Reflective Teaching & Inquiry
As we ease into the new school year, you are getting to know the children in your classroom and designing curriculum (activities and environments/materials) that reflect their cultures and homes, skills, interests, and needs. Learning how and on what to reflect is an important part of building your preschool curriculum. Here are some resources to help you develop your reflective disposition:
First, you'll want to put on what Carter and Curtis called your "Thinking Lens". Under this framework, you will regularly ask yourself questions in six major areas:
Know yourself: What captures my attention as the children engage, explore, and interact? What delights me as I watch and listen?
Find the details that touch your heart and mind: What do I notice in the children’s faces and actions? Where do I see examples of children’s strengths and competencies?
Seek the child’s perspective: What is the child drawn to and excited about? What might the child be trying to accomplish?
Examine the physical and social/emotional environment: How is the organization and use of the physical space and materials impacting this situation? How could we strengthen relationships here?
Consider multiple perspectives: What questions might we ask to get the perspective of the child’s family? Who else or what other perspectives should we consider?
Consider opportunities and possibilities for next steps: What values, philosophy, and desired outcomes do I want to influence my response? What other materials and activities could be offered to build on this experience?
You can keep a journal of your thoughts, record them as voice memos, or discuss and record them with a reflective partner or group. An intentional teacher asks: What problems are children facing in their play? What questions are they asking? What sparks their curiosity?
These reflections will probably lead you to new ideas for exploration in your classroom. One way to begin this inquiry is to use a provocation or invitation to learning. Look for interesting open-ended materials that can be combined and arranged in ways that encourage children to explore them in new ways. Here are some pictures to get you started.
Put out a provocation and carefully observe children's play and questions. Why is this important to children? What overarching concepts are children wondering about (e.g. properties of materials, families/community, shadows/light, change, engineering, motion, emotions)? What do children already know? How can you extend and build on this play? What questions will you ask? How will you incorporate new materials? What concepts or vocabulary do children need to understand to deepen their understanding? You can use an anticipatory web, mind map or a curriculum planning tool to think about the activities and materials you'd like to include across the curriculum, but you'll need to remain flexible as children's interests change and develop.
Want to see more? Check out this video about a Nature Investigation from Eastern Connecticut University or these examples from the Illinois Learning Project.
