Girl with a brown crayon

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Girl with a brown crayon

• Video The boy who could tell stories
• Video Setting Sail An emergent curriculum
  project
• reflect on videos- important points

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House keeping

• NB Science lessons- You should be done teaching-
  Start putting the document together if you have
  not already started to do so.

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Reflections

• Girl with the brown crayon 4 page paper
  Reflective writing based on this book due- what
  was most important for you in this book, why?
  What do you agree with? What do you disagree
  with? What did you like about the teacher in the
  story? Support your explanations. What did you
  learn as a teacher? How do you plan using what
  you leaned from this book?

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The girl with the brown crayon

• This book is a great example of how important it
  is to really listen to your students and to allow
  them an input in what they are learning. I
  really believe that is why they were so into this
  idea, because their teacher allowed and
  encouraged them to really lead the discussions
  and projects related

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More

• Teachers can learn so much from their students,
  and listening to their interpretations. The fact
  that the teacher and Nisha decided to do the unit
  of Leo Leoni for the year is fascinating in that
  it came out from the childrens interest, and
  made the teachers that much more interested in
  the author. Reeny adds her input to each book,
  while linking her experiences to those of the
  characters. The children begin to link the books
  and characters together and this is building to
  not only their understanding of Leoni, but also
  to the teachers.

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More quotes

• I feel that this author and the way Vivian
  presented him and his books to the class brought
  out the best in all of them, one way or another.
  I believe they also bonded with each other in a
  way they might not normally have. They were able
  to make personal connections and had thoughts and
  comments about every book they read.

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More

• I hope that I never look at the negative of kids
  all the time or break them piece by piece or
  labelthem as under achievers or unable to
  learn.  I dont want to ever make a child feel
  less then adequate.  This ruins their self-esteem
  and makes them feel worthless.  It also talked
  about how there are teachers who are likerocks
  nothing can move them or change the ways they do
  things.  This should never be the case.  Teachers
  have to be flexible according to the needs
  ofeach individual child in their classroom. 
  Kids share themselves and can teach you many
  things. 

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Girl with the brown crayon

• It is great that they get to explore so many
  aspects of these books and get totally immersed
  in the subjects so related to life. It is very
  sad that Leo Leoni was ill. This part of the
  book made me cry, just imagining Reeny getting so
  upset and then all of her friends wanting her to
  be happy again, and being there for her. She has
  truly touched everyones lives. I love that the
  students want to draw posters for each book of
  Leo Leonis that they have read and that they go
  over and over the book to the point of
  memorization. Repetitiveness is key for early
  childhood remembering

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Other today

• Video The boy who could tell stories
• Begin Project Approach
• Video Setting Sail An emergent curriculum
  project
• - reflect on videos- important points

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Curriculum models in early childhood

• Defining curriculum- the content composition
  of the preprimary programs including 1-3rd grade-
  that include
• All daily activities
• Transitions
• Routines
• Which impact the development of the whole child (
  all areas of development)
• Should be central to any early childhood program

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Curriculum models

• Definition- educational systems that combine
  theory with practice
• Has a theory and knowledge base that reflects
  philosophical orientation is supported by
  research in child development education
  evaluation

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Why a curriculum model is important

• Helps with practical guidelines on how to Arrange
  space, structure activities, interact with
  children families, support staff members in
  their initial training for on going program
  implementation

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Examples of curriculum models

• Creative curriculum- used in Head start programs,
  most child care, preschool, pre-K K classes
• Early Recognition intervention network (ERIN)-
  special ed. Programs (used in above named
  programs other regular classes)

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Examples continued

• High scope preschool program- used in both public
  private full day preschool, nursery schools,
  Head start, home based programs special needs
  programs.
• Montessori- based on work writings of Italian
  physician Maria Montessori- That children can
  teach themselves through experiences
• Reggio Emilia- Emphasizes the involvement of
  children, staff, parents in the learning
  experience. It is an emergent curriculum

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The emergent curriculum

• Emergent curriculum describes curriculum that
  develops from exploring what is "socially
  relevant, intellectually engaging, and personally
  meaningful to children.... As caring adults, we
  make choices for children that reflect our
  values at the same time we keep our plans
  open-ended and responsive to children" (Jones and
  Nimmo, 1994).
• Emergent curriculum arises naturally from
  adult-child and child-child interactions that
  create "teachable moments." It connects learning
  with experience and prior learning. It responds
  to children's immediate interests rather than
  focusing on a narrow, individual, or calendar
  driven topic. It is process rather than product
  driven.

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The Project approach

• What is it?

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Project approach

• A project is an in-depth investigation of a
  specific topic with the main goals of finding out
  more about the topic rather than to seek answers
  to questions proposed by the teacher.
• Either the children or teacher can generate the
  topic.
• The questions to be addressed and investigated
  during the project are generated and developed by
  the children.
• Project work should not constitute the whole
  curriculum but should address the more informal
  parts of the curriculum.
• The project approach is similar to themes and
  units but themes usually consist of preplanned
  lessons and activities on particular topics
  selected by the teacher rather than the child.

