Total Learning

by Hendrick, Joanne

• ISBN13: 9780136520092
• ISBN10: 013652009X
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-08-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

Comprehensive text in Early Childhood Curriculum. Practical in approach, this popular text explains how to develop and present a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, and culturally sensitive curriculum for young children. Divided according to the emotional, social, creative, physical, and cognitive selves, this book focuses on the developmental needs of children, rather than on specific subject areas. Designed to encourage children to become independent, creative people, this text advocates curriculum that is age appropriate and emphasizes play as the indicator of learning.

Table of Contents

1 The Purpose of Curriculum	16	(1)
What Is the Purpose of Early Education?	2	(1)
What Should Curriculum for Young Children Include?	2	(2)
What Is Competence?	4	(1)
How Is Competence Acquired?	5	(5)
What Do Teachers Need to Know to Foster Competence?	5	(2)
What Do Teachers Need to Do?	7	(3)
Educational Philosophies	10
The Behaviorist Approach	10	(1)
The Constructivist Approach	11	(1)
Philosophy of This Book	12
Research Study: Early Education Can Make a Difference	8	(9)
2 Including Families in the Life of the School	17	(20)
Letting Parents Know We Care About Them and Their Children	20	(2)
Building a Climate of Trust	20	(1)
Making Visits to the Children's Homes	21	(1)
Keeping Parents Informed	21	(1)
Accepting Help from Families That Will Enrich the Lives of the Children at the Center	22	(2)
Accepting and Using Criticism	22	(1)
Drawing on Parents as Resources	23	(1)
Parents as Volunteers	24	(1)
Offering Help to Families to Strengthen Family Life	24	(1)
Suggestions for Conferences with Parents	24	(2)
Meeting About Parenting	26	(2)
Helping Families in Nontraditional Settings	28
Research Study: Can Teachers Separate Their Attitudes Toward Parents and Children?	25	(12)
3 Play: The Integrative Force in Learning	37	(20)
But What Is Play?	39	(5)
Definitions of Play	40	(1)
Stages of Play	40	(1)
Principles for Encouraging Play	41	(3)
Additional Benefits of Play	44	(7)
Encourage the Development of the Physical Self Through Play	46	(1)
Enhance the Emotional Self Through Play	47	(1)
Help the Social Self Develop Through Play	48	(1)
Foster the Creative and Cognitive Selves Through Play	49	(2)
Helping Children with Disabilities Join in the Play	51
Adapting Play to Fit the Capabilities of Children with Special Needs	52	(1)
Facilitating Play with Other Children	53
Research Study: Teachers Can Help Children Learn to Play More Effectively	43	(14)
4 Planning for Total Learning: Creating Supportive Curriculum Plans and Schedules	57	(26)
The Basic Ingredients of Planning: What Should Be Included in the Curriculum	58	(2)
Know What You Want the Children to Learn	58	(2)
Know How to Teach These Skills	60	(1)
Designing the Plan: Decide How to Incorporate the What and How into an Overall Plan	60	(4)
Planning What Will Happen	64	(5)
Step 1: Begin with an Aspect of the World That Has Caught the Children's Interests	64	(1)
Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas About Ways and Things to Teach the Children That Are Related to the Topic	65	(1)
Step 3: Narrow Down the Possibilities by Facing the Reality of What Is Possible and What Is Not	66	(2)
Step 4: Block in Activities Throughout the Week	68	(1)
Step 5: Fit Activities into the Daily Schedule	68	(1)
Step 6: Evaluate What Happened and Decide How to Improve the Activity Next Time	69	(1)
Devise the Daily Schedule: Planning When It Will Happen	69	(3)
