Live Interactive Chat
Answers to Questions (Transcript)
Teacher and Director, Pre-Kindergarten Program, Dallas City, Illinois Community Unit District #336, and Faculty, Western Illinois University
See also: Biography and Related Resources
IELmoderator
Greetings, IEL Chat participants.
Welcome to the second IEL Chat of 2004. Our Chat tonight is titled "How to Enrich
Curriculum with the Illinois Early Learning Standards." To get started, let me
introduce our guest speaker, Linda Housewright, teacher and director of the Pre-Kindergarten
Program, Dallas City, Illinois Community Unit District #336, and faculty member
at Western Illinois University.
Linda Housewright
Hello! It is good to be here tonight. I feel very passionate about the Illinois
Early Learning Standards, and I believe that if prekindergarten teachers, child
care providers, and Head Start directors all come together using the standards,
we will become a very powerful group for young children in this state. The standards
will give us the continuity that we need to prove to others that we really are
all coming from the same perspective when it comes to what is best for children.
IELmoderator
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IELmoderator
First of all, we should note that
the Illinois Early Learning Standards were developed by the Illinois State Board
of Education. The learning standards are available on the Illinois Early Learning
(IEL) Web site at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/standards/index.htm.
You can also find a link directly to the standards in the left-hand sidebar of the IEL home page: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/.
The IEL standards are also available in Spanish at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/standards-sp/index.htm.
The Illinois Early Learning Standards address eight learning areas: (1) Language Arts, (2) Mathematics, (3) Science, (4) Social Science, (5) Physical Development and Health, (6) Fine Arts, (7) Foreign Languages, and (8) Social/Emotional Development.
For each of the learning areas, there are one or more state goals. For example, under the Language Arts learning area, there are goals of "Read with understanding and fluency" and "Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency."
Then, for each state goal, there are one or more learning standards. For example, for the goal "Read with understanding and fluency" under the Language Arts area, there are standards of "Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections" and "Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency."
Then, for each standard, there are a number of benchmarks by which to judge children's progress to the standard. For example, for the standard, "Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections," there are benchmarks of "Understand that pictures and symbols have meaning and that print carries a message" and "Understand that reading progresses from left to right and top to bottom."
On the IEL Web site, the IEL staff has identified activities that can help teachers address the various learning standards. You can find these activities by clicking on the name of the benchmark on the benchmark page associated with each standard.
IELmoderator
With that introduction,
let's begin our Chat. Ms. Housewright, we'll begin with a question that we received
in advance of the session.
Question
Why do we
need early learning standards in Illinois--why were they developed and by whom?
Linda Housewright
The first thought that came
to my mind was "Credibility." Many times as a prekindergarten teacher, I felt
as though administrators, fellow teachers, legislators, and parents looked into
my classroom and thought, "Ooh, they are just playing; she isn't really teaching."
The Illinois Early Learning Goals and Standards are aligned with the Illinois
Learning Goals and Standards K-12 that became law in 1997. By aligned, I mean
that they are the same standards in the areas of Language, Mathematics, Science,
Social Science, Physical Development and Health, Foreign Language, and the Arts,
with the exception that Personal/Social Development was added.
The difference is in the area of benchmarks. The benchmarks for the Illinois Early Learning Standards are written to be developmentally appropriate for children ages 3 through 5. In 1999, an Illinois Early Learning Standards project team was created as a focus group. Districts from across the state were invited to participate in the creation of these standards. Members looked to experts within the state and across the country when then began their journey to create today's actual document. They took input from national early childhood experts (research, e.g., Preventing Reading Difficulties; national standards, e.g., the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), state early childhood experts (Illinois State Board of Education, university faculty), and local early childhood experts (districts, including Chicago, DeKalb, Indian Prairie, and Rockford).
The other really important thing to think about is what a great tool the Illinois Early Learning Standards are for first-year teachers. They are there to give rookies an appropriate guide to what should be happening in their classrooms in all areas of learning. They are also great for "seasoned" teachers!
In the fall of 2000, after the standards and benchmarks had been created, they were field tested throughout chosen prekindergarten classrooms, Head Start programs, and preschool/child-care centers across the state. It was during this process that I came onboard. The process was amazing, and participants left knowing that we had been listened to and that the product we had created was what was right for all young children, all teachers, and all parents in our state. In fact, after using them daily in my classroom for the past 4 years, I believe that they are right for all young children in this country!
