- -- classroom experiences and
activities are based on explicit guidelines that specify essential
knowledge and skills for all preschool age children
- -- Sequence goals build
sequentially, step by step: current knowledge and skills become the
starting point for subsequent experience and instruction
- -- explicit, sequential goals
allow teachers to make knowledge and skills accessible to
preschoolers in small manageable steps: children are always ready to
learn if teachers know where to start
- -- balance of experiences and
activities within all developmental areas: Physical Well-Being and
Coordination, Social and Emotional Development, Approaches to
Learning, Language Development, Knowledge Acquisition and Cognitive
Development
- -- high expectations for all
children, recognizing that rates and methods of learning may vary
among individuals
- -- consistency in content and
experiences presented to preschoolers; children entering
kindergarten have a common base of knowledge and skills
- -- Sequence facilitates
effective planning and monitoring to identify learning gaps and
insure that important knowledge and skills are not omitted
- -- teacher assumes an interactive
role in guiding and presenting experiences and instruction
- -- approaches the development of
each child's autonomy within the context of the class group;
encourages socially responsible behavior and respect for the
group
- -- focuses on the "language
of instruction," recognizing the importance of adult language
models for developing a solid foundation in receptive and expressive
language
- -- emphasizes linking concrete,
manipulative experiences with beginning level abstract,
representational learning
- -- based on cognitive psychology
research and empirically validated practice with millions of
preschool children internationally
- -- correlated to the highly
respected
Core
Knowledge Sequence for grades K-8 to provide a smooth
transition and insure ongoing learning from preschool to
kindergarten
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- -- classroom experiences and
activities are often spontaneous, based on child and/or teacher
interest, with random coverage of essential knowledge and skills
-- no goals or, at best, very
global goals concerning curriculum and content
- -- lack of goals and sequential
specificity means that learning is done in "all or
nothing" terms; the acquisition of knowledge and skills is out
of the immediate reach of many preschoolers: teachers must defer
instruction until children are ready to learn
- -- experiences and activities are
not
- necessarily representative of
all developmental areas; extremes particularly in regards to
academically oriented experiences: either total exclusion or
excessive focus on one or more narrowly defined academic skills,
such as letter names and numbers
- -- different expectations for
children, given background and aptitude; special, compensatory
programs with less challenging content frequently offered to
children from low socioeconomic backgrounds
- -- no consistency in content and
experiences presented to preschoolers; wide disparities in the
knowledge and skills that preschoolers bring to kindergarten classes
- -- since experiences and
activities occur spontaneously, planning and assessment of
children's performance and accomplishments are often seen as
unnecessary at this level
- -- teacher assumes the role of
facilitator, providing materials and setting up the environment, but
then standing back to let children lead the way
- -- the development of each child's
individual (solitary) autonomy is of utmost importance; minimal or
no whole group interaction and instruction
- -- emphasizes only concrete,
manipulative experiences; abstract, representational learning is
deemed beyond the grasp of preschoolers
- -- no planned correlation with
kindergarten programs; expectations in kindergarten classes often
differ dramatically from those of the preschool setting
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