Abstract/Notes: Preschool teachers use language to instruct children in classrooms around the globe. The present article contributes to the literature on directives used by preschool teachers in the classroom by presenting an eight-month ethnography of a preschool class. The study investigated the directives used by preschool teachers and students and the multimodal resources that were used, including verbal directives, songs, gestures, forms of eye contact, visual cues, and material objects. The study also analyzed ways in which preschool children were socialized to speak and act in culturally appropriate ways through directives. Analyses of observations and interviews show that directives were a major feature of the multidirectional language socialization of children in the classroom. Teachers and students used a variety of multimodal resources, including their verbal discourse, intonation, gestures, and objects to use discourses in the classroom to socialize children into appropriate modes of interaction in the classroom.

Language: English

ISSN: 2411-5681

Language: English

Language: English

ISSN: 1522-9734

Abstract/Notes: This study investigated the use of directives by three bilingual Korean American children and their families in central New Jersey in the contexts of home and school. Directives are a crucial part of language socialization in the home (Bhimji, 2002; Blum-Kulka, 1997; Kent, 2012) and they are a critical part of the teacher’s repertoire in the classroom since directives aid teachers in the daily task of instructing the learning processes of students (Waring & Hruska, 2012). While directives play an important role in the language socialization practices of children in the home and school, there is little research on how directives are used by bilingual children in both settings of home and school. The study addressed this gap in research by examining the directive repertoires of three bilingual Korean American children and their families in their homes and by analyzing how the children’s directive repertoires intersected with the use of directives in their preschool classroom. The study consisted of an eight-month ethnography of three Korean American children and their families. The participants included three Korean American children, their parents, siblings, and teachers in their preschool class. The children were recruited from a preschool class in which the researcher had previously volunteered. The data was collected through field observations in the three homes and preschool class, interviews of children, parents, and teachers, and a collection of material artifacts in order to capture the use of directives of participants. All observations were audio-and video-recorded. The study contributed to an increased understanding of the bilingualism and biculturalism of Korean American children with a focus on their use of directives. It also shed light on the educational experiences and challenges of bilingual Korean American children in a monolingual preschool class. The study has implications for families and teachers of young bilingual children and learners of English in preschool.

Language: English

Published: New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2016

Abstract/Notes: This paper summarizes the findings from a two-part evaluation study which compared the effects of five model preschool intervention programs and examined 5-year longitudinal data on the effects of three of these five programs. The original five programs (Traditional, Community-Integrated, Montessori, Karnes and Bereiter-Engelmann) represented a continuum from traditional nursery to highly structured preschool. Brief descriptions of each of these preschool models are included. Seventy-five children who met age, income and family history criteria and had no previous school experience were divided into groups matched on IQ, sex, and race. These groups were then randomly assigned to a particular intervention model. Differences in effectiveness among the models were assessed by means of batteries of standardized tests which were administered prior to the intervention, following the preschool year, and at the end of the kindergarten year. Results from analyses of this data are presented and discussed. Follow-up data over three additional years were gathered on the Traditional, the Karnes, and the Bereiter-Engelmann models. The results and conclusions from these data are also presented. (JMB)

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Research shows that early childhood interventions with fidelity to Montessori model generate learner’s outcomes that outperform the traditional model. The evidence is confirmed in developed and in developing countries. This formative evaluation reports the results of a Montessori model in implementation in township of Mfuleni, located in Cape Town, South Africa. Providing insights into the functioning of the programme, the evaluation confirms that the roll out of the Montessori model is still underway which may explain the reason of the learners not outperforming the comparison group.

Language: English

Published: Cape Town, South Africa, 2019

Abstract/Notes: Examines how the Montessori mathematics curriculum moves children from the concrete to the abstract.

Runtime: 18 minutes

Language: English

Published: Yellow Springs, Ohio, 2002

Language: Spanish

Language: English

Published: Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Education Review Office, 2002

Abstract/Notes: This research involved observing children in two programs, Montessori and play-oriented program, in order to determine the extent of children's opportunity to develop competency according to their choice of activities and to identify which program provided more appropriate activities for Thai children. The results showed that children in a play-oriented program had more opportunity to develop competency in language, social science, motor skill, eye-hand coordination, shape and size recognition and discrimination, creativity, problem solving, and imagination than did children in a Montessori program. However, children in a Montessori program had more opportunity to develop competency in mathematics and science than did children in a play-oriented program. Thus, it would be necessary to combine activities from both programs in the Thai curriculum.

Language: English

Published: Denton, Texas, 1991