Language: Dutch

ISSN: 0166-588X

Abstract/Notes: This multimethod study involved quantitative procedures to measure to what extent a tactual/kinesthetic art approach using clay would help low achieving or developmentally delayed kindergarten students learn the alphabet (a pre-reading skill). Data collected at each session ranged from twenty to twenty-five meetings per child over a period of ten weeks occurred within a single subject, multiple baseline design. Qualitative data collection and analysis revealed differences in participants' reactions to, preferences for, and processes with clay such as expressing their lives, dreams, stories, beliefs, and fears. Analysis of social interactions, student self-initiated practices, and variations of the interventions (i.e., clay play personifying letters, ABC book, songs, associations, images on cards, and artworks) suggested that gender differences occurred more strongly when clothing differentiated gender, and in the types of stories told, but not in the clay processes initiated. I began the study with 18 participants, selected by their teachers, using the criterion that the student could not identify more than 17 alphabet letters. The findings are based on the 10 remaining students who were not able to name more than 17 letters after five baseline sessions. The baseline sessions consisted of recording students' recognition of lower-case alphabet letters. If a child did not recognize a letter, I implemented the tactual/kinesthetic clay instruction, a multiple intelligences pedagogical approach influenced by Montessori methods. The intervention of forming with clay was implemented at staggered times across groups of letters (three letters at a time) for each participant. The participant's recognition of the distinctive features of a letter demonstrated progress in learning a new letter. An intervention of a tactual/kinesthetic art approach using clay did improve all of the participant's abilities to recognize, learn, and remember letters. The findings support the theory that kinesthetic/tactile perception is a primary channel for early learning. In spite of the apparent importance of kinesthetic methods, multisensory learning, and manipulative materials, few programs that incorporate kinesthetic/tactile pedagogy. Interdisciplinary arts-based teaching addresses the multiple intelligences of individual children and their different learning styles.

Language: English

Published: Lubbock, Texas, 2002

Abstract/Notes: This action research was conducted in an early childhood Montessori Primary classroom using intentional teaching practices with core curriculum materials to engage students in creative thinking. In the form of questions or suggestions, an open-ended inquiry was given to the ten participants, aged three to six years old, as they worked with Montessori materials in academic areas, including science, math, and language. The research utilized mixed methods of collection in the forms of quantitative and qualitative data and demonstrated successful intervention with a steady increase in work times of the students. A longitudinal study would contribute to this theory and provide further information regarding the increase of student understanding through creative thinking endeavors. This study provided evidence that intentional teaching practices can engage children in creative thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative learning while extending working times with materials, which contribute to a deeper level of comprehension of the direct curricular aims.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2021

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this project was to study the impact of professional development on early childhood educator practice and its subsequent effects on toddlers’ experiences with Risky Play in the outdoor environment. The setting of this project was a toddler classroom within a Montessori school in Missouri. The population for this action research study was three adult assistant guides with varying levels of experience with Montessori and early childhood education and 10 students in a Montessori toddler classroom between the ages of 17 and 32 months. The intervention consisted of a professional development workshop related to Montessori philosophy and benefits of outdoor Risky Play paired with daily reflective journaling. Data collection included my observations, participant journals, interviews, and an attitude scale. As a result of the study, adult participants intervened with children’s play less often and in more constructive ways, and children had more positive experiences in the outdoor environment. In response to this study, future actions include implementing a classroom culture of continued coaching and reflection.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2021

Abstract/Notes: Reprinted from Around the Child v. 3.

Language: English

ISSN: 0571-1142

Language: English

ISSN: 0571-1142

Language: English

ISSN: 0519-0959

Abstract/Notes: Includes sidebar, Substitute Teaching Portfolio (checklist for teachers)

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English