article review

Essay by sissy10College, Undergraduate July 2014

download word file, 5 pages 0.0

CHD 120

Article Review Format (Please attach article/ Keep a copy for your records)

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Directions: Read 1 current article from a professional publication related to developmentally appropriate practice and write a review and application paper using the format below.

Name: Cecily Salvador

Publishing Information:

Author(s): Joan Almon

Title of Article: The value of Play in Early Education and how to get teaches on board

Journal Title with Volume Number: Principal, September/October 2013

Pages:

Introduction and Article Summary:

In this article the writer address the standard for kindergarten children to read "emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding." By the age of five and that there does not seem to be widespread recognition of what emergent-reader texts are, which leaves room for interpretation.

One contributing factor that has moved early education in the U.S. away from play and toward cognitive instruction is the prevalent belief that children should learn to read at age 5. The assumption is that they will be better readers than if they wait until age 6 or 7. But there is essentially no evidence that this is true. Play is one of the primary approaches to learning available to young students. Sensory impressions and ideas bubble up from within them, much as they do in an artist or a composer.

Play has been likened to the inquiry-based approach of a scientist because both engage in "what if" thinking. The child is continually trying out new possibilities and learns as much from failure and mistakes as from positive outcomes.

In the Common Core State Standards do not preclude play for kindergarten students. And they should not serve as an excuse for removing it from preschool classrooms even though anecdotal reports indicate that that is happening.

Analysis (Including specific examples of DAP for all 4 domains

As teachers we have to find ways to cultivate it in children in playing as it his many young children have poor playing skills when they come to school at a young age.

Young teachers often did not grow up with much playtime and benefit from experiences with creative play. Even older teachers who did play as children may need some prompting to recall open-ended play strategies. Sharing play memories with one another is helpful, as is engaging in actual play.

Many teachers are fearful of play in the classroom. In their minds, play is synonymous with chaos. But when children are deeply engaged in play, they tend to be focused and fairly quiet.

As, teacher, who are sometimes apprehensive about play, we need to realize that it can be fun and will not be chaotic at all. As an example the children will play with enormous concentration using cardboard boxes, old sheets, ropes, and tape, and they will play with children with whom they did not usually socialize.

We need to create opportunities for teachers to learn about play in early education from mentors, visits to programs with effective play-based approaches, and workshops.

As teachers we need time to observe each other during playtime and to share play experiences with one another some examples would be to create beautiful play environments, indoors and outdoors. Equip the children with simple, open-ended play materials, but avoid clutter and overstimulation. Schedule time for play every day. Ideal playtimes last 45 minutes or longer to give children a chance to enter deeply into play.

As teachers we need to address the concerns of parents who think young children should master more cognitive skills than is developmentally appropriate by having socially development skills like learning to drawing, tracing, connecting dots spelling, counting, measurement of water learning words all of this done with music and movement in the classroom with the usage of creative play areas, such as family dramatic play, table and perceptual activities. Art, music, science and special projects water play with indoor and outdoor activities with equipment that is safe.

Application (how will you utilize information in the article to influence your teaching practices?)

I currently just started working as a daycare provider and I was really focused on having a very structure day for the children who currently attend my daycare in this schedule there was no play time included because I thought that it was not necessary since many parents were deterred when they came and interview me "play time" was seeing as a waste of time and I was questioned why the children had playtime they already have a lot of free time. After reading this article I will make some changes on my daily schedule which will include giving the children playtime since it is necessary to help them learn creativity play and thinking which will benefit them in the future.

Conclusion (and any additional remarks)

I found this article very interesting I learned a lot about playtime throughout the years and how it has been viewed by our society and it seems that this change has not being to help develop and teach our children to learn to have fun instead we are always trying to shorten their childhood by forcing them at an early age to learn faster and quicker which is not needed at this time because we are already seeing the signs that they are losing creativity, imagination , critical and analytical thinking which is needed for the older years.

Research by Sara Smilansky, described in her book with Edgar Klugman, Children's Play and Learning, showed that children who engaged well in socio-dramatic play experienced more gains in language usage and in understanding what others meant than children who were not strong players. Such abilities are needed to meet standards calling for written expression and for comprehension of what is meant in a text. The Common Core Standards were created to help graduates enter the workplace and college. A recent IBM Institute study asked 1,500 CEOs around the world what they most sought in employees. The answer was simple: Creativity. There is no better way to foster creativity than to keep it alive in early childhood when it is naturally strong and expresses itself through play. Yet, teachers tell us that if they give their children time to play, some have no ideas of their own, or do not know how to engage in make believe play.

Further, Kyung Hee Kim at William and Mary College, using scores on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, found that creativity levels had risen from the 1950s to 1990, but then began to decline, especially among children. She is now frequently asked by business schools to help them develop courses that will stimulate creative thinking. The irony is not lost on her that we are driving creativity out of young children and then trying to restore it in college students.

Play-based education in preschool and kindergarten gives children a chance to develop their creativity in balanced ways. It supports the overall healthy development of children and prepares them for the 21st century workplace

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