Lesson 3

Lesson 3: Teaching Strategies

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

Describe methods of intentional teaching
Exaplain the relationship between best practie and intention teaching
Discuss the correlation between intentional teaching and children's safety

Teaching

Read chapter two in The Intentional Teacher (pages 11-28)

When Teachers make decisions (long-term or in 10 seconds) they base the choice on developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). However, when considering developmentally appropriate practice decision making it may differ depending on what context is being considered.

Is the decision best for an individual, a small group, or a large group?
Will the outcome benefit children, families, classroom, and/or educators?
Is the purpose of the decision clear?
What is the final goal? Does the decision aid in getting to that goal?
Does it allow for high-quality experiences for children?

Being Intentional

A great classroom where children are learning and thriving is supported by intentional teaching. Intentional teaching provides thoughtful and purposeful consideration to BEST PRACTICE. Best practice is a term used to describe the wholistic method an educator uses to be intentional when:

Creating an environment
Considering the curriculum
Tailoring curriculum to children as individuals and their families
Scheduling the program day
Interating with children
Building relationships with families
Assessing children

Educators know what they are doing – yet more importantly they know why they are doing it

Creating a Classroom Community of Learners

A caring community of learners is a community in which all participants consider and contribute to one another’s well-being and learning. Children learn and develop best when they feel they belong to such a community. As an educator you must create a classroom community by:

Getting to know every child and family well by building a warm, positive relationship
Learning each child’s personality, abilities, interests, and learning styles
Building a strong sense of group identity among all children in the group
Planning ways for to work and play collaboratively
Bringing home culture and language into the classroom culture
Including children with special needs as active participants in the classroom community
Using effective and positive guidance practices
Increasing each child’s self-regulation, and social/emotional competency
Recognizing children’s conflicts and misbehaviors as learning opportunities to teach social skills and awareness of others emotions
Modeling problem solving strategies, vocabulary building and emotional language

To learn more about creating classroom communities of learners please go to the following video. Teaching Strategies – Building Classroom Community Watch the following video starting at the three minute mark and watch the curriculum section.

Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning

Educators must use their knowledge and judgement to intentionally make decisions regarding ways to enhance a child’s development and learning. Some areas to intentionally consider include:

Environmental arrangement
Materials to use
Interactions with children, family members and colleagues
Learning experiences and goals
Opportunities offered within time constraints

These decisions may vary depending on the teaching strategy chosen. Several strategies include:

Acknowledging what children do and say
Encourage persistence and effort
Offer specific feedback
Model attitudes, ways of approaching problems, behaviors towards others, and show children
Demonstrate the correct way to do something (this is when teaching a specific skill only- ex. When using watercolors – water, paint, paper)
Create or add challenge to go a bit beyond what children can do – while being aware of the possible need to reduce the challenge for some children
Ask questions that provoke children’s thinking
Give assistance to help children advance
Provide information by giving children facts, verbal labels and other information
Give directions to children’s behaviors, emotions and activities

Purposeful Use of Various Learning Formats

Large Groups offer a time to share experiences – singing together, recognizing peers names, sharing ideas and information. Large group time also provides opportunities for children talk in a group, work cooperatively, and use new information. To watch these skills in progress, please go to the following video

Small Groups offer opportunities to introduce new skills, involve children in conflict resolution skills, apply concepts previously introduced, or work on turn-taking skills while playing games. Small group time offers an educator time to ask questions, notice what each child is able to do and provide support for challenging activities. To watch a small group activity where all children are involved, please watch the following video

Individual child time offers educators an opportunity to pre-teach skills that will be introduce to all children at a later time. Individually working with one child offers time to engage in conversations, increase vocabulary, support growth on skills which may be delayed and learn more about an individual child and his family. To see how an educator guides a child’s understanding of a previously learned concept, please watch the following video

Learning Centers offer a wide range of options for focused engagement. Areas like dramatic play and blocks offer opportunities to gain a better understanding of the world a child lives. Writing and Reading centers allow children an opportunity to positively experience literacy activities. Sensory, Math and Science areas allow children to experience hands-on activities that build a strong foundation of skills needed as the progress to public schools. Learning centers allow children significant time to choose what they want to do, interact with other children, observe others in play, and make choices based on their own interests and learn to work with other children when ideas of play differ.

