scholarly journals Early Childhood Education and Instructional Ecology: A Vygotskian Approach in Teaching Early Childhood Social Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-160
Author(s):  
Kwabena Ofori-Attah
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Zone Of Proximal Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Research Report ◽  
Significant Finding ◽  
Proximal Development ◽  
Childhood Education

This study guided by Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory explored the perception of pre-service teachers about the application of the ZPD in the classroom. Five participants, all junior students, were purposefully selected from a university in the southern region of the United States to participate in the study. Open-ended interview questions were designed from a review of the literature regarding the effectiveness of Vygotsky’s ZPD in the classroom. Axial coding was used to analyze the data for the final research report. A major finding from the study is that Vygotsky’s ZPD is recognized by Educator Preparatory Providers (EPPS) as a major instructional approach used to promote student achievement and that some pre-educator candidates perceive problems implementing this innovative form of teaching social studies in the early childhood classroom. Another significant finding from the study is that it extends our knowledge about the application of Vygotsky’s ZPD in the early childhood social studies classroom. Implications for early childhood teacher preparation and future research are considered in the paper. Keywords: cognitive development, early childhood education, instructional ecology, preservice teachers, zone of proximal development

scholarly journals Social studies in early childhood education and care: A scoping review focusing on diversity

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-324
Author(s):  
Anette Ringen Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Educational Challenge ◽  
Education And Care

Currently, little research exists on social studies within the context of Norwegian early childhood education and care, and how early childhood teachers work to familiarise children with social studies contexts . This article is a scoping literature review offering a preliminary research agenda. Its aim is to explore the ways in which the early childhood teacher can work to ensure young learners’ social studies education with a specific focus on cultural diversity and subsequent educational challenges. The research question guiding the article asks: How does previous educational research show that early childhood teachers can use social studies to address diversity with and amongst children? The analysis uncovers 4 scopes of research across 26 international and national studies. Previous research has contributed with knowledge in the areas of cultural diversity, anti-discrimination, human rights, and community and society as a means to familiarise children with diversity and related matters. Each scope addresses the knowledge status and opportunities for future research within each area. Based on the analysis, the author discusses the critical educational challenge of a paradox in familiarising children with diversity, where the early childhood teacher risks conveying biased information and stereotypical views, and highlighting cultures in discriminatory ways.

Providing Early Childhood Education Teacher Candidates Diverse Clinical Understandings through Professional Development School Experiences

2016 ◽  
pp. 143-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lea Ann Christenson ◽  
Janese Daniels ◽  
Judith Cruzado-Guerrero ◽  
Stephen T. Schroth ◽  
Marisa Dudiak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Developmentally Appropriate ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Childhood Education

Teacher education programs serving early childhood education teacher candidates have unique challenges and need to work to ensure that each future educator be exposed to a variety of settings and practices throughout their preparation in order to best prepare them to serve the needs of their future young students. A solid background in human development, a well-rounded complement of methods courses grounded in developmentally appropriate practice and experience in a diverse variety of Professional Development Schools (PDS) will go far in meeting this goal. In Pre-K through 3rd grade classrooms early childhood teacher educators can significantly shape these competencies through their choice of, support for, and use of PDSs.

Child Care Services

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Lein
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Custodial Care ◽  
Child Care Services

Child care services, enabling parents to commit themselves to paid employment while providing a supervised environment for their children, have a long and complex history in the United States. Child care services can provide children with educational and other advantages, as well as custodial care. In fact, the United States has multiple kinds of services providing child care and early childhood education. Publicly funded services have concentrated on care for impoverished children and those facing other risks or disadvantages, but many of these children and their families remain unserved because of gaps in programs and lack of support for subsidies, while other families purchase the services they need.

Early Childhood Education

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-240
Author(s):  
Franz-Michael Konrad
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
German Idealism ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Friedrich Froebel ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Different Cultures

As a historian of early childhood education in German-speaking Europe, I am struck by the outstanding role that Friedrich Froebel, or rather his ideas, played in all the countries described in the six essays. This is not really new since even the first historiographic articles in German-speaking countries already pointed out Froebel's role internationally. The worldwide spread of Froebel's educational teachings remains the subject of German research to this day. And yet it is still so remarkable to see how Froebel's philosophy of education—which had its origins in the spirit of romanticism and which seems strange even to German audiences—has succeeded in establishing itself in different cultures and for different reasons. Just think of Italy in the second half of the nineteenth century (James C. Albisetti), of post-revolutionary Russia ruled by the Bolsheviks (Yordanka Valkanova), of Great Britain, France, and the United States. Even in Asian countries we can find evidence of Froebel's influence, for example, in Korea and in Japan (on Japan, Kathleen Uno). In spite of the differences between these countries and their cultures, Froebel's pedagogy has succeeded in playing an influential role in all of them. Extant institutions for the care and education of preschool children developed into modern kindergartens under the influence of Froebel's teachings. In the end it was always about making it possible for young children to learn and, at the same time, taking into account the very special way learning occurs in these early years as an active, action-based and almost effortless kind of learning. Froebel found an answer to this problem. With his gifts he gave the answer in a simple and yet brilliant manner which was, despite its origins in German idealism, apparently unrelated to culture.

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