Open-Ended Questioning: Affective Questioning

During the ILASCD PreK/K Conference, we discussed the use of open-ended questions in our early learning classrooms. Read the Open-Ended Questions: WHY post for the first part of our discussion. The first type of questioning we examined is analytical questioning- see the post on March 16th. The second type of questioning we dug into was reflective- see post on March 23rd and on the blog post from March 29th, we looked at hypothetical questioning.

The last type of questioning that we explored during the conference is that of affective questions.

Examples from a unit of study on animals in the winter…

Reminder: We want to ask students a variety of different types of questions to expand their thinking and vocabulary.

Here is a slide that shows how we can tie together the different types of questions…

Open-Ended Questioning: Hypothetical

Reminder: We want to ask students a variety of different types of questions to expand their thinking and vocabulary.

The third type of questioning we dug into was hypothetical questioning…

Example in a unit of study based on animals in the winter…

Open Ended Questions: Analytical Questioning

Based on a unit of study of animals in the winter, hibernation, and/or using a book such as Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson or Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup as a provocation, here are some sample analytical questions…

Open Ended Questions: WHY

Open-Ended Questioning
journeyintoearlychildhood.com

I greatly enjoyed chatting with everyone at the ILASCD conference on March 2nd regarding the use of open-ended questions. We first dug into the why of asking open ended questions…

The above are the most important reasons. However, we can also be validated in our strong belief of using open-ended questions when we examine the research. Starting with our “go-to” source for reliable, research based information: NAECY (National Association for the Education of Young Children)…

Two more sources of information on why to use open-ended questioning are two examples of assessments/evaluations that are often used in early childhood classrooms: ECERS (Early Childhood Education Rating Scale) and CLASS (CLassroom Assessment Scoring System by Teachstone)…

Another source of information to validate the importance of open-ended questioning is the Danielson Framework for Teaching…

Although there are many, many other sources of information of validation for open-ended questioning, the last one we are going to examine here is Pyramid Model…

On the next blog post, we will dig into four different types of questioning to help us dig into children’s creative and critical thinking through multiple directions.

Kindness Month: BE KIND CHALLENGE (free download)

February is a great month to focus on kindness

as well as February 17th is National Kindness Day

Children are not always naturally kind. They need to be taught lots of different ways to show kindness as well as the importance of showing kindness. Children also need lots and lots of modeling of kindness from the adults in their lives.

Kindness Challenges…

ONE: Challenge yourself and your colleagues to show 20 acts of kindness throughout the month and share those with the students.

TWO: Challenge the students to find five things you do each day that show kindness. They need to tell what you did AND HOW it showed kindness.

THREE: Challenge for the students to think of the different ways to show and think about kindness- kindness to others, to our environment and to themselves!

Here is a free download of a FIVE DAY KINDNESS CHALLENGE- appropriate for grades K-3rd

five-day-kindness-challenge-sel-slides-for-in-person-or-at-home-learning-journeyintoearlychildhood.com_Download

Building Friendships through Transitions and Using Names

Aristotle once stated, “who would choose to live, even if possessed with all other things, without friends.”

Many of our students struggle with the basic components of building friendships such as asking to join in play, suggesting play “Let’s…”, sharing, taking turns, changing perspectives, cooperating, and using respectful language.

We, therefore, must directly teach friendship skills through intentional, deliberate discussions and opportunities throughout the day. These opportunities can be embedded into the activities and work that is already occurring in the classroom setting.

journeyintoearlychildhood.com

Starting Free Choice Play Centers at the Beginning of the Year

One of the most challenging pieces of free choice play for many teachers is how to start without complete chaos. Here are a couple of quick and easy tips for successful free choice play centers…

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE CHILDREN’S OWNERSHIP

OF THE CENTERS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Provide the students with ownership of the free choice play centers from the start.

While taking a tour of the building, discuss how every room has a name that allows us to know what happens in that place.
In the classroom, talk about how each center has a purpose and specific activities. Describe some of the options in each center and allow students to brainstorm ideas such as in dramatic play, the students can care for the babies, for the animals, cook dinner, write a recipe, bake cookies, etc.; in the free choice art center, they can build a sculpture, draw or sketch a picture, design a collage picture, etc. Post the ideas that are generated by the students in each center along with a visual.
Allow the students to determine a name for each center such as Construction Site or Creation Station. The students can also create tags to show where items belong for easier cleanup.
- Encourage creativity in the drawing and designing of the center signs. Allow students to use found materials to be creative such as pieces of yarn, pictures or letters from magazines, buttons, pipe cleaners, etc. Also show them how they can make objects stand out from the sign with loops, arches and so on
Have the students be detectives to notice how the center looks in a cleaned-up. state- paying attention to the details. Allow students to share how we demonstrate respect for materials.
Allow the students to brainstorm expectations for center time. Generate a list of 3-5 expectations, write them on a poster along with a visual, and have all students sign the class contract for center time.

