After much consideration and review, I realized I had omitted a very important part of a good Learning Plan – the SPARKS!

Sparks are what I call the catalysts, special material or events, and most importantly, the open-ended questions teachers ask children to ignite their curiosity and interest in expanding their learning to new heights.

Sparks might be books, field trips, guest speakers, class or program-wide projects, but again, most importantly, the encouraging questions (‘How did you do or make that? What would happen if? and What else can you do with that?’ sorts of questions).

Check out the new prototypes.

Learning Plan Prototype with Descriptors

Learning Plan Prototype Blank

Learning Plan Prototype Sample

I’ve been working on streamlining a weekly plan that would be:

• Appropriate for COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE use of DAP (best for the children)
• Less time-consuming and angst-producing for teachers to complete
• Adaptable to any early education curriculum
• Acceptable to any program administrator or licensing inspector

I’m offering a prototype for your judgment and comment. The basic guidelines for my plan are these:

It is NOT a “LESSON” plan, but a LEARNING plan. “Lesson” connotes more of a traditional teacher-based document showing what the teacher will create, use, do, be judged by, and “TEACH”.  It’s not the teaching, but the learning that is most crucial, and this cannot be planned. The learning will differ with each child and each child must be given ownership of and respect for that learning.

A LEARNING PLAN should describe for parents and admins WHAT the children will learn and HOW they will learn it. It does not matter WHERE the learning happens and it is not essential to show how the teacher is going to make the learning happen or what specific materials and equipment she will use.

The “what” on the plan should show the Strength Expectations (educational objectives, learning goals, milestones, whatever you call them – as long as they are absolutely developmentally appropriate) that lead to optimum development in Body, Mind, and Spirit – the Whole Child.

The “how” on the plan gives a BRIEF description of the experiences to be offered in the six Learning Methods of young children. Those Learning Methods are:

• Movement –  Gross Motor and Large Muscle Development
• Sensory Operations – Using the 5 Senses and Processing those Sensations Intellectually
• Manipulation – Fine Motor and Small Muscle Development
• Construction – Planning, Building, Deconstructing, and Rebuilding
• Role Pay – Using Imitation and Imagination
• Expression – Using Art, Drama, Music, Spoken and Written Word to Express Concepts

It is important to include a reinforcement of the learning through the parent-teacher partnership with an active and developmentally appropriate “homework assignment” for the family.

So saying all of this, please take a look at the prototypes – a plan with descriptors and a sample plan for Toddlers at the links below, and send me some feedback.

Strength-Based Learning Plan Descriptors

Strength-Based Learning Plan Farm

Giggles Is Good!                              

There is little that is more important than the creation of a warm, welcoming, and positive atmosphere for learning by laughing, smiling, and relaxing, and encouraging this in the children. Appropriate laughter feels good, causes the body to relax, and the brain to work more smoothly.  Appropriate laughter makes learning occur more quickly and with higher quality than rote memory methods of learning in an atmosphere of pressure and boredom.

Development of a sense of humor is an important cognitive strength expectation. The understanding, appreciation, and creation of humor is a builder of intelligence, so teaching with and modelling humor assist in accomplishing the mission of the curriculum. Human beings with good appropriate senses of humor are more intelligent, well-rounded, and successful. Don’t just take my word for it:

• http://intellokids.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-post_22.html
• http://www.nea.org/tools/52165.htm
• https://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-humor-in-the-classroom-maurice-elias

The ‘trick’ on humor and laughter is to make sure the fun is good-natured and positive and is never aimed at humiliating a child or disrespecting his family. If your children are not laughing and smiling during their time with you and if you are not appropriately laughing and smiling during your time with them, take a close look at the environment you have created and make any changes needed to create emotional safety for every child through warmth and humor.   

Rhythm & Rhyme & Harmony (see Dobie Gray 1973 & Uncle Kracker 2003 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_eVcCAUXo                                                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8itvQSruCE                                                                            Music and rhythm makes the brain work more smoothly so humorous music is one way to boost both intellectual and emotional skills. Give the children opportunities to listen to, learn, sing, and create silly songs. Put new words to familiar tunes or use the ones compiled in Jean Warren’s “Piggyback Songs” series (Amazon.com). We used to sing “Let’s All Go  to the Potty” (Let’s All Go to the Lobby – from movie theaters long ago); and “We’re goin’ to the chapel and we’re gonna’ praise Jesus” to the tune of “Chapel of Love (Dixie Cups – not Chicks, 1963) to move our twos and threes along the way to transitions. We also sang ‘Gravity is workin’ on me, gravity is workin’ on me. It’s what keeps me down so I don’t float around, yes gravity is workin’ on me! (But I cannot remember what tune we ‘stole’).

