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Programs

Lab: Interacting with Children and Adults

 

1.   Purpose of Labs

Labs are when students interact with children, cooperating teachers, and parents. Lab provides the opportunity to learn first hand about children’s development, interests and abilities.  It allows students to apply the information from academic classes and other resources, to discover what really works with children.  An important aspect of labs is reflecting/analyzing about lab experiences.  This reflection/analysis is central to constructing knowledge and skills.

 

Learning to be an early childhood teacher is like building a block structure or weaving a fabric.  If students were learning to build a block structure in an academic class they would learn about blocks – their sizes, shapes, types of wood, ways of balancing, etc.  In lab they would build with the blocks – students would experiment to find out how to get them to balance, which shapes fit together better, etc.   

                                 

So it is with the NCC early childhood program.  We believe that it takes the reciprocal relationship of – the connection between - the academic classroom and the lab classroom to spark constructivist learning.

 

2.    Lab Courses

Five early childhood courses have labs.  These courses are:

  • EARL112 Early Childhood Language and Literature
  • EARL105 Early Childhood Visual Art
  • EARL122 Early Childhood Music and Movement
  • EARL215 Early Childhood Science and Math
  • EARL220 Infant-Toddler Care and Education

3.    Lab Locations and Settings

The location and setting of lab sites is based on individual circumstance and is determined between the student and course instructor.  All campus students are encouraged to do their labs at an NCC Children’s Center.  Students employed full-time in the early care and education profession, and/or who are distance-learning students living beyond a commuting distance, may complete their lab assignment at their work site.

  

4.    Lab Hours

Lab procedures are as follows:        

  • Students have ten, two-hour labs beginning week 4 and continuing through week 13. 
  • Classes with labs are 2 hours and 20 minutes.
  • Weeks 14 and 15 can be lab make- up weeks. 
  • All students must complete ten lab weeks and all assignments to receive credit for the course.

 

5.   Lab Attendance and Withdrawal

Labs count as part of class attendance (campus and web) because the learning in lab reinforces and extends the learning in class and vice versa.  All students must complete 10 two-hour labs and all assignments to receive credit for the course.

 

6.   Scheduling Your Lab

Campus Labs:

Labs are scheduled at the first class with the course instructor (campus and distance learning) or during advising. Distance learning students needing an NCC campus lab may contact the Coordinator of the Children’s Center:  Reibman Hall Children’s Center, Karen Klein at kklein@northampton.edu; or Hannig Family Children’s Center, Faye Freer at ffreer@northampton.edu.

 

Worksite Labs:

Complete an Off-Campus Lab Information Form and give or email it to course instructor.  The course instructor will provide a packet of information for the worksite cooperating teacher.  Included in this packet is an Understanding of Participation, which must be signed by the cooperating teacher and facility administrator.  This form must be returned to the early childhood office by the end of the second week of lab in order to continue in the course.  The course instructor may withdraw students if signed information is not on file.

 

 

7.   Cooperating Teacher

The cooperating teacher becomes another one of the student's learning partners.  Cooperating teachers support student's work in completing lab assignments and providing feedback based on NCC Teaching Skills and Strategies as appropriate.   Cooperating teachers for distance learning students must participate in Blackboard discussion forums prepared for them.

 

Cooperating Teachers at Worksite Labs

The cooperating teacher acts as the contact person for the course instructor and the student.  The cooperating teacher signs an Understanding of Participation that means students are provided the opportunity to:

 

•      Observe and document children’s actions and teachers’ interactions.

•      Use a wide variety of materials and supplies such as water, pretend play props, instruments, paints, children’s book, blocks, recorded music, etc.

•      Interact with children during a significant period of uninterrupted play (one hour or more).

•      Provide children with developmentally appropriate, creative experiences that promote children’s ability to think, communicate and express.  These experiences will require children to create their own unique work and may involve “messy” and “noisy” activities (goop, paint, musical bands).

•      Collect children’s work (or sketches/photos of work) to substantiate lab experiences and observations.  The center is to assign children based on signed clearances.

 

The cooperating teacher also agrees to document  actions/interactions on a student observation form provided by NCC.  The information from these forms is used to complete a Feedback on Student Teaching Skills and Strategies form which is sent to your course instructor at mid semester and at the end of the semester.  


The NCC Teaching Strategies and Skills Manual identifies and describes the behaviors with indicators and criteria which are used to guide and evaluate lab interactions.