The document discusses launching projects with young children. It describes the three phases of the project approach: 1) selecting a topic and subtopics with input from children, 2) creating a topic web to plan directions and relate to curriculum, and 3) developing questions for investigation. Benefits are that projects provide engaged, active learning and involve children in identifying and solving problems in a way that supports academic, social, and emotional development. The teacher's role is to guide selection of meaningful topics of interest to children and their communities, build shared experiences, assess prior knowledge, and set up the classroom to support investigation.
3. The Project Approach
Due to children’s natural dispositions to be intellectually curious and to
investigate their environments it is important they have an opportunity to
experience active, engaged learning.
Projects provide experiences that involve and challenge children to identify
and solve problems. Teachers incorporating the project approach go beyond
to entertain students or make them just follow instructions in class.
The most important characteristic of a project is that the research effort in a
considered way it is focused on finding answers to questions about a topic.
The children, the teacher or the teacher working with the children ask the
questions.
4. Benefits of Projects in the Early Years
The experiences of project work provide opportunities to toddlers through
age 6, to take initiative and responsibility for the work undertaken.
A curriculum approach based on child-initiated learning activities contributes
to children’s short and long-term academic, social and emotional
development.
Parents become involved and interested in supporting the children’s and the
teacher work. They are often amazed and happy to see the level of thinking
shown by their children and are always ready to help in different ways.
5. Benefits of Projects in the Early Years
The prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first-grade years are recognized as
key years for the development of communicative competence, including
language and understanding of symbol systems (Machado, 1995).
Some of the benefits of outdoor play include concentration and impulse
control, emotional coping and stress reduction, more creative play, increased
fitness and reduction in childhood obesity, and resiliency.
Projects provide a natural provocation for learning and using mathematical
and scientific thinking. Children often construct models, draw diagrams and
charts, and create playing environments.
6. A Closer Look
How Projects Can Connect Children
with Nature
Project work on nature supports
problem-solving and creative thinking.
As children focus their investigation on
nature topics, they also learn that
nature and a natural environment are
interesting and valuable.
Guiding Projects with Young Children
The structure of the project approach
consists of three distinct phases.
It doesn’t provide a prescription for
learning experiences.
The teacher learns how to support and
not crush children’s curiosity and
natural dispositions to learn, and yet
still achieve curriculum goals.
8. Launching the Project
PHASE 1
Teacher guide children in selecting the topic and possible subtopics.
Teacher evaluates the possibility to have local resources and opportunities for
the children to have first-hand experiences related to the topic
Teacher creates a topic web that helps to anticipate possible directions the
investigation can take and ways it can relate to the local curriculum
requirements and district standards.
The teacher also assesses the availability of resources, potential expert
visitors, and field-sites to be visited.
9. Issues in Selecting Topics for Projects
With the youngest children, many with limited verbal skills and vocabulary
related to a topic, it helps if the teacher looks for expressions of interest
through their behavior, perhaps by observing their spontaneous play.
In the process of selecting topics, it helps to be a good listener and to know
your children, their families, their culture, and their interests.
The more the learning experience is connected to the child’s own immediate
daily reality, the more successful it will be.
10. Other Issues After Selecting the Topic
ANTICIPATORY TEACHER PLANNING
“Trying out the Topic” and making
anticipatory planning webs not only
assist a teacher in evaluating the
worthiness and practicality of a
topic but also can help a teacher to
integrate components of a
curriculum.
BUILDING COMMON EXPERIENCES
It is important to build a shared
perspective, a sense that a
community is joined together to
explore something of interest.
Sharing and discussing these early
explorations related to the topic
help to build that shared
perspective.
11. Other Issues After Selecting the Topic
FINDING OUT PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
The key to success in making webs
with young investigators is in the
preparation and support given to
the children during the first
webbing experience and the care
taken to be sure that children have
enough prior knowledge of the
topic to relate to the web in
meaningful ways.
DEVELOPING QUESTIONS FOR INVESTIGATION
It is usually easier to stimulate the
formulation of the research questions
by asking the young investigators
what they would like to know more
about, or find out about. When
conducting projects with preschool
children, it does not usually work well
to ask them “What are your
questions?”
12. Other Issues After Selecting the Topic
SETTING UP THE CLASSROOM FOR
INVESTIGATION
For all age levels, a table or several
shelves can be set aside to display
artifacts, books, and other
resources about the topic. Bulletin
board space can be used to display
webs, ongoing project word lists,
photographs, and children’s work.
Because projects at the preschool and
kindergarten level often result in
some type of construction, it is helpful
to have a large space where the
project can be left undisturbed when
other activities are occurring in the
classroom.
