Enhancing Child- Increasing CLASS

EnhancingChild-Teacher

Interactions=IncreasingCLASS

InstructionalSupport

DianaHill,Ph.D.

• Sincewecan’tknowwhatknowledgewillbemostneededinthefuture,itissenselesstotrytoteachitinadvance.Instead,weshouldtrytoturnoutpeoplewholovelearningsomuchandlearnsowellthattheywillbeabletolearnwhateverneedstobelearned.– JohnHolt

Today’s Goal

Learning how to use interactions to influence approaches to learning and increase instructional support.

Buenosdias,Hello,Yá’át’ééh

• Share your Name.

• Finish this sentence, “I am a ______” or “I work as______.”

• Share your most recent curious moment…your latest Google search, a recent question or wondering?

Enhancing Child-Teacher Interactions =

Increasing CLASS1

Instructional Support

• What is Instructional Support?

• What are interactions?

• How are interactions related to increasing Instructional Support?

• In what ways, can a teacher use Instructional Support to influence Approaches to Learning?

1 Pianta, LaParo, Hamre (2008).

Instructional SupportA domain of CLASS

(Classroom Assessment Scoring System).

TheRoleofCLASSinArizona

• Quality First, Arizona’s Quality Improvement Rating System (QIRS) uses CLASS – Classroom Assessment Scoring System1 to define a quality teacher.

• Schools receive a star rating based on Quality First evaluation. This five star rating system yields prestige and increased funding. Therefore mastering CLASS is important to all ECE centers.

teachstone.com.

Pre-K CLASS Domains and Dimensions

Domain:Instructional Support

Dimensions:• Concept Development.• Quality of Feedback• Language Modeling

Concept Development.

• Analysis and Reasoning• Problem Solving• Prediction/experimentation• Classification/comparison• Evaluation

Quality of Feedback

• Scaffolding• Feedback Loops• Prompting• Providing Information• Encouragement and Affirmation

Language Modeling

• Frequent Conversations• Open-ended questions• Repetition and extension• Self and parallel talk• Advanced language

LinkingInstructionalSupporttoInteractions

Interactions

Whole group, small group, 1-1What are are productive teacher-child interactions?

An interaction could be a do what I say phrase such as: wash your hands now, a child-child dispute, or invitation to sing.

But what about a productive interaction that influences learning?

Using the scenario cards, talk with your table about the use of interactions to develop the dimensions of instructional support.

Concept Development.

Quality of Feedback

Language Modeling

How Interactions InfluenceApproaches to Learning

and Increase Instructional Support.

Common Approaches to Learning

Curiosity

Independence

Creativity

Resilience

Engagement

Problem-solving

Responsibility

Decision-making

Approaches to Learning express children’s strategies for mastering skills and

behaviors that indicate ways that they engage in learning.

AMERICATENDSTOUSETHETERMAPPROACHESTOLEARNING.

‘LEARNINGDISPOSITIONS’ISALSOUSED.

APPROACHESTOLEARNINGISASTANDARDINAZEARLYLEARNINGSTANDARDS.

Approaches to Learning orLearning Dispositions

• Approaches to learning are observable behaviors that display purposeful expression of movement toward a learning goal (Katz, 1988).

• They are manifestations of children’s personalized patterns of thinking that influence behavior and/or speech (McDermott, Rikoon, & Fantuzzo, 2013).

• Approaches to learning express children’s strategies for mastering skills and behaviors that indicate ways that they engage in learning.

In what ways do teachers of young children nurture and support approaches to learning?

Approaches to Learning

are Essential

ØApproaches to learning are indicative of an effective learner (Bertram & Pascal, 2002).

ØThey are environmentally sensitive, and acquired, supported, or weakened by interactive experiences in an environment with significant adults and peers (Bertram & Pascal, 2002).

ØExperiences in early childhood education can influence the development of approaches to learning whether by “intention or by default” (Katz, 1977).

Approaches to Learning

can be influenced.

They are environmentally sensitive, and acquired, supported, or weakened by interactive experiences in an environment with significant adults and peers (Bertram & Pascal, 2002).

Experiences in early childhood education can influence the development of approaches to learning whether by “intention or by default” (Katz, 1977, p. 66).

Approaches to Learning

and Teaching

• approaches to learning and qualities of the teacher-child interactions are important to future academic success (Katz, 1998, 2002; Pianta, 1997, 2002).

