Preschool Learning Guidelines and Core Competencies Online

Training Modules

Anne Douglass, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Boston

Angi Stone-MacDonald, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Boston

MaryLu Love, M.S. University of Massachusetts Boston

Online Module Walkthrough

Core Competencies Course

• Area #1 - Understanding the Growth and Core Development of Children and Youth

• Area #2 – Guiding and Interacting with Children and Youth

• Area #3 – Partnering with Families and Communities

• Area #4 – Health, Safety, and Nutrition

• Area #5 – Learning Environments and Implementing Curriculum

• Area #6 – Observation, Assessment, and Documentation

• Area #7 – Program Planning and Development

• Area #8 – Professionalism and Leadership

Preschool Learning Experiences Course

• Mathematics

• English/Language Arts

• Science

• History and Social Science

• Arts

• Health Education

• Early Childhood Program Standards (Blue Book)

Course Logistics

15 hours required to complete each course

• Theory and practice• Presentations between 30-45 each including

video links• Course readings and web resources

• Reflection and application • quizzes • assessments• assignments

Core Competencies for Early Education and Care and Out of

School Time Educators:

# 5

Learning Environments and

Implementing Curriculum

Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care

Indicator and Levels

Initial Mid Advance

Educator :• With supervision,•No administrative responsibilities

Educator:• Works directly with children and youth•May have administrative or supervisory responsibilities

Educator, leader, mentor:•Administrative, supervisory, mentoring or training role

Know and be able to do:

Links with Other Professional Documents

• Licensing Sections 7.06, 7.07

• Code of Ethics

• NAEYC Accreditation: #2 Curriculum, #3 Teaching & #9 Physical Environment

• NAFCC Accreditation: #2 Environment, & #3 Developmental Learning Activities

• DEC Recommended Practice Child-Focused Practices & Technology Applications

• COA Accreditation: ASP – PS #5 Programming and Activities , ASP – PS #6 Indoor Environment  & ASP – PS #7 Outdoor Environment

Area 5: Learning Environments and Implementing Curriculum

• High quality environments and utilizing strategies

• consistent schedules and routines, • transition activities • interesting materials and activities • arranging a classroom to enhance learning

•Understanding developmentally appropriate curriculum models that prepare children and youth for success in school

B. Curriculum

5. Schedule

6. Learning experiences

7. IEP’s and IFSP

8. All domains of learning

9. Language and literacy development

10.Promote physical, mental, nutritional , and oral health

Language Rich Environment

• Opportunities to experience oral and written communication

• Communicate needs, thoughts and experiences

• Describes things and events

• Respond to questions

• Build vocabulary – though rich experiences

• Non-verbal communication strategies

B

Communication

Receptive Expressive

Oral language Listening Talking

Print Reading Writing

B

Early Literacy Skills

Code-Related

Skills Alphabet KnowledgePrint ConceptsPhonological AwarenessLetter-Sound Knowledge

Early Literacy

Meaning-Related SkillsVocabularyGrammatical UnderstandingNarrativeComprehension

B

Reflection of learning

Make a plan for how you will:

• Deepen your knowledge of Learning Environments and Implementing Curriculum

• Guide other adults working in the field deepen their knowledge of Learning Environments and Implementing Curriculum

• Use your knowledge while developing policy, support families understanding of Learning Environments and Implementing Curriculum

Initial Level Discussion Questions

• Describe how you will deepen your knowledge to create learning environments and implement curriculum to support each child’s growth and development. 

• Identify the specific age group you work with; talk about specific learning goals for this age group, describe the curriculum and environment you use to support children’s growth and development.

Core Competency Self-Assessment

Massachusetts State Preschool Learning ExperiencesMathematics Module

Created by UMass Boston EECIS faculty

Please press the play button to move to the next slide.

Overview of the Math Preschool Learning

Experiences• Number Sense

• Patterns and Relations

• Shapes and Spatial Sense

• Measurement

• Data Collection and Analysis

Review the Overview of Math document before continuing this module.

Number Sense 11. Listen to and say the

names of numbers in meaningful contexts.

Video clip: Five Little Monkeys Video    

Children need to learn to say numbers and connect them to the appropriate quantities.

Shapes and Spatial Sense 10

10. Investigate and identify materials of various shapes, using appropriate language.

In this video, children learn about shapes in their environment: Shapes video

Measurement 1313. Use estimation in meaningful ways and follow

up by verifying the accuracy of estimations.

Name Guess

Sarah 50

John 8

Lei 25

Michelle 16

Ryan 12

Alana 3

Joanna 42

ACTUAL 33

Math Module Quiz

OpenCourseWare

Purpose of Research

• Understand how technology-mediated learning can be used in MA professional development system

• Understand the technological capacity of the EEC workforce and ways to improve capacity

• Understand how trainers and participants used the modules and how the training will impact practice

Research Questions

• Did participants increase their knowledge of using the online training modules?

• How do participant characteristics impact growth?

• Does job title and experience impact participants’ knowledge of specific core competency categories?

• How do educators and providers use these courses to advance their professional development qualifications and/or the QRIS?

More Research Questions

• Can use of technology in training support technology use for future training?

• What are the technology skills and comfort levels of the EEC workforce?

• What challenges/barriers do trainers/educators face in using these courses? How could MA strengthen its infrastructure for supporting online and distance learning professional development?

Research Plan

• Participant Surveys• Self-study via OpenCourseWare (OCW)• Trainer/director facilitated trainings• College credit course participants

• Trainer Surveys• At training• After facilitating two training sessions