NAEYC Competency Standard 4

Standard 4 of the NAEYC standards states that early childhood professionals should use developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families. In my early childhood curriculum I have learned many tools and strategies that help me provide developmentally appropriate practices towards the children and families in my classroom. Developmentally appropriate practices in an early childhood classroom are important because they foster a healthy learning environment that allows children to learn and grow. In my CHD classes I have learned many ways to enhance my teaching approaches, create positive interactions with my students and their families and have expanded my repertoire of teaching tools. In CHD120, Introduction to Early Childhood Education, I completed an assignment which required me to observe and assess 3 adult child interactions. This assignment sharpened my skills described in key element 4a of standard 4, understanding positive relationships and supportive interaction After completing this assignment and learning the difference between a positive interaction and a negative interaction, I made a point of ensuring that all my interactions with the children in my classroom were positive interactions. I have learned that a positive interaction requires you to kneel to the childs height and to keep a positive tone that encourages the child. Throughout my studies I have created lessons that use many mediums and materials to teach my students. In CHD118, Language Arts for Young Children, for a storytelling project I created a felt board story to learn and practice different ways of reading stories to my students to increase comprehension. This assignment taught me that there are many ways to conduct story time increasing my repertoire of teaching approaches for story time. While creating lesson plans I also practiced using different strategies and tools for creating developmentally appropriate activities that fell in the Zone of Proximal Development. Throughout my studies in early childhood I have learned how to provide a classroom that provides my students with an environment that fosters a positive learning environment with many different developmentally appropriate lessons and activities. As I complete my early childhood classes at NOVA, I have gained an understanding of how to provide a nurturing environment where children can flourish and enjoy their learning experience. I have learned many new strategies of teaching such as felt board stories and story walks, ensuring that I teach using multiple mediums and material to cater to the learning style of each child. I have learned how to create and implement developmentally appropriate lessons for my students.