Early Years Bulletin
Spring 2017 vol 4 no 3
Focus on Pre-K & K editors: Jennifer Baumgartner and Cynthia F. DiCarlo
Can Developmentally Appropriate Practice Support College/Career Readiness? One School’s Journey From Skepticism to Understanding By Lea Ann Christenson, Towson University, Maryland Jenny James, Director First Lutheran Preschool, Ellicott City, Maryland
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ou could almost hear the eyes rolling as news of integrating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) into preschool classrooms started to make its way around the early childhood teacher training community. Many professionals saw college/ career readiness as a mandate that couldn’t possibly be developmentally appropriate for young children. Others knew that their curriculum already touched on STEM subjects, and saw this as just another way to package a program of study for success-driven parents. If we were already doing STEM in our preschool classrooms, what were trainers actually trying to say? Could it be that we somehow were missing the point? Could early childhood really be the time and place for college/career readiness pedagogy? What about kindergarten readiness? Wouldn’t STEM be more appropriate for K-8? These were the questions that the First Lutheran Preschool board of directors explored when considering this new directive. So much of the curriculum to this point had been centered on developing social skills. When the director reported what appeared to be a paradigm shift, the board saw the need to explore local resources so they could learn more about what STEM would look like in a developmentally appropriate preschool classroom. One of the board members was a professor at the local state university. Since the STEM push seemed to be coming from academia, the professor decided to explore the activities of the local university’s lab school. When the preschool’s director and staff visited the lab school,
they saw many of the same developmentally appropriate activities that they were already doing in their classrooms. The difference was that the projects were child-driven and teacher-supported. Instead of having a science experiment for the sake of having a science activity, scientific practice was used to study subjects that were interesting to the children. After this field trip, some of the teachers became excited about trying The Project Approach in their classroom. The experience broadened their idea of what STEM could be, and they saw how to implement STEM curriculum through observation, data collection, recording, and sharing information. Observing teachers in action was the seed needed to try a new approach to teaching STEM. The school’s community offered access to professionals versed in several of the STEM subjects. This allowed board members and teaching staff to find out what was trending in their fields of expertise.
Contents p. 3 - Focus on Infants & Toddlers p. 6 - Activities for the Classroom
Early Years Bulletin
A science education professor shared how the arts could be added to the curriculum to create STEAM (Wynn & Harris, 2012), addressing some concern among staff and board members that STEM for preschool would look too academic. The suggestion (and permission) to add the arts helped the preschool staff embrace STEM and view it as a complete and child-friendly curriculum. The professor also disclosed that the scientific community was no longer using the term “scientific practice.” Instead, scientists were using the term “scientific method.” This sort of inside scoop was just what the director and teachers needed to feel more confident developing the science piece of STEM. Technology as a subject also seemed counterintuitive for the preschool set. Weren’t we trying to get away from electronics and screen time? With a little research and brainstorming, the director and staff began to think of technology as tools that help society. Hammers, pencils, crayons, paintbrushes, locks, latches, binoculars, magnifying glasses, and tweezers are all forms of technology that have nothing to do with screen time, and everything to do with hands-on learning. The director learned to think of engineers as problem solvers through a conversation with an engineer who was also a parent at the preschool. Engineers use a research method similar to what scientists use, called the engineering design method. This information helped to shape the curriculum. Teachers learned to ask questions in the block center. How can we build a bridge between the towers? How will people get in and out of your building? Children showed excitement and increased attention when considering such questions. They acted like engineers when they were challenged to think like engineers (Draxler, 2013).
