Eight Essential Techniques for Teaching with Intention


Book Description

In her latest book, bestselling author Ann Lewin-Benham describes eight techniques that foster intentional and reflective classroom practice. She presents over 70 novel exercises to help teachers learn to use body, face, hands, voice, eyes, and word choices to precisely convey meaning. Some exercises are for teachers to practice, while others build intention and reflection in children. Dozens of scenarios from typical classroom situations contrast unintentional and intentional teaching behaviors. A self-assessment enables teachers to measure how intentional and reflective they become as they learn to use the eight techniques. This lively and often humorous resource is a companion to Lewin-Benham’s Twelve Best Practices for Early Childhood Education, which explains what to teach and why. This new book explains how to teach. Book Features: Shows teachers how to incorporate the body’s micro-actions in their teaching.Presents “mindfulness” techniques, the leading edge in psychotherapy.Includes scenarios that show the impact words have on children.Explains the relation between up-to-the-minute brain research and the techniques presented.Unpacks the effectiveness of the Reggio Approach to teaching. “Whether you have never stepped into a classroom as a teacher, or whether (like me) you have taught various subjects at various ages for decades, you cannot fail to learn from this book.” —From the Foreword by Howard Gardner, professor of cognition and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education “With her eight essential techniques, Lewin clearly and beautifully captures the essence of the decisionmaking dynamics from which effective teaching and learning environments emerge.” —Carol Brunson Day, Board President 2014–2016, NAEYC




Teaching with Intention


Book Description

"I believe in the power of collaborative classroom communities where everyone's ideas are valued and respected. But had you been in my classroom that day, you'd have never known it. You'd have thought I believed that I was the one with all the answers." Effective, intentional teaching begins with a strong set of beliefs, but even the best teachers -- including Debbie Miller -- struggle to make sure that their classroom practice consistently reflects their core convictions. In Teaching with Intention, Debbie shares her process of defining beliefs, aligning practice, and taking action to ensure that children are the true beneficiaries of her teaching. As Peter Johnston writes, "Through this book we have Debbie's teaching mind on loan. She engages us in the details of a teaching life from inside her mind, showing the thinking behind her teaching and the consequences of her actions." While Debbie's previous book, Reading with Meaning, chronicled a year in her own classroom, Teaching with Intention brings us into classrooms of teachers and children she has met over the last five years in her work as a literacy consultant. From setting up the classroom environment to the intentional use of language, from comprehension instruction to lesson design, Debbie is explicit about what she does and why. At the same time, she encourages teachers to develop their own belief statements concerning teaching and learning, and includes key questions to guide them in this important process. In an environment where the handing down of scripted programs and "foolproof" curricula is increasingly the norm, Teaching with Intention offers a compelling reminder that truly transformative teaching is built from the ground up, and is rebuilt every year, by every teacher, in every classroom, with every new group of students.




Teaching Kindergarten


Book Description

Today’s kindergarten teachers face enormous challenges to reach district-mandated academic standards. This book presents a model for 21st-century kindergartens that is rooted in child-centered learning and also shaped by the needs and goals of the present day. Classroom teachers working with diverse populations of students and focusing on issues of social justice provide vivid descriptions of classroom life across urban and rural communities. Teacher reflections and commentary from the editors link teacher decisions to principles of good practice. Teaching Kindergarten illustrates how a progressive, learning-centered approach can not only meet the equity and accountability goals of the Common Core State Standards but go well beyond that to educate the whole child. Book Features: Rich examples of learner-centered teaching in diverse public school settings.Depictions of integrated curricula in science, social studies, math, arts, and language arts that address Common Core and other standards.Connections to recent developmental research and pedagogy.Programs promoting social and cultural awareness.Photographs of children’s projects and a list of children’s books. “The teachers you are about to read tell stories no one has heard before, at a time when it is difficult to hear the individual voices in the classroom. No grade level needs this soul-searching examination more than kindergarten. This book maps a remarkable number of journeys toward this goal. I hope teachers will be inspired to add their own voices to the process of renewal.” —Vivian Gussin Paley, internationally renowned educator, author, and classroom teacher “We need this book. It speaks eloquently to what good practice looks like in real schools, as well as what it means to be a good teacher. These are stories of amazing educators whose work addresses what equity is all about—starting with 5 year olds. It’s too bad the next 12 years of school are not more like these kindergarten classrooms.” —Deborah Meier, education activist, senior scholar at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education




STEM Learning with Young Children


Book Description

This teacher’s guide provides the background information, STEM concepts, and strategies needed to successfully implement an early STEM curriculum (Ramps and Pathways) with young children, ages 3–8. R&P actively engages young children in designing and building ramp structures using wooden cove molding, releasing marbles on the structures, and observing what happens. Children use logical-mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills as they explore science concepts related to motion, force, and energy. This guide helps teachers to: Structure and organize an engaging STEM learning environment. Understand and promote logical-mathematical and scientific thinking during investigations. Promote social settings that enhance communication, cooperation, and collaboration. Make the necessary accommodations and modifications for diverse learners. Integrate STEM concepts and skills with other content areas. Align teaching and learning with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Assess STEM learning using formative and summative assessments. Establish adult learning communities to support ongoing professional development. Help children develop habits and behaviors that contribute to positive attitudes toward STEM. This one-of-a-kind resource uses a newly created Inquiry Teaching Model (ITM) as the conceptual framework and devotes specific attention to the importance of an inclusive, social, STEM learning environment in which children are free to collaborate, take risks, and investigate within the context of exploratory and constructive play. “This book is a must for all concerned with the education of young children. Using ramps and pathways as an exciting and stimulating example of how to engage children in rich STEM experiences, this team of highly knowledgeable and skilled researchers and practitioners draw from their deep and extensive backgrounds to present a clear and comprehensive view of the current landscape of inquiry-based STEM teaching and learning for young children. It is a book that can and should inform both policy and practice.” —Karen Worth, Elementary Education Department, Wheelock College




Courageous Leadership in Early Childhood Education


Book Description

In this inspiring collection, 13 early childhood leaders take action to challenge and change inequitable educational practices in preschools and elementary schools. For them, educating for social justice is not an empty platitude. Steadfast and resolute, they turn rhetoric into reality as they guide early childhood teachers to teach for social justice innovatively and strategically. Through the voices of families, teachers, and the administrators themselves, each chapter shares ways that these leaders use the power entrusted in them to question and disrupt discriminatory and marginalizing practices that deny opportunities for some students while privleging others. The book includes insights, strategies, and resources that administrators can use to build confidence, knowledge, and skills as they invest in more equitable and just pre/schools.




Healthy Learners


Book Description

The early childhood field has long understood that targeting the intersection of health and learning is integral to serving children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Yet this developmentally informed educational philosophy has been jeopardized by an increased emphasis on standards-based accountaibility. In this book, the authors explain why healthy learning is good for children, schools, and society and they suggest concrete ways to make it happen. Moving back and forth between national statisitcs and the intimate voices of parents, teachers, and service providers in a large urban school district, they formulate an action plan for educating the whole child and reducing educational inequities. While the book covers a broad specturm of American children, special attention is given to the growing population of Mexican immigrant children. Chapters include: Issues to Ponder, Keywords, Take-Home Messages, and Next Questions.




When Pre-K Comes to School


Book Description

When Pre-K Comes to School traces what happens—for institutions and teachers—when a school district and community ECE centers partner to provide public pre-K. Wilinski examines policy implementation across diverse sites—a private part-day preschool, a corporate childcare center, and a public elementary school. She demonstrates how pre-K partnerships create opportunities but also considerable constraints for the institutions and teachers involved. Though teachers are required to comply with the same policy mandates, their compensation and access to resources varies greatly. This book calls for policies and practices that will work better for teachers, which, in turn, will work better for children. The book’s unique, insider perspective on how policy is actually enacted in schools provides important insight into what communities and policymakers should consider when creating pre-K policies. Book Features: An in-depth examination of teachers’ work across settings and situated within a changing, broader policy context. Evidence that public pre-K partnerships have serious and sometimes negative consequences for teachers and institutions. A focus on the experience of teachers who are critical to the success of pre-K. Interviews with pre-K teachers and state policymakers. Recommendations for pre-K policy that is more beneficial to teachers, institutions, and families.




