Learning from Young Children in the Classroom

by Meier, Daniel R.

• ISBN13: 9780807747674
• ISBN10: 080774767X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-05-30
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

This practical resource is a comprehensive introduction to envisioning and carrying out high-quality teacher research in early childhood settings. The text features original research projects by teachers working with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and primary age children. With special attention given to multicultural and multilingual classrooms, the authors examine forms of children's play, social interaction, and friendships, language and literacy learning, as well as work with parents and families.

Author Biography

Daniel Meier is Associate Professor of Elementary Education at San Francisco State University Barbara Herderson is also Associate Professor of Elementary Education at San Francisco State University

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Framing Inquiry-And Staying Close to Children	p. 5
Teacher Research and Early Childhood Practice	p. 5
Teacher Research and Early Childhood Curricula and Philosophies	p. 15
The Process of Inquiry-The Art of Doing Teacher Research	p. 33
Finding a Path of Inquiry	p. 33
Research Questions	p. 35
Data Collection-Finding the Little Gems	p. 41
Understanding Your Data Through Documentation	p. 44
Using Teacher Research to Understand and Promote Children's Play and Interaction	p. 56
Toddlers-Building Community Through Play	p. 57
Promoting More Sophisticated Play and Interaction in Preschool	p. 60
Teacher Research and Understanding Children's Language Development	p. 82
Children's Language and the Language of Teacher Research	p. 82
Collecting and Analyzing Data on the Language Experiences of Infants	p. 83
Toddlers-Entering Worlds of Discovery and Learning	p. 93
Teacher Research and Children's Projects and Literacy Learning	p. 107
Understanding Children's Project-Based Learning	p. 108
Researching Children's Storytelling and Story Dramatization	p. 116
Reconceptualizing Children's Early Literacy Development	p. 126
Forms of Writing About and Disseminating Teacher Research	p. 146
Innovative Ways to Write About Teacher Research	p. 148
Narrative Inquiry-The Value for Teacher Research	p. 152
Integrating Poetry, Memoir, and Stories	p. 155
Using Stories, Photographs, and Artwork	p. 159
Using Audit Trails as Analytical Graphics	p. 167
Future Directions for Teacher Research in Early Childhood Education	p. 175
Forms and Functions of Early Childhood Teacher Research	p. 175
Why Do Teacher Research in Early Childhood Education?	p. 176
Where Do We Go From Here?	p. 178
References	p. 185
Index	p. 193
About the Authors	p. 199
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