Step by Step Program | Resources: Step by Step Methodologies Descriptions
Below please find detailed descriptions of each Step by Step Methodology:
- Creating Child-Centered Programs for Infants and Toddlers
- Learning Activities for Infants and Toddlers: An Easy Guide for Everyday Use
- Creating Child-Centered Classrooms for 3-5 Year Olds
- Creating Child-Centered Materials for Math and Science (3-6 year olds)
- Creating Child-Centered Classrooms for 6-7 year olds
- Creating Child-Centered Classrooms for 8-10 year olds
- Creating Inclusive Classrooms
- Making a Difference: A Parent’s Guide to Advocacy and Community Action
- Education and the Culture of Democracy: Early Childhood Practice
Creating Child-Centered Programs for Infants and Toddlers
Edited by Eleanor Stokes Szanton
Creating Child-Centered Programs for Infants and Toddlers is the fourth publication in a series designed for teachers and caregivers in early childhood programs. This guide brings the Step by Step philosophy of introducing child-centered learning as the foundation for preparing children to live productively in democratic societies to our very youngest citizens, those between birth and three years of age.
Since more growth and development takes place in the first three years of life, research and practice point to the need for infants to develop secure attachments to significant adults through responsive, nurturing caregiving in infant programs. Practical advice is given to teachers and caregivers on how to support the emotional, social, cognitive, language, and physical development of very young children. It encourages caregivers to listen to, guide, and help individual children make sense of the world around them. It shows caregivers how to create learning environments that are warm and inviting as well as safe and clean.
Creating Child-Centered Programs for Infants and Toddlers is divided into five sections: Parts One and Two introduce the content of the guide, the research base for the methodology, and the terminology used throughout the curriculum; Part Three, How Infants and Toddlers Learn, forms the core of the child-centered curriculum for working with groups of infants and toddlers and includes information on daily routines and observing development; Part Four, The Environment for Learning, discusses health, safety, nutrition, and the design of responsive environments; Part Five, Program Staffing and Evaluation, guides program administrators through the selection and training of staff and addresses child/staff ratios and supervision. The curriculum provides many helpful charts and sample forms including charts on infant, toddler development, sample classroom schedules, and designs for classroom space.
Learning Activities for Infants and Toddlers: An Easy Guide for Everyday Use
By Betsy Squibb and Sally Deitz
This book offers teachers and caregivers over one hundred hands-on developmentally appropriate learning activities that can be incorporated into the child’s day, as well as during routines of diapering, dressing and feeding.
The book is easy to use. Each activity includes a clear goal, a list of materials, and simple steps for preparation. Suggestions for interactions between children and adults as well as ways to help involve parents in each activity are provided.
In order to help caregivers select appropriate activities for individual children or groups of children, activities are marked by symbols that identify the areas of development that each activity will support its recommended age level. The activities are designed to be simple to carry out, with readily available, low- or no-cost household or outdoor materials.
Creating Child-Centered Classrooms for 3-5 Year Olds
By Kirsten Hansen, Roxane Kaufmann, and Kate Burke Walsh
Creating Child-Centered Classrooms for 3-5 Year Olds describes classroom methods that promote the philosophy of active, engaging, individualized learning in the mode of progressive education. Teachers are provided with clear, concrete ideas on how to create and implement a child-centered classroom that promotes democratic principles and practices. The curriculum is divided into three sections:
Part I, Child-Centered Thinking, presents the philosophical rationale and theoretical underpinnings of the curriculum and the goals and developmental guidelines for children. Part II, Child-Centered Teaching describes the roles of teachers and families in implementing the curriculum, with a strong emphasis on the meaningful involvement of families. This section also addresses the importance of observing and recording children’s behavior to promote individualized activities and instruction through integrated learning. Part III, Child Centered Learning, provides an overview of the learning environment and discusses each of the ten activity centers in great detail. The activity centers include literacy, mathematics, cooking, blocks, science, music, outdoors, sand and water, art, and dramatic play.
Creating Child-Centered Materials for Math and Science (3-6 year olds)
By Judith Rothschild and Ellen Daniels
Creating Child Centered Materials for Math and Science is an indispensable resource for early childhood educators. Developed by teachers for teachers, it includes more than eighty math and science activities that can be used in preschool classrooms. Each activity is simple, clearly illustrated, and uses low- or no- cost household or outdoor materials.
