EEC3301 - General Teaching Methods in Early Childhood Education

Academic Dean’s Contact Information

LAKELAND DEAN’S OFFICE: LLC 2255              PHONE: (863) 297-1024
WINTER HAVEN DEAN’S OFFICE: WSC 101      PHONE: (863) 297-1020

Polk State College Mission and Program Outcomes

Polk State College, a quality-driven institution serving Polk County and beyond, transforms students’ lives through the power of teaching and lifelong learning by providing access to affordable associate and baccalaureate degree programs, career certificates, and workforce employment programs, delivered through various modalities and innovative technologies by diverse, qualified faculty and staff. In line with this purpose, Polk State’s Associate in Science and baccalaureate degree programs develop competence in various career-related skills. This course focuses on the development of competencies related to the following program outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, the student is able to:
1. Demonstrate Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs).
2. Demonstrate competencies and skills for teacher certification (C&S).
3. Demonstrate Florida Reading Endorsement Competency One: Foundations of Reading.
4. Demonstrate Florida Reading Endorsement Competency Two: Application of Research-Based Instructional Practices.
Course Objectives:
Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs)
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
1.a Align instruction with state-adopted standards at the appropriate level of rigor.
1.c Design instruction for students to achieve mastery.
1.d Select appropriate formative assessments to monitor learning.
3.a Deliver engaging and challenging lessons.

Competencies and Skills for Teacher Certification (C&S) Developmental Knowledge
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
2.5 Interpret professional standards set by early childhood and elementary educational organizations.
3.1 Identify and apply developmentally appropriate practices that guide effective instruction.
3.4 Identify and analyze strategies for short- and long-term planning to set instructional goals that align with standards and develop teacher objectives.
3.5 Identify strategies for designing appropriate objectives, and develop, implement, and assess lesson plans.
3.8 Identify and apply characteristics of an integrated curriculum.
3.11 Analyze and evaluate the use of evidence-based practices to improve student achievement.
4.4 Select and apply strategies, including the use of technology, for presenting instruction and concepts related to health, safety, and nutrition.
6.4 Identify procedures for appropriately using authentic assessments.

Language Arts and Reading
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
Identify the content of emergent literacy.

Florida Reading Endorsement Competency One: Foundations of Reading
B. Oral Language
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
1.B.1 Understand how students’ development of phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics relates to comprehending written language.
1.B.2 Understand the differences between social and academic language.
1.B.3 Understand that writing enhances the development of oral language.
1.B.4 Understand that the variation in students’ oral language exposure and development requires differentiated instruction.
1.B.5 Recognize the importance of English language learners’ home languages, and their significance for learning to read English.
1.B.6 Understand the role of formal and informal oral language assessment to make instructional decisions that meet individual student needs.

C. Phonological Awareness
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
1.C.1 Understand phonology as it relates to language development and reading achievement (e.g., phonological processing, phonemic awareness skills, phonemic analysis, and synthesis).
1.C.2 Recognize the phonological continuum beginning with sensitivity to large and concrete units of sound (i.e., words and syllables) and progressing to small and abstract units of sound (i.e., onset-rimes and phonemes).
1.C.3 Understand that writing, in conjunction with phonological awareness, enhances reading development.
1.C.4 Distinguish both phonological and phonemic differences in language and their applications in written and oral discourse patterns (e.g., language & dialect differences).
1.C.5 Understand how similarities and differences in sound production between English and other languages affect English language learners’ reading development in English.
1.C.6 Understand the role of formal and informal phonological awareness assessment to make instructional decisions to meet individual student needs.

D. Phonics
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
1.D.1 Understand that phonological units (i.e., words, syllables, onset-rimes, and phonemes) map onto orthographic units (i.e., words, rimes, and letters) in alphabetic languages.
1.D.2 Understand sound-spelling patterns and phonics (i.e., grapheme-phoneme correspondence rules).
1.D.3 Understand structural analyses of words.
1.D.4 Understand that both oral language and writing can be used to enhance phonics instruction.
1.D.5 Understand the role of formal and informal phonics assessment to make instructional decisions to meet individual student needs.

G. Integration of the Reading Components
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
1.G.1 Identify language characteristics related to social and academic language.
1.G.2 Identify phonemic, semantic, and syntactic variability between English and other languages.
1.G.3 Understand the interdependence between each of the reading components and their effect upon reading as a process for native speakers of English and English language learners.
1.G.4 Understand the impact of oral language, writing, and an information-intensive environment upon reading development.
1.G.5 Review the importance of comprehension monitoring and self-correcting in increasing reading proficiency.
1.G.6 Assess the role of formal and informal reading assessment to make instructional decisions to meet individual student needs.

Florida Reading Endorsement Competency Two: Application of Research-Based Instructional Practices
B. Oral Language
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
2.B.1. Apply intentional, explicit, and systematic instructional practices for scaffolding development of oral and aural language skills (e.g., language experience approach and Socratic questioning).
2.B.2 Create an environment where students practice appropriate social and academic language to discuss diverse texts.
2.B.3 Recognize and apply an English language learner’s home language proficiency as a foundation and strength to support the development of oral language in English.
2.B.4. Use writing experiences to enhance oral language (e.g., interactive writing and student-to-teacher sentence dictation).
2.B.5 Recognize, describe, and incorporate appropriate oral language assessments to guide instruction.

C. Phonological Awareness
2.C.1 Apply intentional, explicit, systematic instructional practices to scaffold development of phonological awareness (e.g., blending and segmenting syllables, and practicing onset rimes and phonemes).
2.C.2. Provide opportunities for students to use oral and aural language skills to enhance phonological awareness (e.g., rhyming and alliteration).
2.C.3 Review information regarding the variations in phonology across languages and reflect on how these affect English Language Learners’ (ELLs) reading and writing development.
2.C.4 Use writing experiences, in conjunction with phonological instruction, to enhance reading achievement (e.g., Elkonin boxes or magnetic letters and individual response whiteboards).
2.C.5 Recognize, describe, and incorporate appropriate phonological awareness assessments to guide instruction.