The New Early Childhood Professional


Book Description

For today’s early childhood educator, change is a non-negotiable reality. While the size, force, and direction of change can often seem overwhelming, this book shows the way toward overcoming these gigantic odds or “Goliaths.” The New Early Childhood Professional recounts some of the heroic stories and strategic approaches used by early childhood educators who participated in the CAYL Institute Fellowship programs. The authors share a specific framework with concrete steps to help educators become positive change makers in the field of early care and education. Complete with resources, tools, and questions for reflection, this handbook takes readers through four progressive paths toward becoming an architect of change: Analysis—When confronting seemingly insurmountable situations, instead of being overwhelmed, think and reflect about the situation and discover hidden insights. Advance—Better understand the nature of problems while also strengthening your vision and identity through planning and preparation. Act—Begin with everyday challenges and use what you know from every situation, in every interaction with a child, parent, peer, or administrator. Accelerate—Focus on what you want to change, gather allies, document, and communicate. “A talented leader is required to pull all the building blocks of quality together into a harmonious community. For this reason, The New Early Childhood Professional is a vital resource for both new and experienced early childhood leaders. . . . Readers, be prepared to be jolted out of your comfort zone. This book will challenge, inform, provoke, and inspire you.” —From the Foreword by Roger and Bonnie Neugebauer, publishers of Exchange Magazine “In this book, Washington, Gadson, and Amel lay out a proven, intentional, strategic, and clear approach to effect change collectively and individually. A definite must-read.” —Marta T. Rosa, Senior Executive Director, Department of Government and External Affairs, and Community Impact/Chief Diversity Officer “At a pivotal moment in early childhood education, the authors give us the tools to become agents of change on behalf of young children. This highly readable discussion leaves us with no more excuses.” —Jacqueline Jones, executive director of the Foundation for Child Development in New York




Leading for Change in Early Care and Education


Book Description

Featuring both research findings and practical recommendations, this book presents an innovative framework for nurturing leadership in the care and education of young children. Early educators are often seen as the objects of change, rather than the architects and co-creators of change. Douglass calls for a paradigm shift in thinking that challenges many long-held stereotypes about the early care and education workforce’s capacity to lead change. Case studies show how educators use their expertise every day to make a difference in the lives of children and families. These accounts demonstrate concrete strategies for expanding current thinking about who can be leaders for change and for developing more inclusive pathways for leadership. This book has the potential to revolutionize the field with a new model for developing and nurturing innovative, entrepreneurial, and skilled early educator leaders capable of driving transformative change—from classrooms and home-based programs to communities and beyond. Book Features: A cross-disciplinary examination of leadership, improvement, and innovation. A framework for building ecosystems that supports professional growth and teacher retention. Case studies that reveal immense untapped potential from within the early care and education workforce. A critical look at the current state of leadership and quality improvement in early childhood education.




Teaching STEM in the Preschool Classroom


Book Description

This book is designed to build educators’ confidence and competence so they can bring STEM to life with young children. The authors encourage pre–K teachers to discover the value of engaging preschoolers in scientific inquiry, technological explorations, engineering challenges, and math experiences based on learning trajectories. They explain the big ideas in STEM, emphasizing teaching strategies that support these activities (such as language-rich STEM interactions), and describe ways to integrate concepts across disciplines. The text features research-based resources, examples of field-tested activities, and highlights from the classroom. Drawing from a professional development model that was developed with funding from the National Science Foundation, this book is an essential resource for anyone who wants to support preschool children to be STEM thinkers and doers. “I have read a lot of really good early childhood science education books over the years, and as far as I am concerned, this is the best one yet.” —From the Foreword by Betty Zan, University of Northern Iowa “This excellent book shows that the important ideas of STEM are within every teacher’s and child’s grasp.” —Douglas Clements, University of Denver “Teaches STEM content while sharing strategies for robust and developmentally appropriate instructional practice. This book is the real deal!” —Beth Graue, University of Wisconsin–Madison