ECED 407 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9.1: The Light Fantastic
Harris, K. I. & Gleim, L. (2008). The light fantastic: Making
learning visible for all children through the Project
Approach (Links to an external site.). Young Exceptional
Children, 11(27), 27-40.
The Light Fantastic: Making Learning
Visible for All Children Through the
Project Approach
The key element of a project is that it is a research effort deliberately focused on
finding answers to questions about a topic posed either by the children, the
teacher, or the teacher working with the children. (Helm & Katz, 2001, p. 1)
The purpose of this article is to illustrate how projects can be a welcoming and
enriching addition to an emerging curriculum for children
with special needs.
Thus, all young children, including those with special needs, benefit from
investigating and exploring the world in an authentic way as active
participants in the learning community.
The project approach allows young children with special needs unique
opportunities to move forward in their individual
developmental journeys.
Project work for all young children, including those with
special needs, can lead to higher level thinking.
Document Summary
The light fantastic: making learning visible for all children through the project. The purpose of this article is to illustrate how projects can be a welcoming and enriching addition to an emerging curriculum for children with special needs. Thus, all young children, including those with special needs, benefit from investigating and exploring the world in an authentic way as active participants in the learning community. The project approach allows young children with special needs unique opportunities to move forward in their individual developmental journeys. Project work for all young children, including those with special needs, can lead to higher level thinking. Accommodating differences, projects encompass a wide variety of tasks, and children with diverse abilities can contribute productively. The project approach requires teaching and learning different from the traditional ways generally guiding children to learn through their interests (katz & chard, 2000)
