Core Child Development Knowledge: What Early Childhood Educators Need to Know

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Core Child Development Knowledge What Early
Childhood Educators Need to Know

• Abigail M. Jewkes
• University of Michigan
• October 1, 2004

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Human Ecological Model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979)
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
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Transactional Model (Sameroff Chandler, 1975)
P
P
P
C
C
C
Time
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Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy

• Produce a coherent distillation of the
  knowledge base and develop its implications for
  practice in early childhood education programs,
  the training of teachers and child care
  professionals

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Current Understandings

• Multiple theoretical perspectives
• Individual differences
• Capabilities of young children
• Interaction of biology and experience

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Child Characteristics

• Functional
• Temperament
• Learning style
• Motivation

• Status
• Gender
• Race/ethnicity
• Social class

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Quality Preschool Programs

• Cognitive, social-emotional, and physical
  development are complementary, mutually
  supportive areas
• Responsive interpersonal relationships with
  teachers nurture early learning and development

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Specific and integrated curriculum

• Broad-based experiences in domain-specific
  knowledge
• Extensive language development
• Variety of classroom structures, thought
  processes, and discourse patterns

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Principles of Learning

• Engage and build on childrens existing
  understandings
• Link key concepts to acquisition of knowledge and
  skills
• Encourage metacognition

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Recommendations

• Teacher education programs that focus on specific
  foundational knowledge
• Development of content standards based on current
  research

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Foundational Knowledge

• Teaching, learning, child development and
  integration with practice
• How to provide rich conceptual experiences that
  promote growth in specific content areas and
  areas of development

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Foundational Knowledge (cont.)

• Effective teaching strategies that promote
  social-emotional relationships
• Subject-matter content appropriate for preschool
  children

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Teacher Knowledge

• Classroom practices
• Quality of early childhood programs
• Program quality predicts childrens developmental
  outcomes

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Empirical basis

• Positive relationship between coursework focusing
  on child development and teacher beliefs and
  practices
• Teacher rationales for classroom practices

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CDA Competency Goals

• II. To advance physical and intellectual
  competence
• III. To support social and emotional development
  and to provide positive guidance

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NAEYC Associate Degree Standards(2003)

• Promoting child development and learning
• Knowing and understanding young childrens
  characteristics and needs
• Knowing and understanding the multiple influences
  on development and learning
• Using developmental knowledge to create healthy,
  respectful, supportive, and challenging learning
  environments

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NAEYC Associate Degree Standards(2003)

• Teaching and learning
• Connecting with children and families
• Using developmentally effective approaches
• Understanding content knowledge in early
  education
• Building meaningful curriculum

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Conclusion

• Strong knowledge base of child development is
  essential to education of early childhood
  professionals, program quality, and young
  childrens learning and development