Week 4 Journal

For young children, early childhood is a period of major development and growth in their life. Experiences that happen in early childhood shape who they become as they grow. As an individual training to become an early childhood educator, the course has taught me a variety of things and changed my views on early childhood curriculum. 

So far, I have found almost everything that we have learned interesting and enjoyable. For instance, learning about the various state education standards that guide the teaching plan in the classroom and their variance from state to state was something I did not know and found interesting. Designing the lesson plan and integrating practice and actual learning was also one of the most exciting things that I have so far learned in the course.

As for something I already knew, I knew that every teacher has a different way of teaching often determined by the various students learning needs and interests. Traditional learning approaches have been phased out and replaced by differentiated instruction, where the teacher is expected to adjust to the learner’s needs. I also knew that it is important for the teacher to adopt instructional strategies that will keep the children engaged in the learning process. 

On something I would like to learn more about is on language acquisition topic. Ideally, the topic is about the various ways in which children acquire one or more first languages. The topic is important to me because as an early childhood educator learning more about language acquisition will equip me with the necessary knowledge to help support children in their ability to communicate, express themselves, and understand their feelings during their language development process.