Effective ECE Classrooms

Effective ECE Classrooms:

S&H 10:

In this chapter the authors discusses how to implement vocabulary instruction from prekindergarten through second grade. This is a key component to an environment that supports literacy and language development.  Throughout this text the authors went into detail about the various pieces of vocabulary instruction.  This chapter was meant to pull all of those facts together in a way that would prove useful to classroom teachers.  The author provided examples of rich literacy environments that used assessment to drive instruction, with instructional techniques specified.  These included explicit and extended instruction leading to word awareness and word learning strategies.

One key component to an environment that supports literacy and language development is a schoolwide investment in vocabulary instruction.  This is a shared responsibility that doesn’t stop at the class doors but goes beyond to all parts of the school.  Vocabulary instruction integrated across areas is most beneficial.  

Within the classroom there are various ways to support literacy and language development.  One is through the use of co-teaching.  This is somewhat out of the teacher’s control.  While I feel this is a wonderful tool, it isn’t always available.  Working with a co-teacher can be very beneficial to students providing many opportunities for small group instruction and hands-on learning.

Vocabulary instruction takes on different appearances even in early childhood classrooms, thus the authors provide examples at four different grade levels to reinforce how effective instruction looks at various grade levels.

This definitely reminded me of the need for vocabulary usage throughout the school day across the subject areas.   I like the idea of giving the kids a little motivation to try to use new words throughout the day.  This could be a high five or a class cheer.

B&M ch4:

This chapter specifically spoke about quality preschool programs.  There has been a lot of research that I have read and this chapter confirms, that early literacy skills are a predictor of future reading success.  This is a logical connection but is great to know that it is research based.  High quality preschool can have large effects on emergent literacy and vocabulary.  

Brain research shows that there is a “window of opportunity” that opens in a child’s mind due to rapid brain development in preschool age children.  This is a time interventions make a huge impact.  This is also a time where the lack of interaction also has a huge impact on a child.  

What is high quality preschool?  According to the author and a focus beyond literacy, a high quality preschool program is composed of  interaction with a child that develops physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and language domains.  The focus of this blog is on language and literacy, but a young child does not develop these skills in isolation.  They are interrelated and affect one another.

Oral language is one component of a quality preschool programs.  This is a foundation for learning and includes listening comprehension, verbal expression, and vocabulary development.  The author stresses the importance of teachers engaging children in beneficial conversations that expand and extend language.  Also, interactive experiences with book are very effective on oral language development.

Phonological awareness is another component to a preschool program.  This forms the basis for the early decoding and spelling of words.   This skill is rarely simply acquired but is gained through planned instructional activities.  I loved the song activity the author mentioned.  THe kids replace the first letter of their name in a song.  This is a natural way for kids to make connections to sounds.

Alphabet knowledge is another component of a quality pre-k program. This often comes as a result of other literacy activities.  The author warns against just drilling a child over letters.  This is not developmentally appropriate for a preschool child.  Children need to be given opportunities to explore a letter and the sound it makes in rich literacy environment.  This includes the use of magnetic letters, stamps, real world materials, and name identification.

Concepts about print are key to becoming a successful reader.  This is a process that happens from pre-k through first and second grade depending on the child.  This is largely influenced by the literacy experiences that children have.  In the classroom it is important that books be placed throughout the room, not just in the library area.  I have included them in many centers, at the front of the room, on audio playback, poetry on the walls, etc.  Also, there needs to be both narrative and informational books.

Writing development in another factor in an effective pre-k program.  This is a process of engagement with print long before actual printing begins.  The child can make a picture and the adult can dictate what the child says.  There should be opportunities for students to write in centers and other times throughout the day.

B&M 14:

Emergent literacy involves the use of play as a part of acquiring literacy.  Play-literacy now has strong theory to support it’s use though research is still being conducted in this area.  Literacy rich play environments contain the presence of many types of print materials and play that stimulate interaction.

A literacy rich play environment be designed with proper room to accommodate a small group of children.  It should have graphics and information that is child friendly.  There should be enough materials and writing supplies for bookmaking and storytelling.  The area needs to be appealing. Good organization, predictability, and a welcoming mood helps it run smoothly.  

There are two types of play discussed in this chapter: topic-oriented dramatic play and play- contingent literacy instruction. My understanding of topic oriented, is play that is centered around a theme like shopping in a grocery story.  Play- contingent literacy instruction is where a story is chosen, read aloud, and discussed.  The story is acted out.  Then parts of the classroom are made to look like the setting of the story.  The class is divided into group of characters.  The story is reread and the class acts out the story.  

