The theory and practice of teaching in an early childhood learning environment goes beyond subject content knowledge. It involves relationships between the teacher and the child, a child’s interaction with other children, and a child’s self-awareness and confidence. This section addresses these relationships in the context of The Creative Way classroom.

FIVE KEY FACTORS

Experience tells us that quality learning happens when knowledgeable, caring teachers use sound pedagogy. The Creative Way encourages a solid understanding and practice of 5 key factors found to be essential to a successful early childhood education:

  • The teacher and student relationship
  • Classroom rules and protocol
  • Building of self-esteem, confidence, and good character
  • Learning and remembering
  • Responsible and effective use of technology/innovation

THE TEACHER AND STUDENT RELATIONSHIP

Young children who feel connected to their school and their teacher thrive. Early childhood teachers have the responsibility for initiating and fostering that connection. The Creative Way teachers facilitate their relationships with the children they teach in a variety of ways, and some of the more successful strategies are:

  • Personally greet each child, daily.
  • Assign and label a space for each child to store their coats and other items, ensuring that they know it is “their space” and it will remain so while they go to this school
  • Speak in clear, simple adult language to the children.• Interact with each child individually. Encourage the child to share experiences with you
  • When speaking with a child, give them your full attention—not distracted by others or thoughts of other issues.
  • Model the way you expect the children in your classroom to behave—be kind, treat everyone with respect, communicate openly and use words to communicate your moods/emotions.
  • Empower the children to make decisions and engage in activities that are of interest to them.
  • Display artwork created by each child in the classroom. Praise them for their creativity and good work.
  • Encourage the child to point out their displayed work to parents when they pick them up or drop them off for school.
  • Guide the child in “what to do;” don’t focus on “what not to do.”
  • Help the children negotiate conflicts they may have with other children, don’t rush in and solve the problem for them.
  • Make certain to say goodbye to each child at the end of the day and tell each that you are looking forward to seeing him/her the next day in school.
  • Speak to parents when they drop off and pick up their child each day—learn what sisters and brothers are also in the family, what jobs the parents have, know when special visitors are in town (grandparents, aunts and uncles), and know when something extraordinary is happening in the child’s life.

CLASSROOM RULES AND PROTOCOL

Children react best when they know what is expected of them and when they can rely on consistent rules for their behavior. For example, if running in the classroom is allowed one day, with no consequences, yet the next day they are punished for running in the classroom they become confused as to what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Teachers should establish a solid set of rules, communicate them to children and parents, repeat them on a regular basis, post them in the room, and adhere to them at all times.Posted rules should be displayed where everyone can see them. The rules should be displayed in a neat and colorful manner, written in simple sentences, illustrated with simple pictures or drawings, and few in number. Cultural traditions and norms should be taken into consideration when establishing rules for the classroom. A sound knowledge of the diversity of children in the class and certain cultural practices they follow will be helpful. Rules can be posted as simply as: Looking Eyes; Listening Ears; Quiet Mouths; Helping Hands; and Walking Feet. Rules may also be listed in complete sentences, as in the following example of a Classroom Rules poster. Either way, children in the classroom will need to become familiar with the rules and be reminded of what they are and what they mean. Having a sign or poster to refer to will help in this process.

BUILDING OF SELF-ESTEEM, CONFIDENCE, AND GOOD CHARACTER

Three of the most positive character traits are self-esteem, confidence, and good character. Self-esteem is a realistic, positive sense of oneself. A child with low self-esteem often performs below his/her potential in school and may make poor decisions in social situations. A child with confidence and a healthy self-esteem will be able to achieve his/her full potential in life. It will help him/her face challenges and resist negative peer pressure. The young child gains self-confidence and acquires a healthy self-worth when he/she is treated as a capable, responsible and independent individual. Accomplishing tasks on his/her own, is not only important for self-sufficiency but also makes the child feel empowered and helps to develop self-esteem. The child begins to realize that his/her efforts and hard work will lead to success. Making mistakes are an opportunity to learn. The child will see problems as solvable and have the resilience to recover from setbacks. The preschool years help the child to develop social skills and confidence that enables him/her to make friends in upcoming years. Those experiences help in the child’s social competence and academic achievement.

