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.

 

 

Prior blog talked about the importance of allowing your children access to their security items during the hours of preschool/day care attendance. The main reasons for this are to provide each child with the safety of personal security; to respect the child’s self esteem and his personal developmental level; to give each child ownership of his emotions; and to increase appropriate behaviors, because:

• You take my passie, it makes me sassy!
• You take my blankie, it makes me cranky!

I know ALL the reasons teachers have for not allowing toys, blankets, pacifiers, and bottles in the classroom. Distracting, too young for that, gets lost and parent gets mad, don’t have time or energy to keep up with fifteen or twenty little possessions, ya da ya da ya da.

So  – Some Laws for Lovies

1. Parents are informed up front that lovies are welcome if parents assist you by marking them with child’s name; understanding and reinforcing the Lovey Laws; understanding that sometimes lovies get lost.
2. Lovies are kept in each child’s cubby, personal belonging space, or classroom safe space, and only come out when a child needs comforting – this is determined by the child in behavior or words. You will be surprised at how this works as the child’s comfort level increases.
3. Teachers will make the emotional environment warm and respectful at all times so there is less opportunity for stress.
4. Teachers will make the educational environment stimulating and interesting – even fun – so children will be busy learning and need fewer stress reducers.
5. Teachers will pay attention to children and NOTICE when the child is NOT using the lovey. No need for an “I told you so” attitude, but just a statement of fact like, “Look at you singing all the words with us.” or “You used both hands to build that castle.” If you think a gentle & respectful reminder is needed, you can say something like a really neat grandma I met told me: “Sorry, Katie. Grandma doesn’t speak Passie-Talk.”

To Wean or Not to Wean

1. Pacifiers – NO. It is not our ‘call’ on when a child gives up his pacifier. The decision belongs to the child’s needs, the parent, the pediatrician, pediatric dentist, or speech therapist.
2. Baby Bottles – MAYBE. Still not our call, but a teacher may make a suggestion to a parent on this IF the bottle is a full time lovey and other children begin to emulate this and backtrack from using a cup.
3. Sippy Cups – Should be available all day, filled with water only because children’s brains (and ours) need hydration to relax and learn.
4. Baby Blankets – NO. the only concern with blankets is if they impede a child’s movement.
5. Toys From Home – Unless is it truly brought for security and comfort, LIMIT these to 1 small item only but see that it is stored and ‘used’ with the same procedures as other lovies.

Lovies are what some of us call pacifiers, blankets, & other items young children use to create security when they are feeling stress, or what I call the 4 F’s: Food, Fear, Frustration, and Fatigue.

Over my 40 years in the business, I have seen a wide variety of these items from the usual baby blanket or bottle, pacifier, or stuffed animal to the more unique – pillows, stress balls, a bag of cotton balls, the ear (just the ear) of a grandma-made terry cloth bunny rabbit, and various pieces of mommy’s lingerie.

If you’re honestly and earnestly using DAP (and I hope you are) you do not snatch these things away at school under the misguided belief that a child is ‘too old’ for them. Removing them or denying access to them during the day is not developmentally appropriate, not “TEACHING”, and not nice.

Good teachers understand the need for lovies and set up a system that gives each child access to his security item when THE CHILD feels the need to have it. This supports the positive emotional environment in the classroom needed for each child to feel safe, and in education, it is SUCCESS OF THE SAFEST.

It is a known fact that reduction of stress makes the behaviors in a classroom better for students and teachers, so why increase stress by removing security?

Of course, many teachers will say these things are disruptive, annoying to keep up with, unattractive, and cause dependency – WRONG! Even toddlers can learn to put their lovey in their cubby as long as they are assured of access when THEY feel the need.

How do you handle stress? Remember this:

I’m a little human. Like you, I am real. I deserve to feel what big humans feel.

When you’re on edge or sad or sleepy, what do you need so you’re not so weepy?

Chocolate? Coffee? Ice cream, maybe? When I need my lovey, I’m not being ‘a baby’!

 

Next Blog: Lovies Part 2 – To Wean or Not to Wean?

 

Fellow Teachers (and any Preschool Parents reading) – I share this information because we all care for our children and because after 48 years of experience and 3 big fat degrees in Early Education, I know it to be true.

When we think about the question: “Is This Child Ready for School?”, some of us tend to think in terms of academic skills like reciting the alphabet and recognizing numbers, but when it comes to REAL readiness for Kindergarten, the most important ABC’s and Three R’s are these:

A     All by Myself  Can this child dress, open food containers and eat without help?

