Some teachers seem to have a hard time conducting Center Time in a way that truly grants ownership of the learning to the children while still being present in an unobtrusive way.

Center Time, which should be given to one-third of your day (for a four-hour program that is 80 minutes!!!) is NOT free play in Centers while teacher does paperwork. It is a SHARED learning time in which children choose an area of work and teachers join them to observe, assess, offer facts and support as needed, and encourage thought process by asking open-ended questions as the children work.

Center Time can be divided into smaller increments of time depending on your schedule – two 40 minute sessions or three 25-minute sessions. Here’s a sample schedule for a four-hour program:

8:30 – 9:00 Teachers Stage Centers With Either Unit-Based or Open-Ended Experiences

9:00 Arrival, Stow Backpacks, Wash Hands

9:10 – 9:30 Morning Meeting/Circle Time

9:30 – 10:00 Center Time 1

10:00 – 10:20 Clean Up, Wash Hands, Snack

10:20 – 10:50 Playground

10:50 – 11:20 Center Time 2

11:20 – 11:40 Small Group Time

11:40 – Noon Whole Group Time – Music/Movement, Art, Literacy, Enrichment

Noon – 12:20 Lunch

12:20 – 12:40 Center Time 3

12:40 – 12:55 Reflection Meeting, Quiet Literacy

12:55 – 1:00 Dismissal

Teachers can set up all Centers or limit Center choice to three at a time. Children can move through centers either as they wish or teachers can limit number of children in each, depending on classroom space.

Another way for five-day programs to do Center Time is to use four days of your week for specific subject-matter skill building using whole group or large group sessions and reserve Friday for all day Center Time or a Whole Class Project.

Class: 3-4’s		Unit: Bees
What we’ll Learn/ How we’ll Learn	Monday Literacy	Tuesday Math	Wednesday Science	Thursday Social Studies	Friday Center Day
Manipulation	Bees and B’s	Bee Sorting	Bee Hives	Bee Families
Expression	Bee Music & Art	Bee Counting	Pollination	Bee Keepers
Sensory Operations	Bee Books	Finding the Queen	Honey	We Need Bees
Schemas/Movement	Buzzin’ Around	Bee Relays	Honey/Spoon Run	Our ‘Colony’

We use the term ‘readiness’ a lot in our business – usually when we talk about whether a child is ready for kindergarten, and sometimes at the end of the year when we help parents decide if their child needs to repeat the current year or move on to the next age group. Here are seven thoughts about making those decisions easier. 

NO SURPRISES! If you have been doing your job of observing and assessing during the school year, there should be no big surprises about which child may need to repeat the current class and if you have been keeping in close contact with parents about behaviors and needs all year, parents should not be blindsided by the suggestion of repeating.

They May Want to Kill the Messenger – there is ALWAYS a sense of disappointment in parents when they hear their child might not be ready to move on, so break this news as gently and respectfully as possible and take no offense if parents are angry at hearing it.

Stay or Go? If there is a question about repeating a year, remember the child has at least three months (sometimes more if this decision is made in the spring of the year) to mature and experience learning opportunities. They may catch on and even catch up over the summer break.

There are many factors to look at. The first questions to ask are: “Does this child have overwhelmingly obvious needs in any of the basic developmental spheres of Body, Mind, and Spirit?” “Does this child have a formal professional diagnosis of any delay, disability, or debilitating illness or syndrome?” and “Does this child exhibit behaviors on a constant basis that are harmful to the self, others, material/equipment, or to the learning process?” If the answer is yes to any of these, you and the parents will need to talk about retention.

The Academic Skills (Emergent Literacy, Math, Science, and Social Studies) are the ones that represent achievement in traditional school subjects. They must never be pushed on a child not ready for them and must always be achieved through active, real experiences that allow the child to use manipulation, expression, sensory operations, and schemas (movement). Though many parents and some educators feel these are the most important readiness skills, they come second to the Executive Skills. 