The following are classroom strategies that help to build a child’s self-esteem, confidence and good character:

  • Read stories that emphasize hard work and effort, perseverance, bravery, determination, managing failures, confidence, honesty, patience, anger management, creativity and problem solving, taking initiative, contentment and accepting oneself.
  • Make art collages with the child’s name in the center and cut out pictures from magazine of items the child likes.
  • Teach the child confidence-building activities while playing outdoors such as how to swing, how to climb up a slide and how to jump rope.
  • Use the confidence-building language when acknowledging the child’s efforts and praising him/her for tasks well done, such as “I am so proud of the way you are working so hard to learn how to swing;” “Keep trying you will get it;” and “That is the way everything works – practice, practice, practice.”
  • Give sincere, positive feedback about tasks a child is working on, such as “I like the way you keep trying to write your name;” and “Thank you for cleaning up the kitchen.”
  • Give confidence-building projects such as “Star of the Day,” where the child shares his/her favorite game, food, story, pet, toy, family members; and “All about Me,” where the child creates a book about his/her positive qualities.
  • Allow the child to lead. For example, be the leader in the line or be “Simon” when playing the game “Simon Says.”
  • Allow the child to teach other children. For example, how to play a game they are particularly good at, or how to neatly put away all the building blocks after play.
  • Give your full attention to the child when you are talking to him/her. Sit next to the child, look at him/her, and ask questions about what he/she is sharing with you.
  • Show and share pleasure in the child’s activities. For example, when you are playing games, listening to him/her practice an instrument, looking at books, playing sports.

LEARNING & REMEMBERING

The preschool years lay the foundation for success in school and life. Children learn by engaging in natural problem situations. During problem solving (play), children integrate their new experiences as they interact with others, which eventually expands their existing knowledge. Young children are curious and want to learn about the world around them. They learn as they build knowledge while exploring their environment. Active learning takes place when there is a variety of learning materials available to the children. As children explore and manipulate materials they are able to build and expand their knowledge of the world around them. Children need plenty of time to explore, learn and express themselves. In The Creative Way classroom children are given the opportunity to select the activities and materials they want to explore and manipulate. Initially, the experiences of young children are limited, mainly due to their young age. However, their experiences can be built upon through stories, science experiments, art, music, technology, drama, and play. It is important that the child not only learn new ideas and concepts but that they also remember what they have learned to enable them to apply it to new situations and in new ways.

The following strategies all help a child to learn and remember:

  • Better retention is shown with information that has greater cohesion. Therefore, introducing information around a common theme helps with learning.
  • Familiarity and repetition of an experience influence knowledge and the memory of that knowledge. For example, reading the same story multiple times and eventually asking the child to retell the story will help demonstrate their understanding and memory.
  • Choose stories that have illustrations that match the written word. Point out details in the illustrations that reinforce what is said in words.
  • Understand the difference in learning ability among the various age groups in the class. Three-year-olds have good memories for things in their immediate experiences. Four- and five-year-olds can think about cause-and-effect relationships and express these ideas to others.
  • Presenting information in a familiar context enhances comprehension.
  • Helping the child to focus enables the child to follow instructions, as well as understand, begin and complete a task. Attempt to group children by activity and in different parts of the room if possible. Eliminating distractions helps to increase focus.
  • Observe and identify the prominent learning style of each child, and design and assign activities accordingly. Each class will have some children who respond more effectively to each of the three common learning styles—auditory, physical, and visual.
  • Reading to children is a fundamental activity in The Creative Way classroom. Listening helps to build a child’s vocabulary and understanding of the world.
  • By speaking and communicating frequently with adults and their peers, children will improve on their language and vocabulary skills. These conversations should happen regularly and frequently throughout the child’s day.
  • Observing helps to expand the child’s knowledge. The Creative Way classroom will provide a variety of things to observe, such as a plant growing or wheels turning to move an object.
  • Progressively increase the time children spend on a story or project to increase a child’s attention span. More time spent enhances children’s learning and increases the memory of what they have learned.

RESPONSIBLE AND EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY/INNOVATION

Most children are excited and motivated to learn when technology and interactive media is used in the classroom. Advances in technology and innovation in interactive media rapidly are transforming the way we communicate and use information in our homes, offices, and early childhood settings.