B     Bathroom/Hygiene  Can this child find the bathroom and take care of the entire potty process without assistance?

C     Communication  Can this child ask for help if needed and communicate his needs to the right adult?

These are the most basic needs for Big School Survival. Many children come with brains full of letters and numbers, but cannot tie their shoes, snap their pants, find the bathroom (and use it for every step of the process from pants down to hands washed) or know which adult to turn to if help is needed for eating, toileting, or safety issues.

On my son’s first day at Kindergarten, he had been reading for two years but could not tie his shoes or hold a pencil, fell soundly asleep every day at Noon, and twice, TWICE put a lego up his nose. His teacher, who knew of his gift for literacy, asked him to accompany an injured child to the school nurse – by himself.

When he told me about this at home, I said, “Geeze T., how did you do that?” He said, “I just held her hand and we walked all over the school until I saw the letter ‘C’ for ‘Clinic’.” I went to his school the next day and explained to the teacher that she was lucky he hadn’t taken the child out of school, down the street to his mama’s office in the preschool, and asked for the first aid kit.

Because a child has a singular gift for academic skills, does not mean he is ready for being responsible, thinking clearly and using adult reasoning skills.

The Old 3 R’s of Readin’, Writin’, and ‘Rithmetic are hugely important to a child’s success in school, but they are NOT the first skills of readiness. These are:

Relaxation          Can this child calm himself when upset, frightened, or frustrated?

Regulation          Can this child listen to and understand basic rules and then regulate his behavior most of the time to follow those rules?

Reasoning           Does this child have common sense and the capability to figure things out by logic, deduction, and cause & effect so if unknown or unexpected experiences present themselves, he or she can make simple, logical, safe decisions?

These are the skills I urge you to practice in relaxing, non-threatening, real ways – NO FLASH CARDS, NO TABLETS, NO BRAINIAC READING PROGRAMS – but a gentle building of the life skills your child will need to make his way into and through BIG School.

A Young Child’s Sense of Fairness

As siblings & cousins in the 60’s, we had hundreds of fights about who’d sit in the front seat of the woody station wagon (riding shotgun), who called DIBS! on the last meatball, or who had possession of the Silly Putty before the other ten of us.

Teachers of young children deal with these situations in which they’re asked to arbitrate differences of opinion, ownership, and fairness on a daily basis. We talk a lot about “sharing” and teachers often ask me about “teaching” sharing. I put quotes around both words because, WE DO NOT “TEACH” “SHARING”!!!

To a young child, sharing means using something at the same time as someone else or giving up something to another child. To the child, this is neither possible or right. We don’t TEACH sharing, we let the children LEARN the concept and practice of TURN TAKING. Taking turns is a concept of justice most children can more easily understand and put into action.

They learn it through the safety of the emotional environment of warmth, humor, respect, kindness, and a realistic sense of community set up by the teacher; through a teacher’s offering of experiences in which turn taking is useful, expected, and ‘praised’ by word, gesture, facial expression, and reinforcement; through the use of inanimate objects like clocks and timers; and through an attitude of calm, natural, realism.

Young children are naturally self-centered (not selfish!) because of the limits of their development. They see themselves as the bull’s-eye in the target of life and as they experience more of the outer circles of their environment – family, extended family, neighborhood, nature, and school – they begin to pick up on and practice the skills of noticing others, wanting to make friends, and showing concern and empathy.

We all know the reality of the THAT’S NOT FAIR!! tantrum. Keep in mind that child development experts tell us that the Toddler’s favorite word is MINE; the Two spends 6 months saying, NO; that Threes are sociable but easily hurt by perceived injustice; and Fours will fight to the death for the preservation of ownership of the purple crayon with the glitter in it.

The other very necessary reality is the attitude of “TOUGH BEANS”. All children need to learn they cannot grab all the duckies in the water table, always be Line Leader, or exclude others from the sandbox. They learn this from teachers who can say “Aw, too bad, Thomas. Melissa has the red truck now” and who can relax about the resulting displeasure this may bring. They learn it when the teacher can provide sufficient materials so a child can be distracted to a similar object and they learn it best within a developmentally appropriate emotional environment in which warmth, humor, respect, kindness, and realism are practiced daily.

