Demonstration Educator - Early Learning Center - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The primary purpose of this position is to facilitate the mission of the Early Learning (ELC) - to foster scientific understanding of young children’s development. The ELC accomplishes this mission through (a) interdisciplinary research, (b) academic programs for undergraduate and graduate students, (c) early education programs for young children, and (d) outreach, advocacy, and public policy. The Demonstration Educator Apprentice and Demonstration Educator are both an integral part of the teaching and research mission of the ELC, providing direct training, mentoring, and supervision to undergraduate and graduate students in the program, as well as day-to-day supervision of and education programming for children in the laboratory school setting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in any field
At least two years teaching young children (birth-8) in a school or childcare setting
Prioritization skills
Ability to manage the comprehensive set of classroom and program/school requirements with consistency and efficiency
Knowledge of and ability to recommend practices in early childhood education environments
Knowledge of appropriate curricula and program plans for child care programs for children
Intentional, individualized modeling for students of recommended instructional practices
Supervision, program planning, instructional strategies, and guidance techniques
Skills in organization and care of the physical environment, routine care, family relationships, and observation
Strong skills in interpersonal, communication (both oral and written), professionalism, and organization
High level of initiative, accountability, and ability to self-regulate
Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or closely related field
Four years teaching young children (birth-8)
Skills in inquiry-based teaching, reflective practice, and pedagogical documentation
Skills in teaching, evaluation, and mentoring of students
Application of informed judgment and decision-making skills, considering multiple factors
Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Special Education, OR related field may be substituted (Human development/family science, elementary education, deaf education, psychology, social work, etc.)
At least three years teaching young children (birth-8) in a school or childcare setting
Skills in inclusion planning and cultural responsivity
Individualized skill and knowledge development support plans for undergraduate students in teacher licensure programs
Curriculum development for undergraduate student learning objectives
Design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of high-quality lab environments and experiences
Design and implementation of innovative curriculum and instructional methodology in laboratory classroom
Implementation and evaluation of experimental pedagogy in laboratory contexts
Interaction with current ECE research and innovative ECE pedagogy
Design of individualized support and child development intervention plans in partnership with families
Engagement with pedagogical documentation methods
Commitment to dissemination of work through presentations, professional writing, and other modalities
Support for center outreach efforts

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree
Five years of teaching young children (birth-8)
Working with diverse families
Disseminating pedagogical work through writing, conference presentation, or other context
Public speaking and academic writing skills
Ability to effectively provide supervisory and performance feedback to all educators in classroom context, as well as beginning educators across the program
Management of many details and systems, project management, and leadership skills
Ability to consistently use judgement and multiple sources of complex data to make informed decisions impacting multiple stakeholders and areas of program operations

Responsibilities

Provides direct training, mentoring, and supervision of undergraduate and graduate students in their assigned ECE classroom.
Meets weekly with assigned undergraduate pre-service teachers, providing resources to support their growth and learning.
Evaluates performance in the classroom.
Corresponds regularly with Course Instructors re: student performance, needs, concerns.
Demonstrates specific teaching skills, strategies, and techniques.
Demonstrates how to provide developmentally appropriate and safe environments and guidelines for children, observe and assess children's needs and behaviors, follow children's questions in forming project work with children, documentation, etc.
Develops documentation and materials that visually represent demonstration practices and how they relate to course content.
Serves as a guest speaker in courses.
Engages with professional learning experiences toward consistent growth in mentoring skills and ECE content knowledge.
Responsible for the leadership, direction, training, and operational management of early childhood laboratory classrooms specializing in the following: Tennessee DOE licensing regulations, modeling Developmentally Appropriate Practice, and operationalizing NAEYC professional competencies and standards.
Provides day-to-day classroom management.
Works with other classroom teachers to provide high-quality care, supervision, and education.
Supervises all teaching staff in the classroom at any given time, including the assistant teacher, student teacher, etc.
Plans and implements meaningful and effective lessons for the children engaged in the classroom.
Provides ongoing assessments of the children, implements and maintains health and safety standards, and state licensing standards.
Plans and implements culturally responsive curriculum and classroom practice.
Coordinates community-building events for families.
Provides parenting education content to families and educators.
Supports outreach initiatives, including the Early Learning Institute and study tours.
Designs individualized skill and knowledge development support plans for undergraduate students in the program.
Develops curriculum for undergraduate student learning objectives.
Designs, implements, evaluates, and maintains high-quality lab environments and experiences.
Designs and implements innovative curriculum and instructional methodology in laboratory contexts.
Implements and evaluates experimental pedagogy in laboratory contexts.
Interacts with current ECE research and innovative ECE pedagogy.
Implements and demonstrates instructional strategies and programming design elements that support social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion goals in laboratory setting.
Responsible for data reporting, representation, and dissemination.
Responsible for collaborative design, evaluation, and maintenance of program operational systems; contributes to complex decision-making processes impacting all educators and classrooms.
Translates programmatic systems, policies, procedures, and structures into accessible and contextually appropriate modes and procedures for a wide variety of program staff and students; provides training, accountability structures, and oversight on these structures for staff and students.