Constructivism across the Curriculum in Early Childhood Classrooms
CH 1 Big Ideas : A Framework for Constructivist Curriculum
On a small round table are several flashlights, sheets of colored cellophane paper, and small mirrors. Peter and Adrienne approach the table, and Peter picks a flashlight turns it on, and covers the end of it with red cellophane. “Wow,” Adrienne says, “there’s redness on your shirt!” She picks up a mirror, and Peter shines the flashlight through the red cellophane onto the mirror, as Adrienne moves the mirror around until the light is reflected onto the table again. Peter and Adrienne laugh and exclaim as they move the flashlight and the mirror around to reflect the light onto different parts of the room.
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What is it that Peter and Adrienne can learn as they engage in this sort of experimentation? What are the big ideas that underlie their experimen- tation with light, reflection, and color? What are the connections that we, as teachers, can discern and use to develop meaningful, integrated constructivist curriculum?
These questions will be raised throughout this book, identifying and exploring several different "big ideas"-----light is the first one------- in an attempt to help you, the classroom teacher, begin to see how constructivism underlies all aspects of children's activities and experiences in the classroom. I will attempt to extend each idea into several different curriculum strands, usually with science as the core, and with mathematics, social studies, creative arts, technology, language, and literacy as the connecting realms. In the process, I will describe an array of possible materials and resources that can help you implement a broad-ranging constructivist curriculum focused around a few big ideas. I'll do this specifically with Peter and Adrienne's explorations of light in Chapter 2, but first I'd like to share the framework that this book is based on.
This approach-----a focus on big ideas------ is grounded in constructivism, influenced and inspired by the work in the schools of Reggio Emilia. The core value I hold is that children are competent, confident, curious theory-builders; this value is the essence of constructivism. I have also been deeply