Introduction and History of
Early Childhood Education
Chapter 1, 2
History of Early Childhood Education
• The Medieval period (5th thru 13th
century)
– Children were considered adults by
age 7
– High mortality rates
– Education was gender and class
based (Education was focused
primarily on noble class males)
• The reformation (religious) period
(14th thru 16th century)
– Children are inherently evil and
education is essential to their moral
socialization
– Puritan Ethics
History of Early Childhood
Education
• The enlightment period (17th
and 18th century)
– John Comenius (1592-1670
Czech educator)
• Developed picture books for children
that developed the senses and
focused on nature
• Children learn best by doing and
learning follows a natural order
(learning readiness)
• Believed that the poor should also be
educated
History of Early Childhood Education
• John Locke (1632-1714) English
Philosopher)
– Tabula Rasa
– Focused on the unique and individual
needs of a child in the facilitation of learning
– Focused on the importance of play and the
environment towards healthy development
• Jean Rousseau (1712-1778)
– Children are born innately good
– Free play, autonomy, and self regulation
are all derivatives of his ideas
Schiller and Pestalozzi
• Friedrich von Schiller viewed play as
excess energy from which all creative
artistic and spiritual activity grows.
• Johan Pestalozzi (1746-1827) Swedish
educator) purported that children were
supposed to learn naturally from their
encounters with real things. Learning is
optimized by doing.
– Emphasized the integrated curriculum
approach to educating the whole child (i.e.,
cognitively, socially, physically)
Curriculum Based Programs Which
Promote Creativity (Jackman, 2001)
• Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852).
– Developed the first curriculum based program
exclusively for young children.
– Teacher focused model (effective teaching and
curriculum development is key)
– Froebel identified key objects/resources to
promote learning; consequently, these resources
continue to be used today (Developed in
Germany).
Shaping Rational Thought on Education
• Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852 German educator) noted
the importance of the play-based curriculum.
– Froebel identified gifts (objects) could be situated and
manipulated in certain ways to optimize learning and educational
outcomes in children.
– Through play, children develop ideas and questions.
Consequently, they grow into maturity….Kindergarden.
– Froebel’s play based curriculum was seen as both rational and
spiritual towards building children into competence.
– Believed that both men and women should teach preschoolers
(2-6 yrs)
Froebel’s Gifts and Occupations
•
First gifts. Six small yarn balls, one each in a primary or secondary color
•
Second gift. A small wood ball, wood cylinder, and wood cube
•
Third gift. A small wooden cube, composed of eight component cubes
•
Fourth gift. A small wooden cube, composed of eight rectangular blocks
•
Fifth gift. A larger wooden cube, composed of 27 cubes
•
Sixth gift. A comparably sized wooden cube, composed of 27 rectangular blocks
•
Seventh gift. Wooden tablets (squares, half-squares, triangles, half-triangles, third-triangles)
•
Eighth gift. Wooden sticks (lines) and metal curves (circles, half circles, quadrants)
•
Ninth gift. Points (beans, seeds, pebbles, holes in paper)
•
Tenth gift. Peas (or pellets) construction, with sticks
• Occupations: Plastic clay (solids), Paper folding (surfaces), Weaving
(lines), Drawing (lines), Stringing beads (points), Painting (surfaces).
Froebel’s Kindergarden Curriculum
• The Ball. Simulating the relationship of objects in the
world to one another and for representing our connection
to one another through games
• Building Blocks. Construction materials to simulate.
• Sticks. For pattern creation to simulate letters
• Pricking Sheets. Creating patterns and sewing
• Many of the basic tenants and resources utilized by
Froebel continue to be implemented in daycares,
preschools, and kindergardens today.
Reggio Emilia
• Founded in the 1970’s by Loris Malaguzzi.
• Basic Model
– Children are viewed as active learners
– Integrated Curriculum/Project Work.
• Rooms are not divided into learning centers.
– Teacher/Child Relationships
– Documentation of Student Learning
Key Points & Benefits to Reggio Emilia
Approach
•
Teachers possess a greater knowledge of the children they work with
•
Able to document more observations and experiences
•
Stronger bond and greater support between teacher and children
•
Teachers create an environment that stimulates learning
– Teachers focus on children’s development of symbolic language and
expression (drawing, sculpture, dramatic play, and writing).