Meeting the Needs of the Children	69	(4)
Meeting the Needs of the Adults	73	(1)
Reviewing the Schedule from Time to Time	73	(1)
Some Comments on Half- and Full-Day Schedules	74
Research Study: Which Is Better: More Play Times or More Time to Play?	72	(11)
5 Designing the Supportive Environment	83	(20)
Some Yardstick Questions to Apply	84	(1)
Does Room Arrangement Really Matter?	85	(1)
Suggestions for Arranging the Environment	86	(1)
Starting from Scratch	86	(1)
Planning the Indoor Environment	86	(2)
Typical Indoor Activities	88	(1)
Planning Environment for Aesthetic Appeal	88	(2)
Including Multicultural Elements in the Design	90	(1)
Adapting the Environment to Include Children with Disabilities	91	(1)
Evaluate and Reevaluate the Results	92	(1)
Planning the Outdoor Environment	93	(2)
Maintaining the Total Environment in Good Order	95	(5)
Materials	100
Research Study: Changing the Environment Can Change Behavior	94	(9)
6 Planning with Individual Children in Mind: Using Educational Objectives in the Preschool	103	(10)
Pros and Cons of Using Behavioral Objectives	105	(1)
Objections to the Use of Behavioral Objectives	105	(1)
Responses to These Arguments	105	(1)
Definition of Behavioral Objectives	106	(1)
Steps in Writing Behavioral Objectives	106	(4)
Step 1: Select the Broad General Goal	107	(1)
Step 2: Compose an Objective That Describes the Desired Behavior	107	(1)
Step 3: State the Conditions and Performance Level of the Objective	108	(1)
Step 4: Create a List of Activities to Help the Child Reach the Objective	109	(1)
Creating Informal Objectives	110	(1)
Carrying the Objectives Through: Final Comments	111	(2)
7 Practical Methods of Recording and Evaluating Behavior	113	(20)
Purposes and Advantages of Using Evaluation Procedures	114	(2)
Evaluation as a Way to Know the Children Better	114	(1)
Purpose of Evaluation	115	(1)
Basic Principles of Evaluation	116	(1)
Appropriate Evaluation Measures to Use in the Preschool	117	(12)
Using "Documentation" to Mark What the Children Are Doing and Learning	117	(1)
Using the Portfolio as a Method of Authentic Assessment	118	(7)
Using Commercial Tests	125	(4)
Using the Information That Has Been Collected	129
Developing an Individualized Curriculum	129	(1)
Making Reports to the Family	129	(1)
Preparing Reports for Official Boards and Funding Agencies	129
Research Study: How Much Should We Really Rely on the Results of Screening Tests?	128	(5)
8 Keeping Children Safe and Well Fed	133	(24)
Keeping Children Safe	135	(3)
Keeping Children Healthy	138	(1)
Teaching Children to Follow Simple Rules of Hygiene	138	(1)
Feeding Children Well	139	(5)
Problems of Malnutrition	140	(1)
Planning Nutritious Food	141	(3)
Keeping Costs Down	144	(1)
Including Cooking in the Curriculum	144
Basics for Choosing a Recipe	148	(1)
Age-Appropriate Cooking Activities	149	(2)
Suggestions for Making Life Easier	151	(1)
Integrate Information About Food into the Curriculum	152
Research Study: Can Children's Food Preferences Be Changed?	143	(14)
9 Developing Physical Competence	157	(28)
Physical Activity Benefits All the Selves	158	(2)
Identifying Levels of Development	160	(3)
Equipment for Physical Development	163	(2)
Making a Plan for Comprehensive Physical Development	165	(7)
Presentation for Activities	172	(2)
Basics to Remember	172	(1)
Including Activities in the Daily Schedule	173	(1)
Honoring Developmental Tastes and Preferences	173	(1)
Helping Children with Disabilities Participate	174	(4)
Helping Children Learn to Relax	178	(1)
Movement Education	178	(1)
Helping Children Enjoy Creative Dance	179