• approaches to learning are potentially alterable via the teacher through either modeling or direct instruction (Fantuzzo, Perry, & McDermott, 2004).

InstructionalSupport

Interactions

ApproachestoLearning

Approaches to Learning

• Curiosity• Independence• Creativity• Resilience• Engagement• Problem-solving• Responsibility• Decision-making

On the paper at your table take 10 minutes and define each of these approaches to learning. Name some observable behaviors.

Curiosity

- a view of self as interested, with the expectation that people, places, and things can be interesting; it demonstrates motivation to understand (Claxton & Carr, 2004; Katz, 1998).

• What did you name as observable behaviors for curiosity?

• How do these behaviors display purposeful expression of movement toward a learning goal?

Theme One

Curiosity

the intense desire to know or understand.

Where is curiosity in this picture?

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Strategies for Influencing Curiosity

Zone of Proximal Interest – teacher noticing a child’s interest and adding either focus or challenging question expanding their interest, without moving the child beyond the ZPI (D. Hill, 2019).

Differentiated Engagement: interacting with children according to the development of a specific approach to learning within the child’s ZPD. It involves the teacher and student in a dialogic process of learning.

Zone of Proximal Interest has roots in Zone of Proximal Development

(Vygotsky, 1978)

Abilityofthechild

ZoneofProximalDevelopment

Abilityofthechildwithatrustedother

Continuum of learning/problem solving

Children learn best when they solve problems between their current ability and and their ability with assistance.

Zone of Proximal Interest

Similar to Vygotsky’s ZPD – Zone of Proximal Development…. the area between what a child knows and can do alone and the area a child does not know but can reach with the assistance of a trusted other (Bodrova & Leong, 2007

Teacher notices a child’s interest and knows their Zone of Interest. They add either focus or challenging question expanding their interest, without moving the child beyond the ZPI (D. Hill, 2019).

Differentiated Engagement:

• Noticing the child’s learning goal.• Interacting with a child within the

child’s ZPD • The child and teacher are in a

dialogic or reciprocating process of learning;

• engaging with the child in sense making, the taking in of information and organizing ideas.

Differentiated Learningvs Differentiated Engagement

Differentiated Learning Differentiated Engagement

The teacher as a chef in the kitchen adjusting the flavoring of a dish for her guests;

The teacher engaged in the children’s kitchen, where teacher and childrenflavor the dish together.

Theme One

Curiosity

the intense desire to know or understand.

Children’s Zone of Interest?Possible focusing questions?Differentiated Engagement?

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Whatabouttheotherapproachestolearning?• Initiative & Curiosity • Attentiveness &

Persistence• Confidence and

Resilience• Creativity• Reasoning & Problem-

solving

• Decision-making• Engagement • Independence• Responsibility• Self-motivation• Risk taking• Voice

New approaches to learning

Risk-taking:

When children learn to face uncertainty by taking on risk, they learn to work with uncertainty. This learning enables them to take on what they perceive as risky and related approaches to learning.

Voice:

• Voice is the act of expression. It precedes the having of agency. A child with voice has the learning disposition to develop agency.

• It can be associated with autonomy, agency, children’s rights, and reconceptualizing early childhood education (Adair, 2014; Cannella, 1997a; Dahlberg & Moss, 2004; McNaughton, 2003).

Risk-taking:

• …an act with an uncertain outcome that adults could perceive as dangerousor embodying some level of fear for the child.

• Risk-taking is not about what adults perceive as risky. It is the child facing uncertainty.

Theme Two

Risk-taking

An act with an uncertain outcome that could be perceived as dangerous or embodying some level of fear.

Risk-taking

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Aldo and the Box – look for…

• Giving attention verbally and through proximity• Guiding children’s safety • Affirming children’s actions with a voice of confidence• Micro-risks – making the risk smaller• Approximation of risk – adjusting the risk• Scaffolding risk-taking – moving from a known risk to a

greater challenge

Aldo and the Box

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Strategies for Influencing Risk-taking

• Descriptive Attention - teacher narrates a child’s actions and words, implying the child’s ownership of the action and empowering the child.

• Non-verbal Attention – positive facial expressions such as an accepting smile, an open, relaxed body position, and gentle touch. Particularly effective with early language learners or children learning a second language.

• Physical Proximity – trusted other is physically near the child and creates a form of physical attention conveying a sense of safety or security.

• Shaping the Risk – scale, content (approximation), scaffolding

Voice

• the dialogic engagement between a teacher and young children occurs as a mediation, a conversation, or deep listening.