– Children’s projects (art, poems, etc.) are displayed on the walls throughout
the facility.
– There is no hurry to cover a particular lesson. Structure is provided but
freedom of expression sets the pace
– Plenty of time for spontaneous play with abundant resources
•
Teachers value the importance of children being confused and working through
difficult tasks with limited information
Developing Healthy Sense of Identity
• Provide children with experiences that promotes
more successes than failures.
• Stable interaction and relationships in
education/learning based settings are vital.
– Based on the Reggio Emilia models, children and teachers
progress to different learning settings at the same time
(Infant/toddler centers and preschools).
Maria Montessori
• The second to develop a curriculum based
program exclusively for young children.
– 1st female physician in Italy
• Montessori’s ideas initially came from working
with impoverished children in Italy.
• Key Points to Model:
– Children learn best from child-sized environments that
are stimulating and inviting.
– Children copy their environment rather than construct it.
Consequently, by observing and later practicing what
they have witnessed, children begin to internalize the
properties of their environment.
Montessori Continued
• Key Points
– Complex tasks can be taught
to young children by breaking
the task into simple
sequences
– Employed the usage of self
correcting material
– Healthy cognitive
development is a function of
one’s ability to employ
multiple senses to stimulate
growth
• Features of Montessori
– Adapt school work to the
child rather than molding the
child to fit a curriculum
– Freedom of expression
regarding the selection of
resources and activities
– Development of the senses
and a focus on practical (lifeskill) learning
Waldorf School of Education
• Rudolf Steiner (German educator)
– Focus on holistic learning
– The environment must be carefully planned to protect
and nurture the child
– Promote innate self-motivation
– Learn a child’s temperament and work within that
framework
– Television is eliminated
• Childhood is a phase of life in itself
– The Will (0-7 years)
– The Heart Feelings (7-14years)
– The Head Fusion (14 years on)
Head Start
• The largest publicly funded educational
program for young children
• Since 1965, Head Start has provided
curriculum/classroom based learning to
children in low income families.
• Head Start has been effective in providing
family center education in an effort to
improve upon the lives of young children.
High/Scope
• Developed in the 1960s under the leadership of
David Weikert.
• Key Points:
– Children learn best through active experiences
with people, materials, events, and ideas.
– Autonomy is fostered in children as teachers
facilitate a daily “plan-do-review” process.
Bank Street
• Founded in 1916 by Lucy S. Mitchell
• Key Points:
– Focus on holistic approach to developmental-interaction programs
(development and learning).
– Cognitive growth cannot be separated from the growth of personal
and social processes.
– Classrooms are arranged into distinct learning centers. Learning is
encouraged by bridging play, choice management, taking risks, and
accepting help.
– The Bank Street approach employs an open education which
believes that children are capable of selecting and learning from
appropriate activities. The goal is not to teach new concepts but
to better employ the skills already obtained.
Continuity of Child Care Relationships are Not
Always the Central Goal
• Some directors of child care centers promote the
moving of children every 6 months.
– Premise. Some parents prefer this as a means of limiting
attachment of their children to other people.
– Criticism. This practice prohibits professionals from
appropriately getting to know the child and their families.
Differences Between Families and Teachers on
Child Practices
• What happens when parents expect teachers to do things that contradict
their principles.
– Issues of corporal punishment…Scenario…Parents condone/teachers
prohibited.
– How do teachers respond to children’s play with violent themes (toys or
imaginary)
• In problem-solving, educators bear the responsibility of being openminded and objective. Antonia Lopez notes 4 guiding questions:
–
–
–
–
Are the concepts clear
Can they be restated for better clarity
How are they related to the child’s overall wellbeing
What are the cultural implications (is it a matter of culture, opinion, or
information)
John Dewey (1859-1952) and Pragmatism
• Child centered and child focused educational
approach
• Play provides a more generalized internalizing of
knowledge in young children.
• Play is the free, intrinsically interesting exploration
of society and nature. According to Dewey, to
practice freedom, one must experience freedom.
• Play is also seen as experimental and experiential.
Consequently, we are learning skills of
socialization (political, religious, or economic).