Change the words to traditional games to fit units of study – Duck, Duck, Goose can be used for any unit: A, A, A, B!; Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Green!;  Circle, Circle, Circle, Square!  “The Farmer in the Dell” can become The Firefighter fights the fire, with verses about climbs the ladder, puts on the heavy boots, drives the truck, etc. “I’m going to Paris (or Grandma’s) and in My Trunk I’m Going to Pack. . .” can be played with names of vegetables, animals, tools, & whatever words fit your theme. Ask, ‘Can an elephant fit in a trunk?’ and talk about how funny that would be and how funny that there are 2 kinds of trunks.

Chants and cheers are another great way to use rhythm, rhyme and laughter to increase learning. Name Spelling – T-H-O-M-A-S! Thomas, Thomas, you’re the best! or Robert, Robert, What Do You Say? Where Are You Gonna’ Work Today?  or instead of “teaching” the calendar, introduce each day with singing (you pick a tune) ‘Today is Monday! Let’s have a fun day. So glad you’re here!’ (Tuesday – what will you choose today or share good news today, with each child sharing something good about self, friend, or family; Wednesday – please hug your friends today; Thursday – it’s New Words day; and Friday – it’s Pizza Pie day. (We order pizza for lunch once a week).

Don’t be afraid to be silly, sing out, dance, and share laughter with your children. If giggles get out of hand, model some relaxing techniques or move on to a quiet activity. You may feel a bit embarrassed at first, but you and your children will feel good, you will have created a great emotional environment for learning, and that learning will be so much better than the learning done by rote memory, worksheets, and desk-sitting.

STANDARDIZED TESTING STINKS!

Boy, it felt good to stay that. There is no valid reason for performing rigorous standardized testing for assessment of child progress toward attainment of academic goals on children under the age of eight. Whew! That one felt great to say, too.

The purpose of TESTING seems to have become determination of what is wrong – with the child, the teacher, and the school. The purpose of Assessment is to measure progress toward developmentally appropriate goals and to use that measurement to continue or improve the progress.

To assess child progress, I suggest the following:

Remember that you are assessing child progress, NOT the child himself. Remove all traces of ‘behaviorism’ (that prejudice we teachers quite humanly have for biters and block tossers). We assess the acquisition of skills and the progress of growth to see if THE GROWTH is slow, steady, or accelerated so we can make plans for offering each child what he needs to progress in his own best way.

Know what you’re looking for. Make sure the goals set up for skill & concept acquisition are developmentally appropriate for the children. Then make sure you totally agree with and are completely familiar with them.

Use Unbiased Observation which is an examination of fact without color, judgment, personal feeling, or personal experience.  An observation states what a child does, not what a teacher thinks or feels about what he does.  Teachers must never make judgments about a child’s strengths or needs based on anything but facts, and we must never formally diagnose or label a child’s needs.

Use Active Listening which calls for:

• An emotional environment that invites expression
• A schedule which allows for expression
• Respect for each child and his methods of expression
• Undivided and undistracted attention to individual expression
• Eye Contact           
• Attempts to understand or translate the expression
• Repeating of the expression or statement
• Reacting to the expression with respect, question, or unbiased comment
• Recording the expression or statement if it is valuable as documentation

Recognize Learning when you see or hear it. Sometimes we are so intent on looking for proof of a specific goal that we overlook the things the children do and say that show the proof is right there! When a child says something like, “I not ready. I only have one cloe.” or when you ask if he has to pee pee and he says, “Only just one pee”, the child is proving he understands the grammatical rule of plurality and the mathematical rule of ‘one’ denoting singularity. If a child is trying to balance a triangular block on its tip, but it keeps falling, and you ask her about if or how it might be done, and she says, “It CAN do it, but I can’t do it this day”, she’s proving she has understanding of basic geometry and shape and balance – and that she has a great attitude of hopefulness. If a child says, “I got 0 brothers – not the ABC O, the counting 0″, he’s showing both alphabetic and mathematical aptitude”, and if a child points to a playmate of a different race and says, “We are same-same because we hold brown to peachy hands when we swing”, she understands the intellectual concept of same and different and the socially ideal skills of love and respect.

Document what you see and hear with post-it notes, your phone, your camera, etc., place this in each child’s portfolio, and transfer them to your program’s formal Assessment Tool. This documentation accompanied by work samples and communication with parents should provide the information needed to plan for learning experiences that will increase, continue, or enhance progress.