Barbara Bowman is quoted as saying, "Standards are an essential first step for designing effective preschool curricula since they represent an agreed upon agenda for teaching and learning." She is telling us the importance of giving all children the same set of learning opportunities no matter where they are in the state and who their teacher is. She encourages teachers to look at the standards and build interconnected experiences for children based on their interests.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's another question we received in advance of the Chat:
Question
Should curriculum be designed around
the standards?
Linda Housewright
The standards
should be the curriculum in an early childhood classroom! Again, the standards
and benchmarks are a wonderful guide for first-year teachers. They give a teacher
focus and direction, and the best part about them is that they are not a "teacher's
manual" that says do this on Monday, do this on Tuesday, etc. They give teachers
the flexibility to meet the needs of the children in their classrooms through
various learning experiences, themes, and projects. We must always remember to
look at the process of learning, not the product.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's our next question.
Question
Are the standards more important for assessment or for planning?
Linda Housewright
Within the cycle of teaching, a teacher first PLANS what
it is she wants to teach or expose her children to. It is here that she will look
to the standards to guide her in creating exciting learning experiences and building
an environment that supports the benchmarks.
She IMPLEMENTS what she has chosen to work on, DOCUMENTS what she sees, and then EVALUATES (or assesses) whether the children discovered and grew from what she had created in their environment, using documentation from her classroom observations. The cycle will then continue back to the planning stage where she will implement the next stage of learning or go back and revise what she did previously because the children did not grasp the concept/benchmark being taught.
So, you can see that assessment and planning are just two steps in a four-cycle process that every teacher uses in her classroom everyday! When the benchmarks and the cycle of teaching are used together, it is easy to scaffold children's learning experiences, and natural growth occurs in the classroom.
IELmoderator
The transcripts
of the IEL Chat sessions from 2002 and 2003 are archived on the IEL Web site.
Go to the IEL Chat page at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat.htmEditor's note: This url has changed: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert.htm#pastchat ,
then scroll down the page to the section called "Past Chat Sessions." For each
Chat in that section, you'll see a link for "Chat Transcript." Click on that link
to view the transcript for that particular Chat.
The most recent Chat was on the topic of "Speech Delays in Young Children: When Will They Talk?" with Marlene Christ. The transcript of this Chat session is available from the IEL Chat section at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat/christ/trans.htm.
Note that IEL Chat transcripts are also available in Spanish. To find IEL Spanish Chat transcripts (Trasuntos de chateo), go to the Spanish Chat page at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat-sp.htEditor's note: This url has changed:mhttp://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert.htm#pastchat.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's our next
question:
Question
Can you give me examples
of using the various benchmarks to enrich my preschool? Also, can the standards
be used to enrich children's play?
Linda Housewright
These questions are all interrelated, and their answers build upon one another.
As we all know, children learn best through play, and play should be part of the
foundation of all of our programs everyday. I have found that by creating an environment
rich in materials that support the early learning benchmarks, my children discover
and use these materials to scaffold their learning in a natural ongoing way. I
also believe that assessment is authentic and ongoing, so I am constantly an observer
in my classroom. I will give you some examples of materials that I bought. These
are in my classroom and support what I am talking about.
A LeapFrog Explorer globe sits on a bookshelf with several fiction and nonfiction books about the world and animals that are displayed on the globe. The globe will ask the children to find certain animals. It will sing to them and give simple verbal facts about different areas of the world and about the animals that are displayed. This one piece of "equipment" and the books around it will expose the children to the following benchmarks:
In the Language Arts learning area: (1) Understand that pictures and symbols have meaning and that print carries a message. (2) Understand that different text forms, such as magazines, notes, lists, letters, and storybooks, are used for different purposes. (3) Show independent interest in reading-related activities. (4) Listen with understanding and respond to directions and conversations. (5) Communicate needs, ideas, and thoughts. (6) Seek answers to questions through active exploration.
In the learning area of Mathematics: (1) Find and name locations with simple words, such as "near." (2) Gather data about themselves and their surroundings.
In the Science learning area: (1) Become familiar with the use of devices incorporating technology. (2) Describe and compare basic needs of living things. (3) Make comparisons among objects that have been observed. (4) Express wonder and ask questions about their world.
In the Social Science learning area: (1) Express beginning geographic thinking.
