Gaia Porcella’s Profile

This fieldwork course focuses on observation and assessment of young children. It requires supervised participation in an assigned early childhood setting (preschool to second grade) and attendance at a weekly seminar. Students will learn how to use authentic assessment and observation strategies to (1) document young children’s development, growth, play, and learning, and (2) design curriculum that promotes children’s success. Recording strategies, rating systems, child studies/portfolios, and various assessment tools are explored. Students spend a minimum of 60 hours in the field.

This fieldwork course focuses on observation and assessment of young children. It requires supervised participation in an assigned early childhood setting (preschool to second grade) and attendance at a weekly seminar. Students will learn how to use authentic assessment and observation strategies to (1) document young children’s development, growth, play, and learning, and (2) design curriculum that promotes children’s success. Recording strategies, rating systems, child studies/portfolios, and various assessment tools are explored. Students spend a minimum of 60 hours in the field.

This course is an introduction to the theories, methods and materials of curriculum planning in early childhood education (Preschool – Grade 2), with an emphasis on providing developmentally and culturally appropriate learning environments and experiences that encourage creativity in young children. The following topics are explored in depth: the intellectual and emotional importance of fostering creativity, the role of play in learning, the design of effective arts-based learning environments; the role of visual arts, music, movement and language arts/emergent literacy in developing children?s cognitive, social-emotional, physical, language and self-help skills. Course work includes workshops in planning and implementing creative arts experiences for young children.

This course is an introduction to the theories, methods and materials of curriculum planning in early childhood education (Preschool – Grade 2), with an emphasis on providing developmentally and culturally appropriate learning environments and experiences that encourage creativity in young children. The following topics are explored in depth: the intellectual and emotional importance of fostering creativity, the role of play in learning, the design of effective arts-based learning environments; the role of visual arts, music, movement and language arts/emergent literacy in developing children?s cognitive, social-emotional, physical, language and self-help skills. Course work includes workshops in planning and implementing creative arts experiences for young children.