Young Investigators

This full-color guide has been expanded to guide today’s teachers through the process of conducting meaningful investigations with young children.

This fourth edition of Young Investigators begins with a new chapter, “How Children Really Learn,” which summarizes insights from mind-brain education research, showing how experiences firmly rooted in children’s curiosity and interest build intellectual capacity. The book then introduces the Project Approach with step-by-step guidance for incorporating child initiation and direction into curriculum while simultaneously addressing content standards. A new focus on critical Teacher Decision Points uses fresh-from-the-classroom examples to show how teachers think through project work. Also, for this edition, the emphasis on STEM experiences has been expanded to include STEAM.

Young Investigators makes project-based learning possible with younger children ( toddlers through 2nd grade) who are not yet proficient in reading and writing, but capable of deep, focused thinking. Throughout, readers empathize with teachers’ concerns, witness how they find solutions to challenges, and feel the excitement of children during project work. This perennial bestseller is appropriate for teachers new to using the Project Approach, as well as for those who already have experience.

Book Features:

• Examples of projects from child care centers and preschool, K–2, and special education classrooms.
• Instructions for incorporating standards and STEAM skills into project work.
• A variety of experiences to help children connect to the natural world.
• Toddler projects that reflect knowledge from recent mind-brain research.
• Tools for integrating required curriculum goals and for assessing achievement.
• A Teacher Project Planning Journal that leads teachers through the major decision points of project work.
• Full-color photographs of children engaged with projects.
• A study guide for pre- and inservice teachers (available at www.tcpress.com).

Judy Harris Helm is the author of 10 books on project work, neuroscience applications, and early childhood programs. Lilian G. Katz is past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and professor emerita at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Rebecca Wilson has a specialization in bilingual education and teaches pre-K in the Van Meter Community School District, Iowa.

Praise for Previous Editions:

"As an elementary school principal and former teacher educator, I highly recommend this book. It is an essential professional development tool for promoting effective teaching and learning. The content of the book centralizes authentic, student-driven project work that leads to positive outcomes for elementary and early childhood students."
—Tricia DeGraff, principal, Academy for Integrated Arts

“This practical book is full of good ideas for teachers developing investigative projects with the youngest children. A powerful resource, it combines sound educational theory with many ways to support and document learning.”
—Sylvia C. Chard, University of Alberta, Canada

“In this beautifully written book, the reader takes a journey, discovering the many answers to the why, what, and how questions about the project approach. In addition to providing the essential how-to guidebook for projects, Helm and Katz address today’s burning issues—standards, evaluation, special populations, and relation to the larger curriculum.”
—Sue Bredekamp, early childhood education specialist

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  

Project Planning Journal
Book Study Ideas