ECE 354 Assessment & Intervention During Early Childhood / week 5 discussion 1 and 2, Final projects
discussion 1 Cognitive Development and Learning
Ashford University Discussion
Formal schooling plays a large role helping children to develop cognitively. Along with their home and social environments, experiences in school continue to foster children’s development of cognitive skills and strategies. In school, children learn new ideas, concepts, skills and are provided with the opportunity to engage in activities where they can explore and experiment. For this discussion, you will begin by reviewing one of the videos below. Before responding to this discussion, review the Week Five Instructor Guidance for additional information, resources, and support.
Brief Description of Video
Link to Video
A Pre-K teacher shares a story with her students (n.d.).
Interactive Read Aloud
A Kindergarten teacher helps their students to learn about the letter S (Pasley & Shields, 2011).
Letter of the Week: “S” Is for Scarecrow
A Kindergarten teacher teaches their students about counting (Weimberg & Ryan, 2013).
Beyond Fingers: Place Value & the Numbers 11-19
A third grade teacher teachers their students about number patterns (2012).
Discover Number Patterns With Skip Counting Discuss three different strategies the teacher used during the lesson to enhance cognition. Some ideas include memory, social/emotional needs, cognitive skills necessary for different academic areas, or the characteristics of effective classrooms.Examine how the three strategies influence cognitive development.Explain how the teacher could continue to reinforce the cognitive abilities of their students after the lesson.Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers. Share an additional strategy that the teacher used to enhance cognition that your peer did not mention. In addition, suggest an activity that families could use at home that would reinforce the strategy that teacher was using in the video. Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with this topic.discussion 2Intellectual DevelopmentAshford University DiscussionEducators in the United States public school classroom often work with children of varying levels of ability. Children in your classroom may have Individualized Education Plans (IEP) that require specific accommodations and modifications. As part of the process of an IEP, a school psychologist evaluates the child’s intellectual functioning using a variety of intellectual and achievement tests. Once the IEP meeting takes place, various providers (including possibly speech therapy and occupational therapy) will also be present at the meeting. For the purpose of this discussion, we focus specifically on the role of a school psychologist and intelligence testing using a case study from your textbook. In addition to using the case study as support for your initial reply, read and include support from the article Intelligence: Foundations and Issues in Assessment (Gottfredson & Saklofske, 2009). Before responding in this discussion, review the Week Five Instructor Guidance page for additional information, resources, and support.
Case Study: Please refer to the case study in the Introduction section of Chapter 10 of your textbook to review the case study for this week’s discussion. After reading the case study and article, reflect on the following in your initial reply:Discuss the importance of intelligence testing and one of the controversies discussed in the article and/or the course textbook.Explain whether or not it would have been appropriate for Dr. Williams to provide some hints to help the child during testing. Why or why not?Discuss whether or not you believe an intelligence test would provide enough information to make a decision about Michael’s educational placement. Why or why not? If not, what other information should Dr. Williams gather?Considering that Michael is a very young child, explain how her age could factor into the decision in favor of or against placement into a special education program.Describe other factors (e.g., environmental, genetic, biological, etc.) that may be contributing to Michael’s performance and IQ score during testing (without mentioning any diagnoses).
Guided Response: Respond to at least two peers. Discuss whether or not you agree or disagree with your peer regarding the need for additional information in order to place Michael in a special education program. Also, discuss how your views are similar or different from your peer’s view on the importance of standardized testing, including administration and scoring procedures conducted by Dr. Williams. Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with this topic.
Final Project
Ashford University Assignment Submision Week 1 AssignmentProfessional Development Experience
Being an effective early childhood professional requires more than a passion for teaching or ability to work well with children. In the first five years of life, the most critical skills are formed by creating synaptic connections that are key to cognitive, social, physical, and emotional development. Because of their developmental stage, the environment you provide as an early educator will set the foundation for each child’s K- 12 learning experience and beyond. However, as an early childhood professional, you will not work in isolation. Other professionals contribute to service provided to this population, including speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, school psychologists, and educational advocates. Therefore, it is essential that as an early childhood professional you are able to communicate effectively with other professionals.
Scenario: The principal from a local school district was impressed with the proposal you wrote for him about the role families and communities play in promoting optimal cognitive development. Based on your proposal, they have offered you a spot as a key presenter at a district-wide professional development workshop for teachers, where you will share your knowledge regarding cognitive development. All of these ideas will come together as you design your Professional Development Experience project. Before starting your Final Project, you are encouraged to view the Week Five Instructor Guidance for additional information, resources, and support, including a deeper look at the professionals you will work with in the field. Additionally, review the Grading Rubric for this assignment to understand how you will be evaluated and contact your instructor using the “Ask Your Instructor” tab before the due date with questions.
In order to develop this comprehensive workshop for the targeted professional development population, the principal has given you specific talking points that must be addressed. You will use these talking points to guide your creation of a presentation using PowerPoint or Google Slides. In the slide notes section, please make sure to support the information you have shared on each slide. Finally, make sure to include a title and reference slide for your presentation.
The Professional Development Experience must include the following:Theoretical Framework (2 points): Explain a theoretical framework that supports early childhood cognitive development in a classroom environment.Language and Cognitive Development (2 points): Describe at least three ways language development impacts cognitive development using the theoretical framework you have identified.Motor and Cognitive Development (2 points): Describe at least three ways motor development impacts cognitive development using the theoretical framework you have identified.Motor or Speech delay (2 points): Explain at least three ways a delay in speech or motor functioning impacts learning and cognitive development. Describe the area of the brain responsible for these functions.Interplay of Genes, Biology, and Environment (2 points): Analyze the interplay of genetics, biology, and environmental factors on brain functioning and cognitive development by providing at least three examples.Neuroplasticity and Trauma (2 points): Apply the concept of neuroplasticity by providing one example from your current or future professional work. Discuss the impact that trauma has on the developing brain.Neurodevelopmental Disorders (2 points): Explain one specific neurodevelopmental disorder including the genetics, biological, and environmental influences related to this disorder.Family and Culture (2 points): Summarize the relationship between family and culture on cognitive development including the development of judgment and reasoning.Intelligence and Achievement Testing (2 points): Discuss one specific intelligence test and one specific achievement test and their use in education in determining appropriate services and resources for children.Application of Concepts (2 points): Apply one specific cognitive strategy you would use to improve working memory, attention, and executive function to children with diverse needs.Collaboration with Colleagues (2 points): Discuss where and when collaboration and referrals to other professionals including a speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, school psychologist, and educational advocate would be appropriate and necessary.
The presentation: Presentation Features (2 points): Incorporate at least five images are relevant to the slide content.Presentation Length (1 point): Include a minimum of 12 slides (not including title and reference slides).Presentation Content (1 point): The content throughout the presentation is relevant to the main point.APA Formatting (1 Point): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment, which includes citations in the body of the assignment, the title slide, and references.Source Requirement (2.5 Points):Utilize at least 4 scholarly sources in addition to the course text. All sources included in the References list must be cited in the content of the presentation.Syntax and Mechanics (0.5 Points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
