Creating Positive Learning Environments in Early Childhood Education
Researching a Positive Early Childhood Learning Environment
Awareness and Infusion of Cultural Diversity in the Early Childhood Classroom
Investigating Early Childhood Education libraries
During this module we learned all about the importance of creating a positive learning environment in the Early Childhood classroom. We began by creating a blog post to highlight ways of fostering a positive learning environment such as establishing predictable routines and reinforcing positive behaviour. We then chose two theorists to compare and contrast in regards to how their theories could be applied to creating a positive learning environment. Vygotsky's Social Constructivist theory emphasises the importance of social interaction amongst peers which would also contribute to a positive learning environment as if the students are interacting and collaborating, they are also fostering trust and stronger relationships. Skinner's Behaviourist theory posits that behaviour is motivated by consequences, therefore in the early childhood classroom this could be applied as providing rewards and encouragement for positive behaviour that helps create a positive learning environment.
We also discussed ways of embracing cultural diversity in the classroom and created a presentation highlighting some key points and applying it to our current teaching contexts. It is important to find out as much information as possible about the students and their backgrounds early on so that we can ensure that their interests and culture are represented fairly in the classroom. We can provide opportunities for students to share aspects of their culture in class and we can also engage their interest in the topic by introducing them to aspects of our own cultures.
Another area we covered was early childhood education libraries. We discussed how we choose books for our learners (e.g. age appropriateness, by topic etc.,), how our students' cultures are represented in these books, the purpose books play in the classroom (e.g. add to schema about cultural identity, teach items of vocabulary, develop listening skills etc.), and we also reviewed a book that we have used with our young learners.
Supportive Tools in the Early Childhood Education Setting
Techniques for Managing Challenging Students
Supporting Families in Varying Learning Environments
Connecting Challenging Behaviours to Early Childhood Development Theories
In units three and four of this module, we learned about supportive tools in the early childhood classroom, how to support families in varying learning environments, techniques for managing challenging behaviour, and we also connected some challenging behaviours to the early childhood development theories that we had learned about in the previous module. There are numerous simple tools that are widely available for teachers to use in the early childhood classroom. Nowadays there are of course a wide variety of online tools, however children enjoy things that they can physical touch and manipulate with their hands so tools such as playdoh and magnetic letters are great tools to assist learning the early childhood classroom.
With a lot of learning recently having taken place online, it is important to identify ways that we can remain in contact with parents and help them to support their child's learning. Parent-teacher conferences are a great way to keep parents informed about what is going on at the school but may not always be possible if children are currently learning online. For hybrid classes, teachers could communicate with parents by sending out a newsletter by email to let parents know how their child's learning will take place over the coming week. As for online learning, there are now plenty of platforms (e.g. Class Dojo, Seesaw etc.) that allow for direct communication with parents and also allow parents to view the work that their children are doing.
Challenging behaviour can be defined as “any repeated pattern of behaviour, or perception of behaviour, that interferes with or is at risk of interfering with optimal learning or engagement in prosocial interactions with peers and adults” (Powell, Dunlap, & Fox 2006, 26). To explore this topic, we had the task of identifying a number of such behaviours and for each we had to identify how to address that behaviour, positive incentives and consequences for the student. For example, if a student is often 'off task', the teacher should offer consistent praise to members of the class who remain on task and provide rewards for their efforts, such as a fun activity at the end of class. They could also take away such privileges as a consequence for repeatedly being off task.
In relation to this, we also discussed four types of challenging behaviours and how they could be dealt with based on two early childhood theories (Skinner's 'Operant Conditioning' and Vygotsky's 'Sociocultural Theory of Child Development'). Operant Conditioning can relate to rewarding positive behaviours and providing suitable consequences for challenging behaviours. This can be enforced through the use of reward charts and setting up clear classroom rules at the start of term and referring back to them often. Vygotsky's Sociocultural theory could be applied by allowing the class to collaborate together to formulate a class contract, and to talk to the student about their behaviour, how they are feeling, and what might be a better way of expressing those feelings.