Vytgotsky’s View of Play
• Play is seen as a developmental mechanism that
allows children to turn actions into meanings and to
internalize those meanings.
• For the preschool and early school years, play
becomes a means by which children internalize the
knowledge and expectations of culture.
21st Century Education
• Early childhood education
– Learning settings that
promote positive change
and growth in children
– Bridge the gap between
play, learning, and
education
– Promotes holistic learning
and heightened adaptability
The Challenge Before Us as Early Educators
• Jackman (2001) cites research findings from the
Children’s Defense Fund regarding the changing
trends impacting early educators:
– In 1973 approximately 30 % of mothers with children
under age 6 were in the workforce, as were more
than 50 % of mothers of school-age children.
– By 1997, the percentages had grown to 65% and
77% respectively
– Everyday, 13 million children—including 6 million
infants and toddlers—are in child care.
Child Development Associate Credentials
(CDA)
• Competencies:
– Organizing the physical environment
– Promoting children’s social, physical, and
intellectual competence
– Building personal strength in children
– Facilitating group interaction
– Working with parents, colleagues, and community
for policy and curriculum development
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE
PRACTICE
• The following lecture notes comprise of chapters 1,2,& 4
of the DAP. The noted information represent
fundamental principles which begin to define teacher and
organizational commitments to children and children’s
commitment to self development.
NAEYC POSITION ON DEVELOPMENTALLY
APPROPRIATE PRACTICE (DAP)
DAP in Early Childhood Programs
Serving from Birth through Age 8
• Early Childhood Programs
• Identify principles of DAP for
professionals who make decision
about the care and education of
young children.
– Child care centers
• ECE professionals are
responsible for establishing:
– Private and Public
Preschools
– Family child care homes
– Standards of high-quality
– Kindergartens
– Professional practice in early
programs
– Primary-grade schools
The current context of early childhood programs
•
ECE Programs continue to increase due in part to the growing demand for out-ofhome child care but also in recognition of the critical importance of educational
experiences during early years.
•
Welfare reforms also reflect a significant increased demand for child care
services for even the youngest children from very low-income families.
– There is an increased movement toward multiculturalism and diversity.
•
The American with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act requires that all ECE programs make reasonable accommodations to provide
access for children with disabilities or developmental delays.
•
Increase in enrollment with children at younger ages
•
Length of the program day for all ages of children has been extended in response
to the need for extended hours of care for employed families.
•
Corporate America has become a more visible sponsor of child care programs.
Key Points for Consideration
•
The increased demand for early childhood education services is due in part
– To increased recognition of the crucial importance of experiences during the
earliest years of life.
– Research clearly demonstrate that early and/or high-quality programs produce
short- and long-term positive effects on children’s cognitive and social
development.
•
Children who experience high-quality, stable child care engage in
– More complex play
– Demonstrate more secure attachment to adults and other children
– Score higher on measure of thinking ability and language development
•
High-quality child care programs have been found to predict
– Future academic success
– Adjustment to school
– Reduced behavioral problems for children in first grades.
•
High quality child care facilities are not the norm in our society.
– This is due to the need for uniform standards of high quality.
Pro-social & Developmental Outcome Goals
• Goals for children toward the development of pro-social
outcomes:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Communicate well
Respect others
Engage with them to work through the differences of opinions
Function well as members of a team
Analyze situation
Make reasoned judgments
Solve new problems as they emerge.
Access information through various modes, including spoken
and written language
– Intelligently employ complex tools and technologies as they are
developed.
– Continue to learn new approaches, skills, and knowledge as
conditions and needs change.
Empirical principles of child development that guide
developmentally appropriate practice
1. Development in one domain influences and is influenced by
development in other domains.
2. Development occurs in a relatively orderly sequence, with later
abilities, skills, and knowledge building on those already acquired.
3. Development proceeds at varying rated from child to child as well as
unevenly within different areas of each child’s functioning.
4. Early experiences have both cumulative and delayed effect on
individual children’s development. Optimal periods exist for certain
types of development and learning.
5. Development and learning are influenced by multiple social and
cultural contexts. Children are actively constructing their knowledge
and understanding of the world around them
Empirical principles of child development that guide
developmentally appropriate practice
6. Development and learning result from interaction of biological
maturation and the environment, which includes both the physical
and social worlds that children live in.
7. Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and
cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their development.
8. Development advances when children have opportunities to practice
newly acquired skills as well as when they experience a challenge
just beyond the level of their present mastery. Learning and
intelligence is multidimensional.
9. Children develop and learn best in the context of a community where
they are safe and valued, their physical needs are met, and they feel
psychologically secure
Guidelines for Decision About DAP
1.
Creating a caring community of learners.
2.
Teaching to enhance development and learning.
3.
Constructing appropriate curriculum
4.
Assessing children's learning and development
5.
Establishing reciprocal relationships with families
Policies essential for achieving DAP in early
childhood programs
•
NAEYC recommendations to policymaking groups
1.
A comprehensive professional preparation and development system is in place to ensure that
ECE programs are staffed with qualified personnel.
•
Ensure that funding is provided to ensure adequate staffing of early childhood programs
•
Ensure fair staff compensation to minimize attrition and promote continuity between adults
and children.
1.
Resources and expertise are available to provide safe, stimulating learning environments with a
sufficient variety of appropriate materials and equipment.
•
Adequate systems for regulating and monitoring the quality of early childhood programs are
in place
•
Community resources are available and used to support the comprehensive needs of
children and families.
1.
Alternative methods are employed when children do not make expected learning process (i.e.,
focused time, individualized instruction, tutoring).
1.
Early childhood programs use multiple indicators to chart progress in children's development and
learning and regularly report children’s progress to parents.
THE EARLY CHILDHOOD
TEACHER AS
DECISIONMAKER
Assessing Developmentally Appropriate
Practice
• DAP. The process of professionals making decisions about the wellbeing and education of children based on at least three important kinds
of information or knowledge:
– What is known about a child’s development and learning
• Age related characteristics
• Safe and appropriate resources
• Knowledge of appropriate interactions and task competencies
– What is known about the strengths, interests, and needs of each child.
Otherwise, it is difficult to develop an appropriate curriculum.
– Knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in which the children reside.
• By accommodating a curriculum in this manner, we ensure relevance an
adaptation to their community and family.
• Perhaps the greatest challenge of DAP is knowing the characteristics of
your audience (cultural practices, developmental stage, significant
handicaps or delays).
Challenge to Developing Curriculum Purely on
Developmental Norms
• While consistent developmental outcomes in children
occur within similar time frames, many decisions of
developmental competency are based on identified “norm
or average.”
– These statistical categories often fail to reflect a considerable
proportion of children in general settings.
– Range tells a better story than central tendency.
• Much of our knowledge of developmental norms is based
on dominant culture norms
– This fails to recognize developmental equivalences across other
cultures.
– Future models and curriculums must incorporate a greater diversity
of cultures.
Why Focus on Culture?
• 20% of Head Start’s population come from
non-English dominant homes.
• 50% of all kindergarten students in Texas
are Hispanic.
More on Culture
•
In the past, we have used culture more as a political tool to divide people—stressing
differences and ignoring commonalities.
• Discuss studies on culture, intelligence, and socioeconomic status
•
Culture consists of a set of rules or expectations for the behavior of group members that are
passed on from one generation to the next.
• Culture is not just rituals and celebrations.
• Culture is rules that influence behavior, give meaning to events and experiences in
families and communities.
•
Cultures are not stagnant. Cultures borrow customs and traditions from each other.
•
The congruence of culture, preschools, and educational settings create an ease for learning
for children. The reverse often forces children to decide between their culture and their
learning setting. Ex.
• Latino father teaches child to respect teacher by looking down when the teacher is
talking. The teacher purports that she cannot reach the child because he want
even look her in the eyes when she is talking.
•
Everyone is influenced by culture (even teachers). We must be certain that our own
beliefs and values do not hinder our ability to effectively work with children of
different values.
• What happens when the values and beliefs of teachers significantly
contradict the values and beliefs of families in which the children reside?
Key Points of Consideration
• Our knowledge of child development and learning allows
us to make general predictions about the kinds of activities
and experiences that will effectively engage children given
their competences.
• Understanding child success and competency as both
developmental and experiential/interactive. Ex.
– (Bike example). Most 6 & 7 yr olds possess the developmental
skills to ride a bike, however, the range of learning is 4-21yrs of
age.