In the learning area of Physical Development and Health: (1) Coordinate movements to perform complex tasks.
In the learning area of Social/Emotional Development: (1) Exhibit eagerness and curiosity as a learner. (2) Use the classroom environment purposefully and respectfully.
This one piece of early childhood equipment (that is, the Leapfrog globe) that costs around $50, combined with a few appropriate books from your library area becomes a tool that can be used to meet the needs of 16 different benchmarks. It is very important that we cross the curriculum and give children exciting experiences, not skill-drill isolated learning facts.
The other important thing to remember is that crossing the curriculum is a tremendous time saver. We have so much to teach and expose our children to that this teaching strategy is one of the best that we can use in our classrooms. We also know how important it is to spend money wisely. Money is an issue all across the state, and when we purchase something with multiple uses, we are getting a bigger bang for our buck! Another thing I do in my classroom is that I make sure that there are writing materials and writing tools in all areas of my classroom. I also make sure that there are appropriate books in each area. Children quickly learn to write their thoughts and ideas down just as I do during circle time on our chart tablet. Remember, children learn best through teacher modeling, and if they see me writing and drawing, they soon follow! (I always take the free tablets in hotel rooms and at conventions for my classroom.)
I promote positive social/emotional benchmarks through a series of cues that start on day one with the children. They are simple fun sets of words that the children immediately learn to respond to. For example: "The most important rule in pre-k is pick up what you get out!" (These words address the benchmark "Begin to understand and follow rules.") And another example: "Sharing is Caring." (These words address the benchmark "Begin to share materials and experiences and take turns.")
IELmoderator
You can find
additional resources on How to Enrich Curriculum with the Illinois Early Learning
Standards in the supplement to this Chat session. This supplement is available
on the IEL Web site at this URL: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat/housewright/sup.htm.
Jilly
Do you think that having the standards
tends to increase academic pressure in prekindergarten?
Linda Housewright
Jilly, no, not at all. The benchmarks are developmentally
appropriate for all children ages 3-5. They are what we see children doing during
play when the benchmarks are used to set up the learning environment. When early
childhood teachers teach academic skills in isolation with skill drill types of
learning experiences, children do not benefit.
IELmoderator
As mentioned earlier, Ms. Housewright is a prekindergarten teacher
at Dallas City Community Unit District #336 in Illinois. She has been at the Dallas
City Community Unit for the past 17 years. Her classroom was chosen 4 years ago
as a long-distance virtual learning site for Western Illinois University (WIU).
Her classroom has three cameras, five microphones, two TV monitors, and her own
T1 Internet line! She wants you to know that she may not be the best prekindergarten
teacher in the state, but she may be one of the bravest! Her love for children
and her passion for wanting to help young teachers understand what a real classroom
looks like on a daily basis is what gave her the courage to agree to this teaching
arrangement.
She also serves as a faculty member at WIU and spends time each semester talking with preservice teachers about what they see happening in her classroom. Linda also was a member of the Governor's Reading Kit Committee, and her classroom served as a film site for the prekindergarten kit and for "Meeting the Challenge." She was a member of the field-testing committee for the Illinois Early Learning Standards and is a Work Sampling Illinois Trainer. Linda has provided Illinois Early Learning Standards training and believes in the standards' importance in the lives of children.
She was a presenter at the 2002 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) convention in New York and one of the creators of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) model classroom at the Chicago NAEYC convention in November 2003. Linda also received an ISBE "Those Who Excel" 2000-2001 award for meritorious service. She is also proud to say that she is a mother, a wife, a daughter, and a sister!
Heine
But how will the benchmarks stand up in the "No Child Left Behind" scenario.
And what do you think of the initiative?
Linda Housewright
Heine, I believe all children are on a journey--their journey. They are not
born on the same day or the same way. They do not walk and talk at the same time,
and they all learn at different rates too. They should be respected for who they
are. They are all unique. This country was built on diversity not sameness! No
Child Left Behind is a wonderful dream, but as a teacher for the past 20 years,
I cannot make that dream come true the way that it is written. I can and will
do everything in my power to help each child grow and learn while in my care,
but can I promise that somewhere in the child's future he or she will not be left
behind…no. Making schools accountable is very important, and I am all for
that, but tying funds to a test given one day once a year is not accountability
in my opinion. No Child Left Behind is not about each and every child; it is about
each and every class of children getting smarter each year. AND as I said in the
beginning, children are all born differently and come to school with different
experiences…how we can make them all look the same or score the same is the
impossible dream that I mentioned earlier. (Look at your own children if you do
not believe me. I am one of seven, and each of us is unique and different and
has been encouraged to be who we are not who our brothers and sisters are.)
