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Bloomquist_CI 525 Assignment 2: Learning is Personal
Emily Bloomquist
Created on November 25, 2024
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Transcript
Gallery Walk
Emily BloomquistDepartment of Graduate Teacher Education Concordia University St. Paul T&R EDU Course CI 525: Innovation in Learning and Teaching Professor Tina Monosmith November 30th, 2024
Learning is personal
Closing Statement
References
Discussion Questions
Use the arrows or this index to navigate the gallery walk. Access links to individual articles via the title on each page.
GALLERY WALK: TOP 10 CONCEPTS for educators of young children
10. Mindfulness for Teachers & Young Children
5. Competency-Based Learning in Early Childhood
9. Empowering Children to Solve Problems
4. Personalized Learning & Connections to Play
8. Problem Solving with Children's Literature
3. Inclusion & Co-Regulation
7. Metacognition Foundations
2. Inclusion: Tenets of an Inclusive Educator
6. Project-Based Learning vs. "Doing a Project"
1. Differentiation & The Gifted Learner
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Differentiation & The Gifted Learner
Gifted learners require as much intentionality as struggling learners but are often overlooked. Early educators can look for indicators of gifted learners, such as enhanced expressive and receptive language, quick recall, and persistence. Differentiation for these learners might involve a pedagogical shift to active, child-constructed learning (Martirena, 2022).
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Inclusion: Tenets of an Inclusive Educator
David Hall (2024) shares three core beliefs of an inclusive educator:
- "Every student deserves every opportunity to succeed.
- Every student deserves to feel safe and supported in their classroom.
- Every student deserves recognition for their inherent value as a human being."
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Inclusion & Co-Regulation
Young children who have experienced trauma or toxic stress require a sensitive teacher who is attuned to their needs and scaffolds self-regulation by engaging in co-regulation. Teachers engage in co-regulation when they model regulatory strategies during emotional moments and pre-teach strategies with all children. Their effectiveness is built upon a solid teacher-child relationship (Foley, 2023). This is an inclusive practice as it meets each child where they are and breaks down barriers to learning that might be caused by emotional dysregulation.
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Personalized Learning & Connections to Play
Three dimensions of quality personalized learning are the development of "collective consciousness" in the classroom, utilization of small-group learning, and "nurturing the inner dialogue" (France, 2021). Play can accomplish all of these goals in the early childhood learning environment. A "collective consciousness" is developed when children engage in cooperative games and play that promote a positive classroom climate, small groups are utilized as children naturally gravitate to individuals during free play, and the "inner dialogue" is developed when teachers narrate children's play.
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Competency-Based Learning in Early Childhood
In early childhood classrooms, children learn by engaging in deep, playful experiences. Competency-based learning (CBL) naturally aligns with play-based learning as children exhibit skill mastery across multiple contexts. The primary tenets of CBL are advancement contingent on mastery rather than age, use of "explicit and measurable learning objectives," and frequent formative assessment across contexts (Early Learning Foundation, 2023).
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Project-Based Learning vs. "Doing a Project"
Significant differences exist between "doing a project" and engaging in project-based learning. Project-based learning is a student-driven, collaborative process that aligns with academic standards and integrates instruction (Buck Institute for Education, n.d.). This is analogous to process-based art and product-based crafts (see below).
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Metacognition Foundations
Early educators can lay the foundations for metacognition through simple and engaging strategies. Maurice Elias (2024) shares four strategies teachers can utilize daily to promote metacognition:
- Model self-talk
- Model parallel talk
- Ask choice questions
- Ask open-ended questions.
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Problem Solving with Children's Literature
High-quality literature is an excellent tool for teaching children how to solve problems. Teachers can select books where the main characters encounter problems and try out a variety of solutions to solve the problems (Fettig et al., 2015). During a class read-aloud, teachers can facilitate discussions on how to solve the problem, how that problem makes the characters feel, and how the solutions might impact the characters.
Images credit: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
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Empowering Children to Solve Problems
Teachers must give children opportunities to solve their problems independently (Wysocki, 2023). Young children will require explicit instruction in problem-solving before they are expected to solve their own problems. To facilitate successful social problem-solving, the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations resource library provides numerous resources for early childhood teachers to support children's problem-solving skills (see linked examples below).
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Mindfulness for Teachers & Young Children
Mindfulness is an evidence-based beneficial practice for early childhood educators and their students. Educators who practice mindfulness experience increased self-regulation, compassion, and morale (Kinsner & Hackbert, 2024, p. 4). Young children who participate in mindfulness instruction show increased self-regulation, executive functioning, and social skills (Kinsner & Hackbert, 2024, p. 5).
Young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress often begin their first foray into education at a disadvantage. Overactive stress hormones alter the brain's functioning, and they may require additional academic or social-emotional support. Educators who provide children with compassion, flexibility, co-regulation, differentiation, and the other aspects presented in this Gallery Walk will likely promote resilience in their students. In early childhood education, our focus is to develop a foundation for future academic success. However, these strategies move beyond the academic and can influence the development of the whole child, leading to a greater chance for a happy life.
Program Essential Question: In light of what is known about how children learn, how shall professional educators best promote resilience and recovery for the children and their families who have experienced traumatic events?
- How can educators ensure gifted learners receive adequate differentiation? How does this compare to differentiating for a child who is struggling academically?
- How does an educator's mindset about inclusion impact how he or she advocates for the needs of students who have experienced trauma or toxic stress?
- What other ways can play be leveraged to promote personalized learning? What are some specific ways play may be beneficial for children experiencing trauma?
- Why might problem-solving skills hold increased importance for children experiencing trauma or toxic stress?
discussion questions
AI Image GenerationPadlet was used to create the images on slides 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 12 Canva was used to create the images on slides 6, 9, and 10 Dream was used to create the image on slide 5
Buck Institute for Education (n.d.) "Doing a project" vs. project-based learning. PBLWorks. https://www.pblworks.org/doing-project-vs-project-based-learning Early Learning Foundation (2023). Competency based learning. https://earlylearningfoundation.com/competency-based-learning/ Elias, M. J. (2024, September 12). Introducing metacognition in preschool. https://www.edutopia.org/article/engaging-preschoolers-metacognition/ Fettig, A., Schultz, T. R., & Ostrosky, M. M. (2015). Storybooks and beyond: Teaching problem solving skills in early childhood classrooms. Young Exceptional Children, 19(3), https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250615576803 Foley, C. (2023, December 13). 5 tips for ensuring your elementary classroom is inclusive. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/tips-creating-inclusive-classroom-elementary-school/ France, P.E. (2021, June 1). Collaborative learning: 3 dimensions of personalized learning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-dimensions-personalized-learning Hall, D., (2024, May 13). A teacher's argument for inclusive classrooms. Carnegie Learning. https://www.carnegielearning.com/blog/why-inclusive-classrooms/ Kinsner, K., & Hackbert, L. (2024). Mindfulness for early childhood educators. Zero to Three. https://www.zerotothree.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ZTT_MindfulnessForTeachers_r3.pdf Martirena, C. C. (2022, June 16). Differentiated instruction: Connecting with the very young gifted child. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/connecting-very-young-gifted-child Wysocki, S. (2023, May 8). Students can solve many of their own problems. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/independent-problem-solving-in-the-classroom/