Contemporary Perspectives on Science and Technology in Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Perspectives on Science and Technology in Early Childhood Education

Author: Olivia Saracho

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2008-01-01

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1607525941

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For decades, politicians, businessmen and other leaders have been concerned with the quality of education, including early childhood education, in the United States. While more than 50% of the children between the ages of three and five are enrolled in preschool and kindergarten programs in the United States, no state, federal, or national standards exist for science or technology education in preschool or kindergarten programs. Knowledge about science and technology is an important requirement for all in contemporary society. An increasing number of professions require the use of scientific concepts and technological skills and society as a whole depends on scientific knowledge. Scientific and technological knowledge should be a part of every individual’s education. There are many ways to enhance young children’s scientific thinking and problem-solving skills as well as their technological abilities. The purpose of this volume is to present a critical analysis of reviews of research on science and technology education in early childhood education. The first part of the volume includes contributions by leading scholars in science, while the second part includes contributions by leading scholars in technology.

Contemporary Perspectives on Research in Creativity in Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Perspectives on Research in Creativity in Early Childhood Education

Author: Olivia Saracho

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2012-05-01

Total Pages: 438

ISBN-13: 1617357421

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Recently, a new understanding of creative thought and creative performance has surfaced. It has also attracted the attention of early childhood professional organizations and researchers. Professional organizations have included it in their publications and conferences. While current creativity researchers have initiated a far more sophisticated understanding of young children’s creative thinking, ways to assess creativity, strategies to promote creativity, and research methodologies. The purpose of this volume is to present a wide range of different theories and areas in the study of creativity to help researchers and theorists work toward the development of different perspectives on creativity with young children. It focuses on critical analyses and reviews of the literature on topics related to creativity research, development, theories, and practices. It will serve as a reference for early childhood education researchers, scholars, academics, general educators, teacher educators, teachers, graduate students, and scientists to stimulate further “dialogue” on ways to enhance creativity. The chapters are of high quality and provide scholarly analyses of research studies that capture the full range of approaches to the study of creativity --- behavioral, clinical, cognitive, cross-cultural, developmental, educational, genetic, organizational, psychoanalytic, psychometric, and social. Interdisciplinary research is also included, as is research within specific domains such as art and science, as well as on critical issues (e.g., aesthetics, genius, imagery, imagination, insight, intuition, metaphor, play, problem finding and solving). Thus, it offers critical analyses on reviews of research in a form that are useful to early childhood researchers, scholars, educators, and graduate students. It also places the current research in its historical context. The volume is also of interest to the general readers who are interested in the young children’s creativity. The chapters are authored by established scholars in the field of young children’s creativity.

Contemporary Perspectives on Literacy in Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Perspectives on Literacy in Early Childhood Education

Author: Olivia Saracho

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2002-04-01

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1607525283

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This volume identifies and critically analyzes research studies related to the critical skills, environments, and adult interactions that contribute to young children’s literacy development. The volume reminisces on the reformation that has emerged in the language and literacy education of young children. Prior to the 1960's, few studies were available on pre?first?grade literacy. Then studies began to emerge in the 1960's focusing on the reading readiness paradigm and on the conventional assumption that literacy development was only introduce and when children experienced formal reading instruction in school (Sulzby & Teale, 1986). Fortunately, Durkin (1966) found that there were children reading before first grade and determined that the reading readiness paradigm was theoretically and pragmatically incongruous. Others followed Durkin’s footsteps. Sulzby and Teale (1986) identify the following concepts about young children’s acquisition of literacy learning: 1. Literacy development originates well before children are introduced to formal instruction. 2. The notion that reading precedes writing or that writing precedes reading is a fallacy. 3. Literacy blooms in "real?life" settings and by performing real?life activities that are used to "get things done." 4. The purposes of literacy for young children are as important in learning about writing and reading as are the dimensions of literacy. 5. Children’s cognitive development is important to their acquisition of literacy during the years from birth to six. 6. Children learn written language when they actively engage in their world. Competent teachers throughout the United States suggest that prior to attending school, children have acquired a distinctive culture, collection of experiences, and group of abilities (Vacca & Vacca, 2000). Many prekindergarten children have been in a group setting for three and four years such as a child care setting where teachers and caregivers teach them reading and writing.

