Professional Development

Building Leadership In Early Childhood Education

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7zeF8xu-TH7clpIQkEzemNsWFU/view?usp=sharing

Vancouver Reggio Consortium - Playful Literacy and the Power of Their Ideas: With Teacher Resources from the Opal School

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7zeF8xu-TH7UWZpOWpPcXJrdXc/view?usp=sharing

Self-Audit & Portfolio Guide with Referee Checklist

HDEC 101

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7zeF8xu-TH7aWNOSmR6ai1MV0E/view?usp=sharing

HDEC 104

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7zeF8xu-TH7WDBvN1pLSUFtck0/view?usp=sharing

ECED 150

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7zeF8xu-TH7SU5fcVlQelBsZHc/view?usp=sharing

ECEC 201

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7zeF8xu-TH7WjdjdWlJakVnUnc/view?usp=sharing

ECEC 202

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7zeF8xu-TH7cUpOZUhUV3JlQ00/view?usp=sharing

Rita Pierson: Every Kid Needs a Champion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw

          The biggest fear I had about becoming a primary school teacher was that when my student’s parents asked them what they learned each day, my students would reply “nothing”. My biggest fear as an early childhood educator is that children might not be intrinsically motivated to learn. Being a daycare worker, having a role in a strongstart program, or teaching a preschool class, I feel that on top of being a caregiver and providing a safe, welcoming, inclusive environment, I also have the responsibility of fostering children’s love of learning and thirst for knowledge.

         As an undergraduate I worked at a 3-5 yr. old centre at the University of British Columbia. On my first day, within the first few minutes as I was being given a tour of the centre, a child swung a shovel like a bat at another child's head. I had a very special bond with that child, but as I was only a student working part-time at the centre I was not privileged to know about the issues that child was going through. I remember one day a nurse came to visit to assess him. Another time, a psychiatrist came to visit to observe him. One of the ECE's at the centre scoffed and told the doctor "He's always better when Christine is around, he's usually way worse" explaining why his behaviour was not as violent. I worked at that centre for a year, and other than my first shift, I never witnessed the child be overly violent or aggressive with any other child or adult. I had heard stories, about how he wouldn't listen and caused trouble, but he never ignored me. I did not have a bias against him, and my tone did not change with him from what I regularly used with other children. I noticed that the other worker's tones were immediately harsher with him.

       Currently, I am teaching a class of 8 Junior Kindergarten students. A co-worker of mine also has 8 students, one of which is more challenging than the rest. It is incredibly difficult for her to maintain her tone with that child when he disrupts the class or hits somebody, but I see the value in maintaining it. As children develop, they attach and create relationships. It is important to always remember that children are not intentionally doing the "bad" thing, and that the way educator's react to their "bad behaviour" can shape the way the child develops. 

       I agree with Rita that every child needs a champion in their corner, who will always fight for that child, no matter what. 

BC Early Learning Framework

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/early-learning/teach/early-learning-framework

        Easily one of my most used-resources. I have two copies of the ELF framework printed, one at home on my desk, and another in a binder in my classroom at school. There are few textbooks that I kept from university, but the ones I did keep are not about curriculum or subjects, they are all about behaviour and how to create an inclusive environment. I kept the textbooks about gift pupils, and how to interact with parents and guardians. I kept the resources that gave examples of how to be a great educator. Both the BC ELF and the Theory to Practice companion document have been extremely useful in my studies of early childhood education.

Ministry of Family Services British Columbia

http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/early_childhood/

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity