IMPACT, Fall 2013

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/impact/1002/thumbnail.jp

Visualyzart Project – The role in education

The VisualYzARt project intends to develop research on mobile platforms, web and social scenarios in order to bring augmented reality and natural interaction for the general public, aiming to study and validate the adequacy of YVision platform in various fields of activity such as digital arts, design, education, culture and leisure. The VisualYzARt project members analysed the components available in YVision platform and are defining new ones that allow the creation of applications to a chosen activity, effectively adding a new language to the domain YVision. In this paper we will present the role of the InstitutoPolitécnico de Santarém which falls into the field of education.VisualYzART is funded by QREN – Sistema de Incentivos à Investigação e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (SI I&DT), Project n. º 23201 - VisualYzARt (from January 2013 to December 2014). Partners: YDreams Portugal; Instituto Politécnico de Santarém - Gabinete de e-Learning; Universidade de Coimbra - Centro de Informática e Sistemas; Instituto Politécnico de Leiria - Centro de Investigação em Informática e Comunicações; Universidade Católica do Porto - Centro de Investigação em Ciência e Tecnologia das Artes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fostering Creative Thinking Skills in Young Children Using Design Thinking Challenges

For this master’s project I developed a set of resources (guidebook, videos, and presentation deck) which provide child development professionals with a framework and set of skills to facilitate design thinking challenges (open-ended problem-solving activities based on design thinking’s phases of: creating empathy, problem identification, ideation, prototyping, and idea testing) with preschool age children. The centerpiece of the project is the guide book titled Save the Gingerbread Man: Understanding & Supporting Creative Thinking Skills in Preschoolers. The videos are interviews with preschool age children in a series called From the Experts. The presentation deck incorporates can include the videos in support of the guidebook. The intent of the project’s outcome is twofold. First, to educate early childhood educators about the value and importance of fostering creative thinking skills in young children, and second to provide a resource which allows the educators to act upon the knowledge by facilitating design thinking challenges with young children

In what ways can play-based learning in preschool and kindergarten classrooms support healthy development?

Play-based learning was identified as a developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) within early childhood education (ECE) (NAEYC, 2009). This paper examined current research to determine the impact of play-based learning on the development of preschool and kindergarten children. According to research, play offers effective, innovative approaches to pedagogy that meets children’s diverse needs as a whole learner. Although research has underlined the importance of play for the future of ECE, a number of diverse challenges have created difficulty with implementing play-based learning in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Most early childhood educators have faced increasing difficulty with advocating for play given the pressure to focus on academic achievement and standardized testing. Other challenges have included the stigma of play within society, difficulty defining play, lack of time, inadequate play spaces, and inappropriate expectations (Belknap & Hazler, 2014; Mainella, Agate, & Clark, 2011; Nilsson, Ferholt, & Lecusay, 2018). Studies in this paper examined research on these issues within ECE, effects of lack of play experiences, as well as benefits of play for young children’s holistic development. Supporting the development of children’s full social, emotional, physical, and cognitive capacities was found to most effectively be addressed through inclusion of play in preschool and kindergarten curriculum

The teacher in the studio

As a potter and teacher, the author connected her practice in the studio to her practice in the classroom by designing and creating cups for the two-year-old children she teaches. This thesis includes visual documentation of the author\u27s design and production process, an analysis of theory and research, and a personal reflection

Identifying strategies of culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate instructional practices for African American prekindergarten children through individualized per-service and in-service professional development for early childhood administrators and educators

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how instructors became aware of culturally relevant teaching (CRT) and developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) that support African American students’ academic achievement. The Grounded Theory approach was used to uncover themes from the individual interviews of African American preschool directors, teachers, and assistant teachers of African American pre-kindergarten children in Los Angeles County. The interview questions identified the source of information for creating a culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate classroom environment and instructional practices. The literature review identified the benefits of a high-quality preschool experience for African American children. A high-quality learning environment and the consistent implementation of research-based instructional practices are created and sustained by culturally competent teachers who receive ongoing professional development and access to quality resources. The literature showed that African American teachers expressed concerns about the universal aspect of DAP for all children, leading teachers to adapt their practices to meet the cultural and developmental needs of the children. The key findings for the source of information for creating a CRT environment and instructional practices identified personal experiences, other preschool programs, multicultural workshops, multicultural resource books, and child development classes. The literature review and study findings supported the connection between the belief in DAP and the implementation of DAP in the classroom. The key findings for the source of information for creating a DAP environment and instructional practices were child development classes, trial and error, DAP workshops, and other preschool teachers. An additional finding was the challenge participants experienced when attempting to discern between creating the classroom environment and identifying instructional practices to implement the curriculum. The conclusions drawn from the study were that preschool directors, teachers, and assistant teachers used personal experiences as the primary source information for creating a CRT and DAP environment and implementing CRT and DAP instructional practices. Lastly, the disconnect between the culture of the students, real-life classroom experiences and child development classes, multicultural workshops, and multicultural resources impact the quality and consistency of implementation of CRT and DAP in the classroom

Blended-Art at the Kindergarten Level

A foundational research assumption for this project is that the combination of open-ended-art and structured-art will enhance the development of the kindergartener. In today\u27s standards driven classroom environment, art is often overlooked in place of text based curriculum. The idea of this project is to blend two approaches to teaching art and intertwine this approach into the rigorous daily curriculum. The deficits in each approach will be covered by the other, thereby providing opportunity for all students to reap the benefits. The purpose of this endeavor is to determine the positive and negative effects of blended-art, a combination of open-ended-art and structured-art, at the kindergarten level. The purpose of this study is to determine the best way to incorporate art into the kindergarten classroom. Intertwining art into kindergarten curriculum is crucial, but what is the best approach? The literature and surveys researched for this study suggests that there is room for improvement in the best practice approach for integrating art with curriculum in kindergarten, establishes why art is important in the classroom, what methods are currently used to incorporate art in the kindergarten classroom, and why the blended method is the best practice

Primary caregivers\u27 values of play and creativity in early childhood in relation to children\u27s academic self-esteem

There is currently a trend to push academics due to laws such as the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) which holds schools accountable for academic learning. Play and creativity are being eliminated in early childhood even though theorists state the value of these elements in the overall development of young children. The purpose of the study was to examine the primary caregivers\u27 values of play and creativity in early childhood and their child\u27s academic self-esteem. Primary caregivers recruited from a university preschool completed the Parent\u27s As A Teacher Inventory (PAAT) and the teachers of the school rated the children using the Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem (BASE) scale. It was found that primary caregivers valued play and creativity. They placed the endorsement of play and creativity over that of academics. Findings revealed that primary caregivers\u27 value of play was a significant predictor of a child\u27s self-confidence