How to Teach Early Childhood Education to Others
Early childhood education is a growing field that focuses on teaching children from birth through 8 years old. Educators, preschool instructors, and child care workers all fall under the umbrella of early childhood jobs. In order to work in this field as a lead teacher or higher, you must have at least an associate's degree in early childhood education. This specialized training helps early educators to better understand the unique needs and abilities of young children. Teach others about early childhood development and instructional practices through a variety of in-class and hands-on activities.
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Instructions
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In-Class Methods
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Choose an appropriate textbook and assign reading to discuss in class. The textbook will depend on the knowledge level of your students. A beginning student with little knowledge of the field should start with a basic overview of child development through age 8, while a more advanced student may be able to tackle issues such as developing literacy skills or culture and education.
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Open a group discussion about the reading. The discussion may focus on child development theory, different types of early childhood education programs such as Montessori, lesson planning for the young child, classroom management, the developmental continuum, or similar topics. Ask the students for their own thoughts and ideas. Work together as a class to make sure that everyone understands the information and is able to translate it into real-life situations.
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Test the students on the material from class. This can be done through a formal exam with multiple choice questions, true/false questions, and fill-in-the blank. Another option is to assign an in-class or take home essay. Choose a topic that connects to specific class content or puts the student into a real-life early childhood teaching scenario.
Hands-On Training
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Match each student with an appropriate early childhood classroom. If the student has a special interest in working with 2-year-olds, look for an opening in a toddler room.
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Encourage early childhood education students to begin the hands-on experience by observing an experienced or lead teacher. This observation experience should also include a review of the teacher's lesson plans.
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Allow the students to participate in classroom activities with the children.
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Ask the students to design their own lesson plan based on the specific classroom's themes and curriculum. Then arrange to have the student teach the lesson plan, under the teacher's supervision.
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Tips & Warnings
Assign a variety of current journal articles for students to read. This will help early childhood education students to be up-to-date with best practices in the field.
Hold a meeting with a lead teacher and the student prior to beginning any hands-on or practicum experience. This will help to familiarize the student with the teacher's expectations and classroom policies.
Never allow an early childhood education student to work with children unsupervised. Many states have laws governing the amount of education and professional experience that an adult needs to instruct preschoolers.
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- Photo Credit drawing image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
