Students will examine, interpret, and critique philosophical ideas about how early childhood education has developed over time. They will focus on the moral complexities that illuminate the dilemmas of everyday life in classrooms. Questions include: What is the purpose of education? What are the roles and responsibilities of a social justice educator? How do the concepts of equity, equality, and access impact the students’ learning? How does one develop and demonstrate a moral and ethical code of conduct? Who is caring for the children? The emphasis is on constructing ideas and arguments that inform an ethical practice, evolving teaching philosophy, and self-reflection. Students will synthesize changes in early care and education over time including the social, linguistic, cultural, political, and societal trends behind them. Using a historical approach, students will analyze key influences in the history of the field of early care and education and reflect upon the diversity embedded in this field. Additionally, students will observe and differentiate between models of early care and education, including Afro-Centric approaches, Indigenous approaches, and dual language models (Teacher-Based, Time-Based, and Tri-Lingual). Students will incorporate these ideas into the development of their own teaching philosophy and recognize its importance to their own practice.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
5 - Ethics in Early Childhood Education
Registration
Tacoma ECE given priority