Optimalisering van ons kleuteronderwijs als topprioriteit
1. Onderzoekers over kleuteronderwijs
Een gesprek is pas echt ontwikkelingsbevorderend als je met kleuters op interessante wijze over interessante dingen praat (C. Snow).
Met een goed curriculum lukt het beter ( anders dan ontwikkelingsplan Vlaams kleuteronderwijs)
Succesvolle projecten focussen meestal niet alleen op de gesprekken tussen de leerkracht en de kleuters, maar ondersteunen de leerkracht ook om uitdagendere inhouden te bieden aan de kleuters, inhouden die aansluiten bij de interesses van de kleuters, maar deze verdiepen en verbinden met inhouden die ook later in de schoolloopbaan belangrijk zijn.
Bijvoorbeeld, de kleuterscholen van Boston hebben hun kwaliteit verbeterd door de introductie van het OWL curriculum. In dit curriculum krijgen de leerkrachten voorleesboeken, en uitgebreide tips voor spelbegeleiding en denkstimulerende activiteiten binnen voorafbepaalde belangrijke inhoudsgebieden. Hierdoor ging de kwaliteit van hun begeleiding erop vooruit. Daarbovenop gebruiken ze nog een apart programma voor voorbereidende wiskunde (Building Blocks), en worden er ook heel wat muzische innovaties gestimuleerd. Het is zeker de moeite waard om deze innovaties op de website van de Bostonse kleuterscholen te bekijken."
2. Bijlage: OWL-curriculum Boston
Consistent Unit Format and Features
The content of each unit is built around a carefully crafted daily routine familiar to all Pre-K teachers and caregivers. Themes, skills, and concepts are developed through quality children's fiction and nonfiction trade book classics. The consistent format and features in every unit makes it easy for teachers to use and children to learn.
The at-a-glance Weekly Planner breaks each full day into appropriate blocks of learning time, along with a half-day option.
provides plans for setting up and orienting children to self-selected activities in which they explore, experiment, deepen their understanding of new concepts, and practice budding skills. Conversation tips for developing language in the context of centers are included.
Small Groups provides three small group activities each day to address math, writing, language and print manipulatives, science, and book browsing.
A tab indicates the amount of teacher support required, and each activity includes suggestions for meeting the needs of ELL students, children needing additional challenge, or children requiring social or emotional support.
Conversations With Children
helps teachers use opportunities for informational conversation with children to develop children's language, social skills, and concept knowledge. These pages include models for literacy-related conversations to use during mealtimes and times of transition.
guides teachers as the class reads and discusses one or two trade books. (Each book is read four times over a period of time, advancing from an initial sense of story and vocabulary to active interaction with the text.) Teachers view useful notes on purpose and standards, strategies for reading aloud, key vocabulary with simple definitions, ELL and other adaptations, progress monitoring, and suggested conversations to model successful reading.
Songs, Word Play, Letters
builds children's phonological awareness, alphabet letter knowledge, and vocabulary with fun literacy circle activities.
About It builds students' background knowledge using information from nonfiction texts and hands-on experiences. Let's Talk About It, an alternating feature, addresses topics of social and emotional importance to children and teachers.
In addition, End-of-the-Day
Centers promote conversation that develops language at the end of the day's learning, and Connect With Families suggests family activities that develop oral language and literacy.