• Voice is developed in the social engagement of the classroom (Vygotsky, 1978) and observed as children’s mutual participation in their world.

• Voice can be understood as socially grounded, performed through exchange, and subject to power struggles as well as social roles (Noppari, Uusitalo, & Kupiainen, 2017).

• Honoring the emergent voice of all children supports their cultural resources, heritage, linguistic ability, racial expression, and can be gender neutral.

• When a teacher empowers children’s voicesthey are really heard.

Strategies for Voice

• Emergent Linguistic Ability (Interpretive Understanding) –supporting children’s linguistic ability as children take up space and make bids for participation instead of being silenced.

• Dialogic Engagement - Teacher and child engaging in the back and forth dialogue of ‘sense-making.’

Strategies for Voice• Acceptance of Play Acting – voice is influenced when the

teacher is recognizing pretend worlds by making space for alternative identities. In this way children make decisions and appropriate power. Giving children the space and initiative to ‘speak’ through pretend play develops voice.

• Children Expressing Opinion, Will, Choice, Desire, or Right –engaging, hearing, and giving space to expressions of voice teach children that their expressions or forms of ‘sense-making’ are understood and can be acted upon.

Theme Three

Voice

The act of expression in which thinking or ideas are taken up for consideration by others (peers, teachers, adults, parents, etc.). It belongs to the child, and is not dependent on actions of the recipient.

“I can’t sit down while I’m standing up. My shoes are wet.” Carrie

Video

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Four General Teacher Strategies Influencing approaches to learning

1. Intellectual Inquiry includes – identifying uncertainty, using intentionally placed questions, wondering aloud to prompt curiosity, and making statements focused on the child’s interest.

2. Non-verbal Attention – visibly expressing understanding with head nodding, smiling at children, listening intently, and being relaxed as children process their uncertainty. This strategy is a particularly effective strategy with early language learners and second language learners who may not be understanding all the words, but acutely understand non-verbal communication.

Teacher Strategies Influencing approaches to learning

3. Zone of Proximal Interest – teacher noticing a child’s interest and adding either focus or challenging question expanding their interest, without moving the child beyond the ZPI (D. Hill, 2019).

4. Differentiated Engagement: interacting with children according to the development of a specific learning disposition within the child’s ZPD. It involves the teacher and student in a dialogic process of learning.

TeacherDiscoursecanignitethe‘spark’tolearn.(Johnston,1991)

• Thebigpicture• Teacherdiscourseistheverbalandnon-verbalengagementthatinfluencesoraffectschildren;whatateachersaysanddoes.• Itistheclassroomcommunicationsystem(Cazden,2001).

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Closing Thoughts

• Take these strategies, think about them, observe your children, and engage with them according to their approaches to learning.

• I invite you to notice what the children are thinking. Where are their interests? Use Instructional Support to support the children’s ideas, not yours.

• Approaches to Learning fits all curriculum.

• Focusing on and creating opportunities for children to develop their approaches to learning best equips them to become people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.

Thank you

Citations are in your handout.

Attentiveness & Persistence – a view of self as someone who persists or continues working with a task past the expected time of completion or in spite of opposition (Claxton & Carr, 2004; Katz, 1998).

Creativity – the view of self as a communicator (expressing ideas) or innovator in a wide range of contexts (speaking, painting, constructing, drawing, singing, dancing, etc.). This learning disposition is cross-listed as imagination (Bertram & Pascal, 2002; Te Whāriki, 2001).

Engagement – a view of self as someone who is attentive and gets involved and remains engrossed or focused. It is often linked with persistence when a child demonstrates the ability to attend to relevant stimuli and persevere with difficult tasks (Te Whāriki, 2001).

Problem-solving - the view of self as strategic with flexible approaches to a task or problem (Marx, 2011; McDermott, Green, Francis, & Stott,1999).

Responsibility – a view of self and others as people with rights; to take another point of view beyond self (Bertram & Pascal, 2002; Carr, 2001; DaRos-Voseles & Fowler-Haughey, 2007).

Decision maker – a view of self as able to measure choices and make a decision (Carr & Claxton, 2004).

Resilience – a view of self as someone able to return to or persist with a problem despite set-backs. Similar yet different than persistence because resilience is an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (Carr & Claxton, 2004).

Independence – a view of self as competent to work toward a task with limited support – to self-manage (Claxton & Carr, 2004; Katz, 1998).

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