CHAPTER 9
ENCOURAGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF
COGNITIVE SKILLS AND LITERACY
OUTLINE
I. What Is Cognition?
II. Basic Cognitive Processes
A. Attention
B. Perception
III. Development of Cognitive Skills
A. The Developmental Theory of Piaget
IV. Demonstration of Cognitive Skills Through the Developmental Stages of Children’s Play
A. Simple Object Manipulation
V. Supporting the Development of Cognitive Skills in Young Children
A. Intentionality
B. Means-End Behavior
C. Trial-and-Error Exploration
D. Object Permanence
E. Deferred Imitation
VI. Supporting the Development of Cognitive Skills in Preschoolers
A. Developing Symbolic Representation Through Play
VII. Teaching Children Who Have Intellectual Disabilities
A. Characteristics of Children with Significant Intellectual Disabilities
B. Adapting Instruction
VIII. Facilitating Cognitive and Information-Processing Subskills Related to Academic Achievement
A. Facilitating Children’s Engagement
B. Structuring Learning Experiences
IX. Emergent Math and Science
A. Classification, Seriation, and Concept Development
X. Development of Literacy
A. The Precursors of Reading and Writing
D. Oral Language and Literacy for School Readiness
E. The Nature of School Language
XI. Cultural Differences in Early Language and Literacy Experiences
A. Differences in Children’s Early Use of Narrative
XII. Specific Strategies that Support Emergent Literacy Skills
A. Whole-Language Versus Phonological Approaches to the Development of Literacy
XIV. Summary
XV. Reflect and Apply
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS AND VOCABULARY
Accommodation
Adaptation
Alphabetic principle
Assimilation
Attention
Autosymbolic play
Classification
Cognition
Concrete operations
Deferred imitation
Dialogic reading
Discrimination
Emergent literacy
Formal operations
Intentionality
Literate-style language
Means-end behavior
Memory
Phonics
Phonological awareness
Referential language
Schema
Seriation
Symbolic ability
DISCUSSION TOPICS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Think of several ways to create the need to solve a problem. Design situations appropriate for a 2-year-old
and a 4-year-old.
3. Design some preschool lessons that will encourage children to experience cause-and-effect relationships. If
possible, carry these out with children. What improvement could be made in your lesson design? Did you
get the results you desired? Discuss the children’s involvement with classmates. Perhaps a recording of the
4. Why is it important to maintain a balance between social-emotional and intellectual activities in the
preschool? This is a critical issue that is receiving attention nationally and should be thought through
5. Role-play your answer to a parent who insists that reading per se should be taught in preschool. Ask
colleagues for constructive criticism.
6. Visit and observe a local kindergarten class. Be alert to the behavioral and academic expectations. Compare
8. Take a field trip to an early childhood center, observe carefully and take good notes describing the physical
9. Share with classmates culturally sensitive and age appropriate books that would currently appeal to young
children while facilitating language and literacy.
10. Ask students to read the PDF Reading Your Way to a Culturally Responsive Classroom at:
ACTIVITY: Developing Literacy in Daily Classroom Activities and Routines
Identify ways in which functional uses of print can be incorporated into the existing classroom activities and
routines.
Daily Classroom
Activity or Routine
Examples of Functional Use of Print
Arrival/Departure
Circle Time
Snack Time
Transitions
Cleanup Time
Outdoor Time
Learning Centers:
Pretend Play Area
(dress-up,
transportation)
Learning Centers:
Science Area
Learning Centers: Art
and Writing Center
ACTIVITY: Discovering Cognition
Activity Preparation: Instructor collects a variety of toy catalogs, toy newspaper ads, and catalogs designed
specifically for children with disabilities. Catalogs and ads should be for a variety of ages: infants, toddlers and
preschoolers.
Activity Directions:
Have students form small groups of 3 to 4 students.
Students will use chapter 9 to write a list of cognitive skills that young children need to develop.
