Midterm exam 2315

Use of technology

"Technology and interactive media are tools that can promote effective learning and development, within the framework of developmentally appropriate practice"

Developmental continuum

A predictable, but not rigid, sequence of typical accomplishments within age ranges that is used to plan curriculum; also an effective assessment tool used to focus teacher attention on what is important to assess—what children can do—and to identify goals for continued progress.

Reciprocal Relationships

A two-way relationship in which information and power are shared evenly.

IEP (Individualized Education Program)

A written plan designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability or special need; it is developed, reviewed, and revised by an IEP team during meetings for each child who is eligible for special education services.

development

Age-related change that results from an interaction between biological maturation and physical and/or social experience; development occurs as children grow, adapt, and change in response to various experiences.

Toxic stress

Children's experience of intense, frequent, and/or prolonged anxiety such as abuse, neglect, violence, or economic deprivation without adult support to help them cope.

Cooing vs. Babbling

cooing-Vocalizing vowel sounds. babble- Produce consonant/ vowel sounds such as "ba ba."

Push-Down Curriculum

Content previously taught in a higher grade that's being expected to be learned in an earlier grade.

interdependent (collectivist) cultural groups

Cultural groups that focus on the needs of the group rather than those of the individual, also called collectivist.

individualistic (collectivist) cultural groups

Cultural groups that focus on the needs of the individual, independence, self-expression, and personal property and choice.

Short answer: Define culture and explain the role culture plays in the development of the young child.

Culture refers to explicit and implicit values, beliefs, and patterns of behavior that are passed on from generation to generation. Culture shapes and influences every child's learning and development. Culture establishes how people communicate, think, behave, solve problems, and organize communities and governments

Short answer: Explain the term digital literacy and its importance for children today.

Digital literacy is the ability to obtain, use, interpret, and evaluate information available through multimedia digital sources. Children of every age must learn to use technology and digital media to enhance all their communication skills such as, reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

IFSP (individualized family service plan)

Documents and guides the early intervention process for children with disabilities from birth to age 3 and their families; contains information about the services necessary to facilitate a child's development and enhance the family's capacity to facilitate the child's development.

Model for Planning Effective Curriculum

Early childhood curriculum is often called child centered; accordingly, this model places the child at the center of curriculum planning. 1. The content of the disciplines. Much of the curriculum comes directly from the subject-matter disciplines: what children need to know and be able to do in science, mathematics, language arts, health, social studies, and the arts. Such content gives curriculum intellectual integrity; that is, it teaches accurate information about how the world works and how to obtain new knowledge. 2. conceptual organizer- Ways of organizing curriculum, such as the project approach, that make content knowledge more meaningful, interesting, and understandable for children. 3. Child development knowledge. Knowledge of how young children develop and learn is critical in planning curriculum that will reach all children. Research on children's cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical development allows teachers to anticipate whether curriculum goals will be achievable and challenging. 4. developmental continuum- A predictable, but not rigid, sequence of typical accomplishments within age ranges that is used to plan curriculum; also an effective assessment tool used to focus teacher attention on what is important to assess—what children can do—and to identify goals for continued progress. learning continuum, learning trajectory, or learning path- Similar to a developmental continuum, but focuses on sequences of knowledge or skill in a content area.

Learning centers

Effective early childhood classrooms provide an extended period of time, from 45 to 90 minutes, for children to engage in child-initiated experiences in learning centers. These defined areas of the classroom have particular purposes. The library area promotes book reading and listening. A block area provides for building, pretend-ing, and learning mathematics and engineering concepts. Art and writing centers promote creative expression, symbolic representation, and development of fine-motor skills. Manipulative toys such as peg boards, beads, and Legos offer opportunities to practice fine-motor skills and solve problems. The dramatic play area promotes symbolic pretend play, self-regulation, language and social interaction.

Short answer: Explain how teaching young children is both a science and an art.

Effective teaching is a science informed and guided by research. Teaching, however, is also an art because it requires vision, creativity, and decision making.

The Science of Teaching (classroom research)

Emotional Climate-A high score on emotional climate on the CLASS means that teach-ers are sensitive and responsive, and have positive relationships with children. Classroom Organization- In well-organized classrooms, teachers use positive strategies to guide children's behavior. Instructional Climate- The CLASS instructional climate score indicates how well teach-ers use a variety of teaching strategies to promote children's language, concept develop-ment, and higher-order thinking.

