Hands-On Observations and Guest Sessions Held Within the ECE4230 Course

The Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Educational Sciences Early Childhood Education Program strongly continued its field-based teaching approach this semester within the course "Educational Approaches in Early Childhood (ECE4230)," taught by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seda Saraç.

As part of the course, students visited various preschool education institutions in order to observe different early childhood education approaches and examine examples of practice directly in the field. The institutions visited were:

Küçük Kara Balık Kindergarten

Her Çocuk Bir Evren Kindergarten

Bahçeşehir College Çamlıca Campus Kindergarten

During these visits, students had the chance to observe how different early childhood education approaches, such as Reggio Emilia, Waldorf, Montessori and the Türkiye-specific Maarif Model, are implemented in the field. The institutions' physical environment arrangements, pedagogical approaches and teacher–child interactions were evaluated.

In addition to the visits, several guest educators were hosted as part of the course. Aylin Gök, Preschool Coordinator, and Gonca Bulutsuz, Head of the Preschool Department, from Bahçeşehir College shared their knowledge and experience of the Maarif Model with students. On the Waldorf education approach, experienced educators in the field Deniz Gülce Özbay and Fatoş Tastekin met with students and conveyed the philosophy and practical aspects of the approach.

Stating that such interactions and field-based learning opportunities make a great contribution to students' professional development, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seda Saraç emphasized that practice-based learning processes will continue.