Embracing Alternatives to Homework in Early Childhood : Research and Pedagogies

Providing readers with a robust, practical understanding of how young children build knowledge, this book offers a critical examination of the ways traditional homework fails young children, and how alternatives can better build collaborative engagement with families while supporting learning across all content areas. Grounded in culturally sustaining practices, the first section breaks down the pedagogies that support deep learning, while later chapters emphasize the role of critical and creative thinking, project-based learning, and student choice in the development of engaging, personally relevant home learning experiences. Embracing Alternatives to Homework in Early Childhood is a critical text for anyone seeking to reimagine homework practices as both equitable and agency-building in PreK-3. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Introduction Chapter Synopses Chapter 1 : Understanding the Social, Cultural, and Familial Contexts Influencing Development Chapter 2 : Recognizing How Young Children Come to Understand and How Traditional Homework Practices Fail Them Chapter 3 : Drawing Upon Community Resources to Support Learning Outside the Classroom Chapter 4 : Building and Strengthening Student Understandings Chapter 5 : Extending Learning Opportunities for Engagement and Reflection Through Project Work Chapter 6 : Learning by Design: Early Engineering and Tinkering Chapter 7 : Promoting Choice-making and Children’s Agency Chapter 8 : Connecting Critical and Multiliteracies to Family, Home, and Communities Chapter 9 : Advocating for Supportive Homework Practices for Young Learners Moving Forward References Chapter 1: Understanding the Social, Cultural, and Familial Contexts Influencing Development Introduction Ecological Systems Theory Children’s Agency Everyday Actions to Support Children’s Agency Developing Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies for School-to-home Connections Honoring the Roots of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies CSP in Early Childhood CSP and Familial Funds of Knowledge in Schooling Reflecting on Your Own Understandings of Families, Parents, and Children Opportunity for Reflection: Working with Families References Chapter 2: Recognizing How Young Children Come to Understand and How Traditional Homework Practices Fail Them How Young Children Build Understanding Children As Active Learners The Role of Child Agency in Learning The Environment in Learning Children’s Learning as a Social Process Cognitive Tools Connecting Homework Policies and Practices to What is Known About Children’s Learning A Brief History of Homework Practices in Early Grades Classrooms What Research Tells Us About Homework Practices for Young Learners The Origins and Evidence Behind Common Homework Myths Myth 1: Homework Increases Students’ Academic Performance Myth 2: The Ten-minute Rule is a Research-based Guide For the Time Students Should Spend on Homework Nightly Myth 3: Assigning Homework, Even to Very Young Students, Will Help to Support the Positive Development of a Child’s Work Ethic Myth 4: Homework Should Be Completed But Not Graded Research-based Recommendations for Inquiry and Interest-based Homework Practices in the Early Childhood Years Recommendation 1: Homework Policies Should Be Aligned with Student Needs and Curricular Goals Recommendation 2: Homework Should Be Meaningful, Engaging, and Allow for Student Choice Recommendation 3: School-to-home Learning Experiences and Expectations Should Be Clearly Communicated to Students and Families Recommendation 4: Resources and Tools for Learning Must Be Accessible for All Students and Families Considerations for Homework Practices Summarizing and Comparing School-to-home Learning Practices Opportunity for Reflection: Linking Homework Practices to Pedagogical Philosophies References Chapter 3: Drawing Upon Community Resources to Support Learning Outside the Classroom Learning Everywhere A Framework for Family and Community Engagement Expanding Schooling and Learning: Emerging Understandings of Education Outside the Classroom Community and Place in Learning Community-based Physical Sites What is the history of this community? PBL and Early Childhood Learning Virtual Learning Environments in Place-based Learning Children Understanding and Valuing Their Communities Opportunity for Reflection: Including Community Assets in Children’s Learning References Chapter 4: Building and Strengthening Student Understandings The Process of Learning Learning Progressions Creative Thinking Skills in School-to-Home Learning Fluency Skills Strategies For Building Fluency Skills and Experiences Flexibility Skills Strategies For Building Flexibility Skills and Experiences Originality Skills Strategies for Building Originality Skills and Experiences Elaboration Skills Strategies for Building Elaboration Skills and Experiences School-to-Home Learning: Emphasizing Key Thinking Skills Experience Topic: Connecting popular