The Project Approach In Early Years Provision

The Project Approach in Early Years Provision is designed to help early years students, practitioners and managers understand and manage project work with young children. The project approach is designed to enable early educators to ensure young children are learning in the best possible way by providing motivating learning opportunities. Put the project approach into practice, using the included resources with adaptable and printable planning and observation forms. Link the approach to the requirements of all four British early years curricula. Develop children's personal and social skills by encouraging collaboration with others. Provide a meaningful context for children to practice their literacy and numeracy skills. Promote sustained shared thinking by facilitating projects that involve children in active investigation, discussion and debate. Give each child the freedom to learn according to their individual needs, interests, aptitudes, and abilities.

The Project Approach in Early Years Provision is designed to help early years students, practitioners and managers understand and manage project work with young children. The project approach is designed to enable early educators to ensure young children are learning in the best possible way by providing motivating learning opportunities. Put the project approach into practice, using the included resources with adaptable and printable planning and observation forms. Link the approach to the requirements of all four British early years curricula. Develop children's personal and social skills by encouraging collaboration with others. Provide a meaningful context for children to practice their literacy and numeracy skills. Promote sustained shared thinking by facilitating projects that involve children in active investigation, discussion and debate. Give each child the freedom to learn according to their individual needs, interests, aptitudes, and abilities.

This bestselling book has been completely updated and expanded to help teachers use the project approach in child care centers, in preschools, and in kindergarten, 1st grade, and early childhood special education classrooms. For those new to using projects, the book introduces the approach and provides step-by-step guidance for conducting meaningful projects. Experienced teachers will find the teacher interviews, children's work, photographs (including full colour), and teacher journal entries used to document the project process in actual classrooms very useful. This popular, easy-to-use resource has been expanded to include these new features: explicit instructions and examples for incorporating standards into the topic selection and planning process; a variety of nature experiences, with examples that show how project work is an excellent way to connect children to the natural world; an update of the use of technology for both documentation and investigations, including use of the Web as well as and video and digital cameras; and more toddler projects that reflect our increased knowledge from recent mind/brain research about toddler understanding and learning.

This new edition incorporates many insights and strategies the authors have learned while working extensively with teachers to implement the project approach. Since the popular first edition was published in 1989, the authors have continued to help teachers around the world understand the benefits of this approach. Katz and Chard discuss in great detail the philosophical, theoretical, and research bases of project work. The typical phases are presented and detailed suggestions for implementing each one are described. Using specific examples, this book clarifies and articulates the process and benefits of the project approach. These specific examples outline how children's intellectual development is enhanced. Years of working with teachers and young children from preschool to primary age provide the authors with first hand experience for employing the project approach. Helpful guidelines will aid teachers in working with this approach comfortably in order to gain the interset of children and in order for those to grow and florish mentally.

How does early years policy impact on practitioners, children, settings and families? What are the implications of current policy for the future? How can early years professionals shape and craft practice in ways that genuinely focus on the needs of children and families, rather than the interests of policy makers? This exciting new text explores the changing context and increasing importance of early years policy. It takes a broad look at policy developments and shows how these have affected children, settings, parents and the early years workforce. Divided into two parts, the first examines theoretical perspectives and sets out the early years policy context, looking at issues surrounding accountability, international influences on policy and the Early Years Foundation Stage. The second half of the book directly shows how policy has influenced practice, and considers: the upskilling of the workforce and the impact of this on practitioners; the development of the learning environment including outdoor provision; sustained shared thinking and its link to high quality learning and teaching; the impact of policy on parents. Offering a fresh perspective on early years policy, this timely textbook will be essential reading for students on undergraduate and postgraduate Early Years and Childhood Studies courses and those working towards Early Years Teacher status.

This bestseller provides an introduction to the project approach with step-by-step guidance for conducting meaningful investigations. The Third Edition has been expanded to include two new chaptersHow Projects Can Connect Children with Nature and Project Investigations as STEMand to assist teachers with younger children (toddlers) and older children (2nd grade).

The Project Approach in the Early Years is all about a child-centred teaching strategy that builds on children's interests while developing the independence, knowledge and thinking skills they will need to become life-long learners. Book 1 sets out the rationale behind the project approach and explains how to plan and construct project work. Book 2 provides a range of resources to support educators wanting to implement the project approach, including a learning story, planning and observation documents, sustained shared thinking cards, and resources for staff orientation and training.

"When teachers implement the project approach to learning, young children can follow their own real-world interests to gain deeper understanding. Children wonder about a topic, formulate their questions, and then figure out the answers for themselves in their own way. The project approach helps children dig deeply into intellectual and social experiences that can help them see meaningful benefits of the skills they are acquiring.Picturing the Project Approachwill lead teachers every step of the way toward incorporating this teaching method in any toddler, preschool or elementary classroom. Teachers will learn how to: Identify a topic Decide on a project Develop the project Share the learning Bring the project to a close"--