76th Annual SECA Conference

Learning about early childhood development theories...boring! Who even cares about them? Aren’t they supposed to just take up space in textbooks? Well, what if we saw exactly how childhood development theories can help us become better teachers while playing BINGO, listening to Beyoncé, looking at silly pictures of cats, and winning prizes? This session will cover the “greatest hits” of Erik Erikson, Magda Gerber, Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, and others, showing you how their theories help us understand the growth and development of children each and every day.

This session will evaluate the advantages of using emotional intelligence in the early childhood classroom. Emotions are experienced before rational thought processes can occur; therefore it is necessary for early childhood educators to understand, practice, and model emotional intelligence as children develop their social emotional skills. Emotionally Intelligent early childhood educators are the key to establishing fully engaged learning environments. Participants will identify the four basic emotions and diverse vocabulary to describe emotions using emotion dolls and other hands-on group activities. The session will also guide participants in analyzing realistic early childhood classroom scenarios and how to model and use emotional intelligence in those situations. Participants will also be provided with techniques to cultivate poise, proficiency, and positive personalities that can strengthen early learning settings and promote collaboration in the early childhood education workforce.

Some children fall down and pop back up and keep going, some lay on the ground and cry, waiting to be rescued. When exactly does this mindset occur in a child? Can we nurture a “can do attitude” in order to prepare the resilience inside a child they will need for the rest of their lives? Yes, and it starts when a child is born and is a lifelong journey.

As infants begin to roll, sit, crawl and walk there will be many falls. How the people around the child treat him during these times will begin to shape the mind. Do I try to reach that toy on the top shelf again or cry and point? A growth mindset comes from the encouragement given or is hindered by the adults around them looking to establish a bond. How can you build a bond with a child, without hindering their ability to keep trying in the face of adversity.

Experiments and brain scans show interesting results when children are pushed beyond their comfort zones. Failure can lead to discouragement but pushing past that failure strengthens the connections in the brain so when something goes right the concept is solidly learned. We can have environments perfectly set up for this kind of trial and error as long as children are allowed to work uninterrupted. Let us help you discover the power of failure

In our conference session, Hands-on Activities to Encourage Emotional Development in Early Education, our Glenville State University Early Education Student Group, as well as early education faculty, will share a variety of hands-on learning activities to enhance and encourage young children’s emotional development. The presenters will share hands-on activities to encourage and strengthen emotional development, as well as activities to connect children’s literature to emotional growth. Family engagement activities will also be shared. Activities will be interactive and developmentally appropriate for preschool and kindergarten aged children. Handouts will be available. The content will be developed under the close guidance and support of the university’s early education faculty.

Have you ever noticed that certain people do all the talking? You may be thinking to yourself that is a good thing: If other people talk, then I don’t have to! But not speaking up keeps you from getting your ideas heard, your values understood, and your needs met. What if there was a solution? In today’s interactive presentation you will pick up three tools to help you speak up, even if you are an introvert.