Differentiation and Diversity

Differentiation and Diversity

What makes classroom diverse?

• children from different cultures
• different linguistic backgrounds
• different socioeconomic levels
• different cognitive variables

We call this a heterogeneous classroom. We use different ways and teaching methods to help reach all of our children in any given classroom. There is Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Response to Intervention (RTI), and Interactive Strategies Approach (ISA) to name a few.

Three uses in UDL to help reach a heterogeneous classroom:

1. Support recognition learning, provide multiple means of representation
2. Support strategic learning and provide multiple means of action and expression
3. Support affective learning by providing multiple means of engagement.

With words use verbal explanations, pictures, gestures videos, present your ideas, lessons, and vocabulary words through different mediums. Try generalizing words against different contexts. Let the children process, visualize and manipulate lesson plans in more than one way.

The purpose of UDL is not to modify the content you are teaching but to provide more than one way to learn it!

Multiple means of representation:

• connect prior knowledge
• offer linguistic support
• use multiple representation to present words and concepts
• use graphs, highlighting texts and relations among words

Memory

• paraphrase, role play, using visualizations and mnemonics

Communicate what you mean in alternate ways

• generalize over different mediums

Teach self support

• student goal setting
• student step by step instructions
• think aloud
• self monitoring

Let the student choose what to learn:

• use peer collaboration
• self assessment
• reflection
• graph charts

Purpose and uses of RTI. There are three tiers in RTI. The basis of this intervention is to find those students who are having trouble and to give them extra support to bring them up to grade level. Each level is using an alternate curriculum than what is happening in a general education classroom. This could be to reach ELL students, Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Specific Learning Intervention (SLI), Intellectual Disabled (ID) and others. These are often used before placing a child on an individualized education placement (IEP).

Tier1: Using professional development
Tier 2: daily one to one express support
Tier 3: Using both 1 and 2 interventions

Interactive Strategies Approach (ISA) is an early literacy intervention that is not an actual program. ISA is used to construct meaning and high knowledge of syntactic and semantic knowledge in new words and how they relate to one another. This is not evidence based but it does have some success by teaching the basics of language and reading and giving children a good foundation.

Differentiation and Diversity

What makes classroom diverse?

• children from different cultures
• different linguistic backgrounds
• different socioeconomic levels
• different cognitive variables

We call this a heterogeneous classroom. We use different ways and teaching methods to help reach all of our children in any given classroom. There is Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Response to Intervention (RTI), and Interactive Strategies Approach (ISA) to name a few.

Three uses in UDL to help reach a heterogeneous classroom:

1. Support recognition learning, provide multiple means of representation
2. Support strategic learning and provide multiple means of action and expression
3. Support affective learning by providing multiple means of engagement.

With words use verbal explanations, pictures, gestures videos, present your ideas, lessons, and vocabulary words through different mediums. Try generalizing words against different contexts. Let the children process, visualize and manipulate lesson plans in more than one way.

The purpose of UDL is not to modify the content you are teaching but to provide more than one way to learn it!

Multiple means of representation:

• connect prior knowledge
• offer linguistic support
• use multiple representation to present words and concepts
• use graphs, highlighting texts and relations among words

Memory

• paraphrase, role play, using visualizations and mnemonics

Communicate what you mean in alternate ways

• generalize over different mediums

Teach self support

• student goal setting
• student step by step instructions
• think aloud
• self monitoring

Let the student choose what to learn:

• use peer collaboration
• self assessment
• reflection
• graph charts

Purpose and uses of RTI. There are three tiers in RTI. The basis of this intervention is to find those students who are having trouble and to give them extra support to bring them up to grade level. Each level is using an alternate curriculum than what is happening in a general education classroom. This could be to reach ELL students, Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Specific Learning Intervention (SLI), Intellectual Disabled (ID) and others. These are often used before placing a child on an individualized education placement (IEP).

Tier1: Using professional development
Tier 2: daily one to one express support
Tier 3: Using both 1 and 2 interventions

Interactive Strategies Approach (ISA) is an early literacy intervention that is not an actual program. ISA is used to construct meaning and high knowledge of syntactic and semantic knowledge in new words and how they relate to one another. This is not evidence based but it does have some success by teaching the basics of language and reading and giving children a good foundation.

