3/5/2018 Course details list

Course Outline
Course Title: Observing Competence in Young Children

Course Number: EDUC85 Approval Date: 2016/12/13

Course Hours: 30 hours Academic Year: 2016
Academic School: School of Justice and Community Development

Faculty: Cheryl Herder - cheryl.herder@flemingcollege.ca

Niki Pollard - niki.pollard@flemingcollege.ca
Program Co-ordinator or Cheryl Herder - cheryl.herder@flemingcollege.ca
Equivalent:

Dean (or Chair): Linda Poirier - linda.poirier@flemingcollege.ca

Course Description

Students will be taught the guiding principles necessary in preparing them for the task of observing,
documenting and making sense of how children demonstrate their own thinking and competence. As
students practice skills in reflection, interpretation, and collaboration they will work towards becoming
keen observers in understanding how children direct their own learning in an early childhood setting.

Prerequisites: EDUC 84 - Early Childhood Development, EDUC 21 - Pedagogical Foundations

Corequisites: None.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Students will adapt a perspective, believing wholeheartedly, that children are competent
learners, capable of complex thinking, curious and rich in potential. This will impact how
students observe, document and interpret how the child begins to make sense of the world
around them.
2. Students will practice observation skills and documentation techniques for the purpose of
interpretation, pedagogical documentation study, and curriculum planning. Observations and
interpretations will reflect an understanding of child development, children's working theories,
and scaffolding children's learning.
3. Students will prepare a Pedagogical Documentation Study: Teacher as Researcher and
consider through collaboration how children think and learn. Students will begin to demonstrate

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how to make this learning visible to others for interpretation and consider themselves as
colearners alongside both children and their families.
4. Students will engage in the process of reflection, hypothesis and planning as they determine
the pathway of children's learning through observation in preparation for scaffolding
experiences to foster new understandings.
5. Students will demonstrate the importance of confidentiality and ethics when documenting
observations in an early child care setting.

Evaluation components of this course will require applied learning. In order to meet these learning
objectives students will be required to have a current (6 months) Police and Vulnerable Sector Check
in order to visit local Child Care Centers for observation purposes. Failure to do so, will put students at
risk of a failing grade.

Learning Resources

1. Dietze, B. & Kashin D. ( 2012) Playing and Learning in Early Childhood Education. Toronto,
Onatario. Pearson Canada Inc.
2. Dietze, B. & Kashin,D. 2016 Empowering Pedagogy for Early Childhood Education. Don Mills,
Ontario.Pearson
3. Excerpts from the "ELECT" Foundatiional Knowledge from the 2007 publication of Early
Learningfor the Every Child Today: A framework for Ontario Early Childhood Settings (2014)
Ministry of Education www.ontario.ca/edu
4. How Does Learning Happen? Ontario's Pedagogy for the Early Years (2014), Mininstry of
Education www.ontario.ca/edu
5. Think, Feel, Act Lessons in Research about Young Children (2014) Ministry of
Educationwww.ontario.ca/edu
6. Ontario Ministry of Education official website on Observation, Documentation and Interpretation
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/oelf/observation/
7. Growing Success The Kindergarten Addendum Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in
OntarioSchools (2016) www.edu.gov.on.ca Queens Printer Press
8. Ongoing blogs, links, articles and webpages that are related to this course content and posted
on the D2L course page

Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Percentage

Assessment Task Percentage

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Assignments 10%

Applied Learning 50%

Tests 40%

Student Success: Policies and Procedures

Mutually, faculty and learners will support and adhere to college Academic Regulations, and Student
Rights and Responsibilities. The following policies and guidelines have been developed to support the
learning process.

Please click on the link for information about:

Student Rights and Responsibilities

(flemingcollege.ca/PDF/Student-Rights-And-Responsibilities.pdf)
Academic Regulations
(flemingcollege.ca/PDF/Fleming-College-Academic-Regulations.pdf)
Guidelines for Professional Practice: Students and Faculty
(flemingcollege.ca/PDF/guidelines-for-professional-practice-students-faculty.pdf)

Alternate accessible formats of learning resources and materials will be provided, on request.

Program Standards

The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development oversees the development and the
review of standards for programs of instruction. Each college is required to ensure that its programs
and program delivery are consistent with these standards, and must assist students to achieve these
essential outcomes.