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Spring 2017 From the start, the board wanted a school that exemplified developmentally appropriate practice (Ferrara, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe, Golinkoff, & Lam., 2011; Wang et al., 2013). Such practice is based on the premise that children learn best through hands-on activities (Neuman, 2014; Stoll, Hamilton, Oxley, Eastman, & Brent, 2012). This “out of the box” practice leaves little room for rote learning. It plays to children’s strengths of curiosity and imaginative thinking. It builds on exploration, discovery, and a child’s view of herself as a competent, confident member of the classroom. As for college/career readiness, the top companies in the United States are looking for those same qualities in their employees. A recent advertisement for Google says, “If you’re looking for a place that values your curiosity, passion, and desire to learn, if you’re seeking colleagues who are big thinkers eager to take on fresh challenges as a team, then you’re a future Googler.” So it turns out that college-career readiness is precisely what we are doing in our preschools when we stay developmentally appropriate in our practice. With some research and help from members of the community, the board, director, and teachers of First Lutheran Preschool went from skeptical eye rollers to confident teachers of the Googlers (or any career that requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills) of tomorrow.
References Draxler, B. (2013). Teaching kids to think like engineers. Discover, 34(10), 56. Ferrara, K., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Newcombe, N. S., Golinkoff, R. M., & Lam, W. S. (2011). Block talk: Spatial language during block play. Mind, Brain, & Education, 5(3), 143-151. Google, retrieved from https://www.google.com/about/ careers/how-we-hire/ on September 23, 2016. Neuman, S. B. (2014). Content-rich instruction in preschool. Educational Leadership, 72(2), 36-40. Stoll, J., Hamilton, A., Oxley, E., Eastman, A., & Brent, R. (2012). Young thinkers in motion. Young Children, 67(2), 20-26. Wang, J., Werner-Avidon, M., Newton, L., Randol, S., Smith, B., & Walker, G. (2013). Ingenuity in action: Connecting tinkering to engineering design processes. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, 3(1). Wynn, T., & Harris, J. (2012). Toward a STEM + arts curriculum: Creating the teacher team. Art Education, 65(5), 42-47.
Spring 2017
Early Years Bulletin
Focus on Infants & Toddlers editors: Nur Tanyel and Laura Hooks
A Visit With My Gambaby By Kela Goodman, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education, University of South Carolina Upstate
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uring a weekend visit with my 2-year-old granddaughter, or Gambaby, my knowledge of growth milestones for young children informed my discovery of what she could do and the concepts she knew. I call her my Gambaby, a word I made up after choosing a name for my new role as a grandmother— Gammy. During our visit, I noticed her communicate her intentions and joy using skills and abilities from various domains: physical, language, social and emotional, and cognitive (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller, Jablon, Marsden, & Meisels, 2001). It is rewarding for me as Gammy to be able to notice and value her communications. The stories or anecdotes that follow provide snapshots of evidence in areas of growth and development for typically performing toddlers and preschoolers. Specific milestones from two different preschool indicators of growth assessment programs accompany the anecdotes to situate the evidence I have noticed in everyday interactions (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller et al., 2001).
She demonstrated balancing and traveling skills while singing to learn new words and directions, continuing to surprise me as she sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Baby Bumble Bee.” Without prompting, she initiated the singing of these two songs, seeming to use them as a way to focus her many actions. Her approach to learning how to dress a baby doll involved singing one of the songs. She sang as she demonstrated her finemotor coordination once again while placing cylinders of many colors and sizes in their attribute board and when flipping over in the bathtub to swim. I discovered her expanding expressive vocabulary when she joined in with me as I sang “Jesus Loves Me” and she surprised us again by knowing most of the words (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller et al., 2001).
Physical and Language I began noticing her agility when she performed an old cheer I had remembered and demonstrated, revealing much more than expected about her physical development. I observed her physical and language abilities as she followed my demonstration, lifting her leg, clapping under her knee, and saying, “Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom, Boom, Boom! Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom, Boom, Boom!” I observed further evidence in the physical and language domains as she walked across the yard to pick up a ball to throw to her dog, Rooster, saying, “March, March,” as if to give herself directions as she lifted her knees to march.
