Meeting the Diverse Needs of Children

1
Meeting the Diverse Needs of Children

through the
Early Childhood Curriculum
2
(No Transcript)
3
Meeting the Diverse Needs of Early Childhood
Educators

through a
CPIN Workshop
4
Way Up in the Sky Away up in the skyThe little
birdies flyWay down in the nestThe little
birdies restWith a wing on the leftAnd a wing
on the rightWell let the little birdiesSleep
all through the nightShhh, theyre
sleepingThe bright sun comes upThe dew falls
awayGood morning, good morningThe little birds
say
5
Together Were Better
Early childhood educators must support one another
6
In order to meet the diverse needs of children
you must hold on to two different ideas at the
same time.
Idea 1
Idea 2
7

Idea 1
Children are more alike than different
8
All children have unique and individual needs.
Idea 2
9
More alike than different
Individual Needs
10
Accountability

• How can teachers be
• accountable for meeting the
• diverse needs of children?

11
The Essential Questions

• What is the child learning?
• What am I teaching?

12
My Ma Gave Me a Nickel
My Ma gave me a nickel
to buy a pickle. I didnt buy a
pickle,
I bought some bubble gum. Some
bub-bub-bub-bub bubble gum, I bought some
bubble gum. Some bub-bub-bub-bub bubble gum,
I bought some bubble gum.
13
My Ma Gave Me a Nickel

• What is the child learning?
• What am I teaching?

14
Think about two specific children from your class.

• How would you use this song with them?
• What would be your teaching goals?
• What would be the same for each of them?
• What would be different for each of them?

15
Learning/Teaching Ideas

• Vocabulary/Meaning
• Speech/Language
• Rhyming/Sounds of Language
• Beginning Word Sounds/Letters-Sounds
• Turn Taking/Listening
• Sense of Community/Group Participation

16
How do we know what to do to meet the needs of
each child?
17
The Early Childhood Teacheras
Decision Maker
18
You are the key!!!
19
Developmentally Appropriate Practice is the
Outcome of Teacher Decision Making Based on the
Three Kinds of Information
1
2
3
20

• What is known about child development and
  learning ---

1

• Knowledge of age-related human characteristics
• Permits general predictions within an age range
  about activities, materials, interactions,
  experiences that will be
• safe
• healthy
• interesting
• achievable
• challenging

21

• What is known about the strengths, interests and
  needs of each individual child in the group ---

2

• This knowledge allows teachers to adapt for and
  be responsive to inevitable individual variation

22

• Knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in
  which children live

3

• Enables teachers to provide learning
• experiences that are
• meaningful
• relevant
• respectful of the child and family

23

• Early childhood teachers make a series of ongoing
  decisions throughout the program day.

24
2
2
Age characteristics
3
3
1
1
Individual variation
Culture and family
25
Observation is at the heart of our ability to
juggle and effectively make these decision to
meet the needs of ALL children.
26
Lets take a look at Felicia and Moryah.
Write down some of the things you see.
27
Observing Felicia and Moryah
28
(No Transcript)
29
It is the act of observing - of giving someone
my attention and trying to understand them - that
opens my heart. As I observe, I begin to get to
know a child. A feeling bridge is built. The
details I observe start to come together and I
begin to see what the child needs from me.The
Power of Observation -Jablon, Dombro,
Dichtelmiller
It is the act of observing - of giving someone my
attention and trying to understand them that
opens my heart. As I observe, I begin to get to
know a child. A feeling bridge is built. The
details I observe start to come together and I
begin to see what the child needs from me.
The Power of Observation Jablon, Dombro and
Dichtelmiller
30
It is the act of observing - of giving someone my
attention and trying to understand them that
opens my heart. As I observe, I begin to get to
know a child. A feeling bridge is built. The
details I observe start to come together and I
begin to see what the child needs from me.
Meeting the needs of ALL children takes your head
and your heart.
The Power of Observation Jablon, Dombro and
Dichtelmiller
31
Effective early childhood teachersare always
observing and reflecting on those observations
Reflective Thinking
32
ReflectiveThinking for Teachers
Teachers
and then
Support the Learning
33
Classroom Activities
Observe
Decision
Intervention
Classroom Activities
34
Lets take another look at Felicia and Moryah.
What Decisions Might You Make?
35
Decision Making for Felicia and Moryah
36
(No Transcript)
37

• The Early Childhood Curriculum
• is the context for this reflective process and
  provides the tools for meeting diverse needs.

38
Defining Curriculum inEarly Childhood
39
NAEYCs definition of curriculum

• An organized framework that delineates
• the content children are to learn,
• the processes through which children achieve the
  identified curricular goals,
• what teachers do to achieve these goals, and
• the context in which teaching and learning occur.

