Embracing Alternatives to Homework in Early Childhood: Research and Pedagogies

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter Synopses
Chapter 1 : Understanding the Social, Cultural, and Familial Contexts Influencing Development
Chapter 2 : Recognizing How Young Children Come to Understand and How Traditional Homework Practices Fail Them
Chapter 3 : Drawing Upon Community Resources to Support Learning Outside the Classroom
Chapter 4 : Building and Strengthening Student Understandings
Chapter 5 : Extending Learning Opportunities for Engagement and Reflection Through Project Work
Chapter 6 : Learning by Design: Early Engineering and Tinkering
Chapter 7 : Promoting Choice-making and Children’s Agency
Chapter 8 : Connecting Critical and Multiliteracies to Family, Home, and Communities
Chapter 9 : Advocating for Supportive Homework Practices for Young Learners
Moving Forward
References
Chapter 1: Understanding the Social, Cultural, and Familial Contexts Influencing Development
Introduction
Ecological Systems Theory
Children’s Agency
Everyday Actions to Support Children’s Agency
Developing Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies for School-to-home Connections
Honoring the Roots of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies
CSP in Early Childhood
CSP and Familial Funds of Knowledge in Schooling
Reflecting on Your Own Understandings of Families, Parents, and Children
Opportunity for Reflection: Working with Families
References
Chapter 2: Recognizing How Young Children Come to Understand and How Traditional Homework Practices Fail Them
How Young Children Build Understanding
Children As Active Learners
The Role of Child Agency in Learning
The Environment in Learning
Children’s Learning as a Social Process
Cognitive Tools
Connecting Homework Policies and Practices to What is Known About Children’s Learning
A Brief History of Homework Practices in Early Grades Classrooms
What Research Tells Us About Homework Practices for Young Learners
The Origins and Evidence Behind Common Homework Myths
Myth 1: Homework Increases Students’ Academic Performance
Myth 2: The Ten-minute Rule is a Research-based Guide For the Time Students Should Spend on Homework Nightly
Myth 3: Assigning Homework, Even to Very Young Students, Will Help to Support the Positive Development of a Child’s Work Ethic
Myth 4: Homework Should Be Completed But Not Graded
Research-based Recommendations for Inquiry and Interest-based Homework Practices in the Early Childhood Years
Recommendation 1: Homework Policies Should Be Aligned with Student Needs and Curricular Goals
Recommendation 2: Homework Should Be Meaningful, Engaging, and Allow for Student Choice
Recommendation 3: School-to-home Learning Experiences and Expectations Should Be Clearly Communicated to Students and Families
Recommendation 4: Resources and Tools for Learning Must Be Accessible for All Students and Families
Considerations for Homework Practices
Summarizing and Comparing School-to-home Learning Practices
Opportunity for Reflection: Linking Homework Practices to Pedagogical Philosophies
References
Chapter 3: Drawing Upon Community Resources to Support Learning Outside the Classroom
Learning Everywhere
A Framework for Family and Community Engagement
Expanding Schooling and Learning: Emerging Understandings of Education Outside the Classroom
Community and Place in Learning
Community-based Physical Sites
What is the history of this community?