Jilly
Sometimes the standards remind me of the medieval
preoccupation with how many angels could fit on the head of a pin! Here we are
applying standards--admittedly developmentally appropriate ones, but standards
nonetheless--in prekindergarten when the real problems that children have when
they come to school have to do with poverty, uneducated and sometimes uncaring
parents, inadequate health care and nutrition, and caring parents who are so busy
keeping body and soul together that they have little time or energy for their
children.
Linda Housewright
Jilly, the standards
give all children, poor or rich, the same experiences, the same guidelines, and
the same opportunities. It is also reassuring to parents to know that their children
are being provided like opportunities, no matter what their socioeconomic status
is. All parents want what is best for their child, and the Illinois Early Learning
Standards may not solve their personal problems of poverty and health care, but
they will give parents one less thing to worry about. As I have stressed before,
early childhood teachers do not TEACH the standards; they use them as the guiding
force behind what it is they do in their classrooms on a daily ongoing basis.
Bob M.
The standards are interesting, but isn't
inadequate compensation for child care folks an issue that is at least as pressing
in guaranteeing children a good prekindergarten experience?
Linda Housewright
Bob M., just compensating someone financially doesn't
give children a good program or the educational experiences that are important
for them to grow and learn from. With the standards, child care providers have
an understandable set of guidelines to look at, and if they do not have an educational
background in child development, the standards can be used as a reference document
to guide what it is they are doing in their centers. Bob, I work in a very small
rural poor school district, and I am not “financially” compensated for
the hours I put in either. Dedicated early childhood professionals do what they
do not for the money but because we want to make a difference in the lives of
children!
Julio
How do the Illinois standards
compare to those of other states?
Linda Housewright
The Illinois standards are above and beyond those of other states. I believe they
meet the needs of the children better. They were field tested by real early childhood
professionals. Early childhood experts from all over the county feel that they
are what are best for children.
IELmoderator
Remember that the IEL Web site is available not only in English but also in Spanish.
The Spanish home page is at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/index-sp.htm.
Julio
Yes, thanks for providing this site in
español as well as in English.
Jilly
I've noticed that the early learning standards for many states are extremely similar.
Why is that? Do you know what state was the first one to develop early learning
standards?
Linda Housewright
Jilly, interesting
question; however, I am not sure which state was the first. It is no surprise
that many early childhood professionals come to the same conclusion of what best
practice looks like in early childhood, therefore many state standards should
be similar.
Jilly
With so many benchmarks to
track children's progress (I think there are over 100 in the Illinois Early Learning
Standards), don't teachers have a lot to keep track of? Is there an easy way to
do it?
Linda Housewright
When teachers plan
interrelated learning activities, they are meeting many benchmarks at the same
time. Teaching isolated skill-drill facts is NOT what is best for children. The
benchmarks were not designed to be used that way.
Nathan
Welsh
In what ways do you assess how the children are meeting the
state standards that you teach?
Linda Housewright
Nathan, I assess through authentic assessment; I am constantly, and continually,
looking for them in my classroom. I use Work Sample Illinois, and I am using the
new online observation site that is being piloted right now in early childhood
classrooms across the state. The online project is an unbelievable tool for teachers.
If you are not sure of just what a benchmark might look like in your classroom,
they provide you with examples of what various types of activities that could
meet each benchmark look like. The checklist is also on the site, as is a bar
graph showing you exactly how many observations you have made on each child and
what they were in. Assessment can be made easy if you know what it is you are
looking for and that it is something that you have planned with in the environment
of your classroom.
IELmoderator
Remember that
you may send a question at any time to the IEL staff. Just email your question
to iel@uiuc.edu.
You can also phone in a question. Please note that IEL's toll-free telephone number has changed from the number that was used in 2003. The new number is 877-275-3227. IEL staff are usually available between 8-12 and 1-5 on business days.
Jilly
Does the Project Approach work as a curricular tool for helping children
meet the benchmarks? Do you use the Project Approach in your classroom?
Linda Housewright
Jilly, yes, I use the Project Approach in my classroom.
