The online experience is asynchronous in nature and does not require students to participate at the same time. Rather, students should plan on three distinct times during the discussion period when they will work on assigned activities.

Students should check the required tasks assigned, determine what they need to accomplish the tasks (e.g., read, talk with others), and determine in which learning activity they want to engage. Students should then engage in the task (e.g., post comments to a discussion board, work with asynchronous collaborative groups). Finally, students should plan time to check on the progress of their group or of a discussion toward the end of the online experience period to revise, reflect, and share additional comments.

Each student should post a response to the broad discussion statement posted by the instructor (see below). Encourage students to share opinions and also pull evidence, comments, and ideas from assigned readings and incorporate these findings into their posted comments. Students should post at least one response to another participant’s posting, yet they are welcome to post more times if they would like. Finally, students should compose a final post summarizing/synthesizing what they feel are the key ideas, concerns, issues, or points raised during the online discussion.

Instructor’s Posting

A critical aspect of curriculum planning is determining how to organize the various learning experiences that can and do occur within a child’s daily routine. According to Bredekamp & Rosegrant, conceptual organizers “are the ‘meaning-centered’ approaches that are designed to enhance comprehension and depth of understanding or curriculum content” (1992, p. 67). Conceptual organizers are meant to serve as a framework for teachers to integrate content around meaningful and interesting ideas or concepts. Conceptual organizers can include 1) thematic units and 2) projects. Thematic units are used to organize activities around a broad topic or concept (Helm & Katz, 2001). For example, a teacher may develop a thematic unit on “community helpers” and plan activities and provide materials related to that topic, such as going on a field trip to the fire station, pretending to be a firefighter in dramatic play, or reading stories about firefighters. Projects are “sustained, in-depth activities initiated by children or children and teachers together for the purpose of studying a topic in depth to increase understanding and appreciation” (Branscombe, Castle, Dorsey, Surbeck, & Taylor, 2003, p. 168).

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of conceptual organizers when serving a wide range of children in a center-based program? Regardless of the “type” of conceptual organizer used, what are important considerations that should be taken into account before, during, and after curriculum planning? In other words, when planning daily activities and events, what should teams consider?


Activity 2: Critical Review of Materials

When developing IEP goals for children, students should ensure that targeted behaviors (e.g., goals, objectives, benchmarks) are based on the child’s current abilities and team priorities. Students also should be able to align target behaviors with the child’s present level of performance and identified needs, ensuring access to and progress in the general curriculum.

Using the Revised IFSP/IEP Goals and Objectives Rating Instrument (R-GORI) located at the URL listed below, have students review “real life” IFSP/IEP goals and objectives and determine which are of high quality.

R-GORI URL: http://fpsrv.dl.kent.edu/ecis/Web/Inservice/IEPs/RGORI.pdf


Activity 3: Truth or Myth

Draw a T Chart on the blackboard or smart board or place a T chart on an overhead projector or document camera. Label one side of the “T” Truth and the other side of the “T” Myth.

Pose the following statements to students and have them determine whether the statement is a truth or a myth. Encourage students to cite actual research when drawing conclusions. In reality, it is rare that any statement regarding children is completely true or completely false. A variation of this activity can be to use an audience response system (e.g., http://www.turningtechnologies.com/
inputdevices.htm#responsecard).

Statements:

1. Teaching large groups of children is easier than teaching children in pairs or one to one.
2. Children with disabilities benefit from large-group instruction and interactions.
3. Covering calendar, weather, and job roles during a large-group activity is critical to enhancing young children’s development.
4. Large-group, teacher-led activities should occur several times throughout the day but should be counterbalanced with frequent opportunities for children to direct their play/learning.
5. The principles of universal design for learning can help overcome the challenges presented by large groups of children working together.