Neuroscience, Play and Early Childhood Education: Connections, Implications and Assessment

Paralleling the works of Cambourne’s Conditions of Literacy Learning (The Reading Teacher, 54(4), 414–429, 2001), Copple and Bredekamp’s (Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth though age. National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, 2009) Developmentally Appropriate Practices and the findings from the field of Neuroscience this article explores the important components of creating an active, stimulating learning environment; one purposely designed to actively engage the minds of young children in order to help strengthen their neurological networks. The article concludes its exploration with the role of “mirror neurons” in the learning environment and how they affect the young child's mood, emotions, and empathy.     

The Implications of the 'New Literacy Studies' for Literacy Education

This paper deals with the following questions:

• 1 The ‘problem’: what is the ‘Literacy Debate’ and why do such apparently arcane accounts of language and literacy have such a high profile in popular media?
• 2 What are the New Literacy Studies (NLS) and what are the new understandings of language and of literacy on which NLS are based?
• 3 . What are the implications for literacy education?

     

Learning Classroom Management Through Web-Based Case Instruction: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education

In this article, we report a research project on web-based case instruction that was developed and implemented to allow prospective early childhood teachers to be exposed to various dilemmas faced by practicing teachers. The goal of this project was to design an instructional tool and method that could help prospective teachers expand their notion of classroom management beyond a set of techniques. We collected 23 prospective teachers’ pre and postessays before and after the 3-week implementation of the web-based case instruction, along with surveys and a focus group interview data. The initial data analysis results indicated that this instructional method was effective for (a) promoting prospective teachers’ awareness of multiple perspectives, (b) encouraging them to explore diverse ways of problem solving, and (c) articulating their justification based on a sense of moral responsibility and affective engagement. We conclude with implications for future research and early childhood teacher education.

Developmentally Appropriate Emergent Literacy Activities for Young Children: Adapting the Early Literacy and Learning Model

Whether it be leaping, resisting, or being gently shoved, the field of early childhood education continues moving into the age of accountability. Young children are expected to exhibit many requisite skills prior to kindergarten. Thus, the advancement of pre-reading and writing skills development become one of the many areas of focus for early childhood teachers. This study focused on the advancement of young children’s emergent literacy and letter recognition skills through developmentally appropriate instruction and need based adapted activities using the Early Literacy and Learning Model (ELLM) curriculum. The results suggest that mindfully adapting activities to children’s needs advances children’s emergent literacy development.     

多元读写模式及对习作教学的启示——以三名中国移民儿童的海外读写经历为例

学生习作能力的培养一直以来被看成是课堂教学的任务,对移民英国的三名中国儿童的海外读写经历研究发现,儿童读写能力形成的途径是多元的,非正式、非正规读写学习有效地支持正规读写学习,三种读写学习模式相互独立又密切相关。读写学习的目的不仅要帮助儿童培养读写能力,还要提升儿童的读写素质。     

澳大利亚的媒介素养教育及启示

澳大利亚被世界公认为是当代西方开展媒介素养教育最好的国家。在国家多元文化政策、新社会运动、教育改革等因素积极影响下,它走过了四十多年历程。至今,澳洲已形成了系统的国民媒介素养教育体系、跨文化的批判性教育模式、明晰的媒介素养教育标准。基于澳洲经验,我国可以从宏观上分层次推进国民媒介素养教育;微观上,强化媒介课程设计和教学创新。在课程标准层面,尽量明确媒介素养教育的内容和要求;在课程开发上,平衡多元文化与不同层次的媒介活动;在教学层面,探索批判式的媒介素养教学模式,从而凝聚社会、学校、家庭的合力,使媒介素养教育更好地适应我国中小学以及更高水平的教育课程,进一步拓展我国媒介素养教育的广度、深度与效度。     

English Language Learners and Learning Disabilities: Research Agenda and Implications for Practice

Although little is known about learning disabilities (LDs) in English language learners (ELLs), there is a substantial knowledge base about the identification, assessment, and intervention of and for LDs in monolingual native English‐speaking students. Building on this knowledge, participants at an October 2003 National Symposium on Learning Disabilities in English Language Learners were asked to suggest research questions, priorities, and suggestions on how to build the necessary infrastructure to address critical research needs. In the discussions that took place, important themes emerged: (1) identification and assessment of LD and/or reading disabilities (RD) in ELLs (ELL/Ds), (2) understanding of the language and literacy developmental trajectories of ELLs, (3) understanding of the individual and contextual factors affecting outcomes, (4) the intersection of all of these areas with neurobiology, and (5) developing and testing the effectiveness of interventions for learning disabilities in ELL/Ds. These themes, and the research agenda that was forged around them, are presented. In addition, the practice implications of this agenda are presented, along with some suggestions for current practice while we await future research findings.     