Child-initiated experiences/activities

Experiences that allow children to gain knowledge and skills through their own exploration and interactions with objects and other children. teachers organize the environment and materials, and provide the learning opportunities from which children make choices. Teachers observe children during child-initiated activities and interact with them to support their continued learning and development.

Erikson's theory of Psychosocial Development

He proposed an eight-stage theory of personal and social development in which at each stage of life, an individual confronts a major challenge or "crisis." Successful nego-tiation of the crisis requires achieving a balance between two possible extremes. If crises are not resolved positively at particular points in the life span, Erikson postulated that later problems will ensue.

Short answer: Describe the importance of understanding individual differences in young children.

If we want every child to achieve the same goals, we must treat and teach them as individuals. Acknowledging that individual differences exist does not mean lowering expectations for some children. High expectations for children's learning are neces-sary if they are to succeed.

Individually appropriate

Information about the strengths, interests, abilities, and needs of each individual child in the group that enables teachers to adapt to and be responsive to individual variation.

Risk Factors

Inherited or experiential conditions that potentially contribute to poor developmental outcomes for children, such as peer rejection, academic failure, juvenile delinquency, and school expulsion.

play-by-play language

Language that describes what is happening during routines and social interactions with babies and toddlers; also called running commentary.

Sequential language learning

Learning a second language after the first language is relatively well established.

Teacher-initiated experiences/activities

Learning experiences in which teachers take the lead by providing explicit information and modeling or demonstrating a skill, as determined by the teacher's goals and direction. for example, we saw how Sally Hanson encouraged some of the children to practice their writing but also demonstrated how to write a letter for those who needed more help.

Short answer: Compare the differences between learning, content, and performance standards.

Learning standards are expectations for student learning. Content standards describe what students should know and/or be able to do within a particular discipline such as math or science. Performance standards describe the knowledge or skill that students should acquire by a particular point in their schooling, usually tied to grade or age level.

simultaneous acquisition

Learning two languages at the same time during the earliest years of life.

Parenting style: Authoritative

Loving, nurturing, involved, and sensi-tive parents who explain their reasons for discipline have children who are motivated to learn and are well adjusted socially and emotionally.

Protective Factors

Mechanisms, both inherited and experiential, that may minimize the potentially negative effects for children living in identified high-risk situations.

informal communication

Morning drop-off and afternoon pickup times are good for engaging in the kind of chitchat, or tennis ball back-and-forth, communication that builds relation-ships between teachers and parents

NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Position Statement

NAEYC's position statement describes principles and guidelines for teaching young children from birth through age 8. NAEYC also presents recommended practices for dif-ferent age groups: infants and toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and children in the primary grades.

Nature vs. Nurture

Nature- The hereditary or genetic contributions to human development. Nurture- Environmental factors and experiences that influence human development and behavior. "nature and nurture are partners in how developing people interact with the surrounding environment"

Parenting style: Permissive

Parents who are warm and accepting of children but minimally involved and laissez-faire about discipline have children with the lowest levels of motivation and achievement.

zone of proximal development

Scaffolding assists a child to work in his or her zone of proximal development—the area just beyond a child's current level of understanding or ability to achieve

Short answer: Explain how language development is affected by socioeconomic status.

Researchers estimated that during the first four years of a child's life, an average child in a professional family would have accumulated experience with almost 50 million words, whereas an average child living in poverty would have been exposed to 13 million words

Parenting style: Authoritarian

Restrictive, punishing, rejecting, and controlling parents have children who lack initiative and are inhibited

Learning continuum

Similar to a developmental continuum, but focuses on sequences of knowledge or skill in a content area.

dual language learners

Simultaneously learning two languages: the home, or first, language and English or another second language

Gifted

Some common abilities of gifted young children include • Curiosity and thoughtful questions about many things •Solving problems in unique ways and using prior knowledge in new contexts •Sustained attention span, willingness to persist on challenging tasks, and good memory •Especially original imagination, wit, and humor • Keen observation skills and rapid mastery of new learning •Desire to work independently and take initiative •Talent in making up stories and reading

Short answer: Describe the components of an effective curriculum.

Some components of an effective curriculum must include well-designed learning experiences, must emphasize responsive teaching, supports individualized instruction, and is culturally and linguistically responsive.

Short answer: Describe the potential positive and negative effects associated with young children's use of technology.

