Professional Educator Diploma in Teaching Early Years Learners (CELE)

This course empowers teachers with essential knowledge about how children develop over the early learners' period (birth through age 12) in the key developmental areas of cognition, language, social-emotional, motor skills, and self-help. Theories of child development relevant to education in the early years are included. Teachers will also gain knowledge regarding the different learning styles and abilities of students.

This course supports teachers in attaining a deeper understanding of how early grade students learn and of the pedagogic models and practices specific to their subject area of teaching and learning. Topics include instructional strategies, classroom organizational models, communication skills to enhance active inquiry, collaborative learning, instructional planning, development of reflection skills, problem-solving, and classroom management techniques.

This course helps teachers understand the nature of assessment for early learners. Teachers will be able to identify and differentiate between the three types of assessments related to learning. Teachers will explore the role of assessment in the learning process. They will be able to identify, differentiate and use various assessment strategies effectively. Topics will include: selecting and developing assessment methods; administering, scoring, and interpreting assessment results; using descriptive feedback; using assessment results when making decisions about individual students; and recognizing unethical, illegal, and inappropriate assessment methods and uses of assessment information.

This course will help teachers explore how a student's engagement affects their active learning. The course will consider classroom-related engagement areas related to cognitive, behavioral, and affective fields. Topics will include areas like engagement, motivating young learners, safe and healthy supporting learning environments, technology and inquiry, creativity and critical thinking, parental and community engagement, parental communication and counseling, global citizenship, and related behaviors and attitudes.

This course introduces teachers to innovative techniques for the effective integration of instructional technology in the teaching and learning process to increase student engagement and achievement. The course will enable teachers to use technology as a teaching and learning mean, choose appropriate technological tools based on learner's needs, and design meaningful learning experiences for their students. Topics covered in this course include the role of technology in 21st-century education, student-centered learning, virtual learning environments, online communication and collaboration tools, netiquette, cross-disciplinary integration, open-source education, video technologies, gamification, digital citizenship, and online assessment tools.

This practical course will help teachers to become reflective educators and integrate theoretically acquired knowledge into professional practice. The course will enhance the teacher’s ability to utilize reflective, experiential, and pragmatic pedagogic approaches for diverse learners effectively. The course, therefore, aims at upgrading and promoting the facilitation of learning through peer observation, critical friends groups, and cognitive coaching. The 516 course should be the last course of the diploma