The Executive Functioning Skills are the ones that best determine success in school and life. They are:

Independence        The child can determine what is needed, retrieve it, use it, and replace it

Attention               The child can listen, focus, and pay attention for a developmentally appropriate time                                                                        

SARRA                 The child can select a work opportunity; take action in the work; repeat the work as needed; reflect on the       

work through all media, apply the skills to new work

Comprehension      The child can understand what is said and follow directions

Memory                 The child can recall and retain words, facts, and instructions

Speech                   The child can speak understandably, increase vocabulary, and have conversations

Self-Awareness      The child knows him/herself in terms of age, ability, physicality, family & humanness

Self-Esteem            The child has a positive view of him/herself, shows confidence, and is willing to try

Self-Control           The child can regulate his/her behavior

Self-Expression      The child can express feelings through art, music, role play, spoken/written words

These skills are gained through play, role play, problem-solving scenarios, work on group projects, memory and listening games, and opportunities during “Center Time” (which should be one-third of their day) for interaction, conversation, comparison, negotiation, laughter, and group movement with both teachers and other students. 

Both Executive Functioning Skills and Academic Skills must be assessed when deciding on retention, but without having the Executive Function Skills, it is harder for the child to gain the Academic Skills or to have successful future school experience.

I think there are some words used in early education that we need to remember, and those we need to change.

Remember these F Words explaining the reasons children may display what I’m now calling “unhelpful” behaviors (rather than bad, naughty, annoying, inappropriate):

• Food – hunger, over fullness, allergy, or poor nutrition
• Fear – actual or imagined fear of separation, home-sickness, loud noises, crowds, strangers, the teacher’s displeasure, aggressive classmates
• Frustration – anger or self-loathing when tasks, time, or toys are not developmentally appropriate (either too difficult or not challenging enough for their abilities)
• Fatigue – tiredness, physical discomfort, ill or coming down with illness
• Family – stressed/upset over family issues (big issues and what may seem like small ones, from parental problems to new sibling to moving to big kid bed to having had to eat their cereal from a bowl not of their choosing
• Function – behavior caused by any difference in learning or development or brain growth that may need professional diagnosis

Let’s change some of the terms we use to describe children. When there are behaviors going on that are making us rethink our chosen field, let’s assure our words describe the children’s actions rather than their personalities. Labelling children by personality traits may damage self-esteem and often causes them to take on the very traits described (the law of the self-fulfilling prophecy).

Instead of ‘shy’, use ‘quiet or discerning’; instead of ‘manipulative or sneaky’, use ‘able to figure out how to get things done or to get what they want”; instead of “just seeking attention’, think: ‘seeking a connection’; and to substitute ‘stole the classroom toys’, state factually, ‘took that toy home’.

Use a big, fat, stern, emphatic ‘NO!’ when a harmful behavior is happening or about to happen, but when you are refusing a request, take on a quiet, respectful tone and say, ‘no, the bikes are put away for the day’ or ‘sorry, the green paint is not available right now. When appropriate, instead of ‘no’, say ‘yes, when you have washed you hands you may have snack or yes, if you ask in a nice way, he may give you a turn.’

You don’t have to speak as if you live in Downton Abbey. Speak informally in a vernacular understood by the children. Use endearing nicknames and gentle teasing with the greatest respect. (“Mrs. B. called me Spider Man John today when I climbed the monkey bars!”)

Choose and use your words carefully for an increase in positive behaviors and look!

Positive Words Impact a Child’s Brain Development

Is the learning in your classroom all you want it to be? (Not the teaching, not the children’s behaviors, but the actual learning resulting from the process). The way I see it, there are four classes of learning: Unacceptable, Inadequate, Adequate, and AWESOME.

Unacceptable Learning is learning that results in inappropriate actions, emotions, or consequences, such as a child learning to hit because he is hit; learning to feel less competent because he is unable to gain skills or reach goals that are far above his level of ability; or a group of children learning to use misbehavior out of boredom or frustration.

