Early Childhood Education Approach Coursework Example

Early Childhood Education
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Early Childhood Education
An educator should have the ability to properly engage and relate to the children. Therefore, he or she should come up with the following approach in order to successfully work with them.
Phase One
Discussion
Knowledge Here the children recognize certain aspects of the environment that is of their interest.
Questions What do the children already know about the topic?
What is there interest in this topic?
Are they eager to learn?
Representation The specific question should be well thought of.
Visual representation is often important to children because it enables them to relate to the objects in the project.
Phase Two
Research
Investigation Ask the children about what they think of the project.
How does the project affect their short term and long term growth?
Field Work In the real study, ensure that all the children participate.
Let them mingle amongst themselves and also familiarize with the subject matter of the whole project.
Let the children do their own experiments in order to achieve similar results.
Engage them with a new speaker or a new environment.
Representation Make a vivid notice on how the children interacted in the project.
Take a photo of the children when they are in charge of the projects
Make sure that each child gets an equal time to perform the experiment.
Phase Three
Synthesis & Sharing
Sharing After the study, how did the children share findings?
How is the educator going to use the information acquired?
Representation Encourage vivid representation of their findings.

Make use of charts, drawing and sketches
Display The educator is supposed to display the children’s presentation of the project.
He or she should choose a given area in the classroom and hung the dioramas and charts.
Reflection Finally, the educator should look back to the objectives of the whole project and figure out if they were met.
Questions:
What learning did you see occurring through the project? Be broad in your answer here. You do not need to identify specific pieces of information that the children have learned; rather you should identify skills and learning that will be lifelong.
The project is a clear illustration of how children learn practically. All About Balls defines a project as the essential part of the curriculum (Katz, 1999). Children are always curious about what is happening in their surroundings. All About Balls shows how the kids recognize various patterns in life that interest them. From the models, they develop a vast yearning to learn and acquire multiple skills. In almost all the cases, the educators use real scenarios to encourage real and practical thinking (Katz and Chard, 2000). For example, the teachers in the project employ the use of balls to teach the children. It is both practical and tangible. Therefore, it connects with the children.
The children gain valuable learning experiences. First, they can socialize. When children are learning, they play with other kids and form groups. Therefore, they gain self-confidence by overcoming their shyness. Additionally, the project shows that children are enthusiastic to have lifelong learning. In the study of the balls, the children learn about different surfaces. As such, some are curious in identifying other experiments, and so they perform them on their own. Demonstration of the importance of teamwork teaches their opinion. The kids launched a discussion after learning about friction and surface texture.
Do you think you always need all three phases in a project? Why or why not?
All the phases are needed for a proper completion of a project. From the start of the projects, the children are exposed to an environment of learning, answering questions and taking pride in what they have made. The three phases are necessary because the children relate to the teacher. The tutor then notices the interests of the children. The child can explore and create situations that are connected to their questions (Bayley,1993 ). After which they can conduct simple experiments, and then they work together, and by so doing they extend their knowledge. Accordingly, they plan to share their experiences and relate to others. Finally, they can take pride in their creations. Evidently, in a project with the balls, the three phases are helpful in aiding the children to familiarize with the various elements of the study.
How you would convey to parents the learning that occurred in the project. Be specific in discussing ways that you can share this learning with parents.
From the projects, it is evident that the children gained a lot of experiences of Katrina. Some were still in shock while others were exited on the events that had passed by. As such there were able to express themselves through drawings and the various picture of the actual hurricane. Some had many stories to tell of rescuing people (Aghayan et al., 2005)). The teachers can present children’s drawings to the parents to help them understand what the project Katrina was about. Notably, it creates a sense of belonging to the children, as they feel proud of the drawings. Also, the use of PowerPoint presentation helps in informing parents on how their children are faring.
Furthermore, you may wonder aloud and tell them if they know what their children are experiencing. Also, maintaining positivity when talking about the child will assist to avert strong emotion. Finally, receptiveness from the child makes respond and talk about what he or she does not want or which new interests they may be having.
Discuss how you see working on projects in a classroom. Think about planning for groups and individuals, long and short-term projects, and the role they play in the curriculum.
The curriculum is wide. Therefore, it is essential that I integrate the various disciples into a format that can be converted into projects. First, choosing the right question is necessary. The question should be relevant to the students and one, which they feel, connected to. As a good educator, one should think of the end before starting a project. Therefore, the project will mind the long-term and short-term effects on the learners. As such, it should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.
What could be a potential barrier for educators to implement long-term projects? Reflect on ways that those barriers could change.
In implementing long-term projects, there is a need for teamwork. However, this is often hindered by the lack of trust among the teammates. Additionally, real learning occurs before the project starts, similar to the work of the teachers. Also, when there are no long-term thinking issues of urgency may find the teams unprepared (Belsky,1991). As a result, the students have the prospect of making decisions in the project. A good project entails small parts that are thought out in harmony to fit a bigger puzzle. Additionally, Poor change management can be detrimental to a project because change is inevitable.
However, an educator can consider such barriers and make sure the project runs smoothly. Again, it can be done by putting contingency plans in place that will ensure that the students are involved more in making the decisions. A good management team should be open to discussion. Thus, mitigate on the barrier of poor communication and inability to accept change. Additionally, make sure that technology is extensively used to make the young minds purposeful to the study.
References
Aghayan et al, (2005). Project Katrina. Early Childhood Research & Practice, 7(2), n2.
Ball, E. W., & Blachman, B. A. (1991). Does phoneme awareness training in kindergarten make
a difference in early word recognition and developmental spelling? Reading research quarterly, 49-66.
Bayley, N. (1993). Bayley scales of infant development: Manual. Psychological Corporation.
Belsky, J., Steinberg, L., & Draper, P. (1991). Childhood experience, interpersonal development, and reproductive strategy: An evolutionary theory of socialization. Child development, 62(4), 647-670.
Katz, L (1999). All about Balls: A Preschool Project.
Katz, L., & Chard, S. C. (2000). Engaging children’s minds: The project approach. Greenwood Publishing Group.
Nation, M., Crusto, C., Wandersman, A., Kumpfer, K. L., Seybolt, D., Morrissey-Kane, E., &
Davino, K. (2003). What works in prevention: Principles of effective prevention programs. American Psychologist, 58(6-7), 449.