Contemporary Perspectives and Research on Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Perspectives and Research on Early Childhood Education

Author: Jeanne Galbraith

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2014-04-23

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 1443859648

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Contemporary Perspectives and Research on Early Childhood Education is a welcome addition to the field of early childhood education. This book enhances the understanding of different approaches to curriculum and instruction; appropriate assessment strategies; the role of math and science in children’s development; the importance of seeing the whole child and ensuring children develop holistically through play and arts; training effective teachers; and the importance of helping parents to be better supporters of their children. Along with this comprehensive content, the book also contains diverse methodologies including qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method approaches, which will further enrich the reader’s perspective and understanding of a wide range of topics in the field. Thus, this book creates a platform for researchers and practitioners to share and discuss research findings, expertise, and experiences about early childhood education.

Contemporary Perspectives on Socialization and Social Development in Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Perspectives on Socialization and Social Development in Early Childhood Education

Author: Olivia Saracho

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2007-05-01

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 1607525933

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The purpose of this volume is to present a selection of chapters that reflect current issues relating to children’s socialization processes that help them become successful members of their society. From birth children are unique in their rates of growth and development, including the development of their social awareness and their ability to interact socially. They interpret social events based on their developing life style and environmental experiences. The children’s socialization is influenced by several important social forces including the family and its organization, their peer group, and the significant others in their lives. In “Theories of Socialization and Social Development,” Olivia Saracho and Bernard Spodek describe the children’s socialization forces and the different developmental theories that have influenced our understanding of the socialization process. These include maturationist theory (developed by Arnold Gesell), constructivist theories (developed by such theorists as Jean Piaget, Lev S. Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner), psychodynamic theories (developed by such theorists as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Harry Stack Sullivan, and Alfred Adler), and ecological theory (developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner). Each theory provides interpretations of the meaning of the children’s social development and describes the different characteristics for each age group in the developmental sequences.

Contemporary Perspectives on Social Capital in Educational Contexts
Contemporary Perspectives on Social Capital in Educational Contexts

Author: RoSusan D. Bartee

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2019-05-01

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 1641136405

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The currency of social capital serves as an important function given the capacity to generate external access (getting to) and internal accountability (getting through) for individuals and institutions alike. Pierre Bourdieu (1986) defines social capital as “the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition or in other words, to membership in a group” (p. 251). Social capital contains embedded resources as a tool for manifesting opportunities and options among individuals and groups. Inevitably, the aforementioned opportunities and options become reflective of the depth and breadth of access and accountability experienced by the individual and institution. As educational stakeholders, we must consistently challenge ourselves with the question, “How do K-12 schools and colleges and universities accomplish shared, egalitarian goals of achieving access and accountability?” Such goals become fundamental toward ensuring students matriculating through K-12 and higher education, irrespective of background, are provided the caliber of education and schooling experience to prepare them for economic mobility and social stability. To that end, the volume, Contemporary Perspectives on Social Capital in Educational Contexts (2019), as part of the book series, Contemporary Perspectives on Capital in Educational Contexts, offers a unique opportunity to explore social capital as a currency conduit for creating external access and internal accountability for K-12 and higher education. The commonalities of social capital emerging within the 12 chapters of the volume include the following: 1) Social Capital as Human Connectedness; 2) Social Capital as Strategic Advocacy; 3) Social Capital as Intentional Engagement; and 4) Social Capital as Culturally-Responsive Leadership. Thus, it becomes important for institutions of education (i.e. secondary, postsecondary, continuing) and individuals to assume efforts with intentionality and deliberateness to promote access and accountability.

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

Author: Children's Issues Coalition

Publisher: Ian Randle Publishers

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 9766371288

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Caribbean Childhoods: From Research to Action is an annual publication produced by the Children s Issues Coalition at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The series seeks to provide an avenue for the dissemination of research and experiences on children s health, development, behaviour and education, and to provide a forum for the discussion of these issues.

Contemporary Perspectives on Research on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Perspectives on Research on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Early Childhood Education

Author: Olivia N. Saracho

Publisher: Contemporary Perspectives in Early Childhood Education

Published: 2022-02-03

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9781648028168

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is also known as SARS-CoV-2, has had a great impact in early childhood education programs. Since the effect of this epidemic was new, and little research had been conducted, this volume is devoted to understanding mutual and contemporary themes in the impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in early childhood education. Early childhood education (ECE) centers encountered unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis. Comprehensive reviews of the literature, descriptions of programs or situations, and research studies provided accounts of current situations in early childhood education including programs and individuals who were working with young children whose ages ranged from birth to eight years of age. The chapters in this special volume discuss how early childhood education faced unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis and demonstrate the breadth and theoretical effectiveness of this domain. This volume provides a brief introduction that acknowledges the valuable contributions of these chapters to the impact of this pandemic in early childhood education and offers a valuable tool to practitioners and researchers who are conducting studies on the impact of COVID-19. At the beginning of the year 2020, after a December 2019 outburst in China, the World Health Organization acknowledged SARS-CoV-2 as a different kind of coronavirus. It immediately multiplied around the world, mostly through person-to-person contact. Infections ranged from mild to deadly. COVID-19 can cause a respiratory tract infection such as ones sinuses, nose, and throat or lower respiratory tract such as ones windpipe and lungs (World Health Organization, 2020a). On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) affirmed that COVID-19 had become a public health emergency causing an international problem. By March 12, 2020, everybody was aware of this pandemic. It also created an understanding about this first-time consciousness in research about this disease, which generated an immense publication production. It also became the basis for this special volume.

