CPSY Practice Brief Extra Credit
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University of Minnesota-Twin Cities *
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4334W
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Communications
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Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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4
Uploaded by ProfessorJellyfishMaster3516
CPSY Practice Brief Extra Credit
12/19
Practice Brief 3, Dual Language Learners:
During the first five years of life, children have an incredible neurological capacity to learn multiple languages. While past that point learning multiple languages is possible, it is much
more difficult, and at the age of just nine months infants’ brains start paring down unused synapses. Early childhood educators have a great opportunity to teach multiple languages and confer the benefits of multilingualism upon children early; these benefits include: increased ability to understand math, use logic and deep thinking skills, make decisions, as well as more acute memory and focus, and of course the importance of fostering children from non-english speaking families’ linguistic connections to their families’ culture. But dual language learning is not a new thing. Immigrant and refugee children, as well as Native American children learning their tribe’s language have always been here, but the support for them has not. With this in consideration, educators must assess DLL children using the ECIPs with a thoughtful eye. Although children may not meet the ECIPs language requirements in English, that does not necessarily mean they have not met the standard, or learned from a teaching scenario. Teaching DLLs means that more emphasis on vocabulary and associated pictures is necessary; trying to connect as many sensory experiences to language as possible is important. While bilingual teachers are wonderful for DLL, monolingual teachers can also do a lot for DLL.
The most important piece is that you foster a learning environment where all cultures are respected and engaged with (responsive to the languages spoken by the class). Talking, singing, playing, and reading in another language every day is important as well. When educators are not proficient in a child’s native language, it is important that they provide support for native speakers at home to improve fluency (emphasis on oral language as the foundation for literacy). Application of DLL practices in nature based early childhood education are multiferous. Every culture interprets natural phenomena differently, so a variety of material is available for use. In this class I created curriculum around learning about reptiles and amphibians. One of the areas of learning I highlighted in my curriculum web was cultural differences in interpretation. To do this activity I would read two different books about reptiles/amphibians from different cultural contexts. For instance, in some cultures, snakes are seen as evil beings that harbor evil spirits, while in American culture snakes may be seen as gross, but some people in the south eat them, and they are largely harmless in our region of the country. Cultural comparisons expand children’s worldview, and can help them understand that there are many different attitudes towards natural phenomena: Their own experiences are not universal. Adding language to this only enhances these learning outcomes, and is fun for children. Practice Brief 8, Using The ECIPs in Parent and Family Engagement:
My mom is an English teacher and recently shared a story with me from an experience she had while long-term substitute teaching at an ALC. She was talking with a student, who was asking questions about what toys the student’s soon-to-be-born infant would enjoy most, and what she should put on her registry. My mom told me that she listened, and responded by saying that if her student wanted to buy toys for her baby, the sentiment was sweet and that she should, but that by no means should she should feel it necessary. Parents are a baby’s most interesting, fun, and educational toy out there. Parents are the best toy, and the best teacher, but they can’t do
it all on their own. Learning doesn’t stop when children leave school, but it’s important that educators provide support for parents on how best to stimulate their children’s minds. The ECIPs
are an important tool for educators, and can and should be utilized by parents as well...however, the academic documentation-speak can make this seem daunting. Parents cannot just be educated about the ECIPs, they need to be engaged with them as well. While it makes more work for staff, providing the ECIPs for the ages of children families have in the class, and giving some examples of activities that meet the ECIPs both in class as well as at home (This could be just a compilation of public curriculum at your school). For example, helping parents understand that a walk home from school can be a learning experience, and meet Physical and Movement ECIPs, Scientific Thinking and Cognitive ECIPs, and really any you choose to focus on. Engaging parents can take many forms, and can range all the way from parents participating in activities during class when available, to receiving a newsletter containing information about the ECIPs being met during a specific week or period of time, to factoring in time during parent-teacher conferences to talk ECIPs. Most importantly, parents need to understand that learning is everywhere, all the time!