– Given proper exposure to instruction and resources, many children
are able to read by age 6 or 7, however, some learn as early as 4
yrs or as late as 9 yrs. (What determines these differences).
Why Such Large Ranges??????
• Developmentally Inappropriate Expectations.
Sometimes adults values and beliefs supercede
children’s actual competencies and capabilities.
– Adult expectations should be realistic
– Individual differences among children—greatly
acknowledged/widely ignored when developing curriculum
Developing Healthy Sense of Identity
• Provide children with experiences that promotes
more successes than failures.
• Stable interaction and relationships in
education/learning based settings are vital.
– Based on the Reggio Emilia models, children and teachers
progress to different learning settings at the same time
(Infant/toddler centers and preschools).
Reggio Emilia
• Founded in the 1970’s by Loris Malaguzzi.
• Basic Model
– Children are viewed as active learners
– Integrated Curriculum/Project Work.
• Rooms are not divided into learning centers.
– Teacher/Child Relationships
– Documentation of Student Learning
Key Points & Benefits to Reggio Emilia
Approach
•
Teachers possess a greater knowledge of the children they work with
•
Able to document more observations and experiences
•
Stronger bond and greater support between teacher and children
•
Teachers create an environment that stimulates learning
– Teachers focus on children’s development of symbolic language and
expression (drawing, sculpture, dramatic play, and writing).
– Children’s projects (art, poems, etc.) are displayed on the walls throughout
the facility.
– There is no hurry to cover a particular lesson. Structure is provided but
freedom of expression sets the pace
– Plenty of time for spontaneous play with abundant resources
•
Teachers value the importance of children being confused and working through
difficult tasks with limited information
Curriculum Based Programs Which
Promote Creativity (Jackman, 2001)
• Friedrich Froebel.
– Developed the first curriculum based
program exclusively for young children.
– Froebel identified key objects/resources to
promote learning; consequently, these
resources continue to be used today
(Developed in Germany).
Maria Montessori
• The second to develop a curriculum based
program exclusively for young children.
• Montessori’s ideas initially came from working
with impoverished children in Italy.
• Key Points to Model:
– Children learn best from child-sized environments that
are stimulating and inviting.
– Children copy their environment rather than construct it.
Consequently, by observing and later practicing what
they have witnessed, children begin to internalize the
properties of their environment.
Head Start
• The largest publicly funded educational
program for young children
• Since 1965, Head Start has provided
curriculum/classroom based learning to
children in low income families.
• Head Start has been effective in providing
family center education in an effort to
improve upon the lives of young children.
High/Scope
• Developed in the 1960s under the leadership of
David Weikert.
• Key Points:
– Children learn best through active experiences
with people, materials, events, and ideas.
– Autonomy is fostered in children as teachers
facilitate a daily “plan-do-review” process.
Bank Street
• Founded in 1916 by Lucy S. Mitchell
• Key Points:
– Focus on holistic approach to developmental-interaction programs
(development and learning).
– Cognitive growth cannot be separated from the growth of personal
and social processes.
– Classrooms are arranged into distinct learning centers. Learning is
encouraged by bridging play, choice management, taking risks, and
accepting help.
– The Bank Street approach employs an open education which
believes that children are capable of selecting and learning from
appropriate activities. The goal is not to teach new concepts but
to better employ the skills already obtained.
Continuity of Child Care Relationships are Not
Always the Central Goal
• Some directors of child care centers promote the
moving of children every 6 months.
– Premise. Some parents prefer this as a means of limiting
attachment of their children to other people.
– Criticism. This practice prohibits professionals from
appropriately getting to know the child and their families.
Differences Between Families and Teachers on
Child Practices
• What happens when parents expect teachers to do things that contradict
their principles.
– Issues of corporal punishment…Scenario…Parents condone/teachers
prohibited.
– How do teachers respond to children’s play with violent themes (toys or
imaginary)
• In problem-solving, educators bear the responsibility of being openminded and objective. Antonia Lopez notes 4 guiding questions:
–
–
–
–
Are the concepts clear
Can they be restated for better clarity
How are they related to the child’s overall wellbeing
What are the cultural implications (is it a matter of culture, opinion, or
information)
Theory & Research behind the Creative
Curriculum
• Abraham Maslow. There is a hierarchy of needs common
to all human beings. Basic needs must be met before
children are able to focus on learning.
