美国早期儿童示范项目的特征与启示

在考察学前教育对儿童发展的积极影响时,人们引用最多的是美国佩里幼儿园项目、芝加哥儿童家长中心、卡罗莱纳初学者项目等示范项目.然而,事实上这些示范项目都主要是针对低收入家庭儿童的,其产生的显著效果并不具普遍性.借鉴这些示范项目的成功经验,我国政府在学前教育领域的政策与投入应加大对社会处境不利儿童的关注;应充分考虑文化背景对教育效果的影响机制,而不能一味照搬这些示范项目;应审慎对待这些示范项目的研究结论,引导公众建立对幼儿教育的合理期待.     

Investigation and comparison of Turkish and American preschool teacher candidates’ attitudes towards inclusion of young children with disabilities

Inclusion of young children with disabilities into general education classrooms is a common practice that has been implemented for many years in developed countries around the world and many developing countries have been creating and implementing laws and regulations to support inclusive education in early years. Although extant literature includes a commonly agreed definition for inclusion, the implementation of inclusive practices varies across countries. A critical factor for successful implementation of inclusive practices is teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of children with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to compare Turkish and American pre-service preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of young children with disabilities and their willingness to work with children with severe behavioural, physical, and cognitive disabilities. A total of 123 pre-service teachers participated in the study. The results showed that pre-service teachers across two countries had similar attitudes towards inclusion and their attitudes were positive. Additionally, both groups of pre-service teachers reported more favourable attitudes towards working with children with severe physical disabilities than those who have severe cognitive and behavioural disabilities. Implications for future research and practices are discussed.     

将教育融于自然,用自然美化教育——国外学前教育中公园资源的利用及启示

在工业经济越来越发达的今天,公园以其独特的环境优势、人文气息、休闲设施等优势,成了人们户外欣赏自然、休闲娱乐的首选场所。公园作为一种重要的社会资源,其潜在的教育功能越来越受到教育者和家长的重视。有学者指出,公园是社区中的一种重要的教育资源,有助于促进儿童在体力、认知、情感、社会性、审美等方面的发展。学前教育中利用公园资源对幼儿进行教育是指学前教育机构在教育中,利用公园潜在的教育资源对幼儿进行各种教育活动,促进幼儿发展的一系列活动和行为。国外学前教育中十分注重对公园资源的利用,这对我国幼儿园和家庭注重公园教育功能的发挥和利用具有一定的启示意义。     

How does homework ‘work’ for young children? Children’s accounts of homework in their everyday lives

Homework is an increasing yet under-researched part of young children’s everyday lives. Framed by the international agendas of starting strong and school accountability, homework in the lives of young children has been either overlooked or considered from the perspective of adults rather than from the perspective of children themselves. This paper redresses this situation by reporting on an Australian study of 120 young children, aged four to eight years, where homework emerges as a key part of their everyday lives. Children’s own accounts of their everyday decision-making, using audio-taped conversations and concurrent paper-based timeline activities, show homework as accomplishing the institutional purposes of the school, while affording the children opportunities to demonstrate their competence in operating in an adult-generated education regime.     

当代美国早期保育与教育发展趋势及其启示

随着全球化竞争的加剧,美国社会对早期保育与教育项目的期待不断更新和提升,美国传统的幼教价值观和幼教系统受到了挑战。美国早期教育领域未来的发展趋势是:在促进儿童发展适宜性实践的框架里定义和提升儿童学业成就;在保持早期教育独特性的前提下与初等教育有效合作;在提升早期教育质量中促进儿童学习机会的公平。借鉴美国的经验,我国学前教育的发展要注意通过对话保持社会期待和儿童适宜发展间的平衡;将树立现代儿童观作为首要任务;把提升教师专业水平作为合理回应社会期待的关键。     

幼教小学化之谬——学前教育应以适应幼儿为本

幼儿的教育问题是我国基础教育的重要问题,关于幼儿教育是应该以知识学习为主还是以游戏教育为主在我国社会上也已经争论已久。尽管教育部门就幼儿教育的问题出台了不少相关规定,但还是因为社会观念和家长需求的影响,导致部分规定无法有效推行,幼儿教育逐步朝着知识传授和智力开发的方向发展。本应该属于小学课程的部分以幼儿教育的形式进入幼儿教育机构中,给幼儿增添了不少负担,也给幼儿教育工作者制造了不少麻烦。     

Childcare? Early childhood education and care? Towards an integrated early years policy for young children in Ireland

The decade 1997 to 2007 was a dramatic one for Ireland. Driven by a strong economy it had low rates of unemployment and attracted a large population of immigrant workers. These changes impacted directly on family life – most particularly in the area of the education and care of young children. The recent and equally dramatic change in economic circumstances has provided an unexpected context for a significant policy shift in early childhood care and education (ECCE) which, if carefully managed, could have profound effects on young children and their families. This article considers what recent Irish ECCE policy tells us about views of children and childhoods and where Ireland stands in respect of early childhood provision; it identifies some distinctly Irish tensions and considers what the likelihood is that recent policy initiatives mark a significant move forward for those seeking high quality ECCE provision for young children.     

幼儿音乐教学中情感体验现状及对策研究

音乐教学是幼儿教育课程重要组成部分,而让幼儿从中获得情感体验是音乐教育的价值所在,也是幼儿艺术课程的定位。通过分析幼儿音乐教学中儿童情感体验中存在的问题,并针对性的提出改进措施,以供相关人士作为参考。     

Violence and the changing universe of disabilities

The field of special education has primary responsibility for providing specialized services to young children with disabilities in the schools. Increasingly, it is recognized that many disabilities identified among young children may be attributable to environmental variables, such as violence, poverty, toxic materials exposure, and family dysfunction. Issues of violence hold particular relevance for special education professionals. Recent studies report that young children with disabilities are 1.7 times more likely to be victims of maltreatment than children without disabilities. For children with disabilities living with the effects of violence, the infrastructure of special education as it is now developing may be the most promising approach to individual and systems intervention. Comprehensive community-based initiatives are replacing fragmented practices. The new collaborations can multiply the results of intervention or support programs beyond those attainable through any single approach. Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect policies of the U.S. Department of Education.     

汉语儿童从图像到文字的早期阅读与读写发展过程：来自早期阅读眼动及相关研究的初步证据

为了解汉语儿童从图像到文字的早期阅读与读写发展过程的特点,本研究以257名2-6岁儿童为被试,研究了（1）2-6岁儿童图画阅读的眼动发展特点,图画信息获取能力和文字阅读能力的发展特点;（2）4-6岁儿童的汉字视觉解析能力发展状况;（3）4-6岁儿童汉字视觉表现能力发展阶段。从阅读的视觉关注,汉字知觉解析和汉字视觉表现三个层面论证了汉语儿童从图像到文字的早期阅读与读写发展过程,探索了汉语儿童早期阅读和读写的视觉认知关键点,揭示了汉语儿童早期阅读和读写发展的文化独特性。     

‘Baby teachers’: how pre‐service early childhood students transform their conceptions of teaching and learning through an infant practicum

This qualitative study explores how working with infants changed pre‐service early childhood students’ thinking about important aspects of early childhood education. Through a qualitative analysis of four pre‐service early childhood students’ weekly dialogue journals during a required, one‐semester infant practicum, the authors discovered how the course provided a context for challenging students’ previously held notions about early childhood teaching and learning. Their findings showed that infants’ ways of being were a powerful influence on pre‐service early childhood students’ sense of themselves as teachers and emphasized the value of hands‐on experiences with infants as an important component of early childhood professional preparation.