Have you ever wondered "what comes before being able play with friends at recess" or what skills children need to pass the "3rd grade reading guarantee"? In this episode, I explore how we can better understand how children...get from here to there...in terms of early development and learning.
This episode is for you if you've ever wondered...
Lastly, this episode is also for you if you are interested in learning how to use an authentic curriculum-based assessment, the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming, System (AEPS), to help you tackle these complex questions.
Episode includes a free download, which is an an infographic depicting the three types of sequences: developmental, pedagogical, and logical. You can request the free download at https://prekteachandplay.com/podcast26
In this episode, I continue the discussion into why circle time, and most other large group activities, just doesn't serve us in the way we would hope.
Spoiler alert! It has to do with children's interest...
And as always, after we admire the problem for a bit, I offer a number of suggestions on how to make activities and experiences, like circle time, optimal for learning, including:
In this episode, Laura Fish and I continue the conversation about teaching with the brain in mind by going deeper into mindfulness…a word we hear tossed around with a great deal of regularity these days.
It is our hope that through this conversation, early educators will see the complexity and the simplicity of mindfulness concepts and practices.
Meaning…we hope to help show how mindfulness in EC isn’t a fad, or something we “just add to part of our routine”….and how mindfulness is more than a spiritual concept …it is in truth…a set of practices, which closely align to many quality care and educational practices that have a rich tradition in our field.
We also dig into how mindfulness is a key part of building children’s brains and how we can create and embed opportunities throughout our daily routine. This is an episode you aren’t going to want to miss.
Why do we see calendar time as a key part of many preschool routines? My colleague Dr. Jennifer Grisham-Brown argues, it's a habit. A habit that we should break. In this episode fellow #ECE {r}evolutionaries Jen Davis, Jolene Chavez, and Alicia Frost explore the "timely" topic of calendar time.
We all face resistance...and at times...demonstrate resistance. But when trying to get to a change in practice, what do we do when resistance is not in the best interest of those we serve? In this episode three tips are shared for how to use your superpowers in the face of resistance.
Guest Laura Fish joins Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak to talk about how to support teachers in their efforts to promote learning through the lens of interpersonal neurobiology. Strategies for keeping the brain in mind, particularly during large group pre-k activities, are discussed. A free download is available to aid teachers in self-reflection and to incorporate evidence-based practices during circle time.
In this episode, I clarify the difference between when a child needs something and when they want something. Clarifying the difference between a need and a want leads to stronger relationships with children and fosters growth and learning.
In this episode, several key themes regarding what to do when children struggle or when development and learning have stalled related to counting are discussed. Issues of children’s expose to stressors and the impact stressors have on their ability to count are also shared.
Author, researcher, and inclusion expert, Dr. Jennifer Grisham-Brown, shares what is meant by blended practices. During the interview, Dr. Grisham-Brown also shares critical messages covered in her latest book, "Blended Practices for Teaching Children in Inclusive Settings, 2nd Edition", real-life success stories, and few tips you can put into practice immediately.
Pre-K Teach and Play podcast episode about how an "open" snack policy transformed relationships and routines in an inclusive classroom. Tips and teaching considerations are shared. Learn more at http://prekteachandplay.com.
Do you share my love/hate relationship with circle time? I know the benefits of gathering all members of a community...but I also struggle with "group starts" and "group starts."
In this episode, we explore how circle time can be a choice, and where everyone wins!
Becoming self-aware of our habits...the good, bad, and ugly ones...helps us engage in more intentional teaching and decision-making.
So why are "bad" habits so hard to break and "good" ones so hard to create? What are some habits we need in delivering effective services to children and families and what are some we can let go of?
In this Pre-K Teach & Play podcast episode I share where this mantra originated and how planning, delivering, and revising instruction can be strengthened when we realized that every child is a triangle.
Special episode! An interview with Janice Fialka, a nationally-recognized lecturer, author, and advocate on issues related to disability, parent-professional partnerships, inclusion, and raising a child with a disability. Learn more Janice’s book What Matters: Reflections on Disability, Community, and Love at http://www.danceofpartnership.com.
Today’s episode is especially for those who are moving into a new classroom, serving new children, and for those who have set a goal that this year...their classroom will be more peaceful and less chaotic.
What's your superpower? Not sure?
Here are five fabulous tips for unleashing the superpowers within you, within others, and throughout your community.
Does the following scenario sound familiar?
You're playing with a child who has been coming to preschool for the last two years, and when you ask, "How many are there?"...the child always says...2, 3, 5, 8!
No one wants to think about delivering PD to students, staff, or colleagues, who are rolling their eyes, shaking their heads, and sighing heavily....
No one wants to offer PD with the knowledge that it will have little to no impact...
BUT, what if it could be different?
Have you ever wondered...why you need a vacation from your vacation?
In today’s episode my goal is to help unlock a secret to how you can feel renewed, with or without and vacation...and no, it doesn’t mean you have to leave the kids at home.
We all wish it were easier right?
Helping children during the middle of a meltdown!
What we wouldn't give for a magic wand or on-demand wizard who could help prevent outbursts and help children control their impulses.
Well, it's not as easy as waiving a magic wand, but it's also not as hard as it might feel. In fact, our <strong>every day actions, questions, and comments</strong> can help children <strong>become more self-regulated</strong>, and to regain a more <strong>neutral emotional state</strong> after they've had a meltdown.
In today’s podcast I explore a simple, but effective way to intentionally teach a “soft skill” like self-regulation, using what we call, Power Packs™.
Serving groups of children with diverse abilities just got a bit more doable.
Reach for the Stars (RFTS), Planning for the Future has been revised and it is better than ever.
Authors, Diane and Jennifer have masterfully blended the ideas of person-centered planning, family-centered practices, and tiered instruction into a series of maps that serve as a guide to help families of young children plan and transition during critical periods.
I love visiting pre-K classrooms and watching amazing brain architects hard at work, but was fed up with all the clutter in classrooms, as well as toys and materials so broken and boring they hadn't been touched in years! So I created Pre-K Teach & Play Classroom Clean Sweep™, a process that helps early educators create learning environments that are more accessible, more engaging, and more fun!
In today's episode, I'm talking to you about solutions to what I see as an approach to assessment that really favors fear, punishment, standardized tests, and even making high stakes decisions that are based on bio scores, which often lack validity.
I’ve also created a quick printable for you, which illustrates all of the solutions I'll be talking about today.
As we identify these solutions, we are going to start at the systems level, and we're going to work our way to the building or agency level, and then to the classroom, where we often, to be honest, have the most power and control.
Today's episode is for those who are, or those who have not yet realize they are perfectionist. Today, we'll explore the consequences of our efforts to be perfect as it relates particularly to children's learning and development. Let's dive in and explore the hidden traps of being an early educator who's also a perfectionist.
Development and learning tend to follow typical or expected progressions. For example, our brains develop from the brain stem up, we develop from the inside of our bodies out, and we go from externally controlled, to internally controlled.
When children struggle to develop or learn, taking a look at where they fall across developmental progressions, may help us discover how best to support them.
In today's episode, we explore several developmental progressions, which can help guide our instructional efforts for children who are struggling. Also, be sure to download this episode's printable, which provides a visual of the 7 progressions.