Coach'em and keep' em! If you find your program has big staff turnover and that new teachers and caregivers who join your staff have trouble getting connected to the rest of the staff, try starting a "coach" system at your center. A coach is an experienced member of your staff who realizes that when one teacher struggles - the children in that class may also suffer - and ultimately that reflects on the quality of your entire program.
A coach acts as a "non-judgemental" mentor who supports new teachers. A good coach can help new teachers plan the room arrangement, learn about different families in the program, understand the program's procedures, plan currciulum and become an effective time manager. Great planning will help a new teacher proactively manage disruptive behavior - the biggest challenge for every EC teacher. When a new teacher and a coach develop a great relationship, new teachers feel supported and valued and will be more likely to become a long term member of your staff.
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Scoop on Self-Regulation
We at PreschoolFirst define self-regulation as a child's ability to:
What about you? What do you do in your early learning program that contributes to a child's development of self-regulation?
- Direct his/her actions and play
- Stay focused on a task and "pay" attention
- Remember instructions and follow basic rules
A child who uses these self-regulation skills and handles most situations predictablyis one who is developing critical skills that will help him/her be successful in preschool and primary school. One crucial one best practice we believe contributes to good self-regulation is age appropriate curriculum and hands-on activities that are meaningful to children's lives.
What about you? What do you do in your early learning program that contributes to a child's development of self-regulation?
Read Aloud Story Discussions Foster Learning
Not only do group reading times encourage early literacy skills, they help children learn new words and facts in meaningful ways and develop a love for a good story. One of the most significant elements of a great story time is the conversation or discussion that the story inspires.
So…do you have trouble keeping the discussions going? Here’s a tip: wear a mitten on one hand and pretend it is a puppet listening to the story with the rest of the children. If the conversation stalls or the children are not sure how to respond, wiggle the mitten’s thumb as if the puppet is raising its hand for a turn to talk. Use the puppet to respond and model good group time manners at the same time.
To help children feel more comfortable “guessing,” try using the puppet to guess an answer and ask the children to help explain more about the story to help the puppet understand. OR use the puppet to respond inappropriately – and then ask the children to help remind it of the “group time manners.” When teachers welcome questions and comments during stories, young children stay more focused and can practice using new vocabulary to share their ideas.
So…do you have trouble keeping the discussions going? Here’s a tip: wear a mitten on one hand and pretend it is a puppet listening to the story with the rest of the children. If the conversation stalls or the children are not sure how to respond, wiggle the mitten’s thumb as if the puppet is raising its hand for a turn to talk. Use the puppet to respond and model good group time manners at the same time.
To help children feel more comfortable “guessing,” try using the puppet to guess an answer and ask the children to help explain more about the story to help the puppet understand. OR use the puppet to respond inappropriately – and then ask the children to help remind it of the “group time manners.” When teachers welcome questions and comments during stories, young children stay more focused and can practice using new vocabulary to share their ideas.
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Play-Based Drive to Learn
Isn't it fascinating to watch an infant try again and again to roll over? To stand? Anyone who has spent time with a 4 year old child knows to expect to hear "Why?"many times throughout any given day. Did you ever wonder where young children get this amazing interest in learning?
Jerome Bruner believed that all children are naturally driven to increase their independence, and in order to do this at each stage of growth, this gives a child the motivation to work very hard to devlop new abilitites that will give him/her greater control over his/her world. The Source for Learning, the developers of PreschoolFirst, believe that all children are born hungry for love and learning. Our play-based assessment and curriculum resource for the infant/toddler and preschool years is designed by early childhood experts to support children’s development and school readiness in their most natural setting – at play.
Jerome Bruner believed that all children are naturally driven to increase their independence, and in order to do this at each stage of growth, this gives a child the motivation to work very hard to devlop new abilitites that will give him/her greater control over his/her world. The Source for Learning, the developers of PreschoolFirst, believe that all children are born hungry for love and learning. Our play-based assessment and curriculum resource for the infant/toddler and preschool years is designed by early childhood experts to support children’s development and school readiness in their most natural setting – at play.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Help Parents Choose Play-Centered Preschools
Read our favorite article that explains to parents why play centered learning is BETTER for kids. Help parents understand why PLAY-CENTERED learning is where it's at. Written by Niskayuna Nursery School Co-op in NY state. http://co-opauction.info/docs/Choosing.pdf
Thursday, June 12, 2008
PreschoolFirst Classroom Tip
Do you have PreschoolFirst parents and caregivers, who aren’t sure what to do to help their children continue learning and growing over the summer? Encourage parents to login and visit PreschoolFirst to get simple fun activity ideas they can do at home. Our PrescghoolFirst Home Time activities are designed so anyone can do them with children – grandparents, caregivers, even babysitters! They can continue to enter play-based observations over the summer to help track development for next year’s teacher. If parents in your program do not have computers, you can find age-appropriate activities online, print them out, and give them to parents on the last day of the class.
