Interactions and Teachable Moments

teacher-child interactions and teachable moments

Provide teachers with the handout “Some Starters for Giving Positive Feedback.” Have them make a wall chart with five sentences that they will practice over the next few weeks. (PCF, p. 47)
Model how teachers might compare aloud children’s past and present abilities as you observe them: “When you first came to preschool, Kim, you couldn’t turn on the water by yourself, and now you can turn it on and off.” (PCF, p. 47)

If children are having trouble during transitions, suggest that teachers explicitly prompt children how to transition to a new activity. For example, they might say, “First wash your hands, then find an empty seat for lunch.” (PCF, p. 70)

Demonstrate for teachers how they can use proximity and suggest extensions for children’s cooperative play to add complexity to their interactions and negotiations. (PCF, p. 67)
Introduce teachers to the strategy of redirecting children’s requests for adult to a capable peer. For example, when a child asks for help to turn off the faucet, you might call over Lucas and say, “Would you please teach Briana how to shut the faucet? You’re pretty good at doing that already.” (Prekindergarten Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 88)
Point out how teachers can encourage contact among more and less socially skilled children by creating opportunities for them to perform small tasks and chores together. (Prekindergarten Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 90)
Demonstrate how to comment on children’s play in ways that encourage further interaction. (Inclusion Works! p. 18)

Model for teachers how to verbalize the positive social behaviors they demonstrate regularly in the classroom. For instance, when they move over to give another child room at a circle gathering, they can say, “I’m moving over to give Lora some room to join us.” Observe during the next classroom activity, recording