Jennifer Kearns Fox, Mary Lu Love & Lisa Van Thiel Institute for Community Inclusion University of Massachusetts Boston

 With your teaching partner(s), spend a few minutes describing your favorite summer environment and why it was special.

 Design classroom environments that are developmentally appropriate and support children’s learning.  Reflect on key classroom activities and instruction throughout the day.  Examine best practices for engaging families in their children’s education.

Model developed by Dodge & Colker, 1992

Intentional teaching is the core of developmentally appropriate practice:  Child development to inform decisions and scaffold learning  Clear goals for all children  Individual differences, developmental levels, and ability to learn

 Background knowledge and prior learning experiences impact children’s development.  Early teaching of language/literacy and mathematics in the early years is key to increasing school readiness and closing the achievement gap.  Children’s social and emotional competence has been linked to academic achievement.

 Robust curriculum content  Relationship-based teaching  Differentiated instruction  Active, meaningful, and connected learning  Intentional teaching  Knowledge of child development & individual children

 Break into 5 small groups:  Identify a recorder  Identify a facilitator  Each group will take one developmental domain and list the expectations for children at the end of the year: ◦ Physical ◦ Cognitive ◦ Social ◦ Emotional ◦ Language and literacy  Present to the whole group

 Emotional competence  Development of conscience  Stress coping and resilience

 Physical growth and maturation  Sensation and perception  Gross motor development  Fine motor development

 Social interactions, relationships with teachers and peers  Development of pro- social behaviors  Control over aggression and other challenging behaviors  Sense of self in relationship to others

 Executive functioning (attention, memory, mental representation)  Logic  Reasoning  Concept acquisition and classification  Magical thinking

 Oral language and communication  Vocabulary knowledge  Early literacy skills ◦ Phonological awareness ◦ Print awareness ◦ Alphabetic principles ◦ Random Automatic Naming (RAN)

In 5 small groups:  Identify a recorder  Identify a facilitator  Each group will take one developmental domain and list the DAP expectations for children at the end of the year: ◦ Physical ◦ Cognitive ◦ Social ◦ Emotional ◦ Language and literacy  Present to the whole group

 Improve language and literacy outcomes for all preschoolers  Provide high-quality, language- and literature-rich classrooms  Increase teachers’ knowledge and skills in using SBRR practices  Support teachers’ implementation and integration of SBRR practices and knowledge through coaching  Integrate ERF services and activities with the community to build children’s language and literacy skills; enhance home support

A B

 Physical Environment: Setting, equipment, materials, arrangement  Social Environment: Relationships (adult:child, child:child, adult:adult)  Temporal Environment: The use of time (schedule, transitions, units or projects, reflection across the year on children’s growth and classroom activities)

 Softness and hardness  Open and closed  Simple and complex  Intrusion and seclusion  High mobility and low mobility  Traffic flow Adapted from: Jones, Elizabeth and Prescott, Elizabeth (1984) Dimension s of the Teaching Learning Environment: A Handbook for Teachers in Elementary Schools and Day Care Centers. Pasadena, CA: Pacific Oaks College

simple complex super-complex

DryWet Sleeping Quiet zone (corners and protection) Active zone: dramatic play, movement, circle Messy zone (sink) Entry zone (cubbies)

 With your teaching team partner(s), develop a draft floor plan.  After you have drafted your plan, you will work with another team for feedback.

 After you have drafted your plan, work with another team to review and reflect on each other’s plans.  Please identify missing components, offer suggestions, and share ideas.

 Start of the day centers  Circle or meeting time ◦ Let’s Find Out About It/Let’s talk About It  Introduction to Centers  Center time  Small groups ◦ Let’s Find Out About It/Let’s talk About It  Songs, Word Play, and Letters  Story time  Routines and transitions

 Both OWL and math curricula have a strong literacy focus.  Both use the same learning centers and share many educational goals.  The two curricula can be combined to work together in a half- or full-day program, and include instructional supports for age differentials and English language learners.

 Each group will have 2 minutes to list what happens during this time period.  On the signal, move to the next chart. Key Activities in the Daily Schedule

 In small groups, revisit the key activities listed on the wall chart for each section of the day.  Use the checklist in your packet to discuss the activities as a group.  Place a colored sticker next to activities that support the area of language and literacy in which your group is focused.  Then return to your table and discuss, using the template as a guide.

 Look at the carousel activity. ◦ What does it mean? ◦ What does it tell us?

 Apply knowledge to setting up classroom environment  Plan daily schedule to provide time for learning  Set high standards  Remember the MOTTOs we developed for ourselves and children

Brainstorm at your table:  Positive ways to foster home/school connections  Successful strategies to engage families in their children’s education  Successful home/school literacy activities or strategies

North Shore Community College UMass Boston