culture, literacy, originality, and elaboration “Create Your Own Superhero” Fluency and Flexibility Tasks That Encourage Playful Engagement Opportunity for Reflection: Content and Task Considerations for Thinking Skill-focused School-to-home Learning Experiences References Chapter 5: Extending Learning Opportunities for Engagement and Reflection Through Project Work Deep Learning in Early Childhood Extended Learning and Project-based Work in Early Childhood Connecting Project Work to School-to-home Learning Important Considerations of School-to-Home Project Work Inquiry-Based Learning and Project Work Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate Matching Project Work to Content Learning Project Work Represented in Student Drawings School-to-home Learning Experiences that Support Children’s Deep Content and Skill Engagement and Reflections of Learning Extended Learning in Earth Science: Recording the Phases of the Moon Extended Learning in Life Science and Measurement: Measuring Plant Growth Extended Learning in Social Emotional Skill Development: Identity Project Opportunity for Reflection: Content and Task Considerations for Deep Learning Through Project-based Work References Chapter 6: Learning by Design: Early Engineering and Tinkering Engineering, Tinkering, and Design-based Learning with Young Children Early Engineering and Tinkering in School-to-home Learning Design-based Learning Engineering Play in Early Childhood Tinkering Loose Parts in Design Play Makerspaces Safety in Engineering and Tinkering Tinkering to Learn: Tinker Trays Engineering to Learn: Question, Design, Build, Revise Opportunity for Reflection: Working with Families References Chapter 7: Promoting Choice-making and Children’s Agency The Importance of Choice-making and Agency Bloom’s Taxonomy for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating Questioning to Support Student Learning Across the Taxonomy Question Stems Based on Bloom's Taxonomy School-to-home Learning Experiences that Support Children’s Questioning Wonder Charts Question Journals Inquiry Charts/I-Charts Scaffolding Choice-Making in School-to-home Learning Beginning Choice-making: Home Learning Tasks and Choice Boards Inquiry and Interest-based Learning and Connections to Choice-making Building Inquiry-driven Learning Opportunities from School to Home School-to-home Learning Experiences that Encourage Inquiry and Choice-making Prekindergarten and Kindergarten First, Second, and Third Grade Choice-Making as a Bridge for School-to-Home Learning Opportunity for Reflection: Supporting Choice-making in Learning References Chapter 8: Connecting Critical and Multiliteracies to Family, Home, and Communities The Influence of Children’s Literature on Children’s Understandings of the World Around Them Multimodal Learning School-to-home Learning: Connecting Multiliteracies to Family, Home, and Communities Experience Topic: Connecting Multiple Literacies to Personal Experience “The Adventures of Me” Experience Topic: Connecting Multiple Literacies to Cultural and Familial Knowledge Steps for Supporting Critical Literacy Practices Through School and Home Reading Experiences Sample Critical and Multiliteracies Family Information Sheet Children’s Books that Promote Opportunities for Children’s Critical Engagement and Suggestions for Related School-to-home Learning Experiences Wordless Books Picture Books Graphic Novels Opportunity for Reflection: Supporting Multimodal and Critical Literacies References Chapter 9: Advocating for Supportive Homework Practices for Young Learners Introduction What is Teacher Advocacy? Agency Authenticity Ethics Advocacy Practices in the Early Childhood Classroom Family Surveys for School-to-home Learning Sample Initial Family Survey Questions Family Survey Following School-to-Home Learning Sample Assignment Reflection Family Survey Questions: Opportunities for Student Reflection About School-to-home Learning Experiences Student Reflection for School-to-home Learning (PreK to Grade 1) Student Reflection for School-to-home Learning (Grades 2 and 3) Sharing Understandings of Enacted Practices Opportunity for Reflection: Advocating for Change References Concluding Thoughts References Index "Providing readers with a robust, practical understanding of how young children build knowledge, this book offers a critical examination of the ways traditional homework fails young children, and how alternatives can better build collaborative engagement with families while supporting learning across all content areas. Grounded in culturally relevant practices, the first section breaks down the pedagogies that support deep learning, while later chapters emphasize the role of critical and creative thinking, project-based learning, and student choice in the development of engaging, personally relevant home learning experiences. Embracing Alternatives to Homework in Early Childhood is a critical text for anyone seeking to reimagine homework practices as both equitable and agency-building in PreK-3"-- Provided by publisher