Bridging Home and School

V&F 4:

One thing that I really admired about the case study discussed in this chapter is how motivating it is for all of the students, including ELLs. The teacher exposed students to podcasts, and their curiosity was peaked. They expressed a desire to work with podcasts, and they came up with a lot of the content--on their own. Subrina realized that the podcasts were not accessible for all of their families, and I think the teacher might not have realized the importance of that without Subrina's help. I love all of this because, as the text says, it was "an opportunity for the children to take on the position of 'agents'" (45). In doing so, their "awareness of audience was expanded to include notions of access, domination, diversity, and privilege," which is helping them become more socioculturally aware and be better critical thinkers (45). Whenever I picture these types of conversations, I have a hard time picturing it with children who are younger than middle school age, but this semester I am truly realizing that young children can talk about privilege, power, and diversity without having to over simplify it. That's reminiscent of how some schools have their single, glossed-over "multicultural day" to celebrate some people who aren't a part of mainstream culture, before going back to gearing school toward mainstream culture for the rest of the year. We can absolutely do better for our young children, and that is the first step in bridging the school/home gap, I think.

Another take-away I got from this chapter was the importance of play and imagination, without over-structuring it. I thought it was a good point that play provides "learning environments that are not part of scripted learning models," which is especially helpful for students struggling with language barriers (48). I also like the idea that it helps them develop a more well-rounded way of seeing the world and acting in the world, and it opens up the way they "think about possibilities for the future" (48).

- How else can we invite students to become agents in bridging the gap between home and school?
- How can we make our communications with families more accessible to their various linguistic and cultural contexts?
- Why do you think play has the effects described above?

S&H 9:

I think this chapter does a good job of outlining a lot of things teachers need to consider when reaching out to parents to support word learning at home. Teachers need to make parents aware of two main things: 1:) What words/themes need to be covered. 2.) What activities parents can do. I think a lot of teachers likely stop here and don't take into account some of the other considerations in this chapter. Teachers need to get to know their students' families so that they can gain a sense of what activities are easy and which ones are difficult for some parents/students to implement. I thought the habitat activities on page 196 were especially interesting because the student does not have to bring anything physical back to school--only his/her experiences. That way, students whose parents could not or did not implement the activities are not punished, and they can still benefit from hearing about the experiences and word use of those who did complete the activities.

I really like the sound of the FLAME program, for several reasons. I like that the parents are learning English alongside their children, and I think it's great that the parents are positioned as teachers. I also like that there is a strong emphasis on parent input and feedback so as to help the program best serve their needs. Learning is collaborative, and the program is responsive to particular families and cultures, and I think that is essential.

- Even when the activities are easy and accessible, I think you will likely still get some reluctant parents or have parents who can't seem to find the time for the activities. How can we reach out to these reluctant or busy families to engage them in their student's word learning at home?
- Which of the home activities discussed in the chapter do you think parents are most willing to do? Which one(s) might cause the most resistance or issues?
- Have you ever had parents come to your class to do an activity with the kids? What do you think the potential benefits and potential issues of that are?
- How can we best work with ELL parents when we cannot implement a program like FLAME?

B&M 1:

Most research shows that parental involvement with their children's education has a unique influence on their child's motivation and achievement. Particularly, "parental communication of the value of education," as well as their expectations (directly and indirectly expressed) impact students' goals, motivation, and achievement" (5). Achievement gaps can often be connected to differences in environments at home during the summer and at school during the school year. Achievement gaps related to parent involvement are also connected to student attendance, which parents can strongly influence. Both of these factors can be positively changed with the use of outreach programs, especially for families of certain socioeconomic backgrounds.

Another finding that struck me in this chapter was the positive impact of recruiting and training parents to volunteer. I would personally feel odd about asking parents to give up their time like that, but if it's voluntary, I do think it can support instruction a lot. I also like the way at-home activities can create a sort of formative "feedback loop" in which children are engaged in learning throughout the whole day, and their experiences inform instruction. I do also admire the way so many early elementary teachers send regular messages home to families, and I think that my family would have been more involved if my teachers had done so when I was young. My family is the perfect case of parents who care but don't go out of their way to help--teachers can easily get the support and involvement these parents y reaching out to them and communicating regularly with them.

- Which strategies from table 1.1 do you implement? Which ones should you probably implement for the families in your school?
- What sort of parent outreach and training have you done?
- Why is the feedback loop potentially so valuable in conjunction with formative assessments/