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ToddlersWhat We Saw: A group of toddlers are eating snack. The teacher says, "We'll go out after snack." A child asks, "Out the door?" The teacher responds, "Yes, we'll go out the door when we leave and in the door when we come back." Another child repeats, "Out the door and then in the door?" The teacher answers, "Right, Out then in. Just like up the stairs and down the slide." A child answers, "Yea, up the stairs, and down the slide." A child turns to the teacher and says, "Go out the door." The teacher repeats his request; "You want me to go out the door? OK." She opens the door and steps into the hall. "Am I in the room or out of the room," the teacher asks as she steps back in. The child answers giggling, "In the room." "Now where am I?" the teacher questions, stepping again into the hall. "Hiding!" answers another child. What It Means: Transition times are wonderful opportunities for learning and are an important part of the early childhood classroom day. The teacher used foreshadowing to help the children get ready for the next activity. Beyond that however, she enriched the children's cognitive functioning by discussing the concepts of in/out and up/down through playful interaction. Young children learn throughout the day and being alert to opportunities for "teachable moments" is a component to offering quality early childhood services to children. |
PreschoolersWhat We Saw: The teacher had
been introducing children to sign language in the past
few weeks. One day during the transition from washing
hands to lunch, the teacher said to the children who
had finished washing their hands and were sitting at
the table, "While we are waiting for our friends,
let's play the no talking game. Remember before we start,
you may only talk with your hands, like I taught you,
OK?" The teacher began signing the names of the
children and they watched her intently to sign back.
Some of the children signed to each other. As other
children finished washing their hands and came to the
table, they found their name and joined in the fun of
"talking with your hands". What It Means: Transition times are an important part of the early childhood day that can offer wonderful opportunities for learning. Considering that there are over one dozen transitions in the average day in an early childhood classroom, it is an important part of the curriculum that needs careful planning. Preparing activities ahead of time minimizes waiting. Planning ahead and being ready with songs, fingerplays or other activities for the children makes a tremendous difference in ensuring successful transitions. |
PreschoolersWhat We Saw: The children were
engaged in a free choice activity time. The teacher gave
a warning to the children by saying, "Five more minutes,
then we’ll go outside". Some children became excited and
dumped some plastic tiles out of a bin and pushed them
around. Another teacher came over to the area and said
to the children, "I would play with them like this", while
she demonstrated standing the tiles on end to make an
enclosure. The children started to imitate her structure.
This lasted for awhile and then some children started
to scatter the tiles again. The teacher came over and
said, "Time to clean up to get outside. Time to pick these
up. I will help you. Every time you put a handful in,
I will, too". She held the bin for each to put tiles in
when it is their turn. She praised the children for helping
to clean up. What It Means: Transitions need to be carefully planned. Children need to be given advance notice to prepare for change. Using the technique of foreshadowing for the children allows them to begin to put closure on one activity before starting another. Using positive reinforcement helps to make the transition smoother by focusing on the positive behavior that is desired, not the negative. Getting down to the child’s level, making the act of picking up the tiles into a game, using children's names, modeling and encouraging them to take turns - all were positive behavior guidance strategies. More Transitions Promising Practices |
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