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1. Introduction

2. Fact or Fiction?

3. Piaget and Vygotsky

4. Children’s Theories

5. Language

6. Early Childhood Education

7. Closing Thoughts

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Introduction

[Video: Early Childhood – Cognitive Development Introduction]

Fact or Fiction? Fiction Fact

1. Preoperational intelligence is symbolic and self-centered.2. A 3-year-old is likely to believe that the same amount of ice cream is actually more when it is transferred from a large bowl to a small bowl. 3. Most 3-year-olds can picture someone having a different belief about where an object is hidden. 4. A young child who says, “You comed up and hurted me” is demonstrating a lack of understanding of English grammar.

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preoperational intelligence: Piaget’s term for cognitive development between the ages of 2 and 6; it includes language and imagination (which involve symbolic thought), but logical, operational thinking is not yet possible.

conservation: The principle that the amount of substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) even when its appearance changes.

Piaget: Preoperational Thinking

Which glass contains more?

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Piaget: Preoperational Thinking

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[Video: Piaget’s principle of conservation]

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guided participation: The process by which people learn from others who guide their experiences and explorations.

scaffolding: Temporary support that is tailored to the learner’s needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process.

Vygotsky: Social Learning

Vygotsky: Social Learning

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[Video: Learning Through Participation]

Theory-Theory

What categories do children ages 3 to 5 years ask questions about?

Source: Adapted from Kelemen et al., 2005.

Human behavior 47%

Biology 31%

Objects 9%

Other 4%

Nonliving natural things 9%

theory-theory: The idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories.

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Percentage of Questions Asked by 3- to 5-Year-

Olds, by Domain

Theory of Mind

Where will Max look for the bone?

1010

theory of mind: A person’s theory of what other people might be thinking.

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Theory of Mind

[Video: Theory of Mind: Representational Change]

Vocabulary

What is the word for each of these?

Horse CamelFast mapped as…

ZebraFast mapped as…

DonkeyFast mapped as…

fast-mapping: The speedy and sometimes imprecise way in which children learn new words by tentatively placing them in mental categories according to their perceived meaning. 12

Horse

Horse

Horse

Vocabulary

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[Video: Word Learning: Clip A]

Grammar

overregularization: The application of rules of grammar even when exceptions occur, speaking as if the language is more regular than it actually is.

How do children make nouns plural?

Correct singular noun

mouse

tooth

leaf

sheep

mice

teeth

leaves

sheep

mouses

tooths

leafs

sheeps

Correct plural noun Overregularized plural

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Learning Two Languages

Can you speak?Se puede hablar?

Pouvez – vous parler?

Können Sie sprechen?

Você pode falar?Potete parlare?

Вы можете говорить?

你能说话吗？

あなたは話すことができる？

balanced bilingual: A person who is fluent in two languages, not favoring one over the other.

Can you speak?

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Child-Centered/Developmental programs support child development by encouraging children to follow their own interests rather than adult direction.

What are child-centered programs like?

Montessori school

Reggio Emilia program

Developmental Programs

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Developmental Programs

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[Video: Best Practices in Childcare: Observing a Care Center in Action]

Teacher-Directed Programs

What are teacher-directed programs like?

teacher-directed programs stress academics, usually taught by one adult to a group of children.

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Intervention Programs

What are the 5 W’s of Head Start?

From 1965 to the present

When Where

WhoWhy

WhatOriginally intended to lift families out of poverty by promoting literacy; also provides dental care, immunizations, teaching of English, and helping parents teach their children and solve their own conflicts

The United States of America

Federal government and legislation

Federally subsidized early education programs for children to get a “head start” on their formal education

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Costs and Benefits

What did longitudinal research reveal about a preschool program in Michigan?Major Findings for High/Scope Participants at Age 40

Arrested 5+ times by 40

Earned $20,000+

at 40

Graduated from high

school

Homework at 15

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Source: Schweinhart et al., 2005, p. 196

Program group

No-program group

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Closing Thoughts

From what you saw in this presentation, what makes it possible for young children to make huge leaps in thinking and learning? Summarize how these events unfold in children between the ages of 2 and 6 or 7.

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