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CHD 167 : CDA Theories and Applications: Portfolio (3 Credits)
Overview

Welcome to CHD 167, offered by the Extended Learning Institute of Northern Virginia Community College.

In this course, you will learn about ways to create a portfolio that can be used for an interview with the CDA council.

Work in this course will require your participation in a variety of ways. First, the course is writing intensive with assignments ranging from short reflective paragraphs to longer essays used in the CDA portfolio. First, you will write essays that outline your skill and experience with best practices in the early childhood classroom.  For an optimum grade, you will learn to use Power Point and include photos.  Second, you will search and demonstrate that you have found resources required by the CDA council in the resource collection.  You will be required to either scan these items or arrange a meeting with me at the end of the semester to show me your binder in person. Third, you will participate in discussion groups to share your reflections on the readings with your classmates.  Fourth, you will complete two observation of a child (you are not related to) for use in your resource collection.  Fifth, you will write several lesson plans for use in the resource collection. Finally, in accordance with ELI guidelines, you will have a mid-term and final examination, both of which will be open book.

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Objectives
 

If you complete this course and do well, you will be able to: Upon the completion of this course, the student will be able to

  • Provide evidence using narrative essays and photos for competence goals 1-6
  • Provide resources for the CDA portfolio areas covering competence goals 1
  • Identify and plan activities for young children using child development
  • Use appropriate tools and techniques to assess children’s development
  • Identify resources used for referral and support of families with young childre
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Materials
 

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Grading
 

Possible Assignments Include: (Subject to change each semester. The actual assignments are available in the Syllabus in the Blackboard course site on the first day of classes.)

Discussion Board (10% of final grade)

Students are expected to participate in reflective assignments and online discussions which include small group sessions. Students must address topical questions and also respond to their classmates reflections.

Competency Goals using Power Point (40%)

Describe the things you do with children and families that demonstrate your ability to meet the specific needs of children in each of the competency goal areas. The descriptions in each should be 200-500 words in length and should state your goals for children and give specific examples of what you do to achieve these goals.

Autobiography (10%)

Write a statement about yourself between 200-300 words. In the first part tell who you are, and in the second part, tell what things about your life influence your decision to work with young children.

Resource Collection items (15%)

Students will complete one or more items for each section from a list of 17 items required as part of the resource file. Items 16 and 6 are graded separately from this portion. 

Observation (5%)

Complete an anecdotal record. This item will be used for resource collection item #16. Locate an observation tool to use in recording information about children's behavior. One copy should be blank; the other should be filed out as a sample of your observation of an individual child. (Do not include the child's name.)

Lesson Plans (10%) 

Students will nine mini-lesson plans. ( For the preschool endorsement, you will provide three for 3-year-olds, three for 4-year-olds, and three for 5-year-olds. For the infant/toddler endorsement, you will provide three for young infants, three for mobile infants, and three for toddlers. ) Describe the goals, materials, and teaching strategies used. These lesson plans will be used for resource collection item #6.

Lesson Plans should follow the format below.

a. Has a clearly defined objective
b. Identifies the materials needed
c. Identifies the teacher strategies used
d. Has a hands-on component

Parent Questionnaires and Verification of Work Hours or Proctored Exam

Each student must either submit completed parent questionnaires or complete the proctored exam.

Parent Questionnaires (5%)

Students working for Head Start/EHS are required to complete this component in CHD 167 in order to meet the state guidelines. The questionnaires will be collected by someone other than the student and submitted to the instructor in a sealed envelope. You will receive written feedback regarding the content of the questionnaires. This assignment will be graded as credit/no credit. In order to obtain credit, you will need to meet the required 75% return rate. (In other words, 75% of the parents need to return the survey).

Verification of Work Hours (5%)


Students must submit a signed statement, signed by current supervisor (and former supervisors if necessary) verifying the number of hours worked in an early childhood setting.

A sample letter might say: Jane Smith has exceeded 480 hours of early childhood experience in our current workplace, Apple Academy. Students who are unable to provide verification of work hours will need to complete an alternate assignment, in the form of an online essay. Students taking CHD 167 to meet statewide requirements for HS/EHS must choose to:

Complete Parent Questionnaires (5%) and Verification of work hours (5%)

OR

Proctored Exam (10%)

The cumulative final exam will consist of information from the text, class lectures and class discussions. The exams may include true/false, matching, multiple-choice, short answer, and essay.

The exam will need to be taken in a testing center. If you are using a testing center that is not affiliated with NVCC, then you will need to follow directions for securing a proctor. You can see this information in the "exams" area of the course. Evaluation/Grading All assignments must be completed to receive a grade for the course.

Grades may be accessed any time at http://www.bb.vccs.edu. The final grade for each student will be computed with Excel and will be assessed as follows: Grades: A=100%-90% B=89%-80% C=79%-70% D=69%-60% F=59% and below

Your final grade may be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass at least several exams in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

Grading Scale
A
100%-90%
B
89%-80%
C
79%-70%
D
69%-60%
F
59% and lower
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Exams
 

There are 1 exam in this course.

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ELI Policies and Procedures
 
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Beginning the Course
 

Last Updated: May 6, 2011