This specific course, which is part of the Practical Training and Practicum Program, focuses on the Holistic Approach of the Learning Environment in Kindergarten. Emphasis is placed on the processes and methodologies related to instructional design, highlighting the importance of Observing the children in order to enhance the reflective perspective for improving the educational process through continuous revision of the teaching work to promote its effectiveness. A significant aspect of the kindergarten program is the approach to language through the pedagogical utilization of children’s literature.
Regarding instructional design, the basic parameters are: (a) Distinction of the educational aims and objective, (b) Pedagogy through goals and guided teaching approaches, (c) The learning outcomes in the context of the implementation of the new curriculum for the Kindergarten, (d) The emerging goals and the possibilities of their utilization in the kindergarten classroom.
More specifically, the parameters of designing organized and spontaneous activities in kindergarten are analyzed, with emphasis on the role of the teacher in the planning and implementation process to ensure a balance between what originates from the children and what from the teachers. In this context and within the framework of the inclusive perspective of preschool education, practices are developed that concern inclusive learning, with emphasis on the principles of educating children with disabilities and/or learning difficulties or special needs, while emphasizing the use of the doll as an important scaffolding tool to support the needs of all children within the context of playful learning.
In the section ‘Good Practices in Reading Children’s Books’, established literacy theories are combined with applications to cultivate attractive reading practices for preschool children. The book is studied as a material object, as content, and as a field where language, storytelling, and visual exploration meet. In this context, the section equips teachers with interactive techniques and tools to create enriched literary experiences, providing the capability to become proficient storytellers and to lay the foundations for a lifelong love of reading.
In the context of Observation as a formative assessment tool, the advantages and disadvantages of observation as a scientific tool are discussed, and the necessity of observation as a means of data collection in preschool age is documented. Types of observation are presented: in terms of the degree of the observer’s participation, in terms of the use of techniques and means, as well as techniques for recording observation data.