– Physiological Needs. Basic needs such as hunger, thirst, and
bodily comfort. For this reason, many early childhood programs
provide breakfast, snacks, and lunches.
– Safety. When children feel safe they are open to greater exploration
and learning.
– Belongingness. The sense of being comfortable with and
connected to others that results from receiving acceptance, respect,
and love.
– Esteem. Self-value/respect and respect from others.
Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development
• Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy). Children who receive consistent and
loving care learn trust. Teachers establish a reliable, safe atmosphere
that reinforces the trust children learn at home and helps children who
mistrust because of difficult experiences.
– Teachers must know and develop a positive relationship with each child
– Follow a consistent schedule
– Carry through on announced plans and promises
• Autonomy vs. Shame/doubt (1-3 yrs). Autonomy is acting willingly
and by free choice. Children develop autonomy when adults give them
a chance to do things on their own.
– Teachers can set up an environment where children can find and return
materials on their own
– Provide play materials that support and challenge children’s abilities
– Help children express their feelings in constructive ways
– Provide appropriate real-world responsibilities and jobs
– Encourage children to see tasks through to completion
Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development
Continued
• Initiative vs. Guilt. An interest towards making things. Children with
initiative are purposeful and and eager to try out new materials and
ideas.
– Teachers need to provide an environment that promotes
experimentation and exploration
– Offer children opportunities to make choices
– Provide children with opportunities for creative expression
– Permit children to get messy during play
– Encourage children to work independently
– Value children’s ideas
– Promote problem-solving and appropriate risk taking
Learning and the Brain
• The human brain grows as a result of learning and experience.
Learning changes the physical structure of the brain (Increased
knowledge yields increased synaptic connections).
• Learning needs to be reinforced over and over to maintain synaptic
connections.
– During the first five years, trillions of synapses are formed in response to
learning experiences.
• Children’s emotional well-being is important. Stress can destroy brain
cells and make learning more difficult.
• Brain formation has sensitive periods. During the early years,
children are most receptive to learning emotional control, forming
attachments to others, and acquiring language and music skills.
DEVELOPMENTALLY
APPROPRIATE
PRACTICE:3-5 year olds
Developmentally Appropriate Practice for 3-5 Yrs.
• There are increasing numbers of children between 2 and 6 years of
age (preschoolers) who are involved in out-of-home programs.
• Challenge for working with Preschoolers
– 3yr. olds is to maintain constancy in their daily routines.
– Develop holistic preschool programs
– Developing programs that challenge children and consists of diverse
learning environments
• Research findings have noted several effective teaching practices that
support children’s development (intellectual, social, emotional).
–
–
–
–
Project work
Play
Small-group learning experiences
Engagement in real-life tasks (cooking, woodworking)
A Sketch of Physical Development (3-5 yrs)
– Physical growth is slow and steady during this
time period (3 to 5 years)
– Growth occurs mostly in trunk and legs
– On average, children gain 5 to 6 pounds and 2 to
3 inches per year during the period of 3 to 6 years.
– Growth varies between children
• Changes in body composition in consort with developing
gross motor skills creates an environment of mishaps
and accidents.
Maturation
• The brain grows from 75% to 90% of its adult size during
these years.
