Early Childhood Practicum – EC401003
—An Early Childhood Practicum is an opportunity for students in early childhood education programs to gain hands-on experience working in a real-world setting under the supervision of experienced educators. During the practicum, students typically spend time observing and participating in various classroom activities, designing and implementing lesson plans, and working with young children to facilitate their learning and development. This experience provides valuable opportunities for students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting, refine their teaching skills, and gain a deeper understanding of the needs and challenges of young learners. It is often considered a critical component of early childhood education programs, preparing students for successful careers as educators.
ASSESSMENT 1 OF 2 REFLECTIVE PRACTICE TEACHING JOURNAL
DUE DATE: Sunday 11:59pm (refer to timetable to see due date)
Instructions for submitting your assessment:
• This assessment must be submitted via Moodle in PDF format.
Learning Outcome being assessed:
This assessment will assess the following learning outcome and will contribute 50% to your final grade:
Learning Outcome 1: Explain the importance of health, safety and care when working with tamariki.
Learning Outcome 3: Reflect on own professional practice as an early childhood educator.
Learning Outcome 4: Demonstrate the personal, professional and cultural competencies of an early childhood educator.
INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT
Akonga/Student Name: Akonga/Student ID Number:
Lecturer Name: Extension number:
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THIS ASSESSMENT – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
• Complete all tasks
• It must be formatted correctly
– Font size is 12 or 14
– Font style is Calibri or Verdana
– 1.5 line spacing
– Footer is page number on each page
– Header is Student name, ID number and assessment number on each page – Journal entries must be dated, time, context.
• Ensure you use grammar and spelling throughout
• Practice your referencing skills where needed
• If you are hand writing this assessment, please ensure that your writing is legible • The word limit for this assessment is 800 – 1000.
MARKING SCHEMA
Achievement
MARKING CRITERIA
Akonga/Students will be marked on:
• Written completion of all tasks with reference to the marking rubric.
Tasks [all tasks are compulsory] Marks
Task One: Plan and Implement
• In conjunction with your kaiako create two Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely goals that you will work towards while you are on practicum. One goal should be focussed on the use of your resource in your practice, and the other goal should focus on health, safety, and care of infants, toddlers, or young children. Please ensure your lecturer agrees to and signs off your goals before practicum starts.
How you achieve your goals needs to be evident over the 60 hours of practicum. Focus on one goal per week, ensuring you provide three journal entries per week. (6 in total).
Each journal entry needs to follow a reflective format using either the
“Stop/Think/Change”, or “So What?” models of reflection. (Models included).
Word Count (80 – 100 per entry) 60 marks
(10 per entry)
Task Two: Assessment
At the end of practicum, write an overall Assessment about the implementation of your goals. Answer these questions
• What are your general observations about your goals in relation to the Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely?
• How has goal setting impacted on your professional practice as an ece educator?
• How might you grow your practice to ensure you achieve your goals in the future?
Word Count (300-400) 20 marks
Total Maximum Marks 80 marks
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Reflective journal writing is a tool used to analyze and critically reflect on your experiences and actions, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and growth. The Stop/Think/Change model of reflection involves three steps:
Stop: Pause and think about the experience or situation that has occurred.
Think: Consider the experience or situation, including your own feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Change: Identify areas where changes or improvements can be made, and plan actions for the future.
The So What? model of reflection involves asking yourself three questions:
So What? What happened, and why is it significant?
Now What? What can I learn from this experience, and how can I apply it to my future practice?
What If? What could I have done differently, and how can I improve in the future?
For Task Two, you will need to evaluate your overall implementation of your goals during the practicum. You can answer the questions by reflecting on your experiences and evaluating your progress towards your goals. Additionally, you can discuss how goal setting has impacted your professional practice and identify areas for growth and improvement.
