Welcome to CE430 – Unit 9 Class will start at the top of the hour! Please turn the volume up on your computer speakers to access the audio feature of this seminar. If you are unable to hear try logging out and re-entering and if this does not work call Tech Help at Learning Through Play in the Inclusive Classroom

Last week in CE430 we… Reviewed the ways we could promote the play of children of different socio-economic statuses in the classroom. Reviewed the ways we could promote the play of children from different cultures in the classroom. Reviewed the ways we could promote the play of children who are learning English as a second language in the classroom. Examined the importance of providing a gender neutral opportunities for play in the classroom. Any questions?????????

Unit 9: Teaching the Whole Child Unit 9 will delve into the development of a child’s creative self. You will also learn to plan a child centered curriculum which promotes development through various play opportunities. All of this with a constant reminder, that play is fun!

Unit 9 Outcomes After completing this unit, you should be able to: Describe teaching methods which will encourage creativity in children. Understand what it means to have a child- centered curriculum based on play. Defend the concept that learning should be fun.

Think about it… “Creativity focuses on the process of forming original ideas though exploration and discovery. In children, creativity develops from their experiences with the process, rather than concern for the finished product. Creativity is not to be confused with talent, skill, or intelligence. Creativity is not about doing something better than others, it is about thinking, exploring, discovering, and imagining.” -Mary Ann Kohl (2007, p.1)

Importance of Creativity in Children NrOuQQhttps:// NrOuQQ

Abilities that are Essential Components to the Creative Process Fluency - producing many ideas Flexibility - seeing situations and forming solutions from many different perspectives Originality - being able to have a new idea Elaboration - being able to extend ideas

Inspiring Space for Young Children Oow20Ehttps:// Oow20E

How Can We Promote Creativity in the Classroom? Provide lots of self-expressive materials for children to use Do not tell children to copy a model Recognize that the process is often more important to the child than the product. Allow children to do projects independently. Let go of the belief that all projects must be perfect. Give children with disabilities the opportunity to use self expressive materials as well. Keep in mind that some may need to be adapted with types of assistive technology. What else?

How Can We Provide Our Students with a Child Centered Curriculum Base activities off of children’s interests. Take advantage of teachable moments with children at play. Be a supporting member and help to extend their play. Recognize that all children have strengths and areas of needs. Be aware of them. Adapt your interactions and teaching strategies to meet the individual needs and individual learning styles of each child. – Developmentally appropriate practice Recognize and respect cultural differences of the children in the classroom. Arrange the classroom environment in an organized manner so children can be independent. Ensure that your classroom activities and interactions support the developmental of all of the developmental domains. Recognize a child’s ideas and build on them. Allow children to try out their ideas. Let kids be kids! Have fun!

To Do List Remember class runs from Wednesday to Tuesday! And unit assignments are due Tuesdays at midnight! This week you will: Complete the readings Participate in discussion Attend seminar Complete the Unit 9 project

Unit 9 Project Over the past nine weeks, we have learned about the benefits of play in teacher directed and child directed activities. We have also learned about the importance of adapting lessons to meet the needs of each individual child. This is called developmentally appropriate practice. For this units project, design a small group, teacher directed or child directed lesson of your choice. Use the provided lesson plan template to synthesize all preparation, implementation, and evaluation aspects of the lesson. Be sure to plan for individual differences in your lesson for children with special needs (remediation section), children who are learning English as a second language (remediation section), and higher level learning students (extension section). Additionally, include at least one example of how assistive technology may help a child or a group of children in the remediation section.

Unit 9 Project Lesson Plan

A Final Thought “The word joy will probably not show up in a curriculum guide. And I don’t hear many politicians using that word when they talk about schools and money and accountability. But those of us working hard to ensure a childhood for so many children know that if we did not hear laughter, giggling, hoopla, shouting, and cheering in our centers we couldn’t go on. It is the joy of each child that keep us doing what we do.” -Bev Boss (2006, p. 1)

References Bos, B. (2006). Child development. ExchangeEveryDay. Retrieved May 26, 2008, from Hendrick, J. & Weissman, P. (2010). The Whole Child – Developmental Education for the Early Years 9 th ed. New Jersey: Merrill Kohl, M.A. (2007). Fostering creativity. Early Childhood News.