PREOPERATIONAL THINKING According to Jean Piaget the ages between two and seven are preoperational Four, five, and six year olds think of only their activities and what they perceive in the moment

Learn from symbols – objects and words can represent something

Learn from make believe  Fantasy or Dramatic Play  Imitate real life situations

They have an egocentric viewpoint  View the world in terms of their own thoughts and feelings

Limited Focus  Focus on one thing at a time

What is intelligence  At this age children learn to read and count  Bases for the rest of their school years  Alfred Binet developed the first intelligence test  Lewis M. Terman for Stanford Univ. made some major revisions to it  Stanford-Binet common intelligence test given today  Terman created a mathematical formula that could be used to give a child’s intelligence a number value.  IQ- number obtained by comparing a persons test results to that of students the same age  Average IQ is 90 to 110

Negative effects of IQ tests  You cannot get an accurate measure of a child’s mental ability. It only measures one kind of mental ability, ignoring others  Factors can influence the test. Sick child  Test don’t reflect specific abilities or strengths and weaknesses.

Multiple Intelligences  Howard Gardner has issued a new way of looking at intelligences  There are many different ways of using the mind and body to experience the world

Activity  You will be assigned one type of intelligence  Explain the learning type  Give examples of activities  List famous people that exhibit that type of intelligence  August Rush August Rush

Multiple Intelligence  Verbal Linguistic- language, learn best through words  Logical Mathematical-arithmetic and science. Find patterns to connect facts and observations  Visual Spatial- drawing, construction. Learn through pictures and colors  Musical-rhythm and sounds  Bodily-kinesthetic- moving the body through space  Interpersonal- social skills, good communicator  Intrapersonal-more private less social, strong will and independent, prefers to play alone  Naturalistic-plants, animals, process of nature,outdoors

Helping Children Learn  Excited to learn  Talk about everyday life  Talk to them about what they are doing “Wow that is a long race track you are building”  Explanations and suggestions are helpful “Instead of lifting the basket of toys, try pushing it.”  Ask a child for their advice “Which shoe looks better with this skirt”  Trips and activities  Nature walks

Helping Children Learn  Helping around the house – strengthens the family bond, develops responsibility, maturity and independence  Curious about their bodies and where babies come from. Answer in simple terms they can understand

Appreciate Reading  Children who enjoy reading will find learning to be easier  Books, open up the world and the people in it, to children.  Phonemes- the ability to hear the individual sounds in words  Rhyming words and books will help  Alphabet Book Alphabet Book  Chubby Cheeks Chubby Cheeks  Polar Bear Polar Bear

Appreciate Reading  Alliteration – words that begin with the same sound  Alphabet books are a good example  Once children have learned the sound they can connect the letter to it.  Bilingual children pick up reading a new language easier. They understand that words have a meaning behind them.

Choose Books  Young children love books, so we want to keep them reading as they grow older  Library  4-6 year olds like books that are about experiences different from their own.  Enjoy humor, funny rhymes and unusual situations.

Guidelines for Choosing Books  Are pictures colorful and easy to understand?  Will the story appeal to the Childs interest?  Does the story include action that will hold the child’s interest?  If you are considering buying the book, is it make will to stand up under hard use?  Will the child understand most to the words?  Does the book use descriptive language that brings the story alive?  Is the story short enough to read in one sitting?

Introducing Art and Music  Express feelings  Creative  Use a variety of materials  Encourage children to experiment with art materials  Don’t criticize or correct work  Experience the creativity rather then the end product  3-6 year olds enjoy rhythm games and singing simple repetitive songs  Finger plays, chants are popular  Give children the opportunity to play instruments  Pots, pans, and spoons can be used as instruments  Five Little Frogs Five Little Frogs

The school experience  Positive attitude from the start  Smooth transition from home to school  Start with preschool  Enter kindergarten at age 5  Required physical exam and immunizations  Kindergarten can be a major adjustment for children  School is large with many children in it at various ages  School bus

Making the Transition  Name, address, and telephone number  Visit the school, or explain what to expect  Plenty of rest  Choose a backpack and a lunch box. Pick out new clothes and school supplies  Positive attitude

Ask the Experts Page 95

Speech Development  By the time a child enters kindergarten all the basic language forms have been formed  Children can use nouns, verbs, and adjectives to form a sentence they just haven’t learned to label those words yet.  6 year olds understand approximately 2,500 words  Articulation has improved to saying approximately 90% of words correct

Speech Development  Improvement in speech comes with physical development  B,M, P are produced be moving only the lips – 3 years  F and V involve the lips and teeth – 5 years  J, ch, st, pl, and sl are produced by the lips, tongue and throat muscles – 6 or 7 years

Speech Difficulties  Most develop good language skills at home  Provide children with rich language in detail  Go – jog, race, creep  Big  Pretty  Fast  Good

Speech Difficulties  Children who speak a language other then English at home  Children who move to different parts of the country may have problems with different pronunciations  Physical problems  Emotionally immature  Speech difficulties can make it hard for children at school, get help before they enter.

Review  What is the extent of an average six year olds vocabulary?  Why are sounds represented by j, ch, st, pl, and sl the most difficult for children to make?  What are some problems that may cause speech difficulties in children?

Children with Special Needs 1. Learning Disability 2. Unusually high intelligence

Learning Disability  A problem in a person’s mental processes that prevents him or her from learning in a normal way 1. Difficulty mastering academic work 2. Development is uneven, unlike that of others 3. Learning problems are not due to living in a disadvantaged environment 4. Learning problems are not due to mental or emotional problems

Learning Disability  Physical handicaps such as blindness is not a learning disability  Learning disabilities result from problems in how the brain works  6 to 10% off all children have a learning disability

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  A child who cannot control his or her activity or concentrate for a normal length of time  Often fail to finish what they started  Don’t seem to listen  Easily distracted  Difficulty staying in their seat  May lack emotional control

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  Caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain  Linked to heredity  Linked to environment – taking drugs during pregnancy  The only true way to determine if a child is ADHD is to have a brain scan – very expensive  Medications available – controversial  Teach learning techniques that help them change their behavior and relax

Dyslexia  A problem that prevents a person from understanding printed symbols in a normal way  The brain does not process some visual information normally  These kids are often intelligent but may have problems in reading, writing, and math  May have problems with left and right

Dyslexia  Children with dyslexia will need special help  Use a phonics approach when teaching reading  What+They+See&FORM=HDRSC2 What+They+See&FORM=HDRSC2  Children with learning disabilities can learn, but they need a special approach specific to their needs.  Parent involvement

Gifted and Talented Children  3 to 10% of students are gifted  Students who have unusual intelligence or a special talent in a gifted area  These students need recognition and acceptance, they need challenging activities  Benefit from playing with a variety of children but also need time with other gifted learners

 Gifted and Talented Children Gifted and Talented Children

 Avoid overwhelming children with unreasonable expectations  They need opportunities to explore their gifts  These children can become bored and frustrated  May be labeled as behavior problems because they don’t follow classroom procedures  They like to argue and give unexpected answers to questions  Some become poor students because they are not challenged

Gifted and Talented Children  Some schools have special programs for these kids- TAG  Special Schools  Most gifted or talented children show signs b age two. They may talk early using complete sentences, unusually large vocabulary, read before starting school  Curious and ask challenging questions