Some early educators are troubled by the fact that children spend too much time engaged with "screens," which takes away time from important activities such as play, outdoor time, conversations with other children and adults, and other joyful childhood experiences. On the other hand, technology and interactive media permeate children's lives and have demonstrated great potential to support young children's learning.

individual differences

Some influential factors are external, like the environment the child is raised in or the experiences they have. Other influential factors are innate, meaning that the children are born with them. These innate individual differences might include health, heredity, physical characteristics, and temperament. In the debate about whether nature (genetics) or nurture (upbringing) has more impact on child development, these innate individual differences would represent the ''nature'' side, while environment and experience illustrate what we mean by ''nurture.''

Five Step Negotiation Process

Step 1: Express preferences, interests, and concerns. Step 2: Find common ground. Step 3: Identify areas of flexibility. Step 4: Brainstorm wins for all. Step 5: Try for a while and then reevaluate if necessary.

Cultural competence

The ability to work respectfully and effectively with people of all cultures, languages, socio-economic classes, races, ethnicities, religions, and other aspects of diversity.

brain development (plasticity)

The brain's ability to develop and change in response to experiences.

Differentiated Instruction

The creation of multiple paths so that children of different abilities, interests, and learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to achieve important learning goals.

Short answer: List the learning centers typically found in high quality learning environments. Select two and describe what materials those centers might include.

The learning centers that are typically found in high quality learning environments are the library area, block area, art and writing center, and the dramatic play area. The art and writing centers might have materials like pencils, paper, crayons, paint, scissors, and glue. The dramatic play area might have pretend cash registers, costumes, pretend money, and pretend food.

temperament

The pattern of arousal and emotionality that is characteristic of an individual.

Grouping (co-construction)

The process of co-construction often happens when children work collaboratively with teachers and/or other children on a joint project or activity. ^Whole group- called circle time or class meeting time, provides a valuable context for class discussions, music and movement, planning for the day or for special experiences such as visitors or field trips, and for children to share their experiences and ideas. ^Small groups- four to six children, provide the opportunity for more focused attention and individualized instruction from the teacher. Teachers can give children immediate, high-quality feedback and also evaluate their performance more accurately. Second, small groups give children the opportunity to interact with and learn from peers and also engage in hands-on experiences. Teachers also use small groups for a focused learning experience, such as introducing a new skill or concept. Small groups are highly effective for learning vocabulary, literacy, and mathematics.

Acculturation

The process whereby children learn expected rules of behavior.

brain development (pruning)

The process whereby the brain eliminates unnecessary or unused synapses, which contributes to efficient brain operation, aids learning and memory, and increases the brain's flexibility.

Short answer: Define individualistic and interdependent cultural orientations. Describe examples of how such orientations might be exemplified in the early childhood classroom.

The values of more individualistic cultural groups include focusing on the needs of the individual, independence, self-expression, and personal property and choice. An example of individualistic cultural orientation in the classroom is children are encouraged to do things for themselves such as toileting, feeding, dressing at an early age. Interdependent cultural groups focus on the needs of the group rather than on those of the individual. An example of interdependent cultural orientation in the classroom would be to have respect for adult authority and the teacher-child relationships are formal.

Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligence

Theory developed by Howard Gardner that identifies eight different intelligences as opposed to a single score on an intelligence test; this theory is useful for thinking about variation among children and teaching to their strengths.

Transactional Theory of Development

Theory that development is the result of both biology and experience and how they influence each other

Short answer: Describe effective strategies for maintaining two-way communication with families.

There are two effective strategies that come to mind with maintaining t two-way communication with families. The first one are called tennis ball messages. They are easily "tossed" and received. These messages help form the foundation of a relationship. Tennis ball messages constitute the everyday chitchat between teachers and parents. The second strategy is called slippery egg messages. That is when communications are difficult to "toss" and "catch", and must be expressed gently to be sure that the "catcher" receives the communication as intended.

Short answer: Describe how technology can be used by teachers to strengthen relationships with families and increase family engagement in the school community.

Use video e-introduction before the school year begins. By posting on YouTube or a secure website and emailing the link, children and family members can see the classroom and learn about their child's teacher. Use messaging technology, such as instant message, Twitter, or WhatsApp to send messages and images (photos or videos) of special happenings during the school day.

Family Systems Theory

Views family members as interconnected parts, with each member influencing the others in predictable and recurring ways

Ways of involving families at school

Volunteering like wiping tables, cleaning the playground, and baking cookies for bake sales.

Vygotsky and Sociocultural Theory

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory is based on his belief that children learn from social interaction within a cultural context. He emphasized that what children learn is determined by the culture in which they grow up, such as an urban child learning to negotiate danger-ous street crossings or a rural child learning to milk a cow

developmentally appropriate practice

Ways of teaching that engage children's interests and adapt for their age, experience, and ability to help them meet challenging and achievable learning goals.

