TRAINING MODULES AND DETAILS RESPECTIVELY
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Training Title:Â The Essentials of Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
Training Description:Â Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) what is it and why should we follow it? This training will define DAP and identify essential components to implementing DAP in the early childhood program. Knowing and living DAP is an important contributor to preparing children for school success. Participants will gain skills, strategies, and techniques to implementing developmentally appropriate practices.
Training Objectives:Â As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
Define developmentally appropriate practice.
Identify three essential components or principles of developmentally appropriate practice.
Demonstrate an understanding of key aspects of good teaching.
Explore misconceptions about developmentally appropriate practice.
Illustrate ways to apply the essentials of developmentally appropriate practice to their teaching practices.
Geography in the Early Childhood Classroom
Training Title:A Sense of Place: Human Geography in the Early Childhood Classroom
Training Description:Â While physical geography is the study of the natural environment, human geography is the study of relationships between humans and their natural environment (National Geographic, nd).
When young children develop a sense of place, they are also developing a sense of belonging and a deep connection and sense of commitment to people and places.
Early childhood educators can act as place-makers who foster a sense of place by intentionally planning geography experiences— experiences that encourage children to actively explore the landscapes, soundscapes, and smell scapes of nearby environments and that provide multiple opportunities to interact and form attachments to people and spaces.
Training Objectives:Â Geo-literate: Having the tools and knowledge to protect natural and cultural resources (Edelson 2011). For children this means developing the human and physical geography knowledge and skills necessary to become empowered and capable decision makers based on their interactions and relationships with people and spaces.
Human geography: The study of the relationship between humans and their environment.
Sense of place: A social phenomenon that describes the deep feeling of human attachment and belonging to specific people and geographic spaces that have a unique meaning and contribute to our social and emotional development and our understanding of the world around us.
STEM in the Early Childhood Classroom
Training Title:Â Building Bridges to understanding: STEM in the 21st Century using block play
Training Description: STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—has received a lot of attention lately, and it is important for preschool teachers to know how to teach STEM subjects in developmentally appropriate ways. Introducing the engineering design process in the block center is one way to do so.
Young children enjoy and learn from solving problems. Engineers are
problem solvers. To encourage thinking like an engineer, the lead teacher
introduced the engineering design process to young learners in the block
center.
Enhanced by the engineering design process, the block area increased
opportunities for young children to develop gross motor and fine motor
skills. In addition, the engineering design process promotes group work,
thus fostering important social skills and critical thinking.
Training Objectives:Â
1- Understanding the engineering design process including the following steps:
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- Define the problem
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- Conduct background research
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- Build and test prototypes
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- Redesign and the problem is solved
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- Communicate the results
2. Understanding and application of STEM — An acronym for the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math.
3.  Scaffolding– A Teaching strategy, based on each child’s approach to learning and developmental level, in which teachers support children at their current level of understanding and then gently extend their learning
by asking children to describe what they are doing, inviting children to
explain their thinking, and other means.
Language and Literacy
Language and Literacy are further broken down into sub sections:
1. Circle Time as the language booster – Strategies that can be used by teachers to make circle time the breeding time of language. By engaging children in meaningful conversations to contextual rhymes,from reading fairy tales to leading stories with puppetry, delving deep into the understanding of why circle time should be given it’s right place in an early childhood classroom.
2. Dual Language Learners – This session describes how infants and toddlers have the ability to learn more than one language at the same time. Teachers can create an effective learning environment that encourages early language learning for dual language learners by intentionally and continuously supporting the home language as well as English.
3. Unlocking the door to literacy – It is essential that children learn to communicate, and they need caring adults who are dedicated to
finding out what each child is trying to share through language and writing. Reading readiness and writing readiness activities boost the development of literacy. The session describes what teachers can do to support the pre-writing and e-reading skills of young children.
Play
Training Title:Â The Importance of Play
Training Description:Â Play is the most important way that young children learn. Through play, children learn about the social, physical, emotional, and cognitive worlds around them. Teachers understand the importance of play and devise strategies to encourage child-directed play.
Training Objectives:Â Teachers develop and reflect the understanding of child-directed play based benefits such as:
- Child-directed play induces problem solving
- Child-directed play enriches math learning
- Child-directed play requires symbol representation
- Child-directed play enriches literacy
- Child-directed play is carefully scaffolded
- Child-directed play provides opportunities for decision making
- Child-directed play aids development of self- regulation
Classroom management
Classroom management is further divided into sub sessions-
1. Guidance Vs. Discipline: The session explores the meaning of
guidance and discipline. Teachers are given the understanding of how proper guidance can remove the need for disciplining an erroneous behaviors. Teachers are equipped with practical tips and tricks to use guidance and remove the need for disciplining.
2. Managing Transitions: Planning transitions to avoid challenging behavior as an intentional teacher. Transitions from one activity to another are times when children are more likely to engage in challenging behavior. Children’s challenging behavior during transitions may be related to how teachers structure, schedule and implement transitions.
3. Self – Regulation in young children – Teachers of young children play a vital role in helping children develop foundational self-regulation skills. Fortunately, young children’s everyday experiences offer abundant opportunities for self regulation.
Mathematics
Training Title:Â Integrating Mathematics in the Early Childhood
Classroom
Training Description:Â This session provides ideas for integrating
mathematics into the preschool curriculum, which facilitates children’s problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Training Objectives: Teaching preschool children to problem solve and engage in critical thinking in the context of mathematics instruction requires a series of though_ul and informed decisions. Despite its importance, mathematical professional development often receives less priority than other areas, such as literacy. This is a concern because some early educators may lack a deep understanding of mathematics, may avoid instruction due to their own insecurities in math or may question whether mathematical instruction is appropriate for young children. Nevertheless, providing informal opportunities for problem solving in the preschool classroom can be accomplished. Teacher modeling of problem solving, combined with guidance during children’s problem solving, is critical to promoting children’s learning.
Humor
Training Title:Â The effective use of Humor in the
Early Childhood Classroom
Training Description: The session delves into the understanding of Humor and it’s correlation to cognitive development. Teachers will understand the benefits of humor in the classroom. Teachers will take back practical ways of bringing humor into the early childhood classroom.
Superhero play
Training Title:Â Superhero play as a means to leadership
development in young children.
Training Description:Â The session delves into the understanding of leadership development in children. Teachers debate if superhero play is indeed a friend or in fact a foe in the classroom. Teachers will understand the value of superhero play as a means of developing the leadership qualities in children.