Site Visit & Paper

 

Guidelines for Site Visit

GUIDELINES FOR SITE VISIT & SITE VISIT PAPER

Guidelines for Site Visit:

The week of November 23rd you will conduct a Site Visit by watching the video on You Tube entitled “Infant Room Tunnel Activity” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=Q7QQ6CQldP4) You will likely have to watch the video a few times. 

When watching the video, try to pretend you are in the room.  Use the Site Visit Chart to:.

  • Make a list of all the furniture and equipment you see. If you don’t know what something is, sketch it or describe it. You may be able to look up the name in a catalogue or on the Internet.
  • Write down what you see on the walls.
  • Draw a quick map of the room to note for yourself how the space is arranged.
  • Choose a child to observe and write down what you see that child do for five minutes. Use descriptive, objective words to capture what you see.
  • Observe the blond-haired teacher for a five-minute period. Write down what the teacher does during the five minutes. Be sure to write down the language the teacher uses and to describe their gestures.
  • The video focuses on two major activities, choose one. Take detailed notes about what happens in the activity over a five-minute period.
  • Describe at least one transition you observe in detail. What specifically do the staff do?  How do the children respond? How do the staff react?

Site Visit Paper

~3 pages, typewritten, double-spaced 12 pt font, 1” margins, cite in APA format

When you finished your visit, use your fieldnotes to write your Site Visit Paper. The Chart for Writing Your Site Visit Paper may assist you in writing your paper. Your Site Visit Paper is an analysis of your observation and should include the following information in three parts:

  • Part I: Description of Program
  • Part II: Application
  • Part III: Conclusion

Part I: Description of Program:

  1. In your first paragraph, introduce the site you visited by including:
  • the number of children present
  • the children’s ages in the room that you observed
  • the number of teachers and brief descriptions of them
  1. Set the scene and describe the environment you observed. Be sure to include:
  • the types of materials and furniture
  • how the materials and furniture were arranged, used and stored.
  • Reference an assigned course reading from ECE 209-L on environments that connects to what you observed
  1. Please describe children during play activities and during routines that you observed. Give examples or tell the story of what you saw and what you think it means. Be certain that when you draw conclusions, it is clear to your reader why you say what you do.
  2. Please describe the interactions between teachers and children. Describe how adults interact with one another, too. How do they work together? Once, again, give examples.

Part II: Application:

  1. Your Infant-Family Case Study

Think about the family you met this semester for the Infant/ Family Case Study in ECE 209-Lecture and what you’ve learned about the baby and the family.  In a paragraph, answer the following questions:

  1. Would this make a good setting for the child you have been studying? Why or why not?
  2. Would this be a good setting for the family you have been working with? Why or why not?
  3. Try to picture the baby and family in the classroom and describe what you imagine.
  4. What would the infant and family you are studying need to adjust well to this setting?
  1. Infant Curriculum
    1. Use of Relationship-Based Practice
  2. Respect
    1. How did a teacher show respect for a baby?
    2. Share a descriptive vignette or short story from your observation that demonstrated a teacher respecting a baby/babies.
  3. Responsiveness
    1. How was a teacher responsive to a baby?
    2. Share a descriptive vignette or short story from your observation that demonstrated a teacher being responsive to a baby/babies.
  • Reciprocity
    1. How was a relationship between a teacher and baby reciprocal?
    2. Share a descriptive vignette or short story from your observation that demonstrated a reciprocal relationship between a teacher and baby.
  1. Reference to Assigned Course Reading
    1. Cite an assigned class reading from ECE 209-L on relationship-basedpractices (respect, responsive, reciprocity) that connects to what you observed
  1. Follow Infant’s Lead
    1. How did a teacher follow an infant’s lead during play, a routine, during an activity, or in another way connected to the curriculum?
    2. Share a descriptive vignette or short story from your observation that shows a teacher following an infant’s lead.
  2. Family-like Environment
    1. How were the furniture, room arrangement, activities, groups of children, and staff organized to replicate home?
    2. Describe what features of the space, groupings, and activities you observed indicated the setting was family-like.
  3. Individualized Routines
    1. How did teachers differentiate and personalize routines (diapering, feeding, sleeping, play, transitions, separation, etc.) for children?
    2. How did the teacher incorporate an infant’s unique preferences, temperament, culture, family traditions, and needs into routines?
  • Share a descriptive vignette or short story from your observation that shows a teacher individualizing a routine.
  1. Reference to Assigned Course Reading
    1. Cite an assigned class reading from ECE 209-L on following an infant’s lead, family-like environment, individualized routines that connects to what you observed.