Curriculum Across Age Groups

^Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers- young infants (0 to 8 months), mobile infants (about 6 to 18 months), and toddlers (16 to 36 months)- A thoughtfully planned, challenging, and engaging curriculum for infants and toddlers focuses on: •Relationships that promote a sense of identity, security, and social interaction •Language development • Exploration of the physical world and play ^Preschoolers- Thoughtfully planned curriculum for 3-through 5-year-olds addresses the development of the whole child, including physical well-being and motor development, social and emotional development, approaches to learning such as curiosity and persistence, language development, and cognition and general knowledge. At the same time, the curriculum builds knowledge and skill in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the visual and performing arts. ^Curriculum in Kindergarten and the Primary Grades- In primary school, the curriculum focus shifts to knowledge and skills in the subject matter areas. These include language, literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, health, physical education, and the visual and performing arts. Goals should continue to address the importance of social-emotional development and approaches to learning, including motivation, curiosity, creativity, and initiative, although these areas are rarely included in state standards. And as we have discussed, essential goals include self-regulation and executive function

Approaches to Planning Curriculum

^Emergent curriculum is "what happens in an educational environment, not what is rationally planned to happen but what actually takes place". Advocates of emergent curriculum believe that children's interests and needs, rather than a predetermined plan, should determine what goes on in a classroom. ^Integrated curriculum- focused on one subject area, such as mathematics or science, or it can be comprehensive, addressing all learning goals for a specified age or grade level. It may also focus on various developmental domains, such as cognitive, physical, language, and social-emotional. Integrated curriculum addresses learning goals across multiple areas of curriculum at the same time. ^thematic curriculum- Way of integrating curriculum in which a broad topic of interest or a "big idea" provides the basis for making connections across learning goals. ^Idea webbing- (also called webbing or concept webbing) a planning tool that teachers and children create together to organize curriculum content. ^project approach- Strategy for conceptually organizing curriculum by engaging children in in-depth investigation of a topic, focused on finding answers to questions posed by the children, the teacher, or the teacher working with the children. ^scope- The particular focus of the curriculum at a given point in time; that is, how much of a larger content area will be taught. ^sequence- The order in which knowledge and skills will be taught.

Comprehensive curriculum

^HighScope Curriculum emphasizes that children need to be engaged in active learning direct, hands-on experience with people, objects, events, and ideas. Both teachers and children play an active role, functioning as partners in learning. ^Creative Curriculum strongly emphasizes the learning environment, children's play, and child-initiated activity. The learning environment is the organizing framework of the curriculum. Teachers use children's involvement in centers in the classroom, including blocks, dramatic play, toys and games, art, library, discovery (science center), sand and water, music and movement, cooking, technology, and outdoors, to foster development and learning. ^Tools of the Mind is using high-level, mature socio-dramatic play to develop children's self-regulation. Such mature play includes a theme, roles with rules, language, and symbolic props, such as using a rhythm stick for a magic wand.

Teaching Strategies

^acknowledging-Giving positive verbal or nonverbal attention that promotes the child's persistence and effort. ^encouragement-Verbal comments or nonverbal signs such as pats or high fives that promote the child's persistence and effort. ^feedback loop-Back-and-forth communication between a teacher and a child or small group of children in an effort to reach deeper understanding. ^modeling Showing children a skill or desirable way of behav-ing or speaking. ^demonstrating- Showing the correct way to perform a skill or procedure while children observe the outcome. ^apprenticeship The process of children learning by observing adults and more accomplished peers performing tasks and by practicing the skills themselves with adult guidance and support. ^facilitating- Providing short-term, temporary assistance to help a child achieve the next level of functioning. ^supporting- Providing assistance that helps the child accomplish a difficult task by making it easier. ^questioning- Eliciting different types of responses and promoting different types of thinking. ^open-ended questions- Questions that require children to analyze information in some way and that have many possible answers. ^closed questions- Lower-level questions that have one right answer and usually require children to recall information or facts. ^wait time- The length of time that a teacher waits for a response after asking a question or responding to a comment. ^Co-Constructing Learning and Understanding- One of the most important ways children learn is by constructing their own understanding of concepts as they actively try to make sense of their experiences. ^direct instruction- Explicitly giving directions for completing a task; providing facts, verbal labels, or other specific information; or providing instructions for a child's action or behavior.