PBL and Early Childhood Learning
Virtual Learning Environments in Place-based Learning
Children Understanding and Valuing Their Communities
Opportunity for Reflection: Including Community Assets in Children’s Learning
References
Chapter 4: Building and Strengthening Student Understandings
The Process of Learning
Learning Progressions
Creative Thinking Skills in School-to-Home Learning
Fluency Skills
Strategies For Building Fluency Skills and Experiences
Flexibility Skills
Strategies For Building Flexibility Skills and Experiences
Originality Skills
Strategies for Building Originality Skills and Experiences
Elaboration Skills
Strategies for Building Elaboration Skills and Experiences
School-to-Home Learning: Emphasizing Key Thinking Skills
Experience Topic: Connecting popular culture, literacy, originality, and elaboration
“Create Your Own Superhero”
Fluency and Flexibility Tasks That Encourage Playful Engagement
Opportunity for Reflection: Content and Task Considerations for Thinking Skill-focused School-to-home Learning Experiences
References
Chapter 5: Extending Learning Opportunities for Engagement and Reflection Through Project Work
Deep Learning in Early Childhood
Extended Learning and Project-based Work in Early Childhood
Connecting Project Work to School-to-home Learning
Important Considerations of School-to-Home Project Work
Inquiry-Based Learning and Project Work
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Matching Project Work to Content Learning
Project Work Represented in Student Drawings
School-to-home Learning Experiences that Support Children’s Deep Content and Skill Engagement and Reflections of Learning
Extended Learning in Earth Science: Recording the Phases of the Moon
Extended Learning in Life Science and Measurement: Measuring Plant Growth
Extended Learning in Social Emotional Skill Development: Identity Project
Opportunity for Reflection: Content and Task Considerations for Deep Learning Through Project-based Work
References
Chapter 6: Learning by Design: Early Engineering and Tinkering
Engineering, Tinkering, and Design-based Learning with Young Children
Early Engineering and Tinkering in School-to-home Learning
Design-based Learning
Engineering Play in Early Childhood
Tinkering
Loose Parts in Design Play
Makerspaces
Safety in Engineering and Tinkering
Tinkering to Learn: Tinker Trays
Engineering to Learn: Question, Design, Build, Revise
Opportunity for Reflection: Working with Families
References
Chapter 7: Promoting Choice-making and Children’s Agency
The Importance of Choice-making and Agency
Bloom’s Taxonomy for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating
Questioning to Support Student Learning Across the Taxonomy
Question Stems Based on Bloom's Taxonomy
School-to-home Learning Experiences that Support Children’s Questioning
Wonder Charts
Question Journals
Inquiry Charts/I-Charts
Scaffolding Choice-Making in School-to-home Learning
Beginning Choice-making: Home Learning Tasks and Choice Boards
Inquiry and Interest-based Learning and Connections to Choice-making
Building Inquiry-driven Learning Opportunities from School to Home
School-to-home Learning Experiences that Encourage Inquiry and Choice-making
Prekindergarten and Kindergarten
First, Second, and Third Grade
Choice-Making as a Bridge for School-to-Home Learning
Opportunity for Reflection: Supporting Choice-making in Learning
References
Chapter 8: Connecting Critical and Multiliteracies to Family, Home, and Communities
The Influence of Children’s Literature on Children’s Understandings of the World Around Them
Multimodal Learning
School-to-home Learning: Connecting Multiliteracies to Family, Home, and Communities
Experience Topic: Connecting Multiple Literacies to Personal Experience
“The Adventures of Me”
Experience Topic: Connecting Multiple Literacies to Cultural and Familial Knowledge
Steps for Supporting Critical Literacy Practices Through School and Home Reading Experiences
Sample Critical and Multiliteracies Family Information Sheet
Children’s Books that Promote Opportunities for Children’s Critical Engagement and Suggestions for Related School-to-home Learning Experiences
Wordless Books
Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Opportunity for Reflection: Supporting Multimodal and Critical Literacies
References
Chapter 9: Advocating for Supportive Homework Practices for Young Learners
Introduction
What is Teacher Advocacy?
Agency
Authenticity
Ethics
Advocacy Practices in the Early Childhood Classroom
Family Surveys for School-to-home Learning
Sample Initial Family Survey Questions
Family Survey Following School-to-Home Learning
Sample Assignment Reflection Family Survey Questions:
Opportunities for Student Reflection About School-to-home Learning Experiences
Student Reflection for School-to-home Learning (PreK to Grade 1)
Student Reflection for School-to-home Learning (Grades 2 and 3)
Sharing Understandings of Enacted Practices
Opportunity for Reflection: Advocating for Change
References
Concluding Thoughts
References
Index