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Planning needs knowledge

• Planning the curriculum in each pre-primarily
  classroom is based on
• Knowledge of child development
• Understanding of developmentally appropriate
  practices and the guidelines
• Preschool Curricular Goals and Benchmarks
• Sensitivity to individual children's personal
  experiences and interests and
• Knowing that children learn through first-hand
  observation, play, and direct experience.

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What are the Sources

• Developmental tasks At each developmental stage
  there are tasks to be mastered such as talking,
  pouring, running, hopping, throwing or bouncing a
  ball, pedaling a bike, digging, filling, grasping
  a pencil, cutting with scissors.
• teachers pay special attention to offering many
  opportunities for children to choose activities
  that provide spontaneous skill practice.
• responsive to social-emotional issues that
  surface powerfully at different stages, such as
  autonomy, power, strength and friendship.

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Sources continued

• Things in the physical environment Children's
  experience is unique to the place they are in.
  Man-made things in the environment (for example,
  blocks, tricycles) are typically standardized and
  often result in predictable play.

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Sources continued

• People in the social environment The presence of
  children of various ages visiting from other
  rooms, parents, floating staff, or enrichment
  instructors in the classroom naturally adds to
  children's interactions.
• Curriculum resource materials enough materials
  to help exploration are available.
• Serendipity/unexpected events When the
  unexpected happens in the classroom, surrounding
  community, or in the natural world, teachers
  respond by incorporating it into their plans,
  short or long term, to give children enough space
  and opportunity to consider and explore them at
  their own pace

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More sources

• Living together Conflict resolution, care
  giving, and routines Care giving and the
  resolution of interpersonal issues are not
  interruptions to the curriculum. They are the
  most important and basic curriculum. Washing
  hands before meals and after diapering/toileting
  is an independent step, as is pouring water or
  milk at snack times and lunch.
• Helping to unpack and repack one's own lunch
  takes fine motor control and patience. Putting
  things away in cubbies after playtime requires
  follow through, and resisting the temptation to
  take belongings out of the cubbies of friends
  demands self control.
• Mastery of the potty sometimes leads to
  accidents, which means opportunities to assist
  with self-dressing. Starting with the emergence
  of speech in the red room, children are
  consistently given tools (phrases to use, and
  communication and listening skills) and
  experiences that foster learning to compromise
  and share when playing with peers

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Key principles

• Our understanding of children guides our
  decision-making. We view children as competent,
  full of wonder, willing to investigate, critique,
  reflect, and collaborate. This understanding
  shapes our decisions about how to arrange our
  classroom environment, schedule our days, and
  plan our curriculum.
• Teachers pay careful attention to the use of
  space and time. The classroom environment sets
  the tone, inviting children to explore,
  collaborate, reflect, and communicate using a
  range of media. The schedule each day allows for
  long stretches of open-ended time during which
  children can pursue their questions, passions,
  and developmental themes.

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Key principles continued

• Curriculum planning is based on observation.
  Teachers observe children as they play, paying
  close attention to recurring themes,
  developmental issues, and underlying questions.
  Observations guide curriculum planning, as we
  create opportunities for children to deepen their
  thinking, represent their understandings, and
  encounter new perspectives.
• Teachers consider relationships to be central.
  Teachers emphasize relationship building and
  cooperation among children, and between teachers
  and children. Teachers actively seek out
  collaboration with other teachers and with
  families, asking and encouraging questions about
  children's play, and sharing their observations.
• When we ask families to share their perspectives
  and invite them to help us make decisions about
  classroom life and curriculum, we enrich our
  understanding and include families in the life
  children live at school.

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What have you seen in your programs that reflect
the emergent/project approach curriculum?

• Describe events.

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How do you plan to use the knowledge gained ..

• Describe two ways how you plan to use an emergent
  curriculum.
• What is the difference between a thematic
  approach an emergent curriculum?
• List two differences between a planned
  curriculum an emergent curriculum.

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How do you plan to use the knowledge gained

• Why are projects one of the most appropriate
  teaching approach in early childhood?
• What are the phases of planning and implementing
  a project approach according to Katz?
• What is an accidental/unidentified curriculum?
• How can you use it?

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Coming up

• 4/25
• Finish Project Approach video discussions
• Interview each other and develop a curriculum
  Web- details will be given in class
• 5/2 NO CLASS Meeting Individually work on your
  Practicum paper
• 3 pages, double spaced (font size 12) on
  practicum experiences to include
• 1. Learning environment
• 2. teaching strategies
• 3. curriculum activities
• interactions
• 4. and assessment in your program
• 5. what would you change?
• NB Bring this paper to class on MAY 9th- do not
  send via email

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Science documentation due 5/9

• Science Documentation Due sharing
• Teach one mini lesson 10 minutes in science or
  math
• Can integrate literacy social studies
• Final Exams May 14-17 As scheduled UWCC
  calendar- finish presentations mini lessons