The book is organized so teachers can easily access the information and includes the following elements:
- Illustrated symbols indicate the appropriate age range for each activity.
- A “purpose” statement explains the educational concepts that the activity promotes.
- Activities are grouped by activity centers: art, blocks, dramatic play, literacy, mathematics/manipulatives, music, outdoors, sand and water, and science.
- Materials come from the child’s everyday environment—rocks, leaves, seeds, recycled containers, newspapers, paper bags and aluminum cans.
- A “home” connection links the child’s family to classroom experiences.
Creating Child-Centered Classrooms (6-7 year olds)
By Kate Burke Walsh
Only available as hard copy
Creating Child-Centered Classrooms presents four powerful themes that unify the program’s concepts and goals. Communication is the key concept for teaching literacy, including reading, writing, spelling, and speaking, visual arts, and mathematics. Children are approached as individuals and encouraged to articulate their thoughts and ideas. Caring is the theme that provides the impetus for the study of science, including life science, physical and earth science, environmental studies, and character education.
Community helps children conceptualize the interconnection of history, geography, and civics and builds relationships among parents, teachers and children. Connections helps children bridge new concepts with the known and develop an empathetic world view. Creating Child-Centered Classrooms for 6—7 Year Olds provides teachers with lessons, suggestions for extending activities, assessment strategies and forms, thematic curriculum webs, and complete resource and reference lists. This book was written by teachers for immediate classroom application.
Creating Child-Centered Classrooms (8-10 year olds)
By Kate Burke Walsh
The third volume in the series, Creating Child-Centered Classrooms for 8—10 Year Olds presents methods for refocusing classroom practice for the older primary student from teacher-dominated to child centered classroom practice. An emphasis on democratic education for the twenty-first century permeates the methods described. It blends current, exemplary educational practices and sound developmental theory to address the educational needs of children in later primary years. Addressing the areas of mathematics, literacy, social studies, science, and the visual arts, Creating Child Centered Classrooms for 8—10 Year Olds includes:
- An emphasis on responsibility for learning, shared between the child and the teacher.
- Specific suggestions and models for making qualitative changes in the classroom environment.
- Ways to implement the shift from teacher-dominated to child-centered classrooms.
- Specific strategies to integrate traditional content areas through theme studies.
- Practical examples of language for asking open-ended questions and promoting critical thinking skills.
This book is designed to be used by teachers and contains readily usable assessment instruments, practical suggestions and numerous examples of best practice for teaching the older primary student.
Creating Inclusive Classrooms
By Ellen Daniels and Kay Stafford
This book provides both the research base and practical methods that guide and support teachers in including children with disabilities in their child centered classrooms. Written by teachers, this volume addresses such questions as: How do early childhood teachers adapt their teaching strategies and materials to suit the needs of both a child with disabilities and typically developing children? How do classroom teachers and families work together to support learning for children with disabilities? The reader follows the progress of three young children with disabilities throughout the course of the school year, beginning with the first meeting of the parents and teachers. The case studies provide concrete illustrations of many of the concepts contained in this manual, including: forming partnerships with parents; observing and assessing children’s performance; developing individualized plans; designing the classroom environment; using thematic instruction; and facilitating social-emotional linguistic, cognitive and physical development.
Making a Difference: A Parent’s Guide to Advocacy and Community Action
By Diane Charnov and Carolyn Rutsch
Parents are often their child’s best advocates. But how can parents make sure their voices are heard in their schools and communities? This practical guide to successful advocacy is designed to help parents and others organize and speak out on issues that affect children. Concrete suggestions are offered that can be mobilized to address children’s needs at home, in school and in their communities. This book is full of inspirational accounts of advocates from across the globe. These real-life examples are interwoven with practical advice and guidance that will help caring citizens into successful advocates that can make a difference in their own and other children’s lives.
Education and the Culture of Democracy: Early Childhood Practice
By Kirsten A. Hansen, Roxane Kaufmann, Steffen Saifer
The link between democracy and early childhood education is significant. This book contends that there are subtle, yet effective techniques that encourage choice, individualism, creativity, equality, respect for differences, and appreciation of individual needs while maintaining the balance for the greater good of the group.
Clear and specific guidance, examples, methods and language are offered to help young citizens flourish in the culture of democracy. Some of the topics addressed in the context of the classroom include:
- Opportunity and self-initiative
- Freedom of thought and speech
- Appreciation of differences and similarities
- Power versus respect
- Opportunities for choice
- Family culture
