Samantha Horowitz

Dr. Hamilton

EDUO 312

February 6, 2022
Module 2 Learning Activities

Read the article "Early Childhood Education Today" for the following:

1. Describe the basic features of each high-quality early childhood program discussed in the

article.

Montessori Method (founded by Maria Montessori):

Montessori was a teaching approach that emphasizes self-directed activities, hands-on

learning, and cooperative play. Students in Montessori classrooms made creative choices in their

learning while the classroom and the highly trained teacher led them through the process with

age-appropriate activities. Some important features of the high-quality early childhood program

were that Montessorians strived to follow as closely as possible to Montessori's ideas, children

learned by experimenting with objects and collaborating with their peers; children also learned

through their senses.

There were five basic principles that fairly and accurately represent how Montessori educators

use them. They included:

- Respect for the Child- Teachers demonstrated their regard for students by assisting them

in accomplishing tasks and learning on their own. Children had developed the skills and

talents required for effective learning and high self-esteem when they had options.

- Absent Mind- The idea that young students’ minds were open to learning and capable of

doing so. Montessori believed that children learn from their environment and therefore

they educate themselves.

 - Sensitive Period- This was a period when learning was most likely to take place.

Montessori thought that there were times in a student’s life when he/she was more prone

to certain tendencies and had to learn specific skills more quickly.

- The Prepared Environment- A classroom or other environment that was set up and

organized to promote general and/or specialized information and skills learning.

Montessori believed that children learned best in a structured atmosphere where they had

to take charge of their own activities. The prepared environment had provided learning

resources and experiences to students in a structured manner.

- Autoeducation- Montessori came up with the term "autoeducation" to describe the idea

of children being able to educate themselves. Some children had actively participated in a

prepared environment and had the flexibility to make their own decisions that were

educating themselves. Montessori teachers had set up classrooms in such a way that

children were able to educate themselves.

High/Scope:

This was an educational approach for young students based on the theories of Piaget and

Vygotsky. High/Scope had delivered broad, realistic educational experiences tailored to students’

current developmental stages to foster effective learning methods to increase their intellectual

and social skills.

There were three basic features of this approach:

- Children's active engagement in selecting, organizing, and evaluating learning

activities, which were carried out under the supervision and guidance of teachers

in a learning environment with a diverse range of materials located in several

classroom learning centers.

 - The teaching team had prepared every day by a developmentally based

curriculum model, and detailed student observations were conducted.

- Goals and materials for students based on High/Scope "key experiences" in a

developmental sequence.

In the High/Scope approach, teachers created the teaching methods by adopting and

supporting five critical components: active learning, classroom arrangement, daily schedule,

assessment, and curriculum. The daily routine of the High/Scope curriculum included a

plan-do-review sequence as well as various other features. The plan-do-review sequence had

allowed students to articulate their ideas about their activities while keeping the instructor

involved. Key experiences, for example, were activities that had built developmentally

significant skills and capacities.

Reggio Emilia:

Reggio Emilia was well known for its approach to early childhood education. Loris

Malaguzzi (1920–1994) had founded it. Reggio Emilia had programs for children aged three

months to six years. These basic foundations had characterized the Reggio approach and made it

a constructivist program, which had allowed it to be modified and implemented in various early

childhood programs. This method was a constructivist, student-centered self-guided curriculum

that emphasized self-directed, experiential learning in the social environments. Some important

features of the high-quality early childhood program were that Piaget, constructivism, Vygotsky,

and Dewey were the foundations of this philosophy. The emergent curriculum was not designed

ahead of time and was dependent on the interests and experiences of the children. Learning was
an active process. In this approach, there was Atelierista, who was a skilled teacher who worked

as a special teacher and there was Atelier, who was a special workshop teacher.

Waldorf:

Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) was intrigued by the spiritual aspect of education and

developed a variety of methods for teaching children and adults that integrated it. Waldorf

schools had a strong emphasis on educating the whole child, mind, body, and heart. Steiner was a

firm believer in a well-rounded education. Some important features of the high-quality early

childhood program that Waldorf developed were the following: Anthroposophy was a philosophy

founded by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes humanity's and the universe's spiritual nature.

Eurythmy was Steiner's art of movement, which used motion, gesture to make a speech, and

music visible. There was also nurturing imagination, in which the Waldorf curriculum included

folk and fairy tales, fables, and legends. This had allowed students to learn about various

cultures' traditions, which had promoted a multicultural educational approach. They also

stimulated free-thinking and creativity in young students’ imaginations. This was the foundation

on which Waldorf instructors built a curriculum and approach that combined academics, the arts,

and practical skills to nurture and educate individual students.

2. What is unique about each early childhood program?

Montessori: Maria Montessori was a figure who influenced early childhood education

and practices for years. Many of her concepts, such as preparing the environment, encouraging

active learning and independence, and utilizing multiage grouping, had been fully implemented

in early childhood schools. A Montessori environment, unlike other early childhood programs,

provided a multi-age learning approach. For a few years, students had learned from the same
teacher. This had permitted strong connections to emerge between the teacher and the student, as

well as between the teacher and the child's parents. This was defined by its profound respect for a

child's genuine desire and potential to learn, as well as its awareness of his/her need for

independence.

High/Scope: The High/Scope method was one way to educate young children. It was

based on Dewey's notions of active learning and teaching in the context of children's passions.

High/Scope was widely used in Head Start and early childhood programs across the United

States. One of the advantages of implementing Head Start was that it had suggested a way for

implementing a constructivist-based program with roots in Dewey's philosophy and Piagetian

cognitive theory. The HighScope Curriculum was unique in that it promoted independence,

decision-making, teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving in young children while it also had

provided a strong academic foundation.

Reggio Emilia: To begin with, its theoretical foundation was based on constructivism,

and it had shared ideas with Piaget, Vygotsky, and Dewey. Second, there was no established

curriculum. Instead, the curriculum was developed out of the interests and experiences of the

students. This technique was challenging for many to adopt and it did not guarantee that children

will gain the basic academic abilities needed by the current American society. Third, the Reggio

Emilia approach was tailored to a specific culture and society. Children were the primary

promoters of education in the Reggio Emilia approach. They were motivated to know and learn

by their curiosity, and as a result, they had a distinctive individualistic grasp of how to construct

learning on their own. This method was adaptable, hands-on, and primarily based on personal

interests. This technique allowed children to direct their own learning experiences based on their

interests, beliefs, and experiences.

 Waldorf: Waldorf education sought to teach the students, "head, heart, and hands."

Academic courses, creative, and practical activities were incorporated into the curriculum when

time permitted. All children, regardless of their ethnic or religious roots, were educated in

Waldorf schools.