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Rethinking Kindergarten

Rethinking Kindergarten

Courses / Rethinking Kindergarten

Does it seem your kindergarten students have difficulty following the rules and routines of the art room? Perhaps it’s time to rethink the way you approach art education with your youngest learners!

This course will facilitate a deep dive into a variety of strategies, tools, and methodologies sure to support the budding artists in your classroom. Course participants will investigate a variety of progressive philosophies, including Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf, as well as techniques for integrating play-based learning and teaching foundational skills. This eight week intensive course will provide participants with exciting opportunities to explore childhood development, create classroom resources, and revamp their philosophy of teaching kindergarten.

2
Graduate Credits
90
Contact Hours Total
Enroll in this class
All courses will now close at 11 PM Central time on the 27th of each month. Graduate Credits 2 Graduate Credits
Price Graduate Credit $698.00
Upcoming Course Run Dates
Jan 1 Feb 29
Mar 1 Apr 30
May 1 Jun 30
Jun 1 Jul 31
Jul 1 Aug 31
AOEU Course Code
ARE513
Morningside Course Code
EDUC500 AOE013
Course Code
AOE013

Course Outcomes

  • Develop meaningful curricular materials which suit the needs of today’s diverse students.
  • Consider various philosophies of early childhood education to inform and improve practice.
  • Develop opportunities for play-based learning and student-directed inquiry.
  • Gain strategies for fostering rich and ongoing partnerships with other adults in your learning community to further enrich the experiences of students.
  • Examine strategies for classroom and student work management.
  • Develop tools to assess and advocate for process-based classrooms.
  • Build and reference a library of resources which address the needs of diverse learners.

Course Breakdown

Week 1
Early Childhood Development and Foundational Skills
  1. Build knowledge of early childhood development and how it relates to art education.
  2. Develop skills for teaching foundational skills and understanding children’s artwork.
Week 2
Comparing Progressive Early Childhood Philosophies
  1. Research and investigate the three major progressive philosophies - Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia.
  2. Identify common themes and differences between a variety of kindergarten philosophies.
Week 3
Tapping into the “Big Picture” of Kindergarten 
  1. Learn about the history of kindergarten and how it has transformed since its inception.
  2. Interview a professional in early childhood education to develop relationships for a future partnership and synthesize similarities and differences in philosophies of teaching.
Week 4
Process v. Product and Learning Through Play
  1. Investigate how play and process are an integral part of the early childhood learning experience.
  2. Develop a series of play-based centers or units.
Week 5
Rethinking Space and Materials 
  1. Rethink your classroom space and materials to encourage authentic learning.
  2. Design an action plan for the proposed changes to the classroom and art materials.
Week 6
Managing It All
  1. Consider a variety of readiness levels and how this impacts classroom management in kindergarten.
  2. Learn a variety of strategies for student engagement, classroom management, organization, and transitions.
Week 7
Advocacy and Assessment through Documentation
  1. Learn about documentation as advocacy and an assessment strategy.
  2. Discuss various ways to document student learning.
Week 8
Your Kindergarten Toolkit
  1. Reflect on major shifts in teaching philosophy throughout the course and present learning to peers.
  2. Leave class with a comprehensive toolkit of lessons, visuals, and planning documents.

Process v. Product and Learning Through Play

A sample assignment from Week 4 of the class “Rethinking Kindergarten.”

1. Research


Do some research of your own regarding best practice for classroom management in early childhood classrooms. Identify and discuss one particular play-based learning strategy or idea that you would like to implement in your classroom. Why are you excited to try this in your classroom?

2. Discussion


Reference specific ideas you might use to advocate for shifts in teaching and learning. Share an advocacy statement for specific stakeholders (i.e., parents, administration, the board of education) and gain valuable feedback from instructor and peers.

3. Practical, Hands-On Application


After learning about the power of play in early childhood education, design three or more play-based art centers. For each, include a paragraph explaining how you will introduce them, photographs documenting materials and setup, and a resource for students to reference during the process.
Teresa K.
"I appreciated seeing examples of the Reggio approach in action. This class gave us some great ideas, and then being able to connect with other teachers, seeing their ideas and getting their feedback was priceless!"
Yolanda P.
"I left this course feeling as though I completed a FULL semester at school and found the assignments to be very relevant, engaging and informative. The layout and timeline of the course allowed us to lead the lives we're supposed to lead outside of work. The grading criteria is accessible in every post and feedback was given promptly. A great experience! "
Elizabeth B.
"This course not only gave food for thought and future development but inspired ideas we could immediately implement and act upon in our classrooms. This is for me a highly valuable outcome of professional development."

What do past course participants think?

Hundreds of art teachers have taken the course “Rethinking Kindergarten”. Here’s what they actually think — without cherry-picking.
(12 month rolling average from all post-course survey respondents – Updated 6/1/19)

99%

"THE COURSE CONTENT WAS RELEVANT AND UP-TO-DATE"

95%

"MY INSTRUCTOR PROVIDED VALUE-ADDED CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENHANCE DISCUSSIONS AND ENGAGE STUDENTS."

96%

"I ACHIEVED THE GOALS I SET AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS COURSE."

Let’s Get Started

If you know what you need, then go ahead and register.

Enroll in this class


Don’t worry if you still have questions. Our admissions counselors keep up with the requirements for teachers in your state and can help you choose a course that’s right for you and your career.

All you have to do is reach out.

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