Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Interpretation and Implementation by Practitioners

Expectations for accountability have led policy makers to create standards designed to educate children to their highest potential. In addition to k-12 standards, the Commonwealth of Virginia created Foundation Blocks for a state-sponsored preschool program called the Virginia Preschool Initiative. This study included assessment of Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds as they relate to theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Rogoff. This assessment included play, scaffolded instruction, emergent literacy, and spatial reasoning. The Foundation Blocks were examined to determine how they were interpreted and implemented by preschool classroom teachers. Using a case-study format, four volunteer teachers participated in three days of classroom observations, be interviewed, and complete a survey. Evidence showed that the standards were theoretically based, and the participating teachers' pedagogy included play, emergent literacy, and spatial reasoning. Scaffolded instruction was not observed. There were concerns about teachers' low expectations and low-level questioning techniques.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Curriculum and Instruction

Department dc:contributor.department

Teaching and Learning

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Norris, Kimberly Jane

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Barksdale, Mary Alice

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Witta, Terry C.
• Fu, Victoria R.
• Stewart, Daisy L.

• early childhood theories
• Virginia's Foundation Blocks
• preschool
• scaffolded instruction
• play
• emergent literacy
• spatial reasoning

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-02232012-113551

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/26293