Outdoor Play offers children opportunity to be boisterous, engage in large motor, physical activities children naturally crave. It gives children experiences they need for optimal development across all domains from physical to cognitive and language to social and emotional development. Intentional planning for physical exercise allows children time to practice and develop a variety of physical skills and promote health benefits.

Routines of the Day offer valuable learning opportunities for children to apply and practice new skills, reinforce previously learned skills, and promote phonological awareness while singing songs or rhyming words. Transitions will move fluidly with songs or silly games. By engaging children in activities during routine transitions, tooth brushing, walking to cubbies, waiting for meals to begin helps diminish non-preferred behaviors.

Planned Curriculum is essential when working with preschoolers. Children learn more in programs where curriculum is planned and implemented. Children learn specific knowledge and skills through planned curriculum. Curriculum guides this learning for large group, small group, and individual activities. Curriculum needs to be written and followed while at the same time flexible enough to adapt to allow for children to make progress towards individual goals while still meeting curriculum goals.

Teacher-guided and child-guided experiences are both important aspects of a child’s day. Days filled with lots of seatwork or talking/lecturing with little time for children’s interaction, exploration and investigation, play or choice are not developmentally appropriate. Teacher planned activities are important, yet should not dominate the day. Child guided programs work well with educators who are flexible, knowledgeable and prepare an environment that offer significant educational experiences, engagement of children in activities and lively adult-guided experiences.

The Importance of Big Body Play Educators need to embrace big body play concepts in their intentional teaching. Rough and tumble play is an important part of preschoolers development. While educators may be concerned big body play may get rough, escalate over time, and children may fight or get hurt one has to keep in mind the skills and natural learning that takes place. Children learn how to interact with each other, they become more coordinated in their movements, they work off stress and aggression, and they have fun. As educators we need to watch a child’s facial expressions, a child’s willingness to participate, to return to the activity and a willingness to extend the play. These factors must be taken into consideration when determining if the play is acceptable or needs some adult guidance. Please watch the following video to learn more about Big Body Play

Assessing Children’s Development and Learning is the process of looking at children’s progress towards their set goals. Using assessment in developmentally appropriate practice allows for

Monitoring children’s development and learning
Guiding planning and decision making
Identifying children who may benefit from special services or support
Report and communicate with others, including family

While working on the above skills an educator also has to consider what is appropriate for a child’s age as well as development level, what is individually appropriate, and what is culturally appropriate. One also has to remember that when assessing children, an educator is assessing on a very short, focused time in a child’s day. Children grow and change: they may display their knowledge or skills differently when no one is watching, and children are easily distracted. These factors contribute to the struggles educators meet when assessing children.

Establishing Reciprocal Relationships with Families is essential when working with children. Family members know their child best. Families know a child’s preferences, interests, and choices a child will make. Families are an invaluable resource. Family members want to know educators are interested in their knowledge and understanding of their child. As an educator it is important to:

Make family members feel welcome in a child’s environment
Invite parent participation by offering ways to volunteer inside and outside of the environment
Work to create a relationship that allows for open dialogue
Maintain frequent, positive, open-communication
Acknowledge parent’s choices and goals for their children
Respond with sensitivity and respect to families preferences and concerns

As intentional educators, there is a lot to remember and do. One needs to stay current in his practice by continually learning and studying best practice. One needs to make many decisions for children, environments, and families that promote children’s development and learning while using developmentally appropriate practice. The most important thing an educator needs to remember is that teaching preschoolers should be fun. An educator should bring joy and humor to each day.

Assessment

Lesson 3 Quiz - Use the teaching and text to support your answers.

Choose two examples of best practice and explain how you may be intentional when teaching in those areas.
Why is a classroom community of learning important?
List five things you would intentionally plan to create a classroom community of learning.
Explain how you could make the following daily routines a valuable learning opportunity - Brushing teeth
Explain how you could make the following daily routines a valuable learning opportunity - Dressing/undressing
Explain how you could make the following daily routines a valuable learning opportunity - Wait time while everyone is together
Explain to a new family why you allow rough and tumble play in your environment.
Give three examples of how you encourage reciprocal relationships with families.
List ten ways you will ensure chidlren with special needs will benefit and actively participate in, program activities.
Explain how the use of assessments can inform intentional teaching?

Lesson 3 Discussion

What strategies are important when an intentional teacher is making decisions regarding children’s safety?