Research conducted by the U.S. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) determined that “when used intentionally and appropriately, technology and interactive media are effective tools to support learning and development. ”The effectiveness of technology and interactive media, as with other tools, depends on them being used appropriately, in the right way, under the right circumstances, by those skilled in their use. This means recognizing the developmental level of the child and being responsive to the cultural and social contexts in which they live. Technology and interactive media should be used as one of many options to support children’s learning. It should be used to expand children’s access to new content and skills—the focus should be on the activity and the knowledge, not on the technology. However, limitations on the use of technology and interactive media are also important. Screen time recommendations from public health organizations must be considered and a child’s time in front of a computer screen, TV, or other electronic media should be limited accordingly. This will require discussing with parents to understand how much screen time a child gets at home, in addition to what takes place in the classroom.

Technology and interactive media should enhance, not replace, creative play, exploration, physical activity, outdoor experiences, conversation, and social interactions. When using technology and interactive media, The Creative Way teachers have the responsibility to empower children to ask questions and think critically about the technologies and media they use. Teachers should ensure that there is no classroom access or children’s exposure to violence or inappropriate images on any of the digital tools. Teachers should continually seek new information and resources to effectively select, use, integrate, and evaluate technology and interactive media tools. Teachers need to stay current regarding the rapid changes in technology and the implications for use in The Creative Way program.

ASSESSMENT AND EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

As identified by the U.S. National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), “child assessment is a vital and growing component of high-quality early childhood programs.” It is both an important tool in understanding and supporting a child’s development and to document and evaluate program effectiveness. The Creative Way Early Childhood Education programs will employ assessment methods that are feasible, sustainable, and reasonable with regard to demands on teachers, parents, and the children. The assessment methods encouraged within The Creative Way programs fall under the category of “informal assessment methods.” Informal methods offer an approach to assessment that is also referred to as “authentic” or “naturalistic” assessments. These assessments evaluate children on tasks that are personally meaningful and take place in the classroom during actual planned activities that are naturally occurring instructional activities.

This informal assessment strategy offers a variety of ways of evaluating a child’s learning, as well as their motivation, achievement, and attitudes. Ways in which evidence of a child’s learning will be assessed will be through one or more of the following:

  • Observations
  • Portfolios
  • Teacher Ratings
  • Parent Perceptions/Ratings

Within The Creative Way classroom, progress toward mastery is the key, and content is mastered as a means, not an end. Therefore, assessments should be designed to be longitudinal, in order to identify baseline, the increment, and the levels of change that follow from learning experiences.

Assessing through observations fits the interactive style of curriculum practiced by The Creative Way programs. In such curriculum, give-and-take between teacher and child is the norm. Careful observation requires effort, yet doesn’t intrude on what children are doing in the classroom and allows for integration of all dimensions of a child’s development – social & emotional, language & communication, cognitive, and movement & physical. Observations should be supported with anecdotal notes to provide evidence and examples. The Creative Way teachers will be trained to set the framework for effective observations and objective, culturally neutral descriptions of observed behavior. Using an observation method of assessment also empowers teachers by recognizing their judgment as essential in the assessment process. A well-constructed portfolio system for collecting a child’s work over time helps to “tell the story” of the learner’s efforts, progress, and achievements. A portfolio of a child’s work provides credible, meaningful evidence of a child’s learning and development to teachers, parents, and the child. Portfolios provide an opportunity for children to participate in the assessment process. They can help select work that they would like to save, they can review the portfolio periodically to see the work they have done, and they can sit with the teacher or their parents and explain what is included in the portfolio. Conversations with children about the items in their portfolio often escalate their desire to demonstrate their increasing knowledge and skills. Sharing portfolios with parents can help the teacher keep parents abreast of what their child is doing and can serve as a tool for engaging parents and teachers in open dialog with concrete examples. Teacher ratings are a way to show a child’s development in terms of a scale and specific behavior descriptions – for example, ability to recognize the letter’s in his/her name; frequency of participation in group activities; ability to count by twos up to 10. Parent ratings can have the same benefits. Soliciting parent ratings has proven to be an excellent way to involve them in the assessment of their child’s performance. Requesting ratings from parents encourages them to observe and listen to their children and engage in interactions that replicate activities done in the classroom.

The Creative Way student assessments should satisfy the following criteria:

  • Assessments should not make children feel anxious or scared.
  • Information should be obtained over time.
  • Attempts should be made to obtain information on the same content area from multiple and diverse sources.
  • Assessments should measure real knowledge in the context of real activities.
  • Assessments should take place in the natural environment in which the behavior being evaluated occurs.
  • Assessments for purposes of program accountability should employ appropriate sampling methods whenever feasible.
  • Assessments should be conducted as a natural part of daily activities rather than as a time-added or “pullout” activity.