Directed Practicum Capstone: Early Childhood – EDEC 698

Course Description

A planned program of practice in an educational setting under the direct supervision of University faculty and/or appropriate school administrator. May be repeated to a maximum of six hours.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Field experiences in specific areas of academic interests are necessary for professional growth and development. This course is designed for candidates who are not pursuing initial licensure.  Candidates pursuing this course are seeking add-on endorsements in early childhood education.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

In addition to an Introduction/Welcome Discussion, there will be 2 graded Discussions during the course. The purpose of Discussions is to generate interaction among students in regard to relevant current course topics. Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate is required to post 1 thread of at least 300 words. In addition to the original thread, the candidate will submit replies of at least 100 words each to 2 classmates’ original threads. CLO: A,B,C,D,E,F

Field Experience

As a capstone practicum, this course requires the candidate to complete 45 field experience hours in the candidate’s degree program during this eight week course. CLO: A,B,D,E,F

Quiz: Practicum Proposal

Application for field placement must be completed and submitted to the placement office by Wednesday of Module 1: Week 1. 

Quiz: Field Experience Contact Information

The Field Experience: Contact Information will provide the instructor with the contact information of the school in which the field experience will take place.

Quiz: Field Experience Assessment (FEA) and Report

The candidate will submit an evaluation and report of the field experience completed during the course by following a provided template.

Quiz: Field Experience Summary

The candidate will keep track of the field experience hours completed in the course and record of the hours must be verified in the FEM. 

Course Project

The candidate will complete a research-based project that will be developed on information obtained from various sources that the he/she could apply to the actual project.  This project is not to be a report about a selected topic, but the development of an actual plan of action that could be implemented to improve the  classroom and school.  Research will provide the foundational basis from which the plan will be developed.  For this project, the implementation of the plan is not required due to the brevity of this eight week course, but the project is to be completed so that it could be implemented in the near future, if the candidate’s administrator desired.  To fulfill the requirements for the final project, two main aspects are to be met.  The first element is an actual document that includes a proposal, literature review, detailed plan of action, and summative assessment chart summary. The second element of the plan is the means that could be used to train other teachers to implement this plan in their classrooms.  This often is in the form of a PPT.  Three assignments will be sequentially completed to show progress in developing the project.  CLO: A,B,C,D,F,H

Course Project: Proposal

The candidate will select a topic related to the field of early childhood education and submit a formal written proposal.

Course Project: Midterm Progress Report

The candidate will complete and submit the Midterm Progress Report along with the documents completed up to that point for review.

Course Project: Final Submission

The candidate will complete remaining portions of the project.

Lesson & Evaluation Project

The candidate will complete a weekly block plan of five teaching days and teach one day of lessons from that block plan. The planning and implementation of this assignment will include: planning, teaching, and reflection. CLO: A,B,C,D,E,F

Lesson & Evaluation Project: Part 1 – Weekly Block Plan Assignment

The candidate will complete a Lesson & Evaluation Project: Part 1 – Weekly Block Plan Template that could be utilized in teaching, of which, one day of these lessons will be actually taught in Module 5: Week 5. The candidate will submit the block plan to the supervisor/mentor for prior approval prior to Module 5: Week 5.  The candidate will then teach one full day of lessons with the mentor to observe and critique the instruction. The candidate will complete and submit the Lesson Reflection in the Lesson & Evaluation Project: Part 1 – Weekly Block Plan Template document for the one day utilized.

Quiz: Lesson & Evaluation Project: Part 2 – Lesson Evaluation

The Lesson & Evaluation Project: Part 2 – Lesson Evaluation Form will be completed by the mentor to evaluate the candidate’s teaching performance. The candidate will upload a copy of this completed form on the quiz.

Portfolio

The candidate will complete the portfolio he/she has been working on throughout the program and will submit the portfolio via LiveText as well as to Canvas. CLO: A,B,C,D,E,F,G