D. Phonics
2.D.1. Apply intentional, explicit, systematic instructional practices for scaffolding phonics development on a continuum from the individual phoneme-grapheme level through the multi-syllabic word level.
2.D.2 Recognize and apply an English Language Learner’s (ELLs) home language as a foundation and strength to support the development of phonics in English.
2.D.3. Use oral and aural language and writing experiences to enhance phonics instruction (e.g., sentence strip words, phrases, and pocket charts).
2.D.4 Recognize, describe, and incorporate appropriate phonics assessments to guide instruction.

G. Integration of the Reading Components
2.G.6 Triangulate data from appropriate reading assessments to guide instruction.

Additional Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
Apply appropriate teaching methods and strategies to meet the instructional needs of diverse learners in a variety of settings.

Course Content:
1. Foundations of Reading Instruction
2. Characteristics of Diverse Learners
3. Teaching Methods for School Age Populations - Kindergarten through Grade Three
         a. Florida State Standards
         b. Instructional Methodology
         c. Lesson Planning
         d. Lesson Delivery
4. Bringing it All Together
         Design and teach a unit of study appropriate for diverse student learners.

Textbook and Other Requirements

Textbook information is provided in the course syllabus, at the campus bookstore, on the campus bookstore website (www.polk.bncollege.com), or via the “Shop Textbooks” button on the PASSPORT schedule of classes.

College-Level Communication and Computation Skills

State Rule 6A-10.030 does not apply to this course.

Student Help

The professor is available for help during posted hours, and the student is encouraged to seek assistance whenever it is needed. To further the educational process, the Learning Resources Centers, comprised of the campus Teaching/Learning and Computing Centers (TLCCs), JD Alexander (JDA) Student Success Center, and campus libraries, are available for student use. Each resource provides qualified staff and up-to-date equipment and facilities to promote academic success. The TLCCs and JDA Student Success Center provide tutoring services, computing resources, and other instructional support. The library provides information resources, individual and group study space, research assistance, information literacy instruction, and computing resources. Each facility provides free wireless access to the Internet. The Polk State College Library, Student Success Center, and TLCC hours of operation and tutoring schedules are posted at each facility and on the College’s website.

Withdrawing From a Course

A student may officially withdraw from a course during any given term, provided he or she follows the appropriate policy and procedure. Following the conclusion of the Drop Period, a student may officially withdraw from any course without receiving a grade, provided this is done before the published withdrawal deadline. The published deadline reflects approximately (but no more than) 70% of the term, based upon the course’s scheduled duration. It is the student’s responsibility to submit these withdrawal forms; failure to do so may result in a grade of F in the course. Under the Forgiveness Policy, a student is allowed only three attempts in any one course: one initial enrollment and two repeats. A student is not allowed to withdraw from a third course attempt. Limited-admission programs may have specific guidelines regarding course withdrawal that vary from this policy; these guidelines are listed in each specific program’s handbook.

If a student stops attending class, the grade earned (usually an F) is assigned and posted. Prior to withdrawing from a course, the student should consult with the Financial Aid Office to determine what impact, if any, course withdrawal may have on his or her financial-aid status. A student cannot use course withdrawal to avoid academic dishonesty penalties. A student who is engaged in processes related to academic dishonesty in a course is not eligible to withdraw from the course.

Repeating a Course

Under the Forgiveness Policy, a student is allowed only three attempts in any one college-credit course: one initial enrollment and two repeats. Under certain circumstances, a student may petition to repeat a credit course beyond the third attempt. Limited-admission programs may have specific guidelines regarding course repeats that vary from this policy; these guidelines are listed in each specific program’s handbook. The student should be aware that repeating a course may result in a higher course cost. A course cannot be repeated unless the previously earned grade is a D, F, or W (the Polk State College Catalog provides further details regarding this process). Prior to repeating a course, the student should consult with the Financial Aid Office to determine what impact, if any, repeating the course may have on his or her financial-aid status.

Academic Dishonesty

The student is responsible for his or her work. It is assumed that each student is honest and abides by this standard; however, in the event that there is an indication or suspicion of cheating or plagiarism, the situation is dealt with in accordance with the published College policy. Copies of this policy are available in the Student Services Office. More specific information regarding academic dishonesty can be found in the instructor’s Course Syllabus.

Information Technology Access/Use Policy

The information technology resources provided by Polk State College (including, but not limited to, telephones, computers, the Polk State Local Area and Wide Area Networks, and the Internet) must be used for academic purposes only. Use of these resources is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use can result in revocation or suspension of this privilege.

Equal Access/Opportunity

Polk State College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution committed to excellence through diversity in education and employment. The College complies with all state and federal laws granting rights to students, employees, and applicants for employment or admission to the College. Polk State College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or pregnancy in its programs, activities, or employment.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies:
Valparisa Baker
Director of the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Title IX Coordinator)
999 Avenue H NE
Winter Haven, FL 33881
Office: WAD 227
Telephone: (863) 292-3602
e-mail: vbaker@polk.edu

Equal Opportunity For Students With Disabilities

The College complies with The Americans with Disabilities Act and provides equal educational opportunity for qualified individuals. A student with a disability who requires special accommodations or auxiliary aids under The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the Coordinator or Director of Disability Services.

Note: Limited-admission programs may have performance restrictions that apply. Restrictions (where applicable) are outlined in each program’s student handbook.

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