It is probably the best way since the activities you do are all interrelated:
math, language, science...are all included within your project.
IELmoderator
Those interested in the Project Approach might be interested in this Web
site: http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/info/project.html.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's another
question:
Question
Can the standards be used
with a Project Approach curriculum?
Linda Housewright
Of course they can. Using the standards and benchmark across the curriculum
is what is best for all children! As you PLAN your project, you will look to the
benchmarks in each of the areas of learning that you hope to include in your project.
As your project moves forward, the children's interests will lead you to benchmarks
that you had not planned for, but because you will be observing and assessing
continually, you will see them within the play of your children.
IELmoderator
Since we seem to be getting questions about the Project Approach, this site
is also very useful: http://www.project-approach.com/
Jilly
I think the Project Approach is NOT a
curriculum, but an APPROACH!
Jilly
I'm interested
in assessment, too. If a benchmark says, "25.A.ECa Dance: Investigate the elements
of dance," how would you assess that one?
Linda Housewright
Jilly, many of the activities that I do in my classroom start with a book.
I would probably find a piece of children's literature and use it as my base.
If it sparked the interest of the children, my project would be started, and the
elements of dance would come into play. Using trade books as a starting point
to a unit, a theme, or a project is something I have personally found to be extremely
useful as a teaching tool. A book that I might use to begin investigating dance
elements is Tessa’s Tip Tapping Toes by Carolyn Crimi.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's our next question:
Question
I feel we already offer a developmentally appropriate and enriched program
for children in our preschool. Do I need to change anything to accommodate the
Illinois Early Learning Standards? Will I be penalized or have funding taken away
if I don't make changes?
Linda Housewright
First of all, the standards and benchmarks are not mandated by the Illinois State
Board of Education, and you will not be penalized nor will you have funding taken
away for not using them. However, I do feel that all children in Illinois deserve
some sameness in their education whether they are 3 or 18 years old. The standards
and benchmarks give teachers of young children this sameness in providing experiences
in their classrooms across the state.
Since I have not been in your classroom, it is hard for me to know whether your definition and my definition of developmentally appropriate are the same. I think you owe it to yourself and the children in your center to look at a copy of the standards and compare them to what you are doing in your center right now. I think you will probably be pleasantly surprised to find that the benchmarks are not something new, but they are things we all do everyday when working with children. By using the language of the standards and benchmarks with our parents, administrators, and teachers in our classrooms, I do believe we build a community of educators who will all be on the same page, giving us the credibility that I spoke of earlier.
Jilly
Do you think we will reach a point where early childhood programs will be evaluated
based on how well the children coming from those programs meet the benchmarks?
Linda Housewright
Jilly, NO, that would be
called "no prekindergarten kid will be left behind," and that's not
developmentally appropriate. I do think however that we owe it to ourselves and
to the children in this state to at least make an attempt to put these standards
in our programs and into our centers. Accountability is something that teachers
should be proud of, not something that they should run from. I want kindergarten
teachers to say the kids that come from my prekindergarten program are knowledgeable,
well rounded, have high self-esteem, and love being at school.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's another question:
Question
What are some ways to share the benchmarks with families I serve?
Linda Housewright
I use the language of the
benchmarks at screenings, parent conferences, home visits, and parent nights.
The language of the benchmarks can be written on samples of work that go into
a child’s individual portfolios. It can also be written on work samples
that are displayed in the classroom and outside the walls of your classroom for
the community in your building to see and learn from.
If your school has a Web site, display the work there for everyone to see and learn from. I have found that the more I used the terms, the more natural they became in the life of my classroom. They also build my observation skills…helping me to know what I am looking for in the everyday life of my classroom.
IELmoderator
The next Chat in the IEL Chat series is scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, 2004,
from 7:00 to 8:00 PM Central Time. The topic of the Chat is "Supporting the Literacy
Development of Diverse Language Learners in Early Childhood Classrooms" with Rosalinda
Barrera, Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's our next
question:
Question
How can I tell whether children
are achieving the goals stipulated by the standards? What are some techniques
for observing their progress?
Linda Housewright
In my classroom, I have used the Work Sampling System for over 10 years.
Three years ago, the Illinois State Board of Education, under the guidance of
Dr. Samuel Meisels, founder of Rebus Inc. and author of the Work Sampling System,
took the Work Sampling System and the Illinois Early Learning Standards and aligned
them to create an authentic assessment tool called the "Illinois Early Learning
Assessment/Work Sample Illinois." It too was field tested across the state, gaining
valuable information from teachers in actual classrooms to add to what assessment
expert Dr. Meisels had already created.
