From Foot to Shoes: Kindergartners’, Families’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of the Project Approach

Abstract

Working within the context of a school improvement project, a kindergarten moved from its use of a theme approach in the classroom to a project-based learning approach in which the children were asked to seek relevant information and materials based on their daily interests and exploration. The children were encouraged to integrate drawing and writing daily newsletters to communicate to their parents what they need and how their parents could help them. This paper is presented in two parts. The first part is a description of how a project on shoes undertaken by a kindergarten class might unfold. The second part discusses the parents' and teachers' reflections on the project. Kindergarten and Student Background InformationThe project venue was a Hong Kong kindergarten organized by a Christian church. The kindergarten was situated in the center of Hong Kong Island near the district's most populated area. It had 400 children enrolled in the kindergarten, about half of whom attended in the morning and the rest in the afternoon. The children came from middleor upper middle-class families.The children who worked on the 6 week project belonged to two different classes in the school. There were thirty children who were 4-5 years of age in each class.There were three teachers in each class: two class teachers and one teacher assistant. Project BackgroundWorking within the context of a school improvement project in kindergarten, the researcher responded to the parents' and teachers' concerns about the children's growth and learning, as well as conducted a case study of a schoolbased initiative to engage parents in supporting their children's learning. In the past, the kindergarten used a thematic approach in which the teachers planned the curriculum, and the teaching process was more teacherdirected. As a result of a discussion between parents and teachers, it was determined that the teachers hoped to strengthen the children's motivation in learning and their abilities to solve problems, whereas the parents wanted their children to share their school lives with them. Thus, both parents and teachers agreed to try a project-based learning approach (PBL) wherein the children would direct their learning based on their daily interests and where they might need to search for relevant information and materials based on their daily interests and exploration. In addition, the children were encouraged to integrate drawing and writing daily newsletters to communicate to their parents what they need and how their parents could help them. Thus, the classroom activities shifted away from teachercentered lessons towards an emphasis on learning activities that were interdisciplinary, student-centered, and integrated with real-world issues and practices.In PBL, the children constructed meaning and practical skills through a process of inquiry that involved challenging and critical issues (Harada et al. 2008). Researchers have studied the effect of PBL on a range of educational

Dezavantajlılık bağlamında proje yaklaşımı: Öğretmenler, çocuklar ve ailelerin deneyimleri

“…Proje çalışmalarının çocuklar için etkileri, öğrenmenin kalıcı olması, akademik başarının artması, bilişsel becerilerin desteklenmesi, dil gelişimine yönelik kazanımlar, zihinsel eğilimler ve duygusal katılımın güçlenmesi ve okula hazırlık şeklinde özetlenebilir (Brooks ve Wangmo, 2011;Carida, 2011;Clucas, 2018;Sawyer, 2013). Öğretmenler ve ailelerle yapılan araştırmalar da proje yaklaşımının olumlu etkilerine ve mesleki gelişimi desteklediğine dair bulgular içermektedir (Beneke ve Ostrosky, 2009;Yuen, 2009). Proje yaklaşımına yönelik ilgi yerel ölçekte de oldukça yüksek olup uygulamalara rehberlik eden pek çok çalışma bulunmaktadır (Çabuk ve Haktanır, 2010;Kandır ve Kurt, 2010;İnan, 2012;Metin ve Aral, 2014;Oğuz, Gizir ve Akyol, 2014;Öztürk, 2019).…”

“…Proje uygulamaları boyunca ailelerin çocukları ile etkileşimlerinin artması eğitim sürecini etkileyecek önemli bir bulgudur. Bu bulgular, ailelerde eğitsel farkındalığın proje uygulamaları ile arttığını gösteren bazı çalışmalarla benzerlik taşımaktadır (Carida, 2011;Yuen; kurulabilecek işbirliği ve iletişimin önemine dikkat çekmektedir (Epstein ve Sanders, 2006). Farklı…”