ENGAGE
How do you believe young children learn? Does the process of early learning involve teachers giving knowledge directly to children, or does it involve discovering knowledge through exploration? There seems to be a continuum of beliefs, where some knowledge is believed to require direct instruction and other knowledge involves hands-on experiences. According to Copple, Bredekamp, Koralek, & Charner, Developmentally Appropriate Practice has a comprehensive definition of how children acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for school success, but contains six critical elements:
TO BE AN EXCELLENT TEACHER
Being intentional |
· Both what you teach and how you teach · Both teacher-guided and child-guided |
Creating a caring community of learners |
· All participants consider and contribute to one another’s well-being and learning · Get to know every child and family well · Plan for ways children to work and play together collaboratively · Considers home cultures and language in the shared culture of the class |
Teaching to enhance development and learning |
· Uses a wide range of teaching strategies · Scaffold children’s learning · Makes purposeful use of various learning formats |
Planning curriculum to achieve important goals |
· Utilizes a high-quality curriculum to guide planning and implementation of learning experiences · Adapts plans and actual learning experiences to help individual children · Emphasizes goals for children both individually and collectively |
Assessing children’s development and learning |
· Appropriate for the child’s age or developmental status · Individually appropriate · Culturally appropriate |
Establishing reciprocal relationships with families |
· Welcomes family members in the classroom · Encourages families to participate in the program · Works to create a relationship that allows for open dialogue · Acknowledges parents’ choices and goals for children · Maintains frequent, positive two-way communication |
(Copple, Bredekamp, Koralek, & Charner, 2013)
| TO BE AN EXCELLENT TEACHER |