I now use this assessment with the children in my classroom, and because it is aligned to the standards, I know exactly which goals and benchmarks my children are achieving. This authentic assessment allows the children to learn in the natural environment of play, in a classroom set up to create opportunities for children to discover learning at their own pace. Through observation, I see learning, I hear learning, and I feel the excitement of discovery everyday in my classroom.
Many "on demand" assessments such as standardized tests and checklists interrupt the learning process in a classroom where children are engaged in learning through play. When observation and documentation become key to assessment in the classroom, the standards and benchmarks are what the teacher is looking for. They are what she uses to set up her environment, and by using them as her guide, she is consistent in what she looks for in every child. This approach makes assessment real and a valid charting tool for the individual journeys of each child.
When observation is part of your assessment, there are some things that are really important: Identify or focus your observations. What am I looking for? When you become familiar with the benchmarks as daily tools in your classroom, this process becomes much easier, but it is very important to know just what you are looking for and which children you will be watching during your observation times.
The second thing is to plan or schedule times for observation. If it is going to be used as an assessment tool, give it the same time as you give to what we call teaching, because after all, if you don’t stop and listen, how do you really know what it is that children know? Teachers have a tendency to want to talk and teach because we have so much to share with our children, but sometimes the best thing we can do is to sit back, be quiet, and just watch.
Julio
Ms. Housewright, do the standards or benchmarks make any provisions for second-language
learners?
Linda Housewright
Julio, the benchmarks
are not about what language you speak, but rather how a child develops and how
to give all children the same experiences.
IELmoderator
You can find additional resources on How to Enrich Curriculum with
the Illinois Early Learning Standards in the supplement to this Chat session.
This supplement is available on this IEL Web site: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat/housewright/sup.htm.
Nathan Welsh
Does this method of assessment
allow for children to fulfill the standards in many different ways, or is there
just one way to get it right? Where can I find more information about this method
of assessment?
Linda Housewright
Nathan, the
benchmarks can be met in many different ways, and they cross over into all areas
of learning. A teacher is able to find math benchmarks within the area of language.
Science can be found in math, and personal/social is everywhere. As a resource,
contact the Center http://www.thecenterweb.org.
Jan J.
Judy Helm has written about "Linking
Standards and Engaged Learning in the Early Years" in the journal Early Childhood
Research & Practice: http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v2n1/helm.html.
There are some good ideas in that article that I have found useful.
Bob
M.
Some Illinois prekindergarten teachers/caregivers don't have bachelor's
degrees or very much training. In your experience, how are they doing in implementing
the standards?
Linda Housewright
They are very
eager to learn what is best for children. They are attending workshops that introduce
the standards, and then they are going back and implementing them one step at
a time in their centers.
Nancy
Has there been
any research indicating that the use of early learning standards in preschool
results in children who are better prepared or more successful when they enter
the elementary grades?
Linda Housewright
Nancy,
common sense tells us that giving children like experiences will naturally be
better for them when they enter elementary school.
Bob
M.
How many early childhood caregivers/teachers have received training
in implementing the standards?
Linda Housewright
Bob M., I don't know the answer to that question, but training sessions are
taking place all over the state. Please see http://www.thecenterweb.org/.
IELmoderator
Ms. Housewright, here's our next
question:
Question
I noticed the title of your
Chat refers to using the standards to enrich curriculum, rather than tailoring
the curriculum to meet the standards. Do you have suggestions for the early childhood
community regarding how to get the message out that the standards can be used
to expand, rather than to limit, what happens in the classroom?
Linda Housewright
I switched the words in the title around to get everyone's
attention. Everyone wants ideas on how to "enrich" or make their curriculum better.
I am hoping that once they read my thoughts on what the goals, the standards,
and the benchmarks really are, they will realize that they are the curriculum
within their classroom!
With regard to how to get the message out: you know it is hard sometimes for teachers to be risk takers. They think, "Oh, I have been doing this for a long time. I don't need standards. I know what I am doing."
One of the best things we can model for our children is being risk takers ourselves. I have heard my peers say things like, "Oh, I heard something about standards, but I have not had time to go anywhere and see what everyone is really talking about. "I challenge each of you to take the time to be a risk taker and see what everyone is talking about. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find out.
