Online Companion: A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom, 4e

Chapter 6

• Application Activities
• Recommended Readings
• Web Links
• Audio-Visual Resources
• Relevant Web Sites
• Guiding Questions
• Discussion Activity

APPLICATION ACTIVITIES

Application activities allow students to interrelate material from the text with real-life situations. The observations imply access to practicum experiences; the interviews, access to teachers or parents. Students may compare or contrast observations and interviews with referenced ideas from the chapter.

1. Reliability and novelty in the daily program.
   1. Observe an instance of the "teachable moment" when a teacher deviated from the schedule to provide a special experience. How did the teacher manage the change of routine? What did you notice about the children's behavior before, during, and after the special event? Compare your findings to ideas in the chapter.
   2. Talk with a teacher about the daily schedule he uses. What parts of the schedule is the teacher pleased with? If the teacher were going to modify the schedule, what parts would he change? Why? Compare your findings to ideas in the chapter.
2. Large-group activities.
   1. Observe children in a large-group activity. If most children are positively involved, what about the large group seems to be holding their attention? If several children look distracted, or are distracting others, what do you think are the reasons? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
   2. Interview a teacher about large group activities. How does the teacher plan large groups to hold children's attention? While teaching, what techniques does the teacher use to hold children's attention? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
3. Managing transitions.
   1. Observe a transition to or from an organized activity. How does the teacher prepare the children? How does the teacher manage the physical movement of the children? How does the teacher get the new activity started? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
   2. Interview a teacher about how he handles transition situations. Ask about what he does when some, but not all, children have finished an old activity and are ready to begin the new activity. What suggestions does the teacher have for when he and the class have to wait for an event; when he and the class have to walk in a line? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
4. Routines in the encouraging classroom.
   1. Observe a classroom where there are definite, well-accepted routines. What are the likely effects of the routines on the children? On the teacher? How do Pat's comments about routines compare or contrast with your observations? When you teach, would you use routines similar to or different from what you observed? Why? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
   2. Interview a teacher about his use of routines. How does the teacher believe the use of routines assists with classroom management? Ask the teacher how he knows when insufficient use is made of routines in a classroom, or when overreliance is placed on routines. How do Pat's comments in the chapter match with what the teacher said about routines?
5. The teaching team.
   1. Observe a productive teaching team in operation. Note the kinds of communication that occur between the team members-verbal and nonverbal. What seems to characterize the communication you have observed? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
   2. Interview a lead teacher and/or another member of a teaching team. Ask what is important to each in maintaining positive relations between the adults and a positive atmosphere in the classroom. Compare your findings with what the text says about the teaching team.
6. Family members and other classroom volunteers.
   1. Observe a teacher working with staff or volunteers in the classroom. What is typical in how the teacher communicates with the other adults? How much of the teacher's attention is directed to working with the other adults? How much to working with the children? What do you notice about how the other team members go about their activities? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
   2. Interview a teacher about having other adults, staff, and volunteers in the classroom. What benefits does the teacher see in the arrangement? If there are difficulties, what are they? What would the teacher recommend for working through some difficulties that might arise? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
   3. Interview a regular family member-volunteer who seems to be part of the team. (Ask the same questions as in b. above.) What did the teacher do and say to make the teaching team concept seem inviting? How did the teacher communicate about the education program and the family member's role in it? How did the teacher address communicating with other adults who might be members of the team?
   4. Compare your findings in the interviews with comments from the text about the teaching team. What did you learn from completing steps (a) through (e) about building and maintaining a teaching team?

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RECOMMENDED READINGS

Elkind, D. (2003). Thanks for the memory: The lasting value of true play. Young Children, 58(3), 46-51.

Gabbard, C. (1998). Windows of opportunity for early brain and motor development. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 69(8), 54-60.

Garcia, C., Garcia, L., Floyd, J., & Lawson, J. (2002, January). Improving the public health through early childhood movement programs. Journal of Physical Development, 27-31.

Hvettig, C. I., Sanborn, C. E., DiMarco, N., & Rich, S. (2004). The O Generation: Our youngest children are at risk for obesity. Young Children, 59(2), 50-55.

Kalb, C. (2003, September 22). Troubled souls. Newsweek, 68-70.

Loomis, C., & Wagner, J. (2005). A different look at challenging behavior. Young Children, 60(2), 94-99.

Peterson, K. (2002, January-February). Creating home-school partnerships. Early Childhood News, 39-45.

Watson, M. (2003). Attachment theory and challenging behaviors: Reconstructing the nature of relationships. Young Children, 58(4), 12-20.

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WEB LINKS

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Managing the Classroom

1. Classroom Management http://www.proteacher.com
2. Center for Effective Discipline http://www.stophitting.com/
3. Child Welfare League http://www.cwla.org/
4. Early Intervention Solutions http://earlyintervention.com

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AUDIO-VISUAL RESOURCES

[Creating the Cooperative Classroom] www.insight-media.com

[Educational Productions, Inc.] www.ed-pro.com

[Enabling Teaching Assistants] www.insight-media.com

[Getting Ready] www.films.com

AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Creating the Cooperative Classroom. This video examines the teacher's role in shaping the learning environment, organizing instruction, and grouping diverse students. Practical strategies based on real classroom experiences help teachers create their own cooperative classrooms. #UR713. Insight Media, 2162 Broadway, New York, NY 10024. 212-721-6316.

Educational Productions, Inc. (1990). Video 1: Come Join In, Video 2: Give Yourself a Hand. Super Groups: Young Children Learning Together series. Video 1 gives clear examples and ideas for organizing and conducting positive large groups. Video 2 gives examples and ideas for helping teachers to solve problems when planning and doing large groups. Portland, OR: Education Productions, Inc.

Enabling Teaching Assistants. Designed for teaching assistants and their supervisors, this video describes the policies and environments that enable teaching assistants to function effectively. Insight Media, 2162 Broadway, New York, NY 10024. 212-721-6316.

Getting Ready. This video explores how teachers plan ahead to create a classroom that is ready for students and conducive to learning. In interviews and in the classroom, teachers show how they set up the room in advance, introduce themselves to students, set out and meet objectives, and fulfill the needs of their students. #AQK4510. Films for the Humanities and Sciences, PO Box 2053, Princeton, NJ 08543-2053. 1-800-257-5126.

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RELEVANT WEB SITES

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Managing the Classroom

1. Center for Effective Discipline http://www.stophitting.com/
2. Child Welfare League http://www.cwla.org/
3. Early Intervention Solutions http://earlyintervention.com

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GUIDING QUESTIONS

• How does the teacher balance reliability and novelty in the daily program?
• What part do large-group activities play in the encouraging classroom?
• How does managing transitions reduce mistaken behavior?
• How do routines help to build an encouraging classroom?
• Why is the teaching team important in managing the encouraging classroom?
• How can the teacher make use of family members and other classroom volunteers?

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DISCUSSION ACTIVITY

Think about a classroom you have visited as a part of your preparation program. Recollect a regular activity or routine during the day in which more mistaken behavior occurred than at other times. Referring to the chapter for possible ideas, how would you change this part of the daily program to reduce the mistaken behavior and make the classroom more encouraging?