Inadequate Learning is learning that does no meet or match a set of developmentally appropriate goals and learning that is of little or no use to the learner now or in the future.

Adequate Learning is learning that meets developmentally appropriate goals and is useful to the learner on a temporary basis (for a test, a performance, or a formal assessment).

Awesome Learning is learning that meets developmentally appropriate goals, is useful to the learner now and is useful to the learner as a foundation for further learning.

How do we engender Awesome Learning?

We create and maintain an environment of Safety. The children must be safe and free from any harm. They must be physically comfortable. They must feel safe emotionally – know they are respected, able to make mistakes in behavior or skills without fear of any repercussions (verbal comments or frowny-faces). They must feel warmth and humor from their teachers. And they must be safe educationally, being offered learning experiences and meeting goals that match their developmental levels.

We base our curriculum and learning experiences on child-interest and relevancy.

We give children ownership of their play and their behaviors.

We assess the learning they achieve by using their strengths to meet their needs.

So, the other day a wonderful teacher on one of the preschool teacher Facebook Groups I like to follow, had an epiphany or what I call a Helen Keller moment. Remember when Helen felt the cold water from the pump while her teacher, Anne Sullivan finger spelled the word ‘water’ in her hand and Ms. Keller understood the connection between those gestures and language? If you truly closely observe your children, you see these moments in the classroom too – the moment a child discovers meaning between what his senses are feeling and fact or language or thought.

This teacher asked her children to tell her what they wanted to learn about. This, in itself is not new. It is called child-centered planning or inquiry-based learning, but it is not used enough in early childhood education. Traditionally we’ve done this: the program sets goals for learning, the teachers plan experiences, the children ‘do’ the experiences, and teachers assess the learning.

That’s an ok way to teach (as long as we use DAP and NO WORKSHEETS, DESK WORK, 30 MINUTE TEACHER LECTURE and other inappropriate-for-preschool stuff).

BUT

The best learning comes when the children use SARRA:

Selection Make decisions about what interests them or choose what toy, center or experience they will work with

Action Take the initiative to work and play

Repetition Do the action over and over until they are comfortable with the learning gained

Reflection Recall and reinforce the learning by talking, singing, dancing, drawing, & hearing stories about it

Application Use that learning in appropriate, new, or original ways

AND

The best way to let SARRA happen is for us to change our traditional methods and do this: assure the program’s goals are developmentally accurate, give the children opportunities to share their interests, give teachers the materials they need to set up learning experiences that match the program goals, give the children time, freedom, and ample opportunity to use the methods of Movement, Manipulation/Creation, Sensory-Intelligence, Role Play, and Expression to gain optimal learning (SARRA) and teachers document the learning as it happens and make a formal assessment and plan for continuation of learning.

Now that’s the way to teach.

The difficulty for some of us comes with creating Learning (not lesson) Plans that show what the children will be offered to match the goals of learning. We plan by Learning Method (listed above) because we know these are the ways young children gain knowledge and skills best. The teacher who listed her children’s interests shared it online and it was wonderful. My favorite topics were Teapots, Corn Mazes, and Ketchup. I couldn’t resist planning some learning.

So

Tea

Corn

Ketchup

I’ve been trying to devise new ways for teachers to meet administrative mandates to show written documentation of their plans for children’s learning. Here are my thoughts:

2. Unfortunately, the priority in public school has come to be the equating of quality learning with high scores on standardized tests, use of inappropriate learning objectives, and strict, often unreasonable regulations for teacher accountability. I understand the need for accountability through documentation, but the emphasis in early education MUST be on the value of play, the need for child-centered experiences with child-ownership of the learning, and the use of DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice). This emphasis calls for planning that is Flexible.

3. What information does a learning plan need to document? I think what’s important to know about what’s happening in a classroom is that the teacher knows her children’s developmental levels and a program’s learning objectives and is providing experiences that match them using DAP. It is also helpful to know how the experience went or what the children learned from it. I think it is NOT IMPORTANT where (what center) the learning takes place, or the time it is happening, or the materials needed to make it happen.