Clean-up is another common concern of teachers. See Clean Up after Play Centers and Student Jobs for Clean-Up Time

Continued Need for Deep Breathing

One of the best ways to help children prepare their minds and bodies to be ready to learn is through deep breathing.

Deep breathing is a quick and efficient strategy for lowering stress in the body. When we breathe deeply, a message is sent to your brain to calm down and relax.

At this time of the year and especially during this up and down year, it is important to remember to teach our students to stop and breath when they are feeling lonely, upset, aggravated, frustrated, bored, irritated, cranky, etc. AND it is important that the adults in their lives model this strategy frequently!

NOTE: Notice the emotion vocabulary words (lonely, upset, aggravated, frustrated, bored, irritated, cranky). Let’s help children to be specific about their feelings- are they sad because they are lonely or because they are frustrated? The greater depth of emotion words that we can assist children in using and be able to discern how they are feeling with more precision, the more specific we can be with providing useful, intentional strategies plus it is teaching our students to have emotionally rich expression.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Spring Themed Deep Breathing and Calming Strategies…

spring-themed-deep-breathing-strategies-journeyintoearlychildhood Download

Also check out Winter Themed Deep Breathing Strategies (four strategies) at

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Themed-Deep-Breathing-Strategies-6256399

Winter Themed Deep Breathing Strategies journeyintoearlychildhood.com

AND

Teaching Deep Breathing: 16 Strategies https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Teaching-Deep-Breathing-16-Visuals-of-Different-Ways-to-Breathe-Deeply-4289195

What do your walls say?

What Do Your Walls Say to

Your Students and Families?

What values do they speak?
Do the items posted on the walls continue to enhance the children’s learning or have they simply become visual noise?

You decorated your room at the beginning of the year but…

How do you make on-going decisions of what to put on your walls?
How do you decide the image you want to continue to portray through your room environment?
How are you demonstrating your values for how students learn through the displays on your walls?
What image of the child are you projecting through your environment and the items that you make an intentional choice to hang and leave hanging on the walls?

As discussed in the last blog post regarding intentionally designed environments, it is critical that we examine the environment as a place for students and it should be a reflection of them.

Patricia Tarr in the article, Consider the Walls, talks about how commercially made posters, etc. that we hang for educational purposes may actually be limiting children’s sense of who they truly are and true capabilities and stifles their imagination and creativity. She states,

“So too does the mass of commercial stereotyped images silence the actual lived experiences of those individuals learning together. An overload of commercial materials leaves little room for work created by the children—another kind of silencing.” The challenge for early childhood educators is to think beyond decorating to consider how walls can be used effectively as part of an educational environment. In Reggio Emilia the walls display documentation panels of projects that children are engaged in. These become the basis of ongoing research and dialogue between the children, teachers, and families. Panels of photos, artifacts, and text make “learning visible” to participants and to outsiders (Rinaldi 2001).”

Think carefully about what pictures, children’s work, or photos you place on the walls. Students absorb a lot from their environment; so, we want to use the space for demonstrating both the learning and the process toward the learning. When determining what you are going to place on the walls, ponder

is the item is important to your current educational goals and objectives (is it an old objective and now can be removed from the walls? can a picture be taken of an old anchor chart and placed in 8×10 binder for reference as needed? can anchor charts be hung on pants hangers and hung in a corner of the room for reference as needed?)
how can the items be created by the students instead of commercially or by the teacher (co-creating items helps students to have ownership and therefore, they are more likely to look at and use the resource often)
does it demonstrate beauty and is it aesthetically pleasing (note: it does not have to be “pinterest” worthy perfect- if it is created or co-created by the students and meets their needs as a resource for a learning objective- then it is beautiful to them)

TOP 10 Reasons Why to Greet Students at the Door Each and Every Morning

TIPS:

What Do Your Walls Say to

Your Students and Families?