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Literacy and Language On the way to a Fall Festival, Gambaby and I sat in the back seat and read to each other. She has a repertoire of strategies to use when reading, such as looking at the pictures, using her background knowledge, listening while being read to from familiar and new books, and watching where I placed my finger when I read to her (Fox, 2009). During one of the stories, selected by her, I asked her where the words were that I was reading. She pointed to words in large print, QUACK! QUACK! WOOF! WOOF! BAA! BAA!, identifying the onomatopoeia words on each page and demonstrating her keen observations of print and emerging literacy knowledge. She mimicked me at night, taking my novel and flipping the pages while mumbling many sounds and words, without objecting to the lack of pictures to “read.” With her books, she demonstrated skill in holding the book, looking at and naming the pictures, turning the pages, pointing to words on the page, and responding to the story with expressive language (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller et al., 2001).
Early Years Bulletin After performing as the flower girl in her aunt’s wedding, she also showed me that she knows print in texts carries different meanings. She selected a hymnal from the pew in front of us and began tilting her head side to side, moving her lips silently to sing “la, la, la.” She closed and returned that book and took a book of a different color, opened it, and “mumble read” a bit, said, “God,” and then mumble read some more. Her responses to the texts, one of musical notes and symbols and the other with columns of words, were explicitly prompted by the print of each text. It happened in less than two minutes and gave me such insight into how she is making meaning of print. She demonstrated two types of retelling stories and an understanding of the appropriate print-based response to the texts (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller et al., 2001). While shopping during our visit, she saw a gift bag with the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” on it and put her finger on the letters and said, “h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p.” I knew she saw letters and associated them with the famous alphabet song. The fact that she started with “h” was most likely a coincidence, but she clearly associated the printed letters with the letters in the alphabet song and so demonstrated knowledge of the alphabet and print concepts. She demonstrated understanding of the written form of spoken concepts, or emerging reading skills (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller et al., 2001). Social/Emotional and Language My Gambaby performed many behaviors in the social/ emotional domain. As she gave us evidence that she has some beginning feelings for her not-yet-born baby brother, kissing her mommy’s belly and saying, “baby brother,” she demonstrated expression of emotions. A most generous moment occurred at the Pumpkin Patch, where she insisted on making friends with a lady by giving her a sweet potato. The lady thanked her and handed it back, but my Gambaby offered the sweet potato to the lady again as she persistently forged a relationship with her. She held the sweet potato out until the lady took it from her and gave it back to her twice, three times, and then finally managed to convince her she could keep it. Conceding, my Gambaby showed her ability to change her actions in response to the social interaction with the lady (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller et al., 2001).
Spring 2017 Cognitive Thinking and Language In terms of the cognitive domain, the visit with my Gambaby provided evidence of mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, and some understandings of social systems or family. She asked for the sugar packets when we were out for breakfast and showed us evidence of her mathematical thinking. She pushed them across the table, counting to 10 with one-to-one correspondence and without skipping a number or a packet. We walked around the pond in our neighborhood more than once; the first visit provided her with a brand new experience. She saw a cat from a distance and began calling, “Kitty, kitty.” Fortunately for us, Jasper is a friendly cat and allowed Gambaby the great pleasure of touching him and rubbing his back. Then, Gambaby stood still so the cat could reciprocate the affection as he rubbed against her legs. She had seen and read about cats in books, but this was a real-life experience with the animal she knows to say, “Meow.” Upon subsequent visits to the pond, she asked for Jasper with a questioning tone, “Kitty? Kitty?” Her memory of Jasper the cat had been imprinted to create an inquiry into his whereabouts as she sought what she now knew to be more than merely an animal that says, “Meow.” Her questioning provided evidence of scientific thinking and cognitive growth. Then, in the middle of a