• Coordination improves due to brain lateralization and
myelinization (process of insulating the nervous system with
fat)
• All 20 baby teeth have erupted by age 3
• Sensation and Perception
• Children’s senses are generally developed, however, preschoolers tend
to be farsighted and have not yet developed their binocular vision
• 2 to 3yr olds demonstrate improved ability to perceive patterns and
discriminate various forms. Thus the increasing interest in art, puzzles,
constructions, and letter and words
Language and Communication
• Children’s vocabulary
–
–
–
–
Around age 2, about 50 words
Between 3 and 5, children learn about 50 new words per month
The typical vocabulary of a 6 yr old is between 8-14 thousand words
Fragmented statements transform into rolling sentences and complex
conversations
– Increasing awareness of scripts for communicating (set of actions and
language that are conventionally used in a range of situations)
• Private speech. The tendency for preschoolers to think out loud or
control their own behavior by literally talking to themselves
– Young children use it to announce completion of a task
– Many children use this as a means of problem-solving and cognitive
organization
• The early childhood years are optimal for fluency in a second language
(before age 12)
Cognition
• Among preschoolers, children’s increasing cognitive
capacity enables them to engage in more sophisticated
learning activities and social relationships
– Extended memory is also an important milestone
• Piaget’s position is emphasized
–
–
–
–
Young children are constructing their understanding of the world
Young children are egocentric
Lack conservation reasoning
Children are demonstrating a more rapid growth than once
projected by Piaget
– According to studies, when young children are given sorting,
classifying, and ordering tasks that are simplified and highly
relevant to their experience, they perform more successfully than
once thought
Symbolic Thought
• Increased symbolic thought leads to greater use of
language and other mental representations.
Consequently,
– Preschoolers can think ahead and anticipate
consequences to their actions
– Preschoolers can make plans
– Their activities becomes more purposeful and goaldirected
• The use of symbolic thought is indicative of makebelieve play which is becoming more elaborate
and more cooperative
Egocentrism, Centration, and Concreteness
• Preschoolers continue to be influenced by
egocentrism and centration
– Egocentrism. The tendency to take into account only their
own point of view
– Centration. The focusing of attention on one element of a
situation and ignoring of all others
Information Processing in 3-5 yrs
• Compared to primary-school children, preschoolers
have difficulty focusing on details and are more
distractible, especially when required to listen
passively or work on a specific task.
• Young children have relatively poor recall of list-like
information that is not embedded in meaningful
contexts
Socio-emotional Development
• Peers become important agents of socialization and provide important
learning opportunities
– Positive ways of dealing with others
– Pro-social behavior
– More social play –including Rough-and-tumble play
– Psychological trait development (self-concept, self-esteem, initiative,
etc.)
• Children become inundated with the emotion of fear with the influence
of greater cognitive development, life experiences, and fantasy
– Educators must help children to appropriately deal with their
emotions and cope with fears
– Educators must help children learn internal self-regulation
– Educators must help children deal with an increasing society of
violence, crime, and dangers
• Self-regulation, emotional expression, and positive social relationships
are all essential skills for later schooling and life and key goals of
programs that serve children from 3 through 5.
Additional Sources Integrated in Lecture Notes
•
•
Gordon, A. M. and Williams-Browne, K. (2000). Beginnings and Beyond (5th
ed.). Delmar Thomson Learning: Africa.
Jackman, H. (2001). Early Education Curriculum—A Child’s Connection to the
World (2nd ed.). Delmar Thomson Learning: Africa.
Group Process
• Become specialists of your
designated program
– A large grant has been secured to
start a comprehensive early childhood
program, you are invited to a board
meeting where you are to provide a 2
min. persuasive pitch for the
implementation of your program
– Now that you have heard
presentations from your professional
peers, identify the following and state
reationale:
• Which program is most similar
• Which program is most dissimilar
• Which program would you like to work
for
•
•
•
•
•
Montessori
Head Start
High/Scope
Reggio Emilia
Bank Street
Curriculum Activity --Theme: ____________________
•
Develop a curriculum and play based activity that promotes learning and development in the noted domains.
Each activity must promote at least 10 competencies.
•
The Activity Will Developmentally Promote:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Major Purpose of Lesson (Content Learning Standards):
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Materials:
•
Lesson Presentation Procedure:
Note the type of materials or play resources needed to implement this activity.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain how you would facilitate this activity from beginning to end.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Review of COK I
• Key Thinkers
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Schiller
Pestalozzi
Rousseau
Froebel & Kindergardens
Dewey
Comenius
Vytgosky
• Key Periods
–
–
–
–
Medieval Period
Reformation Period
Enlightment Period
Scientific Period
• Programs (Ch. 1 & 2)
– Montessori
– Head Start
– High/Scope
– Reggio Emilia
– Bank Street
– Waldorf
• The challenge of 21st
century educators
Review of COK I, Cont.
• Theory (Stages and
Concepts)
–
–
–
–
Freud
Erikson
Piaget
Vygotsky
• Practice
– What is
developmentally
appropriate practice?