Question

This chapter focuses on planning programs that prevent discipline problems. I consider myself a "constructivist teacher". I think students learn best when the information is meaningful to them and the process engages their curiosity and exploration. I want to encourage students to explore ideas and develop them, rather than just acquire information. Practicing is one helpful way we improve our skills. "We all get better at what we practice." is one of the quotes I use to guide myself and the students I work with. Therefore the assignments in the classes I teach tend to emphasize actual real work or situations with children, so you can try out new ideas or improve your current approach.

Constructivists align themselves with Piaget and believe children are active learners; they learn more by “doing” than by just “hearing” or just “watching”. For many Child Development college students, this will be a comfortable perspective. For others, it may be a little different from what you remember as a child or thought teaching was going to be. When I was growing up, we had very little interactive schoolwork. It was mostly the teacher at the board with all the students watching him or her as we were told us about something. Then we would be given a written assignment to do at our desk – such as to fill out a worksheet or take a quiz. Fortunately, by the time my children were in school, this had changed significantly. Classrooms were more active, with children experimenting and working in small groups to figure out answers to problems.

It is faster to cram information into our brains by just listening, but it does not last as long as when we take the time to really manipulate or explore. In this age, when information is changing so rapidly, and when virtually everything is available at our fingertips, I believe it is less important to memorize facts (which will soon change) than it is to be able to observe, predict, analyze and draw accurate conclusions.   Would you rather have people be able to solve global warming or to recite the planets in the solar system as they memorized them in third grade? Should we require children to memorize the bill of rights or to be able to evaluate which ones apply to particular circumstances?

Thinking along these lines, HOW we teach is more important than WHAT we teach.   How we teach will help children develop skills for thinking and creating for the rest of their lives. What we teach is likely to be forgotten or outdated in a short period of time. Constructivist teachers are working more for students to gain thinking skills than for them to acquire information. A side benefit is that when children are actively engaged, they are far less likely to create problems or situations in the class which require direct discipline.

Transitions are times when children move from one activity or space to another. In a typical child care day there are generally more than a dozen transitions. Successful teachers (and parents!) plan transitions. They give warnings and follow routines. They have fingerplays, songs, and stories readily available so children do not have to wait with nothing to do. Put index cards with words, or a list to remind you in your pocket. Keep books or other materials in a good location near normal transition locations. Every day, plan how you will help children make transitions. Many teacher sing clean up songs or directions or always start circle with a familiar song. Music can be a wonderful aid during transitions.

Lines: Teachers can avoid a lot of problems with young children by avoiding “lining up”. Lines are un-natural and cause discipline problems. If adults are going to move from one room to another, we do not line up to do it. We gather in small groups, or clusters, or walk separately to our destination. I would rather see children learn to walk on the right to avoid crowding the space and to walk without disturbing others than to walk in a straight line. Straight lines are a military model for marching soldiers and rarely necessary for children. Movement activities such as hopping like a bunny, or playing at being a “choo choo train” can be good methods when children have to go from one place to another.

10.1 Real Materials

The textbook discusses the importance of using natural or real materials that are meaningful to children. For this assignment, create a list of "Real Materials" that might be included in the following centers. Remember that these must be natural materials.

Science

Mathematics

Blocks

Literacy

Art Home

Home

Answer 1

Note: By 'real materials' the assumption is 'materials found in nature or the immediate environment' that can be used for children to experiment with and learn from.

Science: Rocks, flowers, fruits, leaves, stems, roots, balloons, building blocks, small animals, water, air, wires, lights, simple compounds used in chemistry (eg sugar, salt, mild acids/bases, etc.) heat, cooling, etc.

Mathematics: Building blocks, pebbles, stones, leaves, computers, puzzles, riddles, mathematics games, toys, etc.

Blocks: Not sure what you mean by this

Literacy: Books, songs, poetry recitation/reading, writing, drawing, movies, documentaries, theater, drama, etc.

Art Home: Canvas, silk, paper, naturally derived color (eg red from beetroot juice, yellow from turmeric, etc.) water colors, pastels, crayons, colored pencils, pens, markers, oil, clay, clothespins, ribbons, digital art (cameras, film, etc.), virtually anything!

Home: Not sure what you mean by this