Practice Brief 6, Using The ECIPs in Play:
When I was in kindergarten, the school I attended had a very play-heavy curriculum. We could choose where and when to play, and when we would complete our mandatory academic stations. This created a great environment for me to learn in, but due to district pushback, this curriculum was overhauled over the next few and now the kindergarten I went to is almost entirely academic-based, with very few indoor play spaces and little outdoor time. This seems to be a popular trend as people are mobilized around the fear of LOW TEST SCORES!!!! But learning and playing are not two separate domains. Learning, especially in early childhood, comes from playing. This doesn’t mean that traditional academics have no place in early childhood education, but rather that play and academics are interconnected and should be treated as such. For infants and toddlers, play is connected to human faces and bodies: looking at many different faces and facial expressions, feeling curiosity and surprise, learning about bodies and understanding how to use one’s own body. For preschoolers, exploration and play is essential to understanding new concepts; social systems and roles are often exciting for preschoolers to play. Teachers have the important job of facilitating play, without creating an environment or scenario
that is too structured and impedes upon creativity. In nature based early childhood education, play is incredibly valuable, and emphasizes the reality that children must first form a connection with the natural world before they can gain an understanding of how it works or a desire to protect it. Unstructured free play outside is a great way to form that connection. Bringing children outside, and letting them run wild in certain bounds is a wonderful learning experience. For infants and toddlers, this can mean allowing them to lay in and feel the grass or dirt below them, and watch other humans move in the outdoors. For preschoolers, this can mean so many different things: free play outdoors, like recess at the Lab School, play-acting animal scenarios, digging for worms, etc.
Practice Brief 12, Using ECIPs With The Greater Community:
The age old adage, “It takes a village..” may be cliche, but it holds significant truth. Communities play a huge role in raising the children of the world. Children who feel supported outside of their immediate family lead happier, healthier lives and pass on the love they were given as children. Investing in the children of your community ensures that love will be passed down for generations. Engaging the the greater community with the ECIPs is important because it extends the resources of teachers to a group of non-certified life teachers who can benefit from understanding the specifics of what children need to learn during different developmental stages and how to facilitate that. Much like the importance of sharing ECIPs with parents, the community needs to understand that supporting children in learning can come in many different forms. Whatever you can bring to the table as a member of the community, is welcome and can be used to teach. Local governments need to use ECIPs to inform zoning, public park design, and regulations regarding childcare. Libraries and museums have a great opportunity to use ECIPs to make their exhibits and facilities more child-friendly. Local businesses can use ECIPs to inform how they can serve to support and provide items needed for full child development. As nature based learning is concerned, in Boulder, Colorado, the city council along with urban planner Mara Mintzer collaborated with 200 pre-k to senior children to design a new downtown park, or “civic area.” This is a great initiative, and highlights how children can be involved in creating spaces that seek to be more egalitarian, serving truly everyone. Children called for safer access to
the creek for swimming, lighting throughout the pathways for safer walking, an ice-rink, and separate walking and biking paths so that bikes don’t crash into walkers. All of these are great ideas, and could be implemented in many more civic areas. Engaging children in the creation of spaces they will inhabit is wonderful, and a great example of how ECIPs can be implemented as well. ECIPs could help this project by helping adults understand what children need in a play space, “how can ensure that children of all ages are able to play and learn in this space?”
Video: https://www.ted.com/talks/mara_mintzer_how_kids_can_help_design_cities/transcript?
language=en
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Practice Brief 5, Using ECIPs With Children in Mixed Age Grouping:
In early childhood, children most often are grouped in mixed age groupings outside of school: families usually have children close in age, preschools do not always segregate classes by age, as children come in at different times during their 2nd year, many activities outside of school do not expressly segregate by age (story time at libraries, swim classes, daycare, etc.). The ECIPs provide a helpful organizational strategy for focusing on one concept (for example, focusing on scientific thinking and cognitive while interacting with a class herp), while also being able to assess developmental progress across an age range. Mixed age grouping is a great tool for having children teach other children. Older children have had the ability gain a sense of mastery over some activities (i.e. digging for worms;
where are they most likely to be? Why do some look different than others? How do we use digging tools?) and the act of teaching others allows for children to gain an even better understanding of the activity (i.e. what do I understand about digging for worms that my friends don’t? How could I help them get better? What could they be doing that allows them to find more worms than me?). Earlier in the course we watched a video about an extreme version of this, where a preschool was located inside of a retirement home and the seniors and children explored nature together, learning from interactions with each other. The ECIPs provide support for teachers who are interested in utilizing this method of collaborative learning.