Hey everyone! Hope everyone is have a great week and is in good health.
This week I have chosen option 2 which was:
Imagine that you possess the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic in the early childhood field. Imagine further that you are not restricted by the reality of the present. Imagine that your study will make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children and/or their families. What topic would you choose? What can you imagine the positive contribution(s) would be?
The topic I would choose would be the topic of child-based curriculum (Play). I would pick this topic because I think it is important for a child to be able to play. It is important cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially. Everything about play is wonderful and is positive for the child’s development. Having a curriculum based on play and based on a child interest is a great way for children to want to learn and to enjoy learning. My research would focus on the benefits of child-centered curriculum versus an academic structured curriculum. I feel that some positive contributions to this would be actual facts and numbers for political purposes and for politicians to be aware of the positive affects of this type of curriculum. It will inform families and teachers who may have doubts or who do not know. Finally, it would help educate the future professionals.
Play is “healthy and, in fact, essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient” (Warner, 2008, p.1).
References
Warner, L. (2008). “You’re it!”: thoughts on play and learning in schools. Horace Summer, 24(2), 1-6. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ849821.pdf
tainaroman 
Hi Taina – I was thinking of this as a topic for myself also. It is such an important topic that I feel is being overlooked within the school system. I agree that too much focus is put on academics and less on the social, physical, cognitive skills that receive less focus. I look forward to hearing more about your research! Hope you are having a great weekend also! Great Post!
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Tania,
As someone that uses a child based curriculum I can tell you that the benefits are much much greater. We use the Creative Curriculum a research-based curriculum
designed to help educators at all levels of experience plan and implement a
developmentally appropriate, content-rich program for children with diverse
backgrounds and skill levels. these are the findings of a study that was conducted in 2006 ” A recent study supports Piaget’s theory that play is linked to learning. When 4-year-olds were provided opportunities to engage in high amounts of child-initiated, free-choice activities supported by a variety of equipment and materials to explore, the study showed that at age 7 those children outperformed their peers who did not have such opportunities on cognitive and language tasks” (Teaching Strategies).
Resources
Click to access Research-Foundation-Creative-Curriculum.pdf
Click to access Creative_Curriculum_Touring_Guide.pdf
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