Contemporary Perspectives on Language Policy and Literacy Instruction in Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Perspectives on Language Policy and Literacy Instruction in Early Childhood Education

Author: Olivia Saracho

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2006-07-01

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 1607526697

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CONTENTS Language Policy and Literacy Instruction, Olivia N. Saracho and Bernard Spodek. Historical Perspectives in Language Policy and Literacy Reform, Olivia N. Saracho and Bernard Spodek. Second Language Issues in Early Literacy and Instruction, Elizabeth S. Pang and Michael L. Kamil. The Acquisition of Literacy: Reframing Definitions, Paradigms, Ideologies, and Practices, Mary Renck Jalongo, Beatrice S. Fennimore, and Laurie Nicholson Stamp. The Teacher of Beginning Reading, Robert C. Calfee and Linda Scott Hendrick.Effective Early Reading Programs for English Language Learners, Robert E. Slavin and Alan Cheung. Language Learners, Early Literacy and Reading Policy Reform, Paula Wolfe and Betsy J. Cahill. Children’s Literature and Children’s Literacy: Preparing Early Literacy Teachers to Understand the Aesthetic Values of Children’s Literature, Barbara Z. Kiefer. A Critical Examination of India’s National Language Policy in Primary Education, Jyotsna Pattnaik. Issues in Early Childhood Education for English Learners: Assessment, Professional Training, Preschool Interventions and Performance in Elementary School,David Yaden, Robert Rueda, Tina Tsai, and Alberto Esquinca. Bilingualism is not the Arithmetic Sum of Two Languages, Eugene E. García. Educating the Next Generation: Culture Centered Teaching for School-Aged Children, Esther Elena López and Michael William Mulnix. Language Policy in the United States: An Historical and Contemporary Perspective, Olivia N. Saracho and Bernard Spodek.

Contemporary Perspectives on Early Childhood Curriculum
Contemporary Perspectives on Early Childhood Curriculum

Author: Olivia Saracho

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2002-06-01

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1607528010

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Over the years, educational scholars have proposed different conceptions of the curriculum. It is as if each scholar, researcher, university educator, and practitioner has developed her or his own personal definition. Unfortunately, there is no one single definition that everybody has agreed upon. Table 1 presents a sample of these definitions. A universal definition for curriculum may continue to be elusive and may even change through the years to address changes in the social forces and changes in related school goals. Nonetheless, the approach in curriculum development is consistent. Curriculum developers establish goals, develop experiences, designate content, and evaluate experiences and outcomes. Most curriculum developers consistently use such terms as curriculum planning, curriculum development, curriculum implementation, and curriculum evaluation, and many others to describe curriculum related activities. Unfortunately, without a consistent definition of curriculum, it is difficult for the curriculum developers to identify what it is that needs to be planned, developed, implemented, or evaluated. If curriculum developers rely on the curriculum experts’ definitions, they will find that their definitions identify a product, a program, determine goals and objectives, and learner experiences. However, its heterogeneity may be inspiring if curriculum developers rely on the components of each definition that depict the richness of the field, which in turn, can provide a foundation for contemporary content, concepts, and creativity. A curriculum is an anthology of learning experiences, conceived and arranged based on a program’s educational goals and the community’s social forces. Each curriculum manifests an image of what children "ought to be and become" (Biber, 1984, p. 303) grounded on the awareness of social values and a system that interprets those values into experiences for learners. The concept of curriculum, as a distinctive domain of study within education, arose from the demand to arrange, organize, and translate such awareness into educational programs of study. It integrates the historical study of the goals and content of schooling, analyses of curriculum documents, and analyses of the children’s experiences in school. The first formal curriculum text was published in 1918 (Bobbit, 1918), although in the United States contemporary curriculum study goes back to the early 1890's, when lead committees challenged the form and structure of public schooling. Presently curriculum development is fundamental at all educational levels.