Sparking Learning in Young Children

Classroom Best Practices

Chris Amirault, Ph.D.

• Publisher: Shell Education
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN:
  9798765971963
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Early Childhood Education

Sparking Learning in Young Children: Classroom Best Practices provides a streamlined yet comprehensive overview of everything you need to kickstart your preschool, transitional kindergarten, or pre-K classroom to help ensure the best possible teaching and learning environment. Dive into relevant topics, offering insights from contemporary research, expert-defined best practices, and real-world examples from the author's twenty-plus years of experience. Whether a seasoned teacher or a dedicated aide, this guide is your roadmap to creating a vibrant, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate early childhood learning experience. This concise yet comprehensive resource equips you with the essential tools to create an engaging learning environment by focusing on key areas such as child development, planning and reflection, room design and materials, family engagement, and more!

Table of contents

• A
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Table of Contents
• Table of Contents Cont.
• Introduction 1
• Overview 1
• The Ten Key Principles for Preschool Classroom Design 3
• Your Story as a Professional Educator and Caregiver 6
• 1. Child Development 9
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice 10
• Activating Your Equity Lens 12
• Physical Development: Frameworks and Definitions 18
• Special Considerations in Physical Development 22
• Cognitive Development: Frameworks and Definitions 26
• Special Considerations in Cognitive Development 29
• Language and Literacy Development: Frameworks and Definitions 32
• Special Considerations in Language and Literacy Development 40
• Social and Emotional Development: Frameworks and Definitions 42
• Special Considerations in Social and Emotional Development 48
• Infant Mental Health and the Impact of Trauma on Development 50
• Your Story as a Professional Educator and Caregiver 52
• 2. Planning and Reflection 53
• Collaborative Planning in Early Childhood Education 54
• Collaborative Planning with Children and Families 56
• Balancing Structure and Flexibility in Preschool 58
• Finding Time for Reflection and Planning 60
• Knowing Your Circles of Change and Control 63
• Reflection Is Not Optional! 70
• Cultivating Yourself as a Leader 72
• Your Story as a Professional Educator and Caregiver 75
• 3. Room Design and Materials Planning 77
• A Thought Experiment 77
• Learning/Activity Areas 80
• Design Questions to Consider 82
• From Compliance to Ownership in Room Design 91
• Classroom Geography 96
• Your Story as a Professional Educator and Caregiver 100
• 4. The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Cycle 101
• Engaging the Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment Cycle 102
• Assessment Basics in the Early Childhood Classroom 115
• Approaches to Summative Assessment Data 118
• Instruction in the Early Childhood Classroom 119
• Your Story as a Professional Educator and Caregiver 123
• 5. Family Engagement 125
• Foundational Elements for Effective Family Engagement 125
• Family Engagement and Autonomy 127
• Balancing Family Engagement and Program Realities 128
• Balancing Family Engagement and Family Realities 129
• Designing and Implementing Best Practices for Family Engagement 130
• Special Topics in Family Engagement 136
• Your Story as a Professional Educator and Caregiver 139
• Conclusion 140
• Appendices 143
• References 160
• Index 163
• About the Author 171
• Digital Resources 172
• B