Enhancing Learning: The Science and Art of Effective Teaching in Early Childhood Education

1. TEACHING TO ENHANCE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT Chapter 9

2. TEACHING: A SCIENCE & AN ART

3. ECE TEACHER’S ROLE IS COMPLEX! • Know the Learner • Know what to Teach • Know how to Teach

4. THE SCIENCE OF TEACHING • Public Law 107-220 ~ No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 – emphasis on scientifically based practice • Informed by: • Science of child development • Cognitive science or how people learn • Research on effective instructional strategies and contexts • Based on two sets of questions: • What skills and abilities predict children’s later outcomes in reading, writing and math? • What teaching behaviors, curriculum, interventions contribute to or inhibit gains

5. CLASSROOM RESEARCH • The daily interaction among teachers and children is THE most important determinant of the quality and effectiveness of programs from infancy through primary grades

6. CLASS RESEARCH Emotional Climate Instructional Climate • Teachers are positive, sensitive and manage the classroom well • CLASS 5/7 points • Positive supportive classrooms for children • Use of variety of teaching strategies to promote concept development and higher order thinking • Interactions are intentional; environment supports child initiated learning • CLASS 2/7 • Little instruction; worksheets; 40% routines & transitions without learning

7. RESEARCH HAS LIMITS • Goal is to prepare you to create an effective instructional climate • When research is strong – professional responsibility to adhere to its guidance • Research on effective teaching is evolving • In some cases not available; in some cases contradictory (diverse language; cultural backgrounds; differing abilities)

8. THE ART OF TEACHING • Requires Vision, Creativity, and Decision Making • Many variables – cannot all be controlled • Effective teaching requires creatively adapting to individual children and to the situations that arise The Wonders of Learning • http://www.thewonderoflearning.com/exhibition/?lang=en-GB

9. WONDERS OF LEARNING

10. WONDERS OF LEARNING

11. WONDERS OF LEARNING

12. WONDERS OF LEARNING

13. WONDERS OF LEARNING

14. WONDERS OF LEARNING

15. BUILD A REPERTOIRE OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES • Teaching Strategy – Behavior or activity deliberately selected and flexibly applied to help students construct meaning • INTENTIONAL TEACHING • Conscious thought • Flexible decision making • Learning Strategy - How children construct meaning in any context or situation

16. TOOLS FOR LEARNING Teacher Initiated Child Initiated • Teacher takes the lead • Provides explicit information and modeling or demonstrates a skill • Determined by the teacher’s goals and direction • Child gains knowledge and skills • Through their own exploration • Interactions with objects and other children

17. AN ARRAY OF TEACHING STRATEGIES • Acknowledging and encouraging • Giving quality feedback • Modeling • Demonstrating • Giving cues, hints and offering assistance • Creating and adding challenges • Questioning • Co-Constructing • Giving direct or explicit instruction • Scaffolding – combining strategies

18. THE POWER OF SCAFFOLDING • Integrated Approach to reach all students • Scaffolding – elevated structure; support to do the work; reach the goal • Metaphor for a series of teacher behaviors that support children’s ability to accomplish learning tasks or solve a problem that they could not otherwise accomplish independently. • Scaffolding = working in the zone of proximal development • Teacher takes responsibility and gradually releases it to the child until they have full responsibility

19. WONDERS OF LEARNING • I do… you watch • I do… you help • You do… I help • You do… I watch