This course contributes to Program Standards as defined by the Ministry of Advanced Education and
Skills Development (MAESD). Program standards apply to all similar programs of instruction offered
by colleges across the province. Each program standard for a postsecondary program includes the
following elements:

Vocational standards (the vocationally specific learning outcomes which apply to the program
of instruction in question);
Essential employability skills (the essential employability skills learning outcomes which apply
to all programs of instruction); and
General education requirement (the requirement for general education in postsecondary
programs of instruction that contribute to the development of citizens who are conscious of the
diversity, complexity and richness of the human experience; and, the society in which they live
and work).
Collectively, these elements outline the essential skills and knowledge that a student must reliably
demonstrate in order to graduate from the program. For further information on the standards for your
program, follow the MAESD link (www.tcu.gov.on.ca/pepg/audiences/colleges/progstan/)

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Detail Plan
Term: 2017 Winter

Faculty: Cheryl Herder - cheryl.herder@flemingcollege.ca

Niki Pollard - niki.pollard@flemingcollege.ca
Program Co-ordinator or
Equivalent: Cheryl Herder - cheryl.herder@flemingcollege.ca

Dean (or Chair): Linda Poirier - linda.poirier@flemingcollege.ca

Learning Plan
Wks/Hrs Learning
Units Topics, Resources, Learning, Activities Outcomes Assessment

Course outline/course evaluations and due

dates. Students will sign up for observation
visits in Child Care. Image of the Child,
1 Educator, and Family in the context of the 1-5
learning environment.

Group discussion and sharing images

brought to class (image of child, educator
and family as competent and capable) The Child Care visits and
2 1-5
observations begin
Relationship of Observation to Play and
Learning Confidentiality and Ethics

* Mandatory 2 part component

Observation Processes and Reflective Week 3-6 Presentations: Student
Practice A Thinking Lens for Reflective Observations from Child Care 8%
3 1-5
Teaching Deb. Curtis Defining Observation. Observation and Interpretation
Defining Pedagogical Documentation Assignment D2L 7%

Understanding the Differences between Image of the Child: Summary with

Observation and Pedagogical Guiding Questions D2L 10%
4 Documentation Understanding the Whole 1-5 Presentations: Student
Child: Ways of acquiring Information Observations from Child Care

What, Where, How, When? Observation and

Documentation Tools Outdoor vs. Indoor Presentations: Student
5 1-5
Observation Observations from Child Care

Wks/Hrs Learning
Units Topics, Resources, Learning, Activities Outcomes Assessment

Educator discoveries from watching,

listening, discussing and asking questions Presentations: Student
6 with children 1-5
Observations from Child Care

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7 Test 1-5 Test #1 Mid-Term 20%

Independent Learning Week

Observing children's eagerness for drawing,

9 symbolic representation and literacy 1-5

Building relationships with parents and

families (connecting the pathway of learning
10 to home with documentation) 1-5

Traditional Assessment vs. Authentic

Assessment (Empowering Pedagogy)

11 Growing Success -The Kindergarten 1-5

Addendum Assessment, Evaluation, and
Reporting in Ontario Schools 2016

2 Observation/Interpretations
Action Research Teacher as Researcher from Child Care/placement
12 1-5
(Empowering Pedagogy) D2L10%

The children of Reggio: Exploring

documentation from the Infant/Toddler
Bring Documentation study notes
13 Preschool Centers of Reggio Italy and the 1-5 and images to class for
Wonder of Learning Collaboration and collaboration
Interpretation: I see,I wonder,I think

* Mandatory Component: Part 1

Going Public: Students will have an
14 opportunity to view other student work and
discuss. Growing as an Observer
Part 1: Teacher as Researcher: A
Pedagogical Documentation
1-5 Study D2L 15% * Mandatory
Component Part 2 Part 2: Going
Public due in class 10%

15 Test #2 Final 1-5 Test #2 Final 20%

Assessment Requirements
Course

Assessment Task Date/Weeks Learning Percentage

Outcome

Course

Assessment Task Date/Weeks Learning Percentage

Outcome

Image of the Child Assignment: Written Summary with Guiding

Questions 10% Week 4 1-5 10%

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* Mandatory 2 part Component: Presentations: Student

Observations from Child Care brought to class 8% Observation
and Interpretation Assignment due the week of the presentation Week 3-6 1-5 15%