circle of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents, my Gambaby named 12 of the tribe she knows as her family, including Nanny, Nanna, Mimi, Gran Gran, Gammy, Nanna (a different one), and Mommy. The social event, the baby shower for her expected brother, did not inhibit her skills and abilities in language or her fine motor skills. She peeled off stickers and placed them onto a house scene using her fingers, sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to recall each line, and interacted with everyone with confidence stemming from her sense of belonging and her understanding of attending and engaging (Burts et al., 2016; Dichtelmiller et al., 2001). Concluding Thoughts It may seem that I am boasting or perhaps it may seem that I am making a visit with my granddaughter too academic. Yet noticing her growth and progress through the lens of milestones on a continuum reminds me to recognize moments of growth in all domains. Grandparents have a special opportunity to interact with
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Spring 2017
Early Years Bulletin
their grandchildren and support teachable moments. Real-life events and listening to a child talk, mumble, and question are everyday interactions that help me discover what Gambaby, a typical child, is learning and can do. She uses language to play and interact with others. The anecdotes here generally provide evidence in more than one domain. Small accomplishments demonstrate behaviors foundational to more complex milestones. The information we gain as grandparents, parents, and teachers is helpful as we recognize their physical development and their skills and abilities in the other developmental domains. I celebrate and communicate
what my Gambaby can do as she progresses through various milestones. References Burts, D., Berke, K., Heroman, C., Baker, H., Bickart, T., Tabors, P., & Sanders, S. (2016). The creative curriculum for preschool: Objectives for development and learning (6th ed.). Bethesda, MD: Teaching Strategies. Dichtelmiller, M., Jablon, J., Marsden, D., & Meisels, S. (2001). Omnibus guidelines: Preschool through third grade. Reebus Planning Association. Fox, M. (2009). Reading magic. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.
Books for Infants & Toddlers
dePaola, T. (1973). Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs. Puffin Books.
Parr, T. (2006). The Grandma Book. Little, Brown and Company.
Ziefert, H. (2000). Grandmas Are for Giving Tickles. Puffin Books.
Juster, N. (2005). The Hello, Goodbye Window. Hyperion Books for Children.
Wild, M. (1993). Our Granny. Houghton Mifflin.
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Early Years Bulletin
Spring 2017
Activities for the Classroom editors: Patricia A. Crawford and April A. Mattix Foster
All the Colors of the World: Color Explorations With Young Children The following “Activities for the Classroom” column was submitted by Patricia A. Crawford, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Pittsburgh, and April A. Mattix Foster, Assistant Professor of Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Exceptional Learners at George Mason University.
Eyeing a table full art supplies, the young boy runs excitedly to explore the colorful treasures in front of him. “Blue, green, red!” he exclaims. He sits at the table, selects several brightly colored markers, and begins to draw— letting his imagination spring to life as the colors emerge across the page.
enhance their knowledge and engagement with colors in the world around them.
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olors are an engaging and vibrant part of children’s worlds, with color differentiation being one of the earliest distinctions young children are able to make and name. Recognizing and identifying color is an early developmental skill that not only links to cognitive development, but also opens opportunities for selfexpression and a growing imagination. A foundation for artistic endeavors, patterning activities, and observational skills, children’s explorations of colors and related schemes offer plentiful opportunities for inquiry and inspiration. Many traditional early childhood activities provide a terrific forum for exploring and using color concepts. Painting, coloring, and adding hues to different forms of dough and clay all offer opportunities to consider concepts related to visual representation, tone, and tint for authentic purposes. As children blend colors, they construct and deepen their understanding of primary and secondary colors, all while putting their creative skills to good use. Likewise, children can learn similar concepts as they manipulate colored transparencies or other tinted, clear objects on the classroom light table (see Figure 1). The activities below offer additional opportunities for children to engage in games, activities, and reading to
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Figure 1: Light tables provide rich opportunities for color exploration.
