Contents
Preface ?xi
Acknowledgments ?xv
Introduction: How Children Really Learn ?1
Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes ?1
Learning Is in the Brain ?2
Connected Learning ?3
Synaptic Junctions ?5
Brain Structures ?6
Pruning ?8
Respecting Child Thinking ?9
Play as Mental Development ?10
Pillars of the Mind ?11
Using What We Know ?14
1. ?Projects and Young Children ?15
The Project Approach ?16
Intellectual Competencies of the Early Years ?22
More on Building Mind and Brain Capacity ?23
Guiding Projects With Young Children ?25
2. ?Getting Started ?29
Issues in Selecting Topics for Projects ?29
Anticipatory Teacher Planning ?38
Building Common Experiences ?44
Finding Out What Children Already Know ?45
Developing Questions for Investigation ?48
Setting Up the Classroom for Investigation ?48
The Next Phase ?51
3. ?Developing the Project ?53
Beginning Phase II ?53
Preparing for Investigation ?56
Moving Into Investigation ?62
4. ?Investigation ?63
Field-Site Visits ?63
Debriefing ?70
Moving Into Phase III ?80
5. ?Concluding the Project ?81
Culminating the Project ?81
The Power of Documentation ?86
Types of Documentation ?87
Using Materials and Equipment for Documentation ?95
Distilling Documentation ?96
Evaluating the Project ?97
6. ?Preschoolers Engaged and Learning ?99
The Camera Project ?99
Learning as a Journey ?112
7. ?Using the Project Approach With Toddlers ?113
The Fire Hydrant Project ?113
The Sign Project ?122
Diverse Pathways to Rich Experiences ?125
8. ?How Projects Can Connect Children With Nature ?127
Thinking About Children?s Contact With Nature ?127
Finding a Project Topic on Nature ?128
Overcoming Teachers? Fears of Science ?130
Investigating Nature ?131
Sharing Nature Projects to Educate Others ?134
The Canada Goose Project ?135
9. ?Project Investigations as STEAM Experiences ?141
STEAM and the Project Approach ?141
STEAM Disciplines ?143
The Airplane Project ?147
STEAM in the Airplane Project ?150
10. ?Responding to Challenges Teachers Face in Project Work ?153
?Yes, But? Thinking ?153
Focusing on Teacher Decision Points ?156
Final Thoughts From the Authors ?172
References ?175
Index ?181
About the Authors ?190
Project Planning Journal ?