Students will then explore the catalogues/ads to find toys/materials that help to develop the specific
Students will create a cognition poster by cutting and pasting pictures of the toys/materials found in the
catalogues while labeling the specific cognitive skill that the toy/material helps to develop (i.e. means-ends
behavior, problem-solving, etc.)
Activity variations:
Each group can be assigned one specific age group: infants, toddlers or preschoolers.
COURSE ASSIGNMENT
Seed-Planting Adaptations Rubric Grading Sheet and Chart
Assignment directions:
In the seed-planting activity (pages 315–317) described in Exhibit 9.6, for at least half of the steps of the activity,
give examples of challenges that might be experienced by a child with a particular disability. Next, explain how you
would make an adaptation for that step so that the child would be able to fully participate.
Rubric:
A
Exceeds standards
B
Meets standards
C
Majority meet standards; some below standards
D
A few meet standards; some below standards
F
Below standards
Exceeds Standards
Meets Standards
Below Standards
___ All examples of challenges are
thoughtful and correct for the
specific disability
___ Almost all the examples of
challenges are correct for the
specific disability
___ Some of the examples of
challenges are incorrect or not
relevant for the specific disability
___ There are challenges and
adaptations for all 10 steps of the
activity
___ There are challenges and
adaptations for 8 steps of the
activity
___ There are challenges and
adaptations for 7 or less steps of the
activity
___ All of the adaptations are
thoughtful, creative, and functional
___ Most of the adaptations are
functional and thoughtful
___ The adaptations are vague and
unoriginal
___ All of the adaptations are
relevant and correctly stated for the
specific disability
___ Most of the adaptations are
relevant and most are correctly
stated for the specific disability
___ Adaptations are not meaningful
or correctly stated for the specific
disability
Seed-Planting Adaptations Chart
Students Name: ________________________________________
Step #
Challenge
Adaptation
CHAPTER 10
TEAMING: COLLABORATION, PROBLEM SOLVING,
AND INCLUSION SUPPORT
OUTLINE
I. In Support of Inclusion of Preschoolers with Disabilities
II. Collaboration, Problem Solving, and Shared Decision Making
A. Communication Strategies: The Key to Successful Teaming
B. Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution
III. Models for Supporting Children with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings
A. No Support
B. Use of One-to-One Assistant
C. Staff In-service Models
IV. Co-Teaching Approaches to Inclusion Support
A. Co-Teaching Defined
B. Challenges of Co-Teaching
C. Components of Effective Co-Teaching
D. The IEP: The Key to Successful Inclusion
E. Communication and Collaboration in Co-Teaching Models
V. Effective Teaming with Interdisciplinary Specialists
VI. Teaming with Paraprofessionals
A. Who Are the Paraprofessionals?
B. Designing and Defining Jobs
C. Communicating Expectations
D. Discovering and Using Special Skills and Talents
E. Defining the Teacher’s Responsibilities to Paraprofessionals
F. Being and Appropriate Role Model
C. Paraprofessional’s Evaluation of the Teacher
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS AND VOCABULARY
Affective conflict
Coaching
Collaboration
Collaborative consultation model
Conflict resolution
Co-teaching
Co-teaching structures
Itinerant
Itinerant consultant model
Modeling
DISCUSSION TOPICS AND ACTIVITIES
1. In the case of Paulo presented in this chapter, do you think it is an overstatement to refer to this situation as
a “crisis”? Why or why not? Do you agree that sometimes conflict can be useful? Why or why not?
2. What are some examples of sources of resistance that you have observed in your own work? Can you think
3. You are an itinerant consultant for a child-care center. Tony, the child you are supporting, has limited
language skills, but is very social and motivated to communicate. You make a simple communication board
for him to be used during free-play time. It allows the child to choose the center or toys he prefers. You
notice on your subsequent visits, even with reminders, that the staff do not use the communication board.
What should you do?
