Outdoor play in early childhood education settings: Is it safe and healthy for children?

Outdoor play is an important and integral part of a high-quality early childhood education curriculum. Outdoor play environments should have equipment that is safe and developmentally appropriate for the children served. The appropriate adult-child ratio should be maintained to prevent unnecessary accidents as well as provide the interaction needed to assist children in developing outdoor physical, social, and language skills. Each facility should have teachers with up-to-date CPR and first-aid training to take care of emergency situations.     

Cloze procedure and comprehension: an exploratory study across three languages

This cross-cultural study of cloze procedure and comprehension involved samples of 10- to 11-year-old schoolchildren in Canada, Japan, Sweden and the United States. The aim of the study was to explore the nature of what might be called‘cloze comprehension’in relation to overall or‘global comprehension’of a passage; in particular to establish (a) whether cloze procedure measures the same facets of comprehension regardless of what language is being read; and (b) to what extent cloze procedure, in different linguistic areas, measures‘global comprehension', or comprehension of the general ideas contained in a passage, as distinct from literal comprehension. The results of the study indicate that cloze procedure is a valid and reliable measure of certain aspects of reading comprehension in all the linguistic and cultural areas sampled. Furthermore, comprehension as measured by cloze procedure seems to be a necessary, albeit not sufficient, condition for overall or global understanding of the meaning of a passage. The study also shows that the ability measured by cloze procedure is more generalized (i.e., less text specific) than the ability measured by our global comprehension task. One implication of this seems to be that the higher-order skills necessary for global understanding do not always develop automatically once children have mastered the skills necessary for literal comprehension of simple texts. On the contrary, the higher-order skills may have to be taught systematically at an appropriate stage in the children's reading development.     

We Can Cook! Snack Preparation with Toddlers and Twos

Because toddlers and 2-year-olds learn and explore by using their senses, cooking provides a wealth of multisensory experiences. They can touch, taste, see, smell, and hear food. Cooking can boost children's self-esteem, since it provides children with firsthand experiences, involving them in the processes of planning, preparing, and cleaning. Carefully planned and developmentally appropriate cooking projects can provide young children the opportunity of experiencing the rewards of cooking, such as a sense of accomplishment, joy, and excitement.     

Cross‐cultural Similarities in Attitudes toward Computers and the Implications for Teacher Education

ABSTRACT

Results of a three year longitudinal study of elementary school children's attitudes toward computers in Japan, Mexico, and the United States of America are presented, along with implications of the findings for teacher education. Two types of attitudes toward computers (importance and enjoyment) were found to be positively influenced by the introduction of computer activities in primary school. No novelty effect was found regarding enjoyment of computers, and perceived computer importance declined less from Grades 1–3 than several other dispositions measured. No consistent gender differences were found for attitudes toward computers among the three nations. These findings imply that students begin school eager to learn about computers and lacking the gender biases often found in older age groups, and that teachers should be educated to help preserve interest in and access to information technology for all students. Reflections for teacher education conclude the article.     

The meaning of play: A cross‐cultural study of American and Japanese teachers’ perspectives on play

Abstract

Early childhood teachers’ understandings of play were examined in a qualitative comparative study of 41 Japanese and 41 American participants. Qualitative analysis of the data yielded five themes: the power of living, the opportunity to learn and to develop, fun activities, child's work, and the opportunity to explore nature. Two themes emerged in regard to the meaning of play for adults: enjoyable and voluntary activities and child's play. Finally, we identified two themes regarding playfulness: state of heart and fun feelings. Teachers in both nations used rhetoric that is congruent with the current Zeitgeist of developmentally appropriate early education. One theme that differentiated the groups was the notion that play is children's work. While several Americans mentioned this slogan, this was not the case for the Japanese participants. In contrast, the theme of play as the power of living was more representative of Japanese teachers’ understandings of play, and this reflects the philosophy set forth by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.