Chicagoland Project Approach Summer Institute Workshop Schedule
Thursday, July 23, 2009
7:30 – 8:45 a.m. Registration/Networking Breakfast, Tented Terrace
9 – 10 a.m. Keynote, Tented Terrace
The Contribution of the Project Approach to the Intellectual Development of Young Children
Lilian G. Katz, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
Examines the potential contribution of project work to the development of intellectual dispositions, and to strengthening young children’s motivation to acquire academic skills in the service of their intellectual goals. The contrast between academic and intellectual goals will be outlined and the “standards of experiences” that should be available to young children will also be presented.
10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Session 1
Visualizing Information: The Value of Drawing in Project Work
Sylvia C. Chard, University of Alberta, Canada
- Shows how drawing can enhance the quality of children’s representations in curriculum subject areas
Getting Beyond “How Many?” Challenging Children to Think Deeply and Ask Better Questions
Judy Harris Helm, Best Practices, Inc.
- Focuses on how to deepen project work
- Techniques shared for messing around with a topic to build background knowledge, locating project discussion times, modeling good questions, extending children’s thinking, and encouraging child-to-child conversations
How Projects Changed the Social and Emotional Atmosphere of My Classroom
Cynthia Dressler, Teacher, Blackwell School
- Understand how projects can make your classroom more cohesive
- Provide examples of activities where children work together
- Learn how projects teach cooperative learning
- View project examples
Beginning the Journey: The Project Approach with Toddlers
Yvonne Kogan, Early Childhood Principal, Eton School, Mexico City, Mexico
- Understand how to adapt features of project work to meet the needs and interests of toddlers
- Become familiar with ways in which project work can encourage young learners to engage in meaningful exploration
- Learn about representational strategies that are effective and developmentally appropriate for toddlers
- View examples of documentation that show children’s understanding, teachers’ reflections and comments made by parents
- Exchange ideas and ask questions
3 R’s: A Recipe for Rich Research for Young Learners
Ivy Randle, Teacher, James Ward School
- Become familiar with the project approach framework
- Understand how the curriculum supports Illinois Learning Standards
- Understand how documentation shows or can demonstrate various modalities of how students learn
- Learn how to build children’s capacity for critical thinking
- Learn how to integrate the research topic across curricula
A Teacher’s Journey Through a First Project: The Bird Project
Becky Nau, Teacher, Northminster Learning Center
- Hear strategies for successful first-time project work
- Learn how the Illinois Kindergarten Learning Standards were incorporated into project work
- View documentation of The Bird Project
- Learn why nature topics are so important to this class of kindergarteners
- Hear strategies for supporting children’s investigations in the natural world
11:30 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch, Tented Terrace
Facilitated Discussions with Museum Educators
Meet other participants at your table as you discuss a topic of interest.
1 – 2 p.m. Session 2
Working Together: Projects Encourage Children to Discuss Their Growing Understanding
Sylvia C. Chard, University of Alberta, Canada
- Discusses the importance and outcome of collaboration among students
- Describes the role of student engagement in relation to learning
- Examines advantages of collaborative work as opposed to solitary student activities
Open Discussion: The Contribution of the Project Approach to Children’s Intellectual Development
Lilian G. Katz, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
- Continuing discussion of issues raised during the keynote address
- Opportunity for participants to pose questions
Eek! They Want to Study Snakes! Anticipatory Planning When You Know Nothing About the Topic
Judy Harris Helm, Best Practices, Inc.
