Early Childhood Education Practicum & Seminar I

ECED 490 (2 credits)

PREREQUISITES:

ECED 400 and 438

NUMBER OF PRACTICUM HOURS:

90 hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is an initial introduction/orientation to Early Childhood Education and Care practice. A range of field experiences provide opportunities for Early Childhood Education candidates to engage in observation, interaction, and reflection with limited care and instructional duties in a licensed early childhood education and/or care setting.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this practicum, the student will be able to:

  • Demonstrate professional conduct (demonstrate punctuality and regular attendance, appropriate dress code, consistent effort throughout the practicum hours, ability to seek and accept feedback);
  • Develop professional competence (adhere to ethical practice, follow confidentiality policies, know and follow expectations for student’s role);
  • Communicate, interact, and collaborate effectively with educators, children, families, and colleagues (establish positive and respectful relationships with children, families, and colleagues, demonstrate interpersonal effectiveness, effective listening, clear communication, appropriate language, ability to communicate across cultures);
  • Observe individual and groups of children in the context of practicum goals (demonstrate ability to ethically and purposefully observe children, use a variety of observation and documentation techniques, use examples from observation for reflection and learning);
  • Demonstrate the ability to successfully guide children’s learning and behaviour (use a range of positive and respectful child and group guidance techniques);
  • Ensure safety and promote health and healthy nutrition (be familiar with the centre’s health and safety policies and emergency procedures, demonstrate ability to model and promote good health practices);
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply course content and materials in the practicum context (show capacity to make connections between theory and practice).

COURSE OUTLINE

This practicum takes place within a licensed ECE centre and focuses on the development of practical knowledge of young children and how they learn and develop across all domains; building positive relationships with children; and cultivating professional knowledge of early learning and care, teaching, learning, inquiry and reflection.  ECE candidates might engage in the following activities:

  • Observing children at play in indoor and outdoor contexts
  • Interacting and engaging in dialogue with children
  • Reading to a small group of children
  • Engaging in play with individual children and small groups of children.

Early Childhood Education candidates are UBC students and thus bound by the statutes, rules, regulations, and ordinances of the university and of the faculty in which they are registered. They are, therefore, expected to adhere to the UBC Statement of Respectful Environment for Students, Faculty, and Staff.

Early childhood Education candidates are also expected to be familiar with and to comply with the policies of the University relating to conduct including but not limited to:

When ECE candidates are in an Early Childhood Setting or field setting, they are expected to be familiar with relevant policies and procedures governing conduct within those settings including but not limited to:

  1. British Columbia Early Learning Framework (B.C. Ministry of Education, 2018 Draft)
  2. The Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia (ECEBC) Code of Ethics
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