4. I think it is important to list the Strengths to be gained from the learning, the Methods children use for high quality learning (Movement, Manipulation/Creation, Sensory Operations, Role Play, & Expression) rather than ‘subject areas’, a brief description of the Planned Experiences, and finally, an Assessment – a word or two about what was learned. The Assessment portion can be completed with the children as they reflect on what they learned, adding an element of reinforcement, ownership, and child-centeredness.

5. Teachers who plan strictly according to child-interest or project/inquiry-based learning rather than using traditional units can use the same template but will ask the children to help complete both the Planned Experiences and the Assessment. The template may be printed on an erasable write-on/wipe-off surface so it can be spontaneously altered as needed.

6. Learning Plans can be completed in either weekly or monthly formats depending on teacher or program preference.

7. So here is LEARNING PLAN that is FLEXIBLE and documents STRENGTHS & METHODS, PLANNED EXPERIENCES, and an ASSESSMENT of the learning that can be done in a weekly or monthly format. Included here are a blank template and a sample completed Lakemont Learning Plan:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/foqg2pg2kux5288/NEW%20LEARNING%20PLAN%20PROTOTYPE.pages?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8nhgjvvefy21fv/SAMPLE%20PROTOTYPE%20PLAN.pages?dl=0

Don’t make us ‘criss-cross-applesauce’. How we sit’s not a concern.

There is NO research matching how we sit with how we learn.

Don’t force us to make eye contact to prove we’re hearing you,

We are listening, looking, learning in everything we do.

Don’t put our names on that tri-colored wall behavior chart.

Don’t change our fifteen googly eyes when we make pumpkin art.

Don’t tattle to our moms and dads we “do not pay attention,”

Tell them how we smiled and sang! That’s what you need to mention.

Say more to us than how to work and act. Don’t make a fuss.

Let’s have real conversations. Just between you and us.

Do we wiggle? Yes, we wiggle! Do we interrupt and spin?

Of course we do. That’s how we learn! None of it’s a sin.

A good boss supervises her team to make sure their work is done right.

A good teacher supervises her children to make sure they are safe.

A boss makes rules to assure her team works according to the company’s plan for success.

A teacher makes rules to keep her children healthy and free from harm.

A boss has expectations that match the work to be done.

A teacher has expectations that match the needs of her children.

A boss insists that all team members achieve the company’s goals on time in the same way.

A teacher assists her children to meet logical developmentally appropriate milestones as each becomes ready.

A boss encourages her workers to achieve by offering promotions and raises in pay.

A teacher encourages her children to achieve by offering them experiences that motivate them to learn.

A boss measures output and results for the purpose of weeding out team members who are not performing well.

A teacher assesses both progress and need and uses each child’s strengths to meet their needs.

Are you a boss or a teacher?

I’ve been sharing information with Early Childhood Educators all over the world lately, and I am continually surprised at the innocence of their questions and requests for advice about what should be very simple logical issues in their classrooms.

Many of the teachers on Facebook and other internet groups ask for advice on behaviors that are absolutely normal and developmental, teaching techniques that should not be new to them, and issues that should have been covered in the most basic pre-employment training classes.

I understand the need for new teachers to be inquisitive, need support, and to reach out for assistance, but it worries me that either the training they have received or the employment standards of their program are in great need of overhauling and updating.

Here are some of the most basic basics in early ed:

Teaching children from birth to six is NOT like teaching in Big School – young children learn best (and sometimes ONLY) when they Move; Manipulate; Create; Use their Senses (see, feel, smell, hear, and yes, taste) to make conclusions about things, ideas, and facts; Role Play (imitate and imagine); and Express their learning through words and the Arts. They do NOT learn best (and sometimes not at all) from rote drill, one-dimensional, one-way worksheets, being made to stretch way beyond their attention span listening to the teacher, or being expected to behave well beyond their developmental levels.