The standards are not "one more thing" to do, but as I said in the beginning, they are what will give us credibility. If prekindergarten teachers, child care centers, and Head Start classrooms across the state all come together and use a common tool to guide the learning of young children, what better way to tie ourselves together building continuity and consistency in the lives of children and families.
A wonderful resource for teachers to learn more about the standards, Work Sampling Illinois, and assessment is the Illinois Resource Center. Go online or call to get a schedule of free workshops given across the state that will introduce you to all the things that I have talked about tonight. The Illinois State Board of Education has also created an unbelievable pilot called the Early Learning Standards Project. This new online assessment tool is every teacher's dream come true. I have been field testing it for the past year in my classroom, and the joke at the State Board was "If Linda Housewright can figure out how to do this on a computer, then the rest of the teachers will have no problem!"
They are now offering workshops to introduce the online assessment, and you have to attend a workshop and receive training before they will issue you a password. The assessment is Palm Pilot friendly, and the program has a whole series of activities already matched to the standards and benchmarks for teachers to gain new insights into what kinds of activities they can do to meet a particular benchmark in their classroom. The summary report is right in the program, and everything that you record in your Palm Pilot can be transferred to your computer. It is totally amazing!
For more information on this project, please contact: The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning, 1855 Mt. Prospect Road/2nd floor, Des Plaines, IL 60018. You can visit the Web site at http://www.thecenterweb.org/ or call them at 847-803-4381. The most important thing I want everyone to know is that I am you! I am in a prekindergarten classroom all day every day with 19 wonderful little guys ages 3-5, and I am taking each one of them on a journey, their journey. The Illinois Early Learning Standards are the roadmap that I use to help chart the course they will each take to become successful lifelong learners.
Jan J.
Are there model classrooms that might
be visited by teachers trying to learn more about how the standards can be properly
implemented?
Linda Housewright
Jan, feel free
to come and visit any time. I love my room, and I USE the standards and benchmarks
constantly. You can contact me at LCHousewright@yahoo.com. Starnet Apple Magazine
will be doing a session on the environment. For more information, contact http://www.thecenterweb.org/.
Jan J.
Thanks for the invitation! I'd
love to visit sometime!
Nathan Welsh
Do you
find that implementing the standards into your curriculum helps the children make
an easier transition into kindergarten? What effect does that have, if any?
Linda Housewright
Nathan, of course it does. Because
the Early Learning Standards are building the foundation that the 1st-12 standards
are based on. Just recently standards for kindergarten are also being developed.
They were based on the Early Learning Standards and the early elementary standards
that are in place now. The Illinois State Board is working very hard to give children
a smooth developmental educational experience. The development of standards in
Illinois was in place long before No Child Left Behind became a law!
Jan
J.
The Early Learning Standards Project sounds like it might make
the tracking of individual student progress much easier!
IELmoderator
That should bring tonight's Chat session to a close.
Nathan
Welsh
Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us tonight,
Ms. Housewright.
IELmoderator
Thank you, Chat
participants, for your interesting questions and also for your patience in waiting
for responses. Please join us for the next IEL Chat.
Again, that Chat is scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, 2004, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM Central Time. The topic of the Chat is "Supporting the Literacy Development of Diverse Language Learners in Early Childhood Classrooms" with Rosalinda Barrera, Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Linda Housewright
Thank you for joining in tonight's discussion! I challenge
you to use the Illinois Early Learning Standards in your classrooms. It is up
to us to provide the next generation of children with the most stable consistent
environment that we can. Today’s children live in an ever-changing world
filled with constant turmoil. Don’t we owe it to them to bring something
strong and consistent into their lives, a set of benchmarks that are research
based and field tested by real teachers? I hope that I have at least given you
something to think about and that you will look within yourselves for the courage
to bring change into your classrooms if you have not even considered being a standards-based
classroom. To those of you who have embraced the standards, thank you for doing
what is best for children and make sure you share with others your success.
IELmoderator
Thanks, Linda Housewright, for sharing
your expertise with us tonight. And thank you, Chat participants, for your questions.
Have a good evening.
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The opinions, resources, and referrals provided on the IEL Web site are intended for informational purposes only and are not intended to take the place of medical or legal advice, or of other appropriate services. We encourage you to seek direct local assistance from a qualified professional if necessary before taking action.
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