Engaging Children’s Hearts and Minds: Teaching and Learning with the Project Approach, by Sylvia Chard

Sylvia Chard offers practical suggestions for administrators and teachers on how to develop a project from start to finish in the classroom, including the preliminary planning, the three phase framework, and the evaluation and documentation at the end of the project. Sylvia will review the three phase framework in detail, which focuses on different aspects of the learning involved as the project progresses through several weeks:

Phase one of the work involves the teacher finding out about the prior experiences the children have had which are relevant to the topic and assessing children's knowledge about the topic. The first phase of a project is usually complete once a promising list of questions is compiled on which to base a serious investigation. Phase two of the project begins with a field experience. This most often takes place in the neighborhood of the school. This phase can take several weeks. Once the topic has been thoroughly investigated, field visits made, experts interviewed, visiting speakers featured in the classroom , books, posters, models, murals, etc. completed the children usually come to know much more about the topic than just the first-hand knowledge they have acquired through their own work. Phase three of the project involves helping children to share their work with others. This sharing offers the opportunity of serious review of the highlights of the project, the main learning involved, completion of the representations of new knowledge, and plans for presenting the work accomplished to others. Children take pride in presenting their work to any audience but especially to their parents.

This presentation should help any administrator or teacher more confidently and competently engage in project work.

All sessions are 1.5 hours long, and include a brief announcement from our sponsor. 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Eastern Time.

See the schedule of upcoming webinars.

https://www.earlychildhoodwebinars.org/presentations/