- Hands-on session walks teachers through anticipatory planning for a challenging topic
- Learn how to research a topic quickly, integrate required curriculum goals and do a complete anticipatory planning web
- Techniques apply to all project topics, but are especially helpful for nature topics
Introduction to Kohl Children’s Museum Early Childhood Connections: Project Based Learning Program
Erika Miller-Gray, Director of Education, Kohl Children’s Museum
- Learn how to make a project fit all curriculum interest areas
- Ways to involve the family and community in a project
- Different forms of documentation
- How each child’s role in the project is unique and how this plays into individualization
- What lasting effects project work has on students and teachers
Documenting Projects
Cynthia Dressler, Teacher, Blackwell School
- Recognize the importance of documenting project work
- Explore types of documentation
- Review tools needed
- Understand how to collect information
- Review successful documentation boards
- Align documentation with Illinois State Standards
Ways of Seeing: Connections Made While Making Observational Drawings
Tim Abel, Museum Educator, Kohl Children’s Museum
- Learn the difference between visual note taking and art making
- Learn about the necessity for guided introductions with the materials and the subject matter
- See how observational drawing helps reveal a child’s relationship to the object
- See how observational drawing becomes a visual document of a child’s learning process
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Session 3
Panel Discussion
Sylvia C. Chard, Judy Harris Helm and Lilian G. Katz
Open discussion about the project approach with keynote speakers Dr. Katz, Dr. Harris Helm and Dr. Chard; opportunity to submit anonymous questions about the project approach to panelists
The Sunflower Project: A Group of Preschoolers Discover Planting
Michelle Fernandes & Jessica Stanton, Northminster Learning Center
- Hear how this group of preschoolers spent time in the outdoor environment discovering sunflowers
- Examine sunflower artifacts created by the children
- View documentation of the children’s investigations during the Sunflower Project
- Learn how experts and a field site visit supported the children’s learning
- Deepen your understanding of teacher planning and assessment as you examine the teacher anticipatory web
Using the Project Approach to Maximize Second Language Learning [Intermediate Level]
Rebecca Wilson, Teacher, Iowa Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program
- Learn key strategies that support second language learners in project work such as: role-playing, demonstration, vocabulary building and tailoring children’s questions based on language level
- Gain ideas about how to support and value native language and culture during project work
- View documentation samples of project work from a bilingual classroom
Project Activities and Nature, Habitat Park
Self-Guided
View ongoing project-based activities in our newly expanded and improved outdoor exhibit area
Explore the Museum, Kohl Children’s Museum Exhibits
Self-Guided
Explore the Museum with an eye toward integrating children’s activities with the project approach
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Keynote, Tented Terrace
Unplugging Our Kids: Using Project Work to Connect Children to Nature
Judy Harris Helm, Best Practices, Inc.
Children are becoming disconnected from nature with long-term consequences on their development and on our society. Projects focused on nature topics can build children’s comfort and curiosity about our natural world. Good project work may be exactly what we need to get children to step through that door and reconnect.
Friday, July 24, 2009
7:30 – 8:45 a.m. Registration/Networking Breakfast, Tented Terrace
9 – 10 a.m. Keynote, Tented Terrace
The Project Approach in the Elementary School: Quality in Life and Learning
Sylvia C. Chard, University of Alberta, Canada
Much learning in the elementary school has to be normatively assessed for political and historical reasons. The result is the widespread practice of grading student work to compare students to other students in their performance. The systematic instruction in classrooms requires students to follow instructions and to practice newly acquired skills in similar ways. Grading can be seen to make sense for this part of the educational program. Also, project work offers opportunities for students to be assessed on the basis of what they do best and what they are interested in working on. This involves teachers and students in idiographic assessment. In this presentation, discover the ways state standards can help teachers with both kinds of assessment.
10:15 – 11:15 Session 1
But What Did They Learn? Choosing the Best Documentation to Share
Judy Harris Helm, Best Practices, Inc.