Home Language and Literacy Environments and Early Literacy Trajectories of Low-Socioeconomic Status Chilean Children

This study used Latent Class Analysis to identify groups of children exposed to similar Home Language and Literacy Environments (HLLE) and explored whether belonging to a given HLLE group was related to children’s language and early literacy growth from prekindergarten to kindergarten. Participants were 1,425 Chilean mothers and their children (M_age = 52.52 months at baseline) from low-socioeconomic status households. Four HLLE groups were identified, which were associated with different trajectories of language and early literacy development. Children from groups whose mothers either read and talk about past events with them or teach them letters in addition to reading and talking about past events, showed higher relative vocabulary and letter knowledge. Implications for research and interventions are discussed.     

Early Second Language Learning through SparkLing™: Scaling up a Language Intervention in Infant Education Centers

Infancy (0–3 years) represents a unique time for language learning. Previous research shows that infants' second language (L2) learning advances rapidly in early education centers, through a research‐based method and curriculum delivered by native‐speaking language tutors. Here we test the potential of this method for broad application, through an interactive online tool, SparkLing?, which trains and certifies language tutors to implement the program in infant education centers. Intervention infants (n = 168) from families of predominantly low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds in Madrid, Spain, experienced 18 or 36 weeks of L2 (English) exposure, through daily, 45‐min, group sessions led by SparkLing?‐trained tutors and were compared to a matched Current Practice Comparison (CPC) group of peers (n = 72). Intervention children outperformed the CPC group and showed rapid gains in English comprehension and production. SES was not a significant factor in learning. Infants' L2 skills advance quickly using this research‐to‐practice, scalable program for play‐based infant L2 instruction.     

第二语言习得的主要模式对外语学习的启示

外语学习在语言环境、语言输入、情感因素、母语知识的影响等方面同第二语言习得存在重要区别,从而导致外语学习者所掌握的语言熟练程度远远不如第二语言习得者。尽管监控模式、语言知识模式、语言处理模式、社会模式是针对第二语言习得提出的主要理论模式,但是每一种模式都对外语学习起着独特的作用。     

An Early Education Pilot Program Using a Developmentally Appropriate Practice for Children With Language and Learning Problems: The Guidelines for the Early Learning (GEL) Program

The Easter Seal Society of Southwest Florida's GEL Program (Guidelines for Early Learning), based on the developmental theories of Piaget and Chomsky, is an early education program using a developmentally appropriate practice for children four to six years old who have demonstrated language, learning, and/or developmental problems. The program staff consists of a multidisciplinary team of early childhood specialists, early childhood educators, a pediatric neurologist, an occupational therapist, and a speech and language pathologist. The program is developmental in nature and was designed to guide and encourage language, cognitive, social, and motor development. This paper describes how this special program was planned and implemented in a nonprofit organization.     

An Early Education Pilot Program Using a Developmentally Appropriate Practice for Children With Language and Learning Problems: The Guidelines for the Early Learning (GEL) Program

The Easter Seal Society of Southwest Florida's GEL Program (Guidelines for Early Learning), based on the developmental theories of Piaget and Chomsky, is an early education program using a developmentally appropriate practice for children four to six years old who have demonstrated language, learning, and/or developmental problems. The program staff consists of a multidisciplinary team of early childhood specialists, early childhood educators, a pediatric neurologist, an occupational therapist, and a speech and language pathologist. The program is developmental in nature and was designed to guide and encourage language, cognitive, social, and motor development. This paper describes how this special program was planned and implemented in a nonprofit organization.     

Early Child Contingency Learning and Detection: Research Evidence and Implications for Practice

The types of contingency experiences infants and young children are typically exposed to are examined with a focus on the implications for early childhood intervention with young children who have developmental disabilities and delays. Studies of response-contingent child learning, the manner in which contingencies are not under direct child control, and child/caregiver reciprocal contingencies, are reviewed in terms of how they influence child learning and development. Results indicate that the different types of contingencies all positively influence child behavior. Implications for practice are described in terms of contingency-rich everyday child learning activities, child response-contingent learning in the context of those activities, and caregiver contingent responsiveness as an instructional strategy for supporting child contingency learning.