Research Study: What Kinds of Play Equipment Do Children Prefer?	174	(11)
10 Helping Children Understand and Value Life	185	(16)
Teaching Reverence for Life	186	(1)
Helping Children Learn to Cherish Their Bodies	187	(5)
What to Do When Children Masturbate	188	(1)
Teaching Children to Protect Themselves from Sexual Abuse	189	(1)
Protecting Teachers from Accusations of Sexual Abuse	189	(3)
Answering Questions About Reproduction	192	(2)
Answering Questions About Death	194
Helping Families When Death Occurs	195	(1)
Coping with the Threat of AIDS	195	(1)
Research Study: Has Publicity About Child Abuse Influenced Public Opinion About Touching Children?	191	(10)
11 Achieving Emotional Competence	201	(28)
Help the Child Learn to Separate from the Family	202	(2)
Foster Basic Attitudes of Trust, Autonomy, and Initiative in the Child	204	(3)
Trust versus Mistrust	205	(1)
Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt	205	(1)
Initiative versus Guilt	206	(1)
Help Children Remain in Contact with Their Feelings While Learning to Control What They Do About Them	207	(3)
Help Children Express Their Feelings	209	(1)
Avoid Long, Drawn-Out Discussions About Motives	210	(1)
Help Children Learn to Use Play and Creative Materials to Resolve Emotional Problems	210	(6)
Use Pretend Play to Strengthen the Emotional Self	211	(1)
Encourage Storytelling by Children	211	(2)
Use Self-Expressive Materials to Express Feelings Safely	213	(1)
Aggression-Relieving Activities	213	(2)
Tension-Relieving Activities	215	(1)
Help Children Learn to Face Reality	216	(4)
Accepting What Cannot Be Changed	216	(2)
Learning to Accept Alternative Satisfactions	218	(1)
Using Mechanisms for Protecting the Emotional Self from Too Much Reality	218	(2)
Help Children Cope with Crisis Situations	220	(3)
Give Children Credit for Being Resilient	220	(1)
Prepare Children in Advance for Crises Whenever Possible	220	(1)
Encourage Parents to Explain the Crisis to Children	221	(1)
Children Also Benefit from Sharing Feelings	221	(1)
Provide Children with Chances to Ask Questions	222	(1)
Play Is the Great Healer	222	(1)
Keep the Environment as Stable and Reasonable as Possible	222	(1)
Other Children May Be Aware of the Crisis	223	(1)
Help the Children Begin to Build Empathy for Other People	223
Using Self-Report	223	(1)
Using Role Playing	224	(1)
Using "Remember When"	224
Research Study: Does Reflecting Children's Feelings Really Do Any Good?	208	(21)
12 Getting Along Together: Achieving Competence in Interpersonal Relations	229	(26)
Help Children Learn to Restrain Unsocial Impulses	231	(1)
Short-Term Methods of Controlling Behavior	232	(1)
Using Prevention Rather Than Cure: Longer-Term Methods of Building Inner Controls	233	(6)
Emphasize Activity Centers That Foster Prosocial Interchanges	233	(1)
Analyze the Reasons for Repeated Misbehavior and Correct or Prevent Such Conditions When You Can	234	(1)
Take Individual Needs into Account	234	(1)
Realize That Children Misbehave Sometimes Because of Problems or Crises at Home	234	(1)
Warn Ahead	234	(1)
Tell Children What They Should Do: Provide Positive Instructions Instead of Negative or Neutral Ones	234	(2)
Be Alert to Potential Difficulties and Step in Before Disaster Strikes	236	(1)
Make a Point of Recognizing Good Behavior	237	(1)
Convey a Feeling of Warmth Along with a Sense of Firmness	237	(1)
Be Reasonable	238	(1)
Be a Good Example Yourself	239	(1)
Profit by Your Experience	239	(1)
Teach Children Socially Acceptable Ways of Getting What They Want	239	(2)
Teach Alternatives	239	(2)
Help Children Respond Generously	241	(1)
Increase the Child's Ability to Make Friends	241	(2)
What Makes a Good Friend?	242	(1)