Teaching infants and toddlers?
Looking for great teaching strategies for infants and toddlers? PreschoolFirst has over 500 activities just right for the youngest ones - PreschoolFirst is one of the most comprehensive curriculum you can find! All these activities help children develop and achieve the outcomes most treasured by early childhood educators.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Why is observing a child's play behavior important?
Young children explore the world through play. Early childhood educators know that play is actually a young child's job. Play is the natural place to observe a child's abilities because it allows you to see what the child already knows and how he or she uses that knowledge. Most importantly, however, a child is internally wired and motivated to play. As all parents and teachers know, young children are naturally active and have short attention spans. Most young children are unable to sit still for even fifteen minutes at a time. This inability to sit still makes direct instruction an ineffective way to observe young children and teach new skills.
Young children learn best by imitating a new task and practicing it in a fun, non-judgmental setting. When they observe children playing, teachers can see a child's physical and intellectual abilities in use. A great online resource provides activities, stories, games, and materials suggestions for you to enjoy with your class. These play activities help you create different experiences and plan classroom centers that focus on specific age-appropriate behaviors. During play, children use accumulated knowledge in new ways, learn new information about the world, and practice emerging skills. All you need to do is set out the right materials, ask a few key questions, share the fun, and watch.
Young children learn best by imitating a new task and practicing it in a fun, non-judgmental setting. When they observe children playing, teachers can see a child's physical and intellectual abilities in use. A great online resource provides activities, stories, games, and materials suggestions for you to enjoy with your class. These play activities help you create different experiences and plan classroom centers that focus on specific age-appropriate behaviors. During play, children use accumulated knowledge in new ways, learn new information about the world, and practice emerging skills. All you need to do is set out the right materials, ask a few key questions, share the fun, and watch.
Care for Infants? Responsive Routines and Planning Matter!
Child Development experts agree that babies thrive best on a routine. We all know babies need to be fed and diapers must be changed on demand – so can someone who cares for several infants manage to respond to everything? We recommend you try to establish a routine around the time when your babies tend to get sleepy, hungry, and energetic.
A routine helps each baby settle into a regular pattern – so you can plan for activities that happen at about the same time and in about the same way each day. It allows the babies to have longer periods to be alert and focus on playing - and helps you form a strong attachment to each other. A responsive routine will have moments of care, filled with rich interactions between each baby and yourself.
Great Care-teachers use Routines
Routines matter because it helps a baby learn that his/her actions and communication set predictable responses in motion. This helps a baby find the world around him/her to be an organized place.
Routines helps a baby feel secure and comfortable because it helps a baby know that his/her needs are going to be met in a predictable way. Through your predictable response and on-demand care-giving, a baby begins to establish a sense of security.
A routine helps each baby settle into a regular pattern – so you can plan for activities that happen at about the same time and in about the same way each day. It allows the babies to have longer periods to be alert and focus on playing - and helps you form a strong attachment to each other. A responsive routine will have moments of care, filled with rich interactions between each baby and yourself.
Great Care-teachers use Routines
Routines matter because it helps a baby learn that his/her actions and communication set predictable responses in motion. This helps a baby find the world around him/her to be an organized place.
Routines helps a baby feel secure and comfortable because it helps a baby know that his/her needs are going to be met in a predictable way. Through your predictable response and on-demand care-giving, a baby begins to establish a sense of security.
Let's Share First!
Looking for tips to help make caring for young children easier? Let's share our favorite "short cuts" to smooth the way for others. One thing I've learned is that preparation is the key to a smooth day. I always make a point of leaving the classroom/centers set up with everything I need for the next day. Each activity is either arranged on each table ready to go OR I'd place materiels in a plastic tub so I can set up in a snap.
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