Types of languages (receptive and expressive)

^receptive language- The ability to understand what is being said. ^expressive language- The ability to communicate; use and knowledge of spoken language.

curriculum

a written plan that describes the goals for children's learning and development and the learning sequences, experiences, materials, and teaching strategies used to help children achieve those goals.

Effects of Early Language Experiences

classic study of early language acquisition found that socioeconomic advantage was a major factor affecting young children's language development. The researchers videotaped language interactions between parents of different income levels and their children from infancy to age 3. The study found that, over the course of a year, children of parents who were professionals were exposed to more than 11 million words. In con-trast, children whose families were receiving public assistance were exposed to only 3 million words.

Developmental Continuum: Early Literacy Learning (print carriers a message)

concepts of print- Beginning understandings about the forms and functions of written language, such as that words carry messages.

nuclear family

married parents of different sexes. children grow up in single-parent, grandparent, or same-sex parent households.

Challenges for families

poverty, single parenthood, and low levels of parental education. Other factors that place families at risk include family dysfunction, abuse, parental mental illness, chronic illness, and substance abuse, particularly the growing opioid crisis. Community risk factors create challenges for families as well; these include poverty, crime, unemployment, and high levels of teen parenthood.

Short answer: Define the term push-down curriculum and explain why this trend is occurring.

push-down curriculum is content previously taught in a higher grade that's being expected to be learned in an earlier grade. Push-down curriculum has been a trend for decades and is often attributed to the accountability movement, whereby teachers are held responsible if children fail to achieve certain standards. A particularly troublesome trend is the requirement in many states that children read by the end of third grade or be held back.

Relationship of Race and Culture

race is associated with a person's biology and is determined by who their parents are, whereas culture is learned.

Short answer: Define resilience. List two risk factors and two protective factors.

resilience- A child's ability to overcome, adapt to, or minimize the damaging effects of adversity. Two risk factors are living in poverty or having a single parent. Two protective factors are having a continuous, positive parent-child relationship and having a supportive extended family.

Common Core Standards

rigorous national standards in English language arts and mathematics for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Short answer: Describe the parenting styles identified by Baumrind and explain why culture must be considered in relation to this (or any other) theory of development.

• Authoritative. Loving, nurturing, involved, and sensi-tive parents who explain their reasons for discipline have children who are motivated to learn and are well adjusted socially and emotionally. • Authoritarian. Restrictive, punishing, rejecting, and controlling parents have children who lack initiative and are inhibited. • Permissive. Parents who are warm and accepting of children but minimally involved and laissez-faire about discipline have children with the lowest levels of motivation and achievement. Culture must be considered in relation to parenting styles because every culture has a different approach to parenting considering their priorities and the challenges they face daily such as poverty.

Short answer: Describe the types of play and the benefits associated with each.

• Functional play. Children play with and manipulate objects, such as when a baby shakes a rattle or a toddler bangs a drum. • Constructive play. Children use toys or objects to create something new, such as making a puppet from a sock, a design on a computer screen, or a castle out of Legos. • Symbolic play. Children use one thing to represent or stand for another. Pretend play is a form of symbolic play. A stick becomes a magic wand. A piece of cloth becomes a veil or a cape. • Games with rules. Children follow prescribed rules for playing together toward a common goal. Games include simple ones, such as Candyland or Chutes and Lad-ders, as well as complex ones, such as chess or baseball. ^Play contributes to language development, self-regulation, attention, creativity, problem solving, and social and emotional skills. Play has been found to help prepare children for school. Research also links play to children's literacy and mathematics skills

Types of Standards

• Learning standards are expectations for student learning. • Content standards describe what students should know and/or be able to do within a particular discipline such as math or science. • Performance standards, or bench-marks, describe the knowledge or skill that students should acquire by a par-ticular point in their schooling, usually tied to grade or age level.

Types of play/benefits

•Functional play. Children play with and manipulate objects, such as when a baby shakes a rattle or a toddler bangs a drum. • Constructive play. Children use toys or objects to create something new, such as making a puppet from a sock, a design on a computer screen, or a castle out of Legos. • Symbolic play. Children use one thing to represent or stand for another. Pretend play is a form of symbolic play. A stick becomes a magic wand. A piece of cloth becomes a veil or a cape. • Games with rules. Children follow prescribed rules for playing together toward a common goal. Games include simple ones, such as Candyland or Chutes and Ladders, as well as complex ones, such as chess or baseball.