4. Videotape an actual team meeting. Develop a checklist to analyze each of the following components:
5. Role-play an interview with a prospective assistant. Be alert to questions that help you get to know
something about the individual’s talents, skills, interests, motives, and biases. Think ahead and be prepared
6. Generate for discussion a list of situations in which you believe the assignment of a one–to-one assistant
7. Develop a set of general instructions or guidelines for a newly hired one-to-one assistant who will be
8. Consider each of the following possible challenges for team coordination: Who has the responsibility for
monitoring progress on the child’s IEP? Who convenes the team? Are some members of the team more
“essential” than others in terms of team meetings? What if family members cannot attend or do not choose
to attend team meetings? How are specialized services (e.g., therapists, behavior specialists, psychologist,
etc) coordinated? What would you suggest as a standard agenda for every team meeting?
9. In a co-teaching model of inclusion support, what are some strategies to ensure that both teachers share
equally in the responsibilities for all children in the class?
10. Visit a school with an inclusive early childhood program, if possible. Ask permission to attend a planning
ACTIVITY: HOW DO ADULTS SOLVE PROBLEMS?
Have the students reflect on how they solve problems with the other adults in their own lives. They can think about a
group to which they belong — a workgroup, a sports team, an exercise group, etc. Inevitably conflicts do happen
within these groups. How do adults solve problems when they are in group settings?
Activity directions:
Have the students get into groups of three or four
Give each group an easel paper and markers
Have them draw a diagram of the steps of how adults go about solving a problem.
ACTIVITY: COLLABORATION AND TEAMING
Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center has a topic tab for Children with Disabilities and
specifically houses the SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library at
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/children-disabilities/specialquest/specialquest-multimedia-training-library. This library
was specifically designed for trainings regarding quality inclusion of infants, toddlers and preschoolers with
disabilities. The library includes six modules, one of which is on Collaboration and Teaming. This module consists
Collaboration and Teaming:
Session 1: Creating Bright Futures (Collaboration Teaming)
Session 2: Steps to Collaborative Services
Classroom Activities:
Individual Activity: Students can watch a video of their choosing at home and use the corresponding Guided
Viewing handout to come prepared for class to share out the highlights from the video they watched within a small
group.
Small Group Activity: Assign students to one of the four different sessions. During class time, students will find
their group and watch their corresponding video. They fill out their Guided Viewing handout as well as summarizing
Large Group Activity: Instructor chooses a session, and the whole class watches the video together. Next, the
COURSE ASSIGNMENT
Inclusion Support Models Rubric Grading Sheet and Chart
Assignment directions:
Using the information in chapter 10 the student will compare and contrast 3 inclusion models by filling out the
Inclusion Support Model Chart. For each model, the student will describe the key elements and distinctive
characteristics, examine the advantages and challenges, and discuss the resources needed to implement each model.
Next, assume you have been hired by a school district to provide inclusion support to children with disabilities ages
3–5. Write a one-page reflection essay on which inclusion model you might like to try and why. Discuss what it
Rubric:
A
Exceeds standards
B
Meets standards
C
Majority meet standards; some below standards
D
A few meet standards; some below standards
F
Below standards
Exceeds Standards
Meets standards
Below standards
__Essay shows a deep level of
thinking, reflection, and risk-taking
__Essay is thoughtful and has some
evidence of risk-taking
__Essay is mostly “surface level”
and lacks thoughtfulness
__Thoroughly and thoughtfully
discussed key elements of each
model
__Adequately discussed key
elements of each model
__ Some key elements of each
model are missing or incorrect
__ Thoughtfully discussed many
advantages and challenges of each
model
__ Adequately discussed several
advantages and challenges of each
model
__ Some advantages and challenges
of each model are missing or
incorrect
__ Thoroughly identified many
resources needed for each model
__ Adequately identified several
resources needed for each model
__ Identified a few resources needed
for each model or resources are
missing
Inclusion Support Models Chart
Students Name: ________________________________________
One-To–One Assistant
Itinerant Consultation
Co-teaching
Key elements of
model
Advantages
Inclusion Support Models Chart (con’t)
One-To–One Assistant
Itinerant Consultation
Co-teaching
Challenges
Resources needed to
implement the model