CHDV C203 Practicum Field Experience

This course provides you with a practicum/field experience where you can practice what you have been learning in your child development courses, try new techniques, and take the time to critically reflect on your experiences as an educator of young children. There are two components: the online class environment and the practicum experience. The online class is where you can discuss and share your experiences in your practicum. We will explore curriculum development, using observations, and helping children to manage behavior.  

Before we start this exciting exploration, though, we need to set some ground rules for the class and get a big picture for how the class will operate over the next 16 weeks. Please take some time to look through the information in this liquid syllabus so you will be prepared when our class starts. 

If you have questions at any time, please contact me through Canvas Inbox, Pronto, or Cerro Coso Email (LFULLER@cerrocoso.edu).

Catalog Course Description

In this course, students demonstrate developmentally appropriate early childhood planning and teaching competencies under the supervision of Early Childhood/Child Development (ECE/CD) faculty and other qualified early education professionals. Students utilize practical classroom experiences to make connections between theory and practice, develop professional behaviors, and build a comprehensive understanding of children and families. Reflective practice is emphasized as student teachers design, implement, and evaluate approaches, strategies, and techniques that promote development and learning. This course includes exploration of career pathways, professional development, and teacher responsibilities. Students work in a supervised field experience and are required to perform at least 54 hours of practicum work under the direct supervision of a Master Teacher (or someone who would qualify as a Master Teacher) in an instructor-approved infant/toddler or preschool program. School-age program placement is restricted to before- and after-school programs or kindergarten. Participation in a placement setting requires proof of tuberculosis (TB) and immunization clearance. 

Prerequisites

The following courses are required as prerequisites: CHDV C100, CHDV C102, CHDV C104, CHDV C106, CHDV C121, CHDV C125, CHDV C200 for a total of 21 units. If you have not completed the prerequisite courses at Cerro Coso you will need to work with a counselor to challenge the prerequisites. 

Course Readings

There is no required textbook. The learning resources are free to all of us, which means I have already built them into the Canvas course. The learning resources for each module will be available when each module opens on Monday morning.  

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Design and implement curriculum and environments that are developmentally and linguistically appropriate, engaging, and supportive of development and learning based on foundations of early childhood education and knowledge of individual children.

• Apply a variety of teaching strategies, manage the classroom, monitor children’s development and learning, guide behavior, and use reflection on teaching practice to guide future planning.

• Demonstrate the skills of a professional teacher including effective communication, ethical practice, responsibilities to children and families, and commitment to ongoing professional development.

In this course, I have identified the summative and formative assignments, so you understand which assignments are most important for you to complete in order to demonstrate your understanding and learning of the course content. Summative assignments are cumulative assignments that show your overall learning. Formative assignments demonstrate your learning as you progress through the course content. Both types of assignments are important. The summative assignments are required - they are larger assignments that make up the majority of your grade, demonstrate your overall learning in the course, and are used to assess the efficacy of the course. The formative assignments are more flexible. They are worth fewer points, help me to assess your learning and progress throughout the course, and allow you to check for understanding before submitting the summative assignments. In order to help you plan out the semester so you can be successful, you will be submitting a Learning Contract by the end of Module 2.

Here is a list of Summative and Formative Assignments for you to review to help you work through the content of the course. Your final grade will be determined by how many points you earn in the course. THE SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENTS ON THEIR OWN ARE NOT ENOUGH POINTS TO PASS THE COURSE. You must choose from the Formative Assignments to make sure you are completing enough points in the course to earn the grade you want. The more assignments you complete, the higher your final grade will be.