Active Learning For Infants and Toddlers

1. Active Learning For Infants and Toddlers Day 2

2. Objectives • Distinguish between horizontal and vertical caregiver support. • Relate the ingredients of active learning to ways of supporting infants and toddlers. • Discuss the effects of active learning. • Discuss observation techniques to support active learning.

3. Recalling Active Learning • Materials • Manipulation • Choice • Child communication, language and thought • Adult scaffolding Choice

4. Contrasting Toddler Learning Experiences • We will experience a couple activities however, keep in mind the ingredients of active learning. • Write the following on a note card: • An activity that you like to do with infants and toddlers. • An activity, situation, or time of day that is particularly difficult to manage with infants and toddlers. • Set these aside for now. Clear your tables completely.

5. Follow these Instructions • Each person needs to take a long piece of tape. • Tape thumb and pointer finger together. • Tape two middle fingers together. • Now do the same to the other hand. • Keep tape on until both activities are completed.

6. Discuss This Experience • What are your feelings about this activity? • Were the ingredients of active learning present? • Compare the two activities in terms of active learning? • Which had more KDIs? • What was the adult’s role in each activity? Active Learning = Optimal Learning

7. Looking at Active Learning

8. Supporting Active Learning • Look for your ingredient of active learning in this video Outside Time • Answer these questions: • What examples did you note for each of the ingredients? • What struck you about the way we support active learning with infants and toddlers?

9. Active learning occurs throughout the day, whatever children are doing, not just during “choice time.” It is very important to attend and respond to children’s interests, communications, and choices rather than attempting to direct and control what children do and say. Summary

10. Adult Scaffolding: A Philosophical Continuum

11. The best toy for a young child is the invested, caring adult – someone to pay attention, to engage and to play with the child using words, song, touch, and smile Dr. Bruce Perry; Lea Hogan; Sarah Marlin

12. Natalie’s Way of Moving • Turn to page 24 in your TB.

13. Vertical Approach Horizontal Approach C CJ J Can Do Can’t do

14. Discuss in your groups: • If your program followed the horizontal/developmental model, how would it affect the way we work with infants and toddlers? • Everything you do with your children is based on strengths and what children can do! • KDIs, COR and State Early Learning Guidelines/Standards will help in this process.

15. Observing Infants and Toddlers • With your group, brainstorm reasons why you think it is important to observe infants and toddlers? Keep Natalie in mind. • Discuss as a whole group.

16. Observation Comes First • If we want to know our infants and toddlers, we must observe them everyday during their normal routines. • It is the everyday little things that tell us all about our infants and toddlers. • To read their subtle cues and meet their needs, we must observe what those are first. • In order to properly plan for their development we need to be observing them everyday to know their interests, strengths, and needs.

20. What did you learn about these children? • Child opening eyes, gazing, moving mouth–Movement • Child explores paint with tubes– Creative Representation • Child exploring and pretending with materials– Exploring Objects and Creative Representation The KDIs help us interpret observations of our infants and toddlers.

21. Guidelines for Recording your Observations-- Anecdotes • Date!! • Beginning: • Identify when? where? and with whom? • Middle: • Focus on what the child did and said • Focus on what the child can do • Use quotes for child’s language • End: • State the outcome, if there is one

24. Guidelines for Writing Objective Anecdotes • Focus on what the child did and said • Be factual • Be specific • Be brief

25. Sample Anecdotes to Analyze • 1/04 Derek was a real pain today at choice time. He took a block and kept hitting the ball across the room yelling “My turn, you hit, do more, and you score!” • 1/04 Related to another child – choice time • 1/04 Explores objects – block and ball • 1/04 Develops number understanding – “more” • 1/04 At choice time, in the block area, Derek and Lamar pretend to play baseball. Derek hit the ball to Lamar and said “you hit” and Lamar hit the ball back to Derek. Derek said “my turn” and “do more” while hitting the ball back to Lamar. Then he said, “You score.”

28. 2 Options for Writing Anecdotes in the Classroom • Write them formally from the start. • Jot them down “on the fly” and formalize later. For example: • 6/13 A—CT, AA, bl & gr, strokes. • 6/13 During CT in the art area, Abigail painted with blue and green using large brush strokes.

29. When you are jotting down a quick note: Remember! • Keep entries short • Be selective in what you write • Include all necessary information • Be persistent

30. Hints for Writing Anecdotes • Use abbreviations; short hand • Write on sticky notes or mailing labels • Wear a necklace pen • Wear a shop-type apron • Keep a tape recorder on hand • Other options???

31. Cloud Activity Revisited

32. Nature WalkReport From Ms. Z and Ms. A Today we took the infants and toddlers out to see some examples of nature in a nearby park. We used our buggies and wagons to transport children to the park. Along the way, we pointed out grass, trees, and a squirrel. We didn’t stop because we were all anxious to get to the park. Once at the park, we were happy to see nice cement paths for our buggies and wagons. It made getting through the park a lot easier and faster. The children noticed several more squirrels as we drove by. We also saw several children playing in the sandbox. On the return trip the children were a little cranky and seemed anxious to get out of the wagons and buggies. We were so glad to have gotten out on such a nice day!

33. Ball Game for Toddlers: A small group activity planned by Ms. A and Ms. Z • Seat your four toddlers on the floor in a semi-circle in front of you. • Put several kinds of balls behind your back (small, large, toy football, toy soccer ball). • One at a time, bring out a ball, says it name, point out its characteristics (color, size, shape) and roll or toss it to one child. Ask the child to send it back to you; then go to the next child and repeat the activity with the same ball. When you’ve gotten through all the children, choose another ball to use.

34. Effects of Active Learning • In small groups, answer the following questions: • How does active learning affect infants’ and toddlers’ sensory-motor understanding of the materials and objects in their world? • How does active learning affect their self-confidence and trusting relationships with others? • How does active learning affect their initiative, curiosity, and ability to problem solve? • Record answers on chart paper and then share with the whole group.

35. Applying Active Learning to Your Own Classroom • Pull out your 3 x 5 card that you wrote earlier about your favorite activity or most difficult time of day. • Turn to page 32 in your TB. • With a partner look at these activities through the lens of active learning • What ingredients of active learning are present (strengths)? • What ingredients are missing (modifications to increase active learning)?

36. Implementation Plan • Let’s look at the day’s agenda. • Individually, turn to page 31 in your TB. • Reflect on today’s topic and record what you have learned and want to remember about our discussions. • Any volunteers to share? • Questions, comments, suggestions?

37. I learn best when I use all my senses! Active Learning 37