Increase the Child's Likability	242	(1)
Help Children Cope with Rejection	243	(1)
Increase the Child's Ability to Function Successfully as Part of a Group	243	(6)
Use Play Situations to Help Children Develop Group Social Skills	244	(4)
Use Mealtimes to Foster Social competencies	248	(1)
Use Group Time to Foster Social Competencies	249	(1)
Encourage Children to Find Satisfaction in Being Kind to Each Other, Helping Each Other, and Helping the Group	249
Encourage Kindly Actions	249	(1)
Help Children Begin to Gain Insight into How Other People Feel	250	(1)
Encourage Children to Help and Comfort Each Other	251	(1)
Meaningful Work Offers Opportunities for Helping	251
Research Study: The Social Value of Compromise	244	(11)
13 Who Am I? Who Are You?: Developing Social Competence and the Sense of Self	255	(34)
How Do Children Develop a Sense of Self	256	(4)
Enhance Children's Feelings of Self-Esteem	260	(4)
Beware of Overusing or Misusing Praise	260	(1)
Build Self-Esteem by Showing Children That You Respect Them as People	260	(1)
Build Self-Esteem by Discouraging the Use of Insults to Express Anger	260	(3)
Build Self-Esteem by Providing Children with Skills so They Feel Competent	263	(1)
Encourage Self-Esteem by Helping Children Do Things for Themselves so They Feel Powerful	263	(1)
Encourage Self-Esteem by Providing Opportunities for Meaningful Work	263	(1)
Being Creative Offers Satisfying Avenues for Building Self-Esteem	264	(1)
Strengthen Children's Positive Body Image	264	(1)
Developing Body Awareness	264	(1)
Developing a Positive Body Image	265	(1)
Cultivate Positive Feelings in Children About Sexual Identities, Ethnic and Racial Heritages, and Children with Disabilities	265	(6)
Be on the Lookout for Opportunities to Confront Bias of All Sorts	265	(6)
Foster Positive Attitudes Toward Racial and Cultural Backgrounds	271	(5)
Attitudes Are Caught, Not Taught	271	(1)
Remember, Families May Not Always Cherish the Same Values You Hold Dear	271	(1)
Help Children Understand That All People Are Similar in Some Ways and Different in Others	272	(4)
Support Multicultural Learning Through Play	276	(1)
Foster Positive Attitudes Toward Gender Roles	276	(3)
Nonsexist Education	276	(1)
What Can the Children's Center Do to Foster the Full Potential of Girls and Boys?	277	(1)
Suggestions from Research That May Enhance Nonsexist Teaching	278	(1)
Foster Acceptance and Understanding of Children Who Have Disabilities	279	(2)
The Place to Start: Identify and Face Possible Feelings About Associating with a Person Who Has a Disability	279	(1)
Familiarity and Information Can Help Overcome Initial Feelings of Apprehension	280	(1)
Encourage Sensitivity to Other People's Feelings	280	(1)
Do Everything Possible to Integrate Children with Disabilities into the Group	280	(1)
Helping Children Learn Their Place in the World by Meeting Other People	281
Having Visitors at School	281	(1)
Taking Field Trips	282	(1)
Research Study: Is One Point of View Always Right?	258
14 Freeing Children to Be Creative	289	(38)
What Is Creativity?	290	(1)
Some New Ideas About Creativity from Reggio Emilia	290	(3)
Some Contrast Between the American and Reggian Points of View	291	(1)
Attitudes About Creativity	291	(2)
What Can We Learn from the Reggio Approach?	293	(1)
Some General Principles for Fostering Creativity	293	(9)
Create a Climate That Encourages Children to Feel Creative	293	(1)
Remember That Process Is More Important Than Product	294	(1)
Remember That Encouraging Choices Fosters Creativity in Children	294	(1)
Encourage Children to Explain What They Mean by Illustrating Their Ideas Graphically	295	(1)