- How to share that great project with others
- Provides criteria for choosing which documentation pieces to share, how to select the best photos and student work and how to convincingly show that goals and standards were achieved
Adapting the Project Approach for Children with Special Needs
Nora Mulchrone, Assistant Principal; Lisa Serafin, Teacher/Librarian, Rudolph Learning Center
- Learn techniques for adapting the project approach to meet the needs of children with various and/or multiple special needs
Supporting Nature Projects: An Administrator’s Role
Pam Scranton, Curriculum Director; Stacy Berg, Executive Director, Northminster Learning Center
- Hear how an administrative team led staff through a book study of nature
- Learn how to implement school-wide projects on a central topic
- Hear how the school made a paradigm shift to integrate the natural world into the daily life of the classroom
- View documentation of nature projects
Culturally Relevant Anti-Bias Journeys While Implementing Project Work
Stephanie Lane-Baker, Teacher, Evanston Day Nursery
- Gain a basic understanding of the culturally relevant anti-bias overlay/overview that many projects are based on
- Increase your ability to assist children in sharing and appreciating their own respective cultural identities, as well as classroom community
- Share developing and ongoing projects with parents and families in respectful ways
3 R’s: A Recipe for Rich Research for Young Learners
Ivy Randle, Teacher, James Ward School
- Become familiar with the project approach framework
- Understand how the curriculum supports Illinois Learning Standards
- Understand how documentation shows or can demonstrate various modalities of how students learn
- Learn how to build children’s capacity for critical thinking
- Learn how to integrate the research topic across curriculum
Ways of Seeing: Connections Made While Making Observational Drawings
Tim Abel, Museum Educator, Kohl Children’s Museum
- Learn the difference between visual note taking and art making
- Learn about the necessity for guided introductions with the materials and the subject matter
- See how observational drawing helps reveal a child’s relationship to the object
- See how observational drawing becomes a visual document for a child’s learning process
11:30 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch, Tented Terrace
Facilitated Discussions
- Meet other participants at your table as you discuss a topic of interest. Facilitated by Museum Educators.
- Join a small group discussion and lunch with one of our keynote speakers. Seating limited; reservations required.
1 – 2 p.m. Session 2
Visualizing Information: The Value of Drawing in Project Work
Sylvia C. Chard, University of Alberta Canada
- Shows how drawing can enhance the quality of children’s representations in curriculum subject areas
Building Respect for Project Work: How to Use Documentation Templates to Make Professional Project Displays
Judy Harris Helm, Best Practices, Inc.
- Increase credibility as a teacher and help others see the value of project work by using templates
- Explanation of how to make a display on your computer, print, and mount it
- Information on downloading free templates is provided
Engaging Toddlers in the Natural World: The Bird Project
[Intermediate Level]
Mary Ann Gottlieb, Northminster Learning Center
- Understand how toddler projects differ from projects with older children
- View documentation of The Bird Project
- See examples of how toddlers learned “the language of the woods”
- View examples of toddlers interacting in nature
- Understand how the outdoor classroom enriches vocabulary
Practical/Experiential Workshop, Part I
Lilian G. Katz, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
- Explanation and description of the three phases of project work
- Issues in the selection of project topics will be addressed
- Hands-on opportunity to experience the phases of project work
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Session 3
Working Together: Projects Encourage Children to Discuss Their Growing Understanding
Sylvia C. Chard, University of Alberta, Canada
- Discusses the importance and outcome of collaboration among students
- Describes the role of student engagement in relation to learning
- Examines advantages of collaborative work as opposed to solitary student activities
Expressing Understanding Through Representations
Yvonne Kogan, Early Childhood Principal, Eton School, Mexico City, Mexico
- Understand how representations differ in the three phases of a project
- Become familiar with different materials for representation and diverse representational strategies
- Understand how children can apply their developing literacy and numeracy skills in the context of a project
- Discuss the role of the teacher in the process of representation
- View diverse examples of representations that vary in complexity depending upon the children’s ages and their experience in using representational strategies and materials
Documenting Children’s Investigations in Nature
[Intermediate Level]
Lora Taylor, Teacher, Northminster Learning Center
- Hear strategies for documenting children’s learning in the natural world
- Examine lists of materials for the documenting of process
- View documentation of children’s investigations during nature projects
- See examples of artifacts created during nature projects
- Deepen your understanding of teacher planning during project work by examining teacher anticipatory webs
Turning Children Into Young Investigators
Cyndi Lopardo, Teacher, Onathan School
- Learn to teach students investigative skills
- Learn tools to generate shared background knowledge
- Learn application of these skills
Practical/Experiential Workshop, Part II (Pre-requisite: Part I)
Lilian G. Katz, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
- Explanation and description of the three phases of project work
- Issues in the selction of project topics will be addressed
- Hands-on opportunity to experience the phases of project work
3:30 – 4 p.m. Closing Remarks, Tented Terrace
CPDU forms will be available at the registration table
= Nature-Themed Session
