Instructions:
You have the option to use the attached Portfolio Template to create/compile your final electronic professional portfolio or you may create an electronic portfolio using other means such as Google Sites or Hiration. You must submit the draft of your mini professional portfolio to the Module 4 dropbox in order to receive credit and feedback.
Your mini professional portfolio draft should include the following items:
Self-Reflection and Assessment Checklist draft
Educational Philosophy Draft
Elevator Speech Draft
Family Engagement Outline Draft
Instructions:
For the first portfolio item, complete the first part of the Professional Teaching Standards Self-Assessment Checklist in the course lesson content. Complete the interactive checklist and then print/save it to use with your self-reflection and add to your portfolio.
Write a draft reflection addressing why self-reflection and assessment are important in your professional journey.
Refer to your Professional Teaching Standards Self-Assessment Checklist results to support your reflection.
Instructions:
Write a personal education philosophy. Include the following components:
Define your role as an early childhood professional. (Standard 6)
Adult/child relationships – facilitator, coach, and/ or encourager
How will you create interest and spark curiosity to initiate the learning process?
Will you encourage child participation in creating the classroom rules?
Relationships with others – colleagues, families, community
How will you partner with parents?
How will you involve the community in the learning process?
Do you value colleagues as supporters, collaborators, and resources?
Do you value teamwork?
E.g., “I believe that the neighborhood is an extension of the classroom and offers many opportunities to enrich learning.”
Describe your role to support children’s learning, growth, and development. (Standard 1)
Motivation for learning, understanding how learning occurs
Why/how do people learn?
E.g., “Children are born with a natural curiosity to experiment with, explore, and investigate their environment.”
Describe how you will address special needs, different learning styles, individuality, and diversity. (Standard 4)
Describe the approach to curriculum you will take and how you will meet DAP. (Standard 4 and 5)
Theoretical – the theories and research used to ground your philosophy
What theorists/theories do you identify with and why?
How do these theorists/theories explain/support what you believe?
E.g., “Consistent with Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, I believe that infants and toddlers learn about the world through their senses and by interacting with their environment.
Philosophy – the nature, purpose, and value of education
What is the basis of early childhood education?
Where does knowledge come from?
What is its value?
E.g., “An integral part of education is to help children become lifelong learners.”
Curriculum methods and models
Describe the methods/models to be used for observation and assessment. (Standard 3)
Describe how you will use positive guidance in your practices. (Standards 1, 3, 4)
Describe how you will engage families. (Standard 2)

Submission Requirements:
The Philosophy Statement should be no more than two pages, double-spaced.
The Philosophy Statement must be written in your own words.
This version of your educational philosophy is a draft and is not due at this time. Your instructor will provide revisions and feedback on this assignment in Module 4. You will submit a draft of your work (Course Project Assignments Module 1, 2, 3, and 4) in the dropbox in Module 4. The final version will be submitted as part of the mini professional portfolio in Module 6.
Use professional language with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in each mini professional portfolio item.
Submission Requirement:
Submit your elevator speech as a one-page, double-spaced word document.
This version of your elevator speech is a draft and is not due at this time. Your instructor will provide revisions and feedback on this assignment in Module 4. You will submit a draft of your work (Course Project Assignments Module 1, 2, 3, and 4) in the dropbox in Module 4. The final version will be submitted as part of the mini professional portfolio in Module 6.
Instructions:
Create an outline for each of the Family Engagement Principles.
Describe at least one action you will take to support families.
Describe how you will advocate for family involvement.
Describe how you will get families engaged.
As you create your outline, consider the following questions and prompts:

How will you invite and engage families to participate in making decisions and goal setting for their children?
Provide at least one example of how families will be involved in the decision-making and goal-setting process
Address how often this will occur.
How might a family’s culture or language influence their goals for their child?
What might you need to know about a family to better support their goals?
How will you engage families in two-way communication?
Provide at least one example of a communication piece you will implement that is a two-way correspondence.
How will you and your program engage families in ways that are reciprocal?
Provide at least one example of an activity that would support relationships.
How will you and your program support learning at home and in the community?
Describe at least one way you will provide learning activities at home.
Describe one way you can support learning in the community.
How will you involve families in program-level decisions and wider advocacy efforts?
Describe at least one idea you have to engage families in your program decisions and/or advocacy.
How might your program implement a comprehensive program-level system of family engagement?
What kinds of family engagement policies and practices ensure that teachers, administrators, and other staff receive the supports they need to fully engage families?