Reflective Analysis of Portfolio Artifact

Rationale/Reflection
NAEYC Standard:
STANDARD 4. USI NG DEVELOPMENTALLY EFFECTI VE APPROACHES
Candidates prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that teaching and learning with young
children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on childrens ages, characteristics, and the
settings within which teaching and learning occur. They understand and use positive relationships and
supportive interactions as the foundation for their work with young children and families. Candidates know,
understand, and use a wide array of developmentally appropriate approaches, instructional strategies, and tools
to connect with children and families and positively influence each childs development and learning. (NAEYC,
2010)
Brief Description of Evidence:
During the spring semester of 2013 during my ECED 103-Early Childhood Curriculum course, I
independently worked on creating a prop box which provided an outlook on the life of a flower shop worker.
Throughout the project, I worked with materials of my choice to achieve the goals of having a developmentally
appropriate area for children to grown and learn from. The box contained items ranging from male/female
aprons, shovels, hats, garden magazines and materials which could be used in the everyday life of a flower shop
employee. In addition to the prop box and the materials provided, I prepared a detailed lesson plan used to help
provide activities and objectives for the contents in the box.
Analysis of What I Learned:
Through completion of my prop box I found it very important to focus on the different areas of play. I
now know the importance of providing materials such as a fake flower and a flower pot in order to allow their
minds to explore what can be used of those items. A theorist who believes strongly in the area of play would be
Lev Vygotsky. I can now say I have learned what it means for a child to be able to play and use their
imaginations to explore and engage through something such as a prop box. Through the use of the materials in
the prop box I can say children are given the opportunity to put real life scenarios in perspective through their
time of play. Through taking this class and other classes I have learned the importance of family engagement,
although I did not do this at the time, I would now in my own classroom take photos of the process and show
documentation of the childrens learning process at hand.
How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC Standard:
This project is just one of many projects in which I worked individually to focus on the childrens ages
and characteristics. Through spending time learning and working on developmentally appropriate practices
approaches, instructional strategies I feel as though it is easier to interact with the child through imagination and
exploration of the prop box and the materials. Connecting, understanding, and using materials at hand can help
the settings at which teaching and learning occur.