraged the adults to share their impressions of the day, the activities and the children, Due to the openness of these conversations, adult learners felt comfortable asking questions and offering suggestions. Large Group: Ms, Smith demonstrated her ability to plan and carry out successful large group experiences. She planned a variety of activities, which included theme related concepts, songs, storytelling, movement activities and games. For example, the children sang a song and moved their bodies to the different types of weather. Ms. Smith ensured the success of her large group by strategically placing adults near children who typically needed help attending, Inclusion strategies were used to support children with specific needs such as sign language, weighted pillows, fidgets and a back jack chair. Ms. Smith increased the development of rhyming skills by introducing the children to poetry. Her large groups were engaging, interactive and planned specifically for the class and based on the interests of the children. She had a natural ability to scaffold children who were shy to step out of their comfort zone by nurturing and encouraging them in developmentally appropriate ways. ‘Assessment: Ms, Smith used a variety of assessment tools to collect data on the individual children in her classroom. These tools included photographs, observational checklists, anecdotal notes and work samples, Ms. Smith would analyze the data and use that knowledge to guide instructional planning, She synthesized the data into a poster and slide show used during the family event. Attached to these work samples were captions explaining the significance of the work in the domains of the curriculum. She had the opportunity to experience how the Work Sampling System is used as an assessment tool with the children in the class. ‘She participated in program assessment through the collection of documentation as related to NAEYC criteria for accreditation. Ms Smith analyzed an IEP and aligned how she would meet the goals with the daily schedule. Working in a Team: Ms, Smith worked effectively as a member of the classroom team. She took initiative in getting the room set Up before the dally events and cleaned up at the end of the day. Ms. Smith collaborated with teachers from other classrooms to plan, create, implement and manage an outdoor classroom as well as the family sustainability event, She created toys from Tepurposed materials such as, the cardboard ball run and milk jug toss. She was supportive and cooperative during group discussions and listened attentively as others presented their ideas and respectfully offered her own well thought out ideas. Working with Families: Ms, Smith engaged in professional, friendly interactions with the families. She greeted families as they brought their children onto the playground and during arrival and aismissal. She strengthened the home school connection by creating weekly newsletters and asking families to send in recyclables to be used in making toys. Ms. Smith participated in different family events such as the school open house and family sustainability event, She was very excited to participate in a home visit. Judgments: Ms. Smith demonstrated first rate judgment in her programming for children. She was always appropriate in her classroom behavior and personal appearance. She was dedicated to her student teaching experience, conscientiously tending to the many details that were in her realm of responsibilty. Ms. Smith used reflective practice to foresee problems, identify them and act appropriately. She willingly accepted feedback and cheerfully implemented suggestions as appropriate Professional Behavior and Ethics: Ms. Smith maintained confidentiality with respect to children, their families and other students. She was highly motivated and arrived early each day to prepare for the day's activities and stayed late as she felt necessary to be prepared for the weeks’ activities. Ms. Smith was able to balance the many responsibilities associated with student teaching. | would highly recommend Katherine Smith for a position in early childhood education MSU is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.