Part III: Conclusion:

End your paper by answering the following questions in a paragraph:

  1. What did you learn from your site visit?
  2. How does this visit connect to what you have learned in ECE 209?
  3. What struck you from your site visit?
  4. Can you see yourself working as another teacher in the classroom you visited? Why? Give specific reasons.
  5. How will this observation help you become a better infant teacher?

When you quote the textbook, and article, or another source, please remember to use quotation marks and put the page number where I can find that, quote, for example (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008, p. 15). If you are not quoting directly, just put the authors’ names and the date of publication in parentheses next to the statement, for example, (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008). At the end of your paper, please list your references on a separate page. You can copy and paste from the syllabus to list the text correctly in your reference list.  See APA Guidelines on the last pages of this packet for more information on how to cite using APA format.

 

Assessment Rubric (1 point – must meet Learner in all tasks)

TASK

COMPETENT

LEARNER

NOVICE

BASIC DETAILS

The paper included the children’s ages, number of children present, & number of caregivers, & brief descriptions of them using many rich, vivid details so the reader could picture the children & staff.

The paper included the name of the center visited, date & time of the visit, children’s ages, number of children present, & number of caregivers, & brief descriptions of them using rich vivid details.

The paper included the name of the center visited, date & time of the visit, children’s ages, number of children present, & number of caregivers,

SETTING

THE SCENE

The paper described the room, including types of materials & furniture & how they were arranged & used using many rich vivid details so the reader could picture the space

The paper described the room, including types of materials & furniture & how they were arranged using rich vivid details

The paper described the room, including types of materials & furniture & how they were arranged

PLAY & ROUTINES

The paper described children during play activities & routines; gave examples or told the story of what was observed & what it meant, with clearly supported conclusions using rich, vivid details so the reader can picture the play & routines.

The paper described children during play activities & routines; gave examples or told the story of what was observed & what it meant, with clearly supported conclusions using rich, vivid details.

The paper described children during play activities & during routines that were observed.

INTERACTIONS

The paper described interactions between caregivers & children, how children interacted with each another, & how adults interacted with each another with rich, vivid details so the reader can picture the interactions.

The paper described interactions between caregivers & children, how children interacted with each another, & how adults interacted with each another using rich, vivid details.

The paper described interactions between caregivers & children, how children interacted with each another, & how adults interacted with each another

CASE STUDY FAMILY

The paper stated why the program would/ wouldn’t be a good setting for the child & family you’ve visited this semester & compared the observation to what you know about the child & family, described what you imagine would take place if the child were in the setting, & what s/he would need to adjust with clearly supported conclusions that used rich, vivid details

The paper stated why the program would/ wouldn’t be a good setting for the child & family you’ve visited this semester & compared the observation to what you know about the child & family, described what you imagine would take place if the child were in the setting, & what s/he would need to adjust with clearly supported conclusions

The paper stated why the program would/ wouldn’t be a good setting for the child & family you’ve visited this semester & compared the observation to what you know about the child & family.

RELATIONSHIP-BASED PRACTICES

The paper described how the staff used each of the 3 elements of relationship-based practices with short stories or vignettes that contained rich, vivid details so the reader can picture what happened.

The paper described how the staff used each of the 3 elements of relationship-based practices with short stories or vignettes that contained rich, vivid details. 

The paper described how the staff used relationship-based practices

INFANT CURRICULUM

The paper described how the staff used each of the 3 elements of infant curriculum with short stories or vignettes that contained rich, vivid details so the reader can picture what happened. 

The paper described how the staff used each of the 3 elements of infant curriculum with short stories or vignettes that contained rich, vivid details. 

The paper described how the staff used infant curriculum.

CONCLUSION

The paper’s conclusion answered the assigned questions with thoughtful, reflective responses, & used rich, vivid details

The paper’s conclusion answered the assigned questions with thoughtful, reflective responses

The paper’s conclusion answered the assigned questions.

USE OF SOURCES

The paper cited 3 or more assigned course readings & clearly, meaningfully & thoughtfully integrated them to what was observed.

The paper cited 3 assigned course readings & connected them to what was observed into the text.

The paper cited 3 or fewer assigned course readings

CLARITY

The paper was clear, coherent, organized & there was evidence the paper had been edited.

The paper was clear, coherent, and organized.

The paper was vague, disjointed, and hard to understand in places.