You cannot be a fault finder, a ‘my way or the highway’ professor, a googly eyes on their art adjuster, a readiness before they are ready pusher, or an eye-rolling critique of behavior judge.

You need to keep them safe physically and emotionally; sit on the floor and play WITH them; sit at the table and eat WITH them; listen to, respect, and post their words; CHANGE NOTHING THEY MAKE/DO TO SUIT YOUR IDEA OF WHAT IS “RIGHT”; react firmly to unsafe behaviors but let the little stuff like nose picking, table manners, interrupting, not listening, not participating in whole group stuff GO!

You need to be a protector, a respecter, a cheerleader, a community builder, an observer, an A+ student of child development, a poopy pants changer, a glitter scraper, a laugher, and a stage setter of developmentally appropriate learning experiences to be a good early educator.

Ask for advice, observe the best teachers in your program, take classes, and then relax and love it. I do.

Here we are, post-pandemic for the most part, feeling either relief or fatigue but ready to begin another year of preschool, daycare, Head Start, or Kindergarten. We’ve done things this past year we never dreamed we’d have to do as far as finding innovative ways to reach children and families, creating ways to keep the littlest of learners safe and healthy, spending extra hours of classroom and personal hours disinfecting materials & equipment, working in bubbles, and explaining to parents the ‘new normal’ of early education.

We deserve to be proud of what we accomplished during the pandemic on behalf of the children we serve and extremely proud of the learning that took place in preschool programs all over the country. Though many experts may talk and write about a “lost year” in education, I choose to believe that there will be little regression in development and no great deal of loss of acquisition of skills for children from birth to six. Like chameleons who grow a new tail when they lose their original one, very young children will be able to continue their development and growth not only because of their own innate desire to learn but because good early childhood educators use developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) which means we not only ‘Teach ‘Em the Way They Learn’, but also ‘Begin Where They Are’ no matter where that is.

There may be some loss of attention span, some backtracking on hygiene skills, and some hesitation to separate from parents, but for the most part your children will be happy to be out of home and back in school. Many programs did not have to close completely; many did distance-learning (an extremely difficult way to connect with under-sixes in a meaningful way because of the lack of the human factor in person); and some programs made only physical health precautions, but continued to offer in-person learning experiences onsite.

And now that we are returning to ‘normal’, are there things we learned that may help us do an even better job than we did before Covid? Yep.

Hygiene – we know the importance of taking care of hand washing, diapering, covering sneeze/coughs, and strictly following program protocol on illnesses BY THE BOOK and we know how to make these seemingly tedious tasks into learning experiences and how to be firm with parents (and sometimes administrators) when there is a need for a child to be sent home from school.

Using Individual Work Spaces – the use of personal sets of materials and trays on tables or hula hoops on the floor is a method that can continue for learning about ownership of and responsibility for materials and reduces the need to remind children to “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” and encourages children to respect the work of others.

Minimalism – we learned that classrooms should be designed with as much open space as possible and that we do not need EVERY toy, puzzle, manipulative, block, dress up prop, animal action figure, doll or car/ramp to be displayed EVERY day. A minimal look is good and the fewer items children see or must choose from, makes the learning more specific and the action of play less chaotic.

Outdoor Learning – we believe more in using outdoor areas as learning centers and will be bringing more traditionally indoor materials & equipment outside. Every ‘center’ that can be set up inside, can be created outside. Here are some great ways to do this:

https://www.kaplanco.com/ii/outdoor-classroom-for-preschoolers

https://www.virtuallabschool.org/preschool/learning-environments/lesson-3

https://www.prekprintablefun.com/blog/create-outdoor-learning-spaces

Teacher Confidence – I think the best ‘outcome’ of this past year in early ed is that teachers and administrators truly learned that they are strong, smart, creative, inventive, patient, and highly capable. We persevered, keeping our program children and their families safe and healthy; keeping ourselves healthy; and doing a magnificent job in providing excellence in quality learning. Let’s do it again.