dr. ronald e. mcnair acknowledgements - University of St. Thomas

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UST McNair Scholars Program Research Journal mixed ages. Including various ages in one classroom provides the opportunity for children to grow socially and reinforce their learning through helping other students. The guiding principles of Head Start classroom vary because not all classrooms use the same approach. Jeanne Dickhausen explained the Community Action Head Start classroom utilizes the Creative Curriculum. A focus of the Creative Curriculum classroom is placed on a welcoming and inviting environment. Eleven areas of interest are provided for students to explore and engage with. Relationship building is emphasized both between student and teacher and among the students. The teacher must ensure children develop a broad range of skills, even if the children’s interests seem to be narrow. Question 3: What are some recent trends in early childhood education? Molly O’Shaughnessy identified the increasing number of early childhood education providers that have begun offering full-day programs to accommodate working parents. Also, a rise in bilingual children has increased the necessity for more than one language to be spoken within the classroom and in interactions with parents. O’Shaughnessy also discussed that policy reform has gained strength within recent years, including objectives such as diversifying the teaching pool and providing broader access to quality early childhood education. Jeanne Dickhausen noted the increase in research-based curriculum and assessment that is now being used in early childhood education. Another recent focus in early childhood education referenced by Dickhausen was the growing role of teacher education. A greater focus has been placed on the education for early childhood teachers as well as their professional development. The Community Action Head Start program requires their teachers and staff to be members of a professional registry. Also, the higher education provided for early childhood education teachers has recently increased continuity among programs. The importance of each early childhood education teacher learning and teaching the same material across the country is growing. Question 4: What are some problems with early childhood education today? The excessive use of technology by young children was identified as a problem for education today. Family influences are also having an impact on early childhood 36 education. Various and extreme parenting styles present problems within the classroom. In a Montessori setting, children are encouraged to become independent, but with “helicopter parenting,” independence is often stifled at home. External family factors such as poverty also affect learning in the classroom. With high poverty rates today, stress and violence at home translates into problems within the classroom. Increased immigration and the introduction of new cultures add more challenges to early childhood education. With children moving in and out of classrooms often, it is difficult to ensure quality education. Accommodating multiple cultures within a classroom provides another challenge. Jeanne Dickhausen identified regulated expectations and assessments required of children at an earlier age as a problem within early childhood education. She explained that what used to be expected of a first grade child is now expected of a preschool child. The effects of this added expectation and assessment can be developmentally unhealthy for young children. As a federal grantee, Head Start programs are continually worried about their financial stability, which provides an ongoing problem. Due to the continuing concern of funding, Dickhausen said Community Action Head Start is continually looking for ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of its program on children’s education and development. Part of ensuring effectiveness includes involving parents. Dickhausen cited the continued struggle to keep parents highly involved with their children’s lives, educations, and the Head Start program. Specifically, Dickhausen explained the difficulty of engaging parents from low-income areas that are often spending a lot of time working. Question 5: What are the most important steps that could be taken to improve early childhood education for low-income children? Molly O’Shaughnessy discussed the importance of focusing on developing the child’s independence through practical life activities in enhancing early education. She cited any activity that aided in developing the child’s independence as important to incorporate in an early childhood education program. Jeanne Dickhausen identified broader access as a crucial component of enhancing educational opportunities for lowincome children. She also mentioned the importance of well trained and prepared teachers in ensuring quality
Kesha Berg Public Policy Enhancing Early Childhood Education education. To improve this aspect, Dickhausen encourages the higher education community to continue to collaborate so various programs are on the same page. Another way to improve education for low-income students discussed by Dickhausen involved providing the best opportunities for children to learn based on their life experiences and situations. Dickhausen identified the ability of staff to provide research-sound support for their students while maintaining personal relationships to be crucial. A reflection on the interviews. Throughout the interviews, common themes between the two approaches emerged which provided guidance in creating recommendations. First, both O’Shaughnessy and Dickhausen addressed elements of the guiding principles of their respective approaches that overlapped. Both approaches are aimed at addressing the needs of children individually. The establishment of the Montessori environment as a place to foster independence and promote freedom of the child gives attention to each child as an individual, just as the Community Action Head Start program emphasizes attention to each child’s interests and development. The Head Start program also prides itself on getting to know children and families individually. Both O’Shaughnessy and Dickhausen discussed how their approaches are concerned with child development beyond education. Both methods are aimed at aiding the child in all aspects of his or her life, Montessori’s through providing practical life skills and fostering independence and Head Start’s through providing additional services. Both O’Shaughnessy and Dickhausen identified devoting attention to children’s individual needs as a means of improving early childhood education. O’Shaughnessy discussed allowing children to have freedom to choose their work based on their own interests. Similarly, Dickhausen emphasized the importance of engaging each child in his or her learning through relating learning to his or her life experience and interests. In discussing recent struggles within the field of early childhood education, both O’Shaughnessy and Dickhausen mentioned the increase in effects seen due to growing levels of poverty. The high levels of stress put on children living in poverty often present themselves through behavior problems. Additionally, poverty affects children’s leaning in other ways. For example, learning is impacted when nutritional needs are not being met. Providing resources for children and addressing problems that arise from situations of poverty is something that requires attention in all classrooms. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE INCORPORATION OF MONTESSORI PRINCIPLES WITHIN HEAD START While access to quality early childhood education is important for all children, it is absolutely critical for children from low-income backgrounds. Early childhood education provides opportunities for every child’s growth into a successful member of society. Access to quality, holistic early childhood education is necessary to prepare all children for life as a self-fulfilled, educated, economically productive, and civically engaged adult. Integrating Montessori methods within Head Start provides a philosophically consistent, pedagogically sound, and financially feasible approach to enhancing educational opportunities and experiences for low-income children. The following four recommendations are directed toward enhancing the quality of early childhood education for low-income children. All recommendations are aimed at assisting children from low-income families to develop self-reliance, self-confidence, personal responsibility, and the ability to care for others. Recommendation 1: Self-directed work. Allowing children to make choices about what they would like to do is critical in fostering intrinsic motivation and independence. I recommend Head Start programs incorporate the concept of self-directed work within their curriculum. Providing children with choices about which activities or materials they engage with allows them to pursue their own interests. A child learns best when exploring his or her interests. Montessori stressed the importance of allowing children to work independently for three hours each day. At least a portion of each school day should be devoted to uninterrupted, self-directed work. This provides time for children to fully engage in and complete each activity they begin. Recommendation 2: The prepared environment. The environment of a classroom has a significant impact on the possibilities for learning. For that reason, devoting specific attention to the careful preparation of each learning 37
Page 1 and 2: DR. RONALD E. MCNAIR Ronald E. McNa
Page 3 and 4: ABSTRACT The purpose of the present
Page 5 and 6: Oluwademilade Adediran Psychology M
Page 21 and 22: ABSTRACT Early childhood education
Page 23 and 24: Kesha Berg Public Policy Enhancing
Page 37: Kesha Berg Public Policy Enhancing
Page 43 and 44: ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency vir
Page 45 and 46: Mondraya Howard Pharmacy HIV-1 Resi
Page 47 and 48: Mondraya Howard Pharmacy HIV-1 Resi
Page 49 and 50: ABSTRACT Food waste in the United S
Page 51 and 52: Bridgette Kelly Environmental Scien
Page 63 and 64: ABSTRACT This research discusses he
Page 65 and 66: Chia Lee Public Health Health care
Page 75 and 76: Mai-Eng Lee Social Work Teachers’
Page 83 and 84: APPENDIX B INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Back

dr. ronald e. mcnair acknowledgements - University of St. Thomas

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