Teacher's guide
MESSAGE TO TEACHERS
“We
all have the duty to call attention to the science and seriousness of early
childhood cognitive development—because the [years] between birth and age five
are the foundation upon which successful lives are built.”
Creating
a Learning Environment for Young Children
Effective preschool classrooms are
places where children feel well cared for and safe. They are places where
children are valued as individuals and where their need for attention,
approval, and affection are supported. They are also places where children can
be helped to acquire a strong foundation in the knowledge and skills needed for
school success.
·
Young children need teachers who
welcome all children to their classrooms, including children from various
cultures, children whose first language is not English, and children who have
disabilities.
·
Young children need teachers who
take time to work with them individually, in small groups, and sometimes with
the entire class—to help them develop their cognitive and social skills, their
language abilities, and their interest in learning new things about the world.
·
Young children need instruction to
develop the thinking, language, and early literacy skills needed for continued
school success. Effective preschool teachers and child-care providers:
·
Know when children can figure out
new ideas and concepts on their own and when it is important to explain things
to them step-by-step.
·
Encourage children to participate
in classroom activities and to honor the classroom rules.
·
Listen to what the children say and
expand upon their language, building their vocabulary and background knowledge.
·
Know when to teach directly, when
to provide time for exploration and discovery, when to practice skills, and
when to encourage creativity.
·
Plan activities that have a purpose
and that challenge children.
·
Know how to help children learn to
work together and to resolve their conflicts.
·
Encourage children to respect each
other’s time and personal belongings.
·
Provide many opportunities for
conversations between and among children and with adults.
·
Know how to establish and maintain
order in a classroom but in a manner that permits the children to learn how to
participate in and enjoy learning.
·
Arrange the classroom in a way that
enhances their work with children and how the children spend their time.
A Classroom to Enhance Learning.
Ms. Coleman is unhappy
with her classroom layout. In her classroom, furniture is lined up along the
walls. One big open space is in the middle of the room. Ms. Coleman’s children
spend a lot of time in that open space. They sometimes make a lot of noise that
is hard for her to control. She wants her classroom to better support the
learning of the children. Instead of one big space, she wants to establish a
number of smaller, quiet areas where children can go to examine books, write
and draw, engage in social play, and work with puzzles and other games. Ms.
Coleman transformed her classroom to enhance her students’ learning
opportunities. Today:
·
She uses
cupboards, screens, and tables to divide her classroom into children’s work
areas. She does this to better define the activities that will take place in
different parts of the room. She makes and puts up these labels for the areas:
Library Corner, Games and Puzzles Table, Writing Table, Blocks Place, Art
Studio, Housekeeping Room, and Science Space.
·
She makes sure
that all of the children can comfortably sit on the big rug next to the Library
Corner. She knows she will have them sit there when she and the entire class
read books and do other activities together.
·
She provides
dress-up clothes and other props in the Blocks Place and the Housekeeping Room.
These are the areas in which the children engage in dramatic play. She provides
writing materials—pencils, crayons, and paper—next to the Writing Table as well
as in the Art Studio, Blocks Place, and the Housekeeping Room. The children
often incorporate writing into their artwork as well as their dramatic play.
She encourages them to label their drawings and to write out lists and plans
for their dramatic play.
·
She displays many
examples of printed materials, yet she does not display excessive print or
print that is not meaningful. The children are able to see labels, signs, and
printed directions in the places that count.
·
Alphabet displays
on a nearby wall are placed at the children’s eye level as they sit at writing
tables.
·
The children’s
work is displayed throughout the room.
·
She changes the
labels as different toys, games, and puzzles come into the classroom. She has
the children provide the names and sometimes the signs. As the children learn
more about print, the labels that appear in the classroom get longer and more
detailed.
·
She places a rug
and big pillows in the Library Corner, making it a cozy, inviting place. The
children quickly learn that they can go there with several friends to look at
and discuss books and magazines.
·
She makes sure
that the bookcases contain a variety of books— traditional storybooks, modern
storybooks, alphabet books, number books, wordless picture books, and books
about animals, plants, and the peoples who live in different parts of the
world. She includes books that portray the cultural and language backgrounds of
the children in the classroom. She keeps current issues of magazines for young
children on an easy-to-reach shelf. Most of the books on the bookcases come
from the classroom library, but others are part of a revolving collection of
books that Ms. Coleman gets from the public library. She changes the collection
of books every few weeks, based on the topics being studied by the children and
on their current interests.
·
As the year
progresses and the children create their own books, she sets up a special
display shelf to hold the children’s work.
·
She prepares one
shelf for cassette players, headphones, and tapes for the children to use to
listen to stories.
Developing Listening and Speaking Skills
We need to put to
rest the old saying, “Children should be seen and not heard.” Research shows
beyond question that it is through having many opportunities to talk as well as
to listen to teachers and peers that children gain language skills so valuable
for their success in reading and writing. It is important for young children to
be able to:
·
Listen carefully
for different purposes, such as to get information or for enjoyment.
·
Use spoken
language for a variety of purposes.
·
Follow and give
simple directions and instructions.
·
Ask and answer
questions.
·
Use appropriate
volume and speed when they speak.
·
Participate in
discussions and follow the rules of polite conversation, such as staying on a
topic and taking turns.
·
Use language to
express and describe their feelings and ideas. It is important for teachers to:
·
Ask open-ended
questions that invite children to expand upon their answers.
·
Present new words
to children to expand their vocabularies.
·
Respond to
questions and let children take the conversational lead.
·
Respond to
children’s questions so they may build their language skills. Here are some
things that you can do to help develop and expand your children’s listening and
speaking skills:
·
Engage children in
conversation throughout the day.
·
When reading aloud
to the children, encourage them to predict what will happen in the story, to
comment on the story, and to make connections between the story and their
personal experiences.
·
Play games that
will focus children’s attention on the importance of listening carefully.
·
Gently reinforce
the rules of good listening and speaking throughout the day.
·
Capitalize on
routine opportunities to have children follow or give directions.
FOLLOWING
IS THE LINK WHERE TEACHERS CAN CREATE A GAME EASILY AND MAKE CHILDREN LEARN
EASILY.
By clicking the above link a login page opens where you can login into the site and start making games.
- Below there is a tutorial video you can refer to that.
Thank You!!
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