Remember the Preschool Popsicle Day Motto:

You get what you get and you don’t fuss a bit.

Lakemont is the curriculum our program is trying out (and continually editing, adding to, and altering like a child with a big lump of play dough). My last blog introduced it, and this one gives you an idea of how it is different from other curricula.

Lakemont is:

• Constructed on an original Curricular Continuum (see below) illustrating the learning process moving through Evidence of Child Development, Expectations for learning, Environments of physical, emotional, and educational safety, Experiences that are child-centered and designed for purposeful play; Execution of those experiences based on the Human Factor and Developmentally Appropriate Practice; and Evaluation of child progress and program quality based on the premise that Strengths will meet Needs.
• Based on the evidence of the most well-known and respected theories and research on child development and learning, but is an Eclectic blend allowing for Elasticity in planning for distinctive family and community types, specific program missions, teaching style preferences, and most importantly, individual child learning methods. Lakemont can be used by any program and specifically includes an addendum for use by faith-based programs.
• Emphasizes that young children learn best by play which includes the methods of Movement, Sensory Operations, Manipulation, Construction, Role Play, and Expression and must be designed through SARA, in which each child must be able to Select, take Action, actively Reflect upon, and Apply his/her learning.
• Mandates inclusion of and emphasis on:

Literacy in all areas of learning                                                                             Family in all areas of learning, planning, policies, and assessment                   Problem-Solving in the form of daily or weekly challenges                                     Humor as a strength of development, an element of the emotional   environment, and a vital teaching method

• Emphasizes a philosophy of “Success of the Safest” by mandating the careful creation and continuous maintenance of safe environments with respect to:

A physical environment in which each child is kept healthy, and free from harm
An emotional environment that builds realistic self-esteem and a sense of community
An educational environment whose organization includes:

Staff professionalism and training in child development & learning research
Settings designed, arranged, and organized developmentally
Systems of organized but flexible planning yearly, monthly, and daily

• Mandates the exclusive use of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, and emphasizes that it is the Learning, not the Teaching, that must be uppermost in the process
• Suggests the use of a system of individual child assessment of progress and need that uses each child’s STRENGTHS to meet his NEEDS; mandates inclusion of parent input in planning; and calls for a minimal use of formal standardized testing formats.

Lakemont Curricular Continuum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been seeing questions from a few teachers asking about what curriculum or what approach they should be using in their preschool classrooms. There are no easy answers because there are many excellent traditional curricula and many wonderful new trends (See two of my old blogs: Mambo #5, parts 1 and 2).

At our school we are using Lakemont, a research-based but “homemade” and unpublished curriculum we think includes everything a teacher who truly believes in the proven evidence of child development and truly uses DAP exclusively in his/her classroom would want. Here’s some basic info on Lakemont:

The Mission is to foster optimum natural development of growth in Body, Mind, and Spirit in children from birth to five years of age by offering them developmentally appropriate experiences in an environment of physical, emotional, and educational safety and to evaluate the progress of that development using each child’s strengths to meet his and her needs.

The Rationale for the creation of the curriculum is to offer early childhood educators a comprehensive but simple research and experience-based guide to use to accomplish the mission.

The Principles are:

• Optimal learning in young children takes place through Movement, Sensory Operations, Manipulation of appropriate materials, Construction, Role Play, and Expression in ways of their own choosing in an atmosphere of physical, emotional, and educational safety
• Every child is good simply by the act of existing and as such, deserves the opportunity to grow, develop, and reach his and her optimal natural strength potential
• Every family deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and with great regard for its integral role in each child’s education
• Every adult working with the children must be knowledgeable in the areas of child development and brain research and must use only developmentally appropriate practice
• Every program administrator must be aware of the needs of children, families, and staff and do all he or she can to create an environment that both inspires and supports the accomplishment of the Mission

The Creation of Lakemont was inspired by the editor’s examination and interpretation of the most workable and relevant theories of well-regarded child development specialists, specifically the work of Gesell’s Ames and Ilg; the learning theories of Dewey, Dodge, Malaguzzi, Montessori, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Weikart; tested and current research in brain growth and learning; the most practical and adaptable techniques of respected educators; by local, State, and National accreditation and licensing standards; the editor’s years of education, training, experience, and expertise; and with invaluable input from past and present teachers of the Winter Park Presbyterian Church Preschool Program in Winter Park, Florida.

Next Blog: What Makes Lakemont Unique