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Mount Holyoke Student Involvement |
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Each year over 300 Mount Holyoke students observe preschool and kindergarten children from the observation booths at Gorse Child Study Center. Most of these students are members of the introductory course in psychology (Psych 100) or the 200 level developmental psychology course (Psych 230). While observing, students record children's and teachers' actions and words from behind a large one-way mirror with a screen at the top to allow sound to carry. By practicing different observational methods, students learn how to objectively observe and analyze behavior, a fundamental skill in social science and in psychology and education in particular. They also learn about ethical issues, including the importance of treating all information as confidential.
Mount Holyoke students also learn practical skills at Gorse Child Study Center. Each year approximately 40 students work for 6 hours each week in the classrooms under the close supervision of highly trained and experienced teachers. These students are usually members of the psychology laboratory in early social and personality development (Psych 331) or are completing their pre-practicum requirements for courses in educational psychology (Psych 233), differences in learning (Educ 234), or one of the introductory education courses (Educ 205, Educ 220). During each session students work directly with the children and complete observation and curriculum assignments for their courses.
A number of continuing research programs focus on the development of children's peer relationships, their attitudes about race, gender, and culture, and the effects of the media on children's play themes. Some applied studies have assessed how particular interventions and curricula influence children's attitudes toward different groups of people, their understanding of the human body and their friendship patterns in the classroom. Students participate in all of these ongoing research programs. Specific projects range from small informal independent studies (Psych 295), to formal one-semester projects (Psych 306) to year-long senior Honors theses (Psych 395). Some of the investigations involve observations (e.g., the frequency of conflicts) that are usually done from the observation booths. Others include interviewing children (e.g., their ideas about gender roles and friendships) using small interview rooms across from the classrooms. Still others are in-classroom projects where students collaborate with the teachers to implement curricula (e.g., activities designed to increase cross-sex cooperative play) and observe the results. Many projects involve two or even all three of these methods. A number of student research studies done at Gorse have been presented at national conferences and have been included in book chapters and professional journal articles. Students conducting formal research projects must get parental permission to observe and interview children.
Early Childhood Curriculum Development Throughout their history, college and university laboratory schools have been the source of new early childhood teaching practices and curricula. The Gorse teachers, with the active participation of Mount Holyoke students, continue this tradition. Teachers and Mount Holyoke students often work together to design curricula and to document the effects of particular changes in curriculum or teaching practice. Innovative curricula in multicultural education, social justice, environmental concerns and the human body and self awareness have resulted in the publication of a number of books, articles, book chapters and several picture books for children.
Selected Publications on Research and Curriculum Development Projects Conducted At Gorse Child Study Center Johnson, H. H. (1994). The Bodyworks: Inside Me -- Another Approach to Alike and Different. Young Children (the journal for the National Association for the Education of Young Children) Johnson, H. H. (1996). The Growing Edge: Teaching and Learning with the Bodyworks. Amherst, MA: Gemini Press. Oden S. & Ramsey, P. G. (1993). Implementing research on children's social competence. Exceptionality Education in Canada, 3 (1,2), 209-232. Ramsey, P. G. (1992). Caring for Children in a Diverse World. In B. Spodek & O. Saracho (Eds.), Yearbook of Early Childhood Education, Vol. 3: Issues in Childhood (pp. 88-107). New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University. Ramsey, P. G. (1992). Developmental and Multicultural Education: A Synthesis. In J. Lynch, C. Modgil, & S. Modgil (Eds.), Cultural Diversity and the Schools: Consensus and Controversy (pp. 245-254). Washington, D.C.: Falmer Press. Ramsey, P. G., (1991) Making Friends in School: Promoting Early Peer Relationships. New York: Teachers College Press. Ramsey, P. G. (1987). Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World: Multicultural Education for Young Children. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University. Ramsey, P. G. (1998). Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World: Multicultural Education for Young Children (Second Edition). New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University. Ramsey, P. G. (1986). Racial and Cultural Categories in C. P. Edwards, Promoting Social and Moral Development in Young Children: Creative Approaches for the Classroom (pp. 78-101). New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University. Ramsey, P. G., (1996). Successful
and Unsuccessful Entries in Pre-schools. Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, 17, 135-150. Ramsey, P. G. & Reid, R. (1987). Designing a Play Environment for Preschool and Kindergarten Children. In D. Bergen (Ed.) Play as a Learning Medium, Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books. Ramsey, P. G., Vold, E. B., Williams, L. R. (1989). Multicultural Education: A Resource Book. New York: Garland Press. Marguerite Davol, who retired from Gorse in 1992 has published the following children's stories many of which were conceptualized and piloted in the classrooms at Gorse.
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