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Foundations of Early Childhood Education
ECE101 | 3 Credits
Want to decide if a career in education is right for you? Our Foundations of Early Childhood Education online course explores what it really means to be an educator today. You’ll get a comprehensive approach to educational approaches and learn how schools function. You’ll also examine the broader context of education, including the roles that different stakeholders play and how resources impact school success.
Professor:
About Foundations of Early Childhood Education
What You’ll Learn
During our Foundations of Early Childhood Education online course, you will consider what it means to be an educator in the 21st century. Engage in activities that will help you understand the U.S. educational system by reflecting, comparing, and analyzing how our schools currently function and what areas need improvement. You'll also learn about the varying contexts of how community members, administrators, teachers, and students function within the educational system and how resources can impact how successful or unsuccessful schools can be. Foundations of Early Childhood Education will help you determine if education is the right career path for you.
- Understand what it means to be in the teaching profession and how teacher preparation has changed over the years.
- Engage in a reflective discussion about how teachers can foster students’ growth mindsets and help students develop their EQ while meeting the needs of learners with exceptionalities.
- Apply how unconscious bias influences life in the classroom and how deficit, expectation, and cultural difference theories explain dissimilar academic performance among various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.
- Critically consider how the history of education (including the Colonial period, Common School movement, and the education of underrepresented groups) contextualized the way education in America was formed and then how the educational system evolved as a result of reform efforts, federal programs, and influential educators.
- Engage in information discovery and analysis regarding some of the major philosophies of education in the United States today and identify some of the psychological and cultural factors influencing education.
- Compare the parameters of educational equity and educational adequacy and understand how school boards and superintendents manage schools within the confines of budgets and broader community constraints.
- Create an outline for how school reform options have impacted public schools and for the role of teachers, community members, and students within those efforts.
- Identify the formal and hidden curriculum taught in schools today and the cultural and political implications resulting from current reform efforts like the Common Core State standards, and how technology is being integrated.
- Demonstrate how teachers navigate their classrooms, set a stage for learning, and support effective instruction in a multitude of ways using different models of instruction.
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WANT US TO CHECK?Course Details
Foundations of Early Childhood Education encourages learners to consider what it means to be an educator in the 21st century, empowering them to analyze current issues that they may encounter in a modern teaching career. This course introduces learners to important foundational frameworks, such as emotional and multiple intelligences and the growth mindset. In addition, learners will gain an understanding of the history and evolution of the American Educational system—including its roots and current context.
ACE-Recommended
ACE Code:
OOSL-0118
Flexible Schedule
28-day Average Course Completion
Transferred 162,000 Times
$165,200,000 Saved on Tuition
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to take Foundations of Early Childhood Education.
Course Text
The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost.
- Sadker, D. M., Zittleman, K. R., & Koch, M. (2022). Teachers, schools, and society (6th ed). McGraw-Hill
Course Checkpoints
Checkpoint 1: Teaching as a Career
- Watch and Learn: Teaching and Learning
- Read: Textbook Chapter 1: pp. 1–12
- Instructional Video: Teachers Discuss the Pros and Cons of Teaching
Checkpoint 2: The Teaching Profession and You
- Read: Textbook Chapter 1: pp. 12–19
- Read: Textbook Chapter 1: pp. 19–23
- Instructional Video: The Crusade to Educate Teachers
Checkpoint 3: Mindsets and Multiple Intelligences
- Read: Textbook Chapter 2: pp. 28–34
- Instructional Video: Multiple Intelligences in Action
Checkpoint 4: Different Ways of Learning
- Read: Textbook Chapter 2: pp. 34–44
- Read: Textbook Chapter 2: pp. 44–54
- Instructional Video: Including Students with Special Needs
Checkpoint 5: Teaching Your Diverse Students
- Read: Textbook Chapter 3: pp. 59–67
- Instructional Video: Dr. David Sadker Identifies Classroom Bias through a Role Play
- Read: Textbook Chapter 3: pp. 68–78
- Instructional Video: High School Students Discuss Issues They Face as Immigrants
Checkpoint 6: The Colonial Period
- Watch and Learn: Foundations of Schools 1
- Read: Textbook Chapter 5: pp. 132–135
Checkpoint 7: Educational Reform
- Read: Textbook Chapter 5: pp. 135–144
- Instructional Video: The Common School and the Teaching Profession
- Read: Textbook Chapter 5: pp. 145–163
- Instructional Video: Social Change: Desegregating Schools
Checkpoint 8: Philosophy of Education
- Watch and Learn: Foundations of Schools 2
- Read: Textbook Chapter 6: pp. 167–185
Checkpoint 9: Psychological Influences on Education
- Read: Textbook Chapter 6: pp. 186–187
- Read: Textbook Chapter 6: pp. 188–193
- Instructional Video: Essentialism in Action: A Classroom Lesson
Checkpoint 10: Funding, Equity, and Action
- Read: Textbook Chapter 7: pp. 197–211
Checkpoint 11: Financing and Governing America's Schools
- Read: Textbook Chapter 7: pp. 212–214
- Read: Textbook Chapter 7: pp. 215–227
- Instructional Video: School Board Meeting to Discuss Application for Jamie Escalante Charter School
Checkpoint 12: School Goals
- Watch and Learn: Schools and Classrooms
- Read: Textbook Chapter 9: pp. 269–275
Checkpoint 13: Purposes of America's Schools and the Current Reform Movement
- Read: Textbook Chapter 9: pp. 276–291
- Instructional Video: Tour of a Boston Charter School
- Read: Textbook Chapter 9: pp. 291–300
- Instructional Video: Alternate Visions Second-Chance Schools Educational Remedies
Checkpoint 14: Types of Curriculum
- Read: Textbook Chapter 10: pp. 310–318
- Instructional Video: Alternative Assessment Portfolios
Checkpoint 15: Curriculum, Standards, & Testing
- Read: Textbook Chapter 10: pp. 319–324
- Read: Textbook Chapter 10: pp. 325–342
- Instructional Video: Explaining Standardized Test Scores to Parents: A Dramatization
Checkpoint 16: What Makes an Effective Teacher?
- Read: Textbook Chapter 11: pp. 351–373
- Instructional Video: Classroom Management
Checkpoint 17: Becoming an Effective Teacher
- Read: Textbook Chapter 11: pp. 374–382
- Instructional Video: A Guided Tour of Technology in Today's Classroom
- Read: Textbook Chapter 11: pp. 383–386
Assignments & Grading
Your score provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.
Assignments for this course include:
- 17 Checkpoints
- 10 Benchmarks
- 2 Capstones
This course has an open-book Cumulative Benchmark.
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- Stable internet connection
- Web browser
- Basic computer skills
- Any required course materials
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Students who enrolled also took:
Early Childhood Development
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Avg Days to Complete: 30
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Get the Foundations for Your Career in Education
Teaching is a career that gives stability and opportunities almost anywhere. But being a teacher goes beyond what you experience in the classroom! This course will help you understand the roles of teachers, administrators, and community members, and how schools operate. You’ll explore challenges and opportunities in education to help you decide if education is the right career path for you.
Why it matters:
- Teachers are in demand nationwide. Become an educator for a career that’s both impactful and stable.
- The median annual wage for educators was above the national average in 2024, with educators and librarians earning a median wage of $59,220.
How this course sets you up for success:
Elementary School Teacher, Middle School Teacher, High School Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Instructional Coordinator, and School Counselor
How this course sets you up for success:
You’ll learn how schools operate, the roles of educators, and the impact of resources on student success. Come way with the insights to confidently decide if a career in education is right for you.
3 Credits
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