40
Head Starts definition of curriculum

• Curriculum means a written plan that includes
• (i) The goals for childrens development and
  learning
• (ii) The experiences through which they will
  achieve these goals
• (iii) What staff and parents do to help children
  achieve these goals and
• (iv) The materials needed to support the
  implementation of the curriculum.

41
Defining Curriculum
Head Start
NAEYC

• Goals
• Experiences
• Staff Parents
• Materials

• Content
• Process
• Teachers
• Context

42
Curriculum a roadmap for planning your program

• A vision of what the program looks like
• A framework for making decisions
• A way to get where you want to go

43

• Key Principles of Learning
• in
• Early Childhood Curriculum

44
Domains of childrens development are closely
related.
Physical
Social
Cognitive
Emotional
45
Early childhood educators should use these
interrelationships to organize childrens
learning experiences.
46
Importance of Social Competence
47
A Good Beginning
A child who is socially and emotionally ready

• is confident, friendly, has developed or will be
  able to develop good relationships with peers
• is able to concentrate on and persist at
  challenging tasks
• is able to effectively communicate frustration,
  anger, and joy and
• is able to listen to instructions and be
  attentive.

-A Good Beginning p. vii
48
Children learn in the context of relationships.
49
care and education cannot be thought of as
separate entities in dealing with young children
Eager to Learn
-Eager to Learn Educating Our Preschoolers
(2000), p. 2
50
Children are active learners.
51
Children construct understanding.
52
(No Transcript)
53
The teachers role is vital in connecting content
and learning.
54
Assessment and curriculum are linked.
Assessment
Curriculum
55
Curriculum and Assessment The Ongoing Cycle
1. Collecting facts
2. Analyzing and evaluating what you learned
4. Reporting on childrens progress
3. Planning for each child and the group
56
Development occurs in a relatively orderly
sequence

• Later abilities, skills and knowledge build on
  those already acquired.

57

• READINESS

58

• Developmental theory is based on the principle
  that the successful completion of each stage
  enables us to move on to the next.

59

• We worry about what a child will be tomorrow,
  yet we forget that he is someone today.
• --Stacia Tauscher

60
Development proceeds in predictable directions
towards greater complexity, organization and
internalization.
dog

61
Learning during early childhood proceeds from
behavioral knowledge to symbolic or
representational knowledge

• .

Teachers provide a variety of first hand
experiences to help children acquire symbolic
knowledge.
62
Development advances when children have
opportunities to practice newly acquired skills
as well as when they experience a challenge just
beyond the level of their present mastery.
63
Children can do things first in a supportive
context and then later independently in a variety
of contexts.
Teachers provide the scaffolding that allows
the child to take the next step.
Learning occurs through guided participation.
It is a collaborative process between the teacher
and child.
64
Development proceeds at varying rates from child
to child
and unevenly within different areas of each
childs functioning.
65
Individual variation is not only to be expected
but also valued.

• Decisions about adults interactions with
  children should be as individualized as possible.

66
How do we meet all of those different individual
needs?
67
Individualizing

• We work with groups of children,

and
children have individual needs.
68
Individualized Group Instruction
Personalized Group Instruction
69
Individualizing

• It is the practical application of the
  philosophy that recognizes, values, and plans for
  differences in how children develop, the rate at
  which growth occurs, and the individual life
  experiences that children bring to the program.
• Diane Dodge

70

• What the best and wisest parent wants for his
  own child, that must be what the community wants
  for all its children.
• John Dewey

71
The better able programs are to meet the needs of
children with disabilities, the better able they
are to meet the needs of all children.
72
California Department of Education Tools for
Meeting Diverse Needs
73
Desired Results for Children

• Children are personally and socially competent.
• Children are effective learners.

• Children show physical and motor competence.
• Children are safe and healthy.

74
(No Transcript)
75
In DevelopmentPreschool Learning Standards
76
More alike than different
Individual Needs
77
Reflect Back

• When you were growing up, what was your favorite
  place in your home?

78
Different Places Different Needs

• Places to be part of a group
• Places to be alone
• Places to be taken care of
• Places to be on your own
• Places to be free and move
• Places to be noisy
• Places to be quiet
• Places to be messy
• Places to have my own things
• Places to share with others

79
More alike than different
Individual Needs
80
Planning for ChildrenLinking the Desired
Resultsto Curriculum
81
Curricular Planning
82
(No Transcript)
83
(No Transcript)
84
(No Transcript)
85
Planning for Individual Children
86
Parting Words
87
Support One Another
88

We must support one another in improving our
ability to care for all children Meet,
reflect, plan and work together. No one can do
it alone!
89
(No Transcript)
90

• Not everything that can be measured counts, and
  not everything that counts can be measured.
• --Albert Einstein

91
A Funny Little Gnome

• A funny little gnome was sitting all alone,
  pounding on his drum all the day.
• His mother finally said, Why dont you go to
  bed?
• He said, Hush, I lose my rhythm, go awaygo
  away go away.