Name 4 ways how the environment affects us/children?
- our mood
- health
- ability to form relationships
- effectiveness in work/play
Why is the environment important to early childhood education? List 2 reasons.
- children are in the process of rapid brain development
2. children spend a lot of time in these environments
What is DAP?
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Which year did it become a right for children to play?
What was the name of the Bill?
1989
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
How does cultural context determine how children play?
- affects the role of the adult in play
- gender roles
- type of play (individual or group)
- practices the cultural roles AND new roles
List the 6 characteristics of PLAY.
- Voluntary
- Active Involvement
- Pleasurable
- Focuses on the PROCESS rather than the final PRODUCT
- Free from external rules (determined by players)
- Symbolic Activity (pretend, imagination)
What is Jean Piaget’s 3 Cognitive Stages of Play?
Disequilibrium - an uncomfortable state where new information challenges one’s knowledge, beliefs, or assumptions
Assimilate - to ASSIMILATE the information and working it into one’s current thinking and belief system
Accommodate - to modify one’s thinking or belief
What is the Image of the Child? Where does it originate from?
Originates from the Reggio Emilia philosophy.
The “image of the child” refers to the idea that children are competent, knowledgable, capable, curious, and unique. (used in the curriculum making where it is child directed)!
What are the 3 teachers in learning?
- The Environment
- Teachers
- Parents
The Reggio Emilia approach refers the environment to…
- beautiful spaces and materials
- personalized according to children
- encourage children to represent their ideas in different types of media
- welcomes children, families, and teachers
- fosters relationships
- brings the outside world in
- is flexible and supports creative use of materials
What are affordances?
The quality of an object that defines the possible use.
What are provocations?
activities or materials that encourage thought, problem solving, and creativity
What is reciprocity?
The mutual dependency, action, or influence
What is the role of the REGGIO EMILIA teacher?
Teachers are…
- observers
- collaborators
- researchers
- designers of flexible curriculums
- providers of materials for play and learning
What is DOCUMENTATION? How does it enhance learning?
Documentation is the recorded work and progress of children.
Documentation enhances learning by allowing children to recall and connect their experiences to enrich their learning.
According to Mildred Parten, what are the social descriptions of play?
- unoccupied - uninvolved play
- onlooker - watches others and may ask questions
- solitary - plays alone and has no interactions with others
- parallel - plays near others
- associative - begins to play with others
- cooperative - plays in groups, shared play and defined goals
How can educators SCAFFOLD children’s learning? List 4 ways.
- peer scaffolding - taught to encourage others
- create play plans
- provide opportunities for children to work together
- teachers develop mature play to maintain a theme
What role does a well designed environment play in facilitating development across domains?
- allows deeper and more meaningful play
2. allows children to explore and dive into their interests while providing a safe space
What is the difference between OPEN-ended materials and CLOSED-ended materials?
Open-ended materials are materials that allow for creative play with multiple uses. E.g. a plain box or scarf
Closed-ended materials are materials that have a singular and defined use. E.g. a hot-wheels toy car
What are 3 ways that the environment can help to prevent behavioural issues?
- provides choices allowing unique skills, learning styles, and interests to be addressed (supporting self-regulation)
- reduces stress by providing safe spaces for children to retreat or “escape”
- includes variety of activities to help manage emotions
Which theorist was first credited with designing and promoting beautiful, child sized environments filled with engaging materials?
Maria Montessori
Which theorist is best known for the “zone of proximal development” and SCAFFOLDING?
Lev Vygotsky
The Reggio Emilia approach includes the works of which 3 theorists?
- Maria Montessori
- Lev Vygotsky
- Jean Piaget
What are 3 different ways educators can help families understand the Learning Centre approach?
- Hold family nights - invite families to participate in activities within the learning centres
- send artifacts or documentation home
- develop a booklet and highlight the different learning centres