Suggestions for Learning About Colors Games and Hands-on Activities Color Sorts: Sorting activities provide an opportunity for children to group objects by color, and thus gain practice in differentiating hues. These activities can take a variety of forms and have different levels of difficulty. For example, children may be given a deck of cards in red,
Spring 2017
Early Years Bulletin Art Activities Self-Contained Finger Painting: Traditional finger painting is a wonderful way for children to explore the art of mixing colors on paper. For a fun, and less messy, alternative, teachers may want to try self-contained finger painting. Add two or more colors of thick paint (e.g., acrylic, tempera, or finger paint) to a one-quart, heavy-duty, re-sealable bag. Seal the bag with tape for extra security. Young artists then manipulate the paint in the bag to explore mixing colors. Ask children to verbally describe the changes they observe. See Figure 3.
yellow, blue, and green to separate into different color piles. This same activity can be done with brightly colored blocks, math manipulatives, or other materials typically found in early childhood classrooms. More challenging activities include sorting items that have varied tones into general categories (e.g., navy, powder blue, and royal blue would all fall under the general blue category; lime, chartreuse, and pine would all fall under green, etc.). See Figure 2.
Figure 2: Sorting activities offer playful opportunities for color identification and the development of visual discrimination skills.
I Spy: The familiar I Spy game can be used to help children search for and identify colors in the world around them. The teacher begins by mentally identifying an object in the room and its color, then offers the children an opportunity to guess what it is: “I spy with my little eye— something that is red.” The children take turns guessing which object the teacher has in mind. For example, “Was it the apple?” “No. The apple is red, but was not what I was thinking.” “Was it the heart on the bulletin board?” “Yes! I was thinking of the red heart on the bulletin board!” The game continues with other color objects. The children also can take turns leading the game. CandyLand: This simple, beginner board game is an old favorite that uses color cards to indicate children’s next moves. It provides engaging and valuable practice in matching the colors on the cards to those on the board.
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Figure 3: Self-contained finger painting offers opportunities for tactile-rich color exploration.
Icy Colors: Place different types of ice (e.g., cubes, crushed ice, small frozen containers of ice) on the sensory table or in a transparent container. Add a few drops of different food colors. As the ice melts and the colors begin to merge, children can explore and discuss the changes. Literature Connections Children’s literature provides a great venue for children to explore the use of colors in a meaningful context. Color concept books, such as Eric Carle’s My First Book of Colors, offer an introduction to the nature of colors and the distinctions between them. Color-themed story picturebooks, such as Emma Dodd’s Dog’s Colorful Days, invite children to notice and appreciate the impact of
Early Years Bulletin
color in the everyday world around them. See Figure 4 for a list of suggested books with color themes. Additional Resources Busy Beaver Kids Color Songs Collection www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGa3AqeqRy0 A 33-minute video featuring easy-to-sing color songs, chants, and games. Color Songs www.tinsnips.org/resources/pdf-basic-skills/Color-Songs.pdf Downloadable PDF with a song, which can be sung to a familiar tune, for each color. Emphasizes both the color and the spelling of the accompanying color word. Color Songs and Rhymes www.preschoolexpress.com/music_station06/music_station_ aug06.shtml Wide collection of easily sung songs related to different colors.
Early Years Bulletin is published quarterly by the Association for Childhood Education International, 1200 18th St., N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036.
Spring 2017
The Crayons’ Book of Colors by Drew Daywal and Oliver Jeffers My Very First Book of Colors by Eric Carle A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh Color Dance by Ann Jonas Freight Train by Donald Crews Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by James Dean and Eric Litwin I Like Fruit by Lorena Siminovich Figure 4: Suggested picturebooks about colors.
ACEI HEADQUARTERS STAFF: Diane P. Whitehead, Executive Director Michelle Allen, Director of Operations Anne Watson Bauer, Editor/Director of Publications Dziko Crews, Communications Manager Adrienne Henck, Director of Global Schools First Yvette Murphy, Director of Global Advocacy Karin Rosenberg, Global Advocacy Coordinator Judy Singer, Director of Development
Articles do not necessarily reflect positions taken by the Association for Childhood Education International. Copyright © 2017 Association for Childhood Education International
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