Offer Support When Needed, But Interfere as Little as Possible	295	(1)
Provide Enough Variety in Creative Activities	296	(1)
Make the Activity as Creative as Possible	296	(4)
A Note About Expense	300	(2)
Recommendations for Using Self-Expressive Materials to Foster Creativity	302	(14)
Easel Painting	302	(2)
Finger Painting	304	(3)
Additional Drawing Materials: Chalk, Crayons, Felt-Tip Pens, and Pencils	307	(2)
Printing and Stamping	309	(1)
Dough and Clay	310	(3)
Other Molding and Modeling Materials	313	(1)
Self-Expressive Materials Requiring Glue: Collage, Assemblage, and Wood and Box Gluing	313	(2)
Woodworking	315	(1)
Creative, Self-Expressive Dancing	316	(1)
Fostering Pretend Play	316
Benefits of Imaginative, Pretend Play	316
Research Study: What Is the Relationship Between Choice and Creativity?	292	(35)
15 Developing Verbal Competence	327	(28)
How Do Children Learn to Talk?	328	(1)
Black English and Bilingualism in the Children's Center	329	(5)
Black English	329	(1)
Bilingualism	330	(3)
The Child Who Is Not Fluent in Any Language	333	(1)
Good Teaching Habits That Foster Children's Use of Language	334	(2)
Learn to Conduct a Conversation, Not an Interrogation	334	(1)
Learn to Listen as Well as Talk!	335	(1)
Learn How to Ask Questions That Invite Children to Respond	336	(1)
Learn to Use an Attractive Speaking Voice	336	(1)
Presenting Materials and Resources	336
Language Without Experience and Experience Without Language Is Almost Meaningless to Children	340	(1)
Auditory Discrimination Activities	340	(1)
Songs and Records	341	(1)
Poetry	342	(2)
Finger Plays	344	(1)
Books and Stories	344	(2)
Discussion and Conversation	346	(1)
Link Language to the Printed Page	346
Research Study: Does Talking with Children Really Make Any Difference?	337	(18)
16 Putting It All Together for a Good Group Time	355	(22)
Structuring the Group for Success	356	(3)
Keep the Groups as Small and Stable as Possible	356	(1)
Choose a Time and Place That Minimizes Tension and Distractions	356	(1)
Plan Carefully and Be Flexible	357	(1)
Start Group Time as Soon as Children Begin to Gather	357	(1)
Prepare Children for What You Intend to Present Next	357	(1)
Present Difficult or New Experiences Early	357	(1)
Change the Pace and Include Variety	357	(1)
Encourage Discussion Among the Children	357	(1)
Move with the Children's Ideas	358	(1)
Draw the Group to a Close Before It Falls Apart	358	(1)
What to Do When a Child Continues to Distract the Group	358	(1)
Finally, Enjoy the Children	359	(1)
Planning the Curriculum for Success	359	(4)
What Should a Good Group Time Include?	359	(1)
Planning for Older 2 and Young 3-Year-Olds	360	(1)
Planning for Older 4-Year-Olds	361	(2)
Examples of Poetry, Finger Plays, and Songs for Group Time	363
Poetry	363	(7)
Finger Plays	370	(1)
Songs and Musical Finger Plays	370
Research Study: Do Plans and Practice Match?	360	(17)
17 Helping Children Learn to Think for Themselves: Using the Emergent Approach	377	(24)
Approaches to Fostering Mental Abilities	378	(4)
A Comparison of the Approaches	378	(4)
Contributions of Lev Vygotsky	382	(2)
The Impact of Society on the Child's Development	382	(1)
The Concept of the Zone of Proximal Development	383	(1)
The Role of the Teacher	383	(1)
What Can the Teacher Do to Encourage Development?	383	(1)
How Can the Preschool Teacher Encourage the Development of These Higher Mental Functions?	383	(1)
The Municipal Schools of Reggio Emilia: An Example of Emergent Curriculum	384	(5)
Some Food for Future Thought	386	(3)
Applying Emergent Curriculum Principles in American Schools: Some Recommendations	389	(3)
Be Prepared to Take Risks	389	(1)