7%

Test #1 Mid-Term in class 20% Week 7 1-5 20%

2 Observation/Interpretations from Child Care/placement 10% Week 11 1-5 10%

* Mandatory Component: Part 1 Part 1: Teacher as Researcher:

A Pedagogical Documentation Study in drop box 15% * Week 14 1-5 25%
Mandatory Component Part 2 Part 2: Going Public 10%

Test #2 Final in class 20% Week 15 1-5 20%

1. Evaluation components of this course will require students to be NARS compliant with a current
(6 months) Police and Vulnerable Sector Check in order to visit local Child Care Centers for
observation purposes. Failure to do so, will put students at risk of a failing grade (not
completing Mandatory Components)
2. Due to the highly collaborative nature of this course, and to support student success,
attendance for each class is highly recommended in order to meet the learning outcomes.
3. Missing or incomplete components of this course may put a student's grade at risk if they
cannot achieve the learning outcomes from completed assignments.
4. Mandatory Components for this course are: Observing and Interpreting Assignment (Weeks
36): 2 parts (1.presentation in class 8% 2.Observation and Intrpretation D2L dropbox 7%)
Teacher as Researcher: A Pedagogical Documentation Study (Week 14): 2 parts (Written
portion in D2L drop box 15% and Going Public documentation panel in class 10%)
5. Tests will be written in class

Exemption Contact

Cheryl Herder

Program Coordinator, Early Childhood Education

cheryl.herder@flemingcollege.ca

(705) 749 -5530

Prior Learning and Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

PLAR uses tools to help learners reflect on, identify, articulate, and demonstrate past learning which
has been acquired through study, work and other life experiences and which is not recognized through
formal transfer of credit mechanisms. PLAR options include authentic assessment activities designed
by faculty that may include challenge exams, portfolio presentations, interviews, and written
assignments. Learners may also be encouraged and supported to design an individual documentation

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package that would meet the learning requirements of the course. Any student who wishes to have
any prior learning acquired through life and work experience assessed, so as to translate it into a
college credit, may initiate the process by applying through the Registrar's office. For more information
please click on the following link: http://flemingcollege.ca/admissions/prior-learning-assessment-
andrecognition

Course Specific Policies and Procedures

It is the responsibility of the student to retain this course outline for future reference. Course outlines
may be required to support applications for advanced standing and credit transfer to other educational
institutions, portfolio development, PLAR and accreditation with professional associations.

1. All assessments (assignments, quizzes, tests, presentations, labs, reports, etc.) are due on
their stated due date and time unless the student has made specific arrangements with the
professor. Make up arrangements for missed assessments are normally not allowed. However,
in the event of documented illness or personal circumstances, which prohibit the student from
completing the assessment, make up provisions may be provided as per the Class Absence
Operating Procedure (2 205). The procedure can be found at
https://mycampus.flemingcollege.ca/group/portal/resources Otherwise,late assignments will be
penalized 10% a day for the first 3 days. After that, assignments will receive a grade of zero.
2. Final grades in this course are assigned based on the level of academic achievement which
corresponds to all of the assessment components as cited in this course outline. Faculty
members will not offer additional assessments or credit recovery to individual students beyond
those cited in this course outline.
3. This course has a mandatory assessment pieces: Observing and Interpreting Assignment
(Weeks 3-6): 2 parts (1.presentation in class 8% 2.Observation and Interpretation D2L dropbox
7%) Teacher as Researcher: A Pedagogical Documentation Study (Week 14): 2 parts (Written
portion in D2L drop box 15% and Going Public documentation panel in class 10%)
4. All tests (and assignments) will be marked and mark earned will be returned to the student
within two weeks of writing.
5. Students have the responsibility to support academic honesty and integrity. Please see Section
6 of the Academic Regulations (2 201) for policy surrounding Academic Integrity. This
document can be found on the student portal in the resources section
https://mycampus.flemingcollege.ca/group/portal/resources/academicregulationspolicy .
6. Electronic communication and data devices may be utilized for the purposes of classroom
based work such as note taking and research only.
7. The teaching staff reserves the right to modify the course sequence to better meet the needs of
the student group and to facilitate student learning.
8. Students are encouraged to keep the course outline and marked materials until a final course
grade is received at the end of the semester, or for the purposes of portfolio building and
transfer credits.

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