This practicum experience is designed to provide the student, under the supervision of a Special Needs educator, with opportunities to apply and consolidate knowledge and skills in working with Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal children who require extra support in group settings. Over six weeks in length, this block practicum places each student in an early childhood setting with the children who have additional support needs.
This practicum experience is designed to provide the student, under supervision, with opportunities to apply and consolidate knowledge and skills in working with aboriginal infants and toddlers in group settings. Around five weeks in length, this block practicum places each student in early childhood setting for children underage of three.
In this course, students will learn about ways of understanding what it means to be “responsive” and “Inclusive” practices in the early childhood education sector. This course aims to provoke thinking with current ECE theories and interdisciplinary perspective to deconstruct and reconstruct the meanings of care, purpose of education, responsive and inclusive practice. While students explore the foundational knowledge of Early Childhood Education, students will critically think and build their own pedagogy. Through this thinking process, students are able to plan accessible, diverse, inclusive indoor and outdoor play activities for various environments that meet the needs of children in the care and ensure the health, safety and well-being of children remains at the centre of the pedagogical practices discussed within this course.
This course is designed to
prepare the student to work as an Early Childhood Educator with children under three years within Indigenous
and non-Indigenous community settings. The students will review the historical
infant/toddler caregiving practices and develop their own philosophies of
infant/toddler care and education. Emphasis will be on professional decision
making, as well as designing and implementing a safe, nurturing, inclusive Indigenous
Infant-Toddler program. This course builds on and expands knowledge from the IECE
Certificate program regarding early childhood development theory, Indigenous
philosophies, historical approaches to childcare and what it means to provide high-quality
care and education to young children. By the end of this course, students will
be prepared to participate fully and succeed in the Infant-Toddler Practicum
experience (ECE 295). Students will learn and discuss childrearing practices
specific to Indigenous communities in this course and will explore how to
implement decolonizing strategies and approaches to their teaching practice in
ECE.
The focus of the Indigenous Health Care and Safety course is on personal wellness and the planning, establishment and maintenance of a safe and healthy environment in programs for indigenous infants and toddlers and exceptional children. Topics include breastfeeding, babies’ first foods using traditional Indigenous approaches, safe food handling, planning nutritious traditional snacks and meals for infants and toddlers, diapering and toileting, injury prevention and hazard identification, illness management with infants and toddlers, modelling healthy practices and utilizing Indigenous community health resources, as well as specific disabilities and health-related issues. The course goal is to provide opportunities to learn about caring for groups of infants and toddlers and exceptional children through the promotion of each child’s health, safety and wellbeing, including traditional Indigenous approaches and perspectives.
In this course, learners will study theories and histories of Special Education and the disability rights. The learners will develop the abilities to organize an early childhood context that supports caring and learning of all children. The learners will develop the awareness of importance of being responsive early childhood educators who build their pedagogical concerns and think critically while exploring the course materials. Engaging with diverse perspectives on inclusive education will help student to navigate their pedagogical concerns and weave them into their curriculum making as well as creating inclusive and responsive environment for children with diverse needs. This course will help students to plan, implementing, and evaluate the inclusive childcare context.