Keep Cognitive Learning Appropriate to the Children's Age and Abilities	389	(1)
Keep Cognitive Learning a Part of Real Life	390	(1)
Keep Feelings a Part of the Experience	390	(1)
Model Joy and Interest in Learning Yourself	390	(1)
Encourage Children to Show You as Well as Tell You What They Mean	391	(1)
Use Language to Promote Discussion	391	(1)
Use Questions to Facilitate Learning	392	(5)
When Asking Questions, Keep the Pace Reasonably Slow	392	(1)
Encourage Children to Ask and Answer Questions Themselves	392	(2)
Use Children's Questions to Help Them Learn	394	(3)
Ask Children to Think of Ways to Solve Problems and Propose Alternative Possibilities	397
Reinforce the Production of Creative Ideas by Recognizing Their Value	397
Research Study: How Long Is Long Enough?	393	(8)
18 Building for Future Academic Competence: Developing Midlevel Mental Abilities	401	(26)
Contributions of Jean Piaget	402	(5)
Stages of Mental Development	403	(1)
Conditions That Favor Optimal Development	403	(4)
A Brief Comparison of Piaget's and Vygotsky's Points of View	407	(1)
Which Mental Abilities Are Particularly Important?	407	(1)
Relationship Between the Mental Abilities and Later School Success	408	(1)
General Principles for Working on Specific Mental Abilities	408	(8)
Make a Plan (But Be Prepared to Seize the "Teachable Moment")	408	(2)
Consider Using a Science Table as an Alternative Approach to Planning for the Inclusion of Midlevel Skills	410	(4)
Keep It Fun	414	(1)
Make as Many Materials as You Can Yourself	415	(1)
Provide Plentiful Opportunities for Practice	415	(1)
To Keep Activities Appropriate, Understand How to Make Them Very Simple and Also More Difficult	415	(1)
Curriculum Suggestions for Developing Specific Mental Abilities	416
Matching	416	(1)
Pairing Common Relations	416	(1)
Grouping	417	(2)
Ordering	419	(2)
Determining Cause-and-Effect Relationships	421
Research Study: A Piagetian Experiment: Conservation of a Discontinuous Quantity	405	(22)
19 Making Special Celebrations Part of the Life of the School	427	(21)
Keeping Holidays Satisfying and Meaningful for Children and Families	428	(2)
Decide Which Values You Want Children to Learn from the Holiday Then Plan Curriculum Accordingly	428	(1)
How to Teach These Values	429	(1)
Help Parents Think Their Values Through	429	(1)
Planning Holiday Curriculum with Various Selves in Mind	430	(4)
The Social and Emotional Selves	430	(1)
The Creative Self	431	(1)
The Cognitive Self	432	(2)
Surefire Hints for Observing Special Days	434	(9)
Special Celebrations	434	(1)
Birthdays	434	(1)
Halloween	435	(1)
Thanksgiving	436	(1)
Christmas	437	(1)
Valentine's Day	438	(1)
Easter	439	(1)
Mother's Day and Father's Day	440	(1)
Celebrating Holidays with Families by Having a Children's Program	441	(1)
Suggestions for Managing a Successful Family Picnic or Potluck	442	(1)
Get into the Spirit of the Holiday Yourself!	443
Research Study: Do Children Do as We Say or Do as We Do?	432	(16)
Appendixes	448	(26)
A Chart of Normal Development: Infancy to 6 Years of Age	448	(9)
B A Suggested Method for Preparing Summarizing Reports for Official Boards and Funding Agencies	457	(3)
C Summary of Communicable Diseases	460	(4)
D Sample Daily Food Plans for One Meal and Snack	464	(2)
E 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism	466	(3)
F What Are Some Good Toys and Play Materials for Young Children?	469	(3)
G Educational Organizations, Newsletters, and Journals Associated with Early Childhood	472	(2)
References	474	(21)
Author Index	495	(6)
Subject Index	501	(10)
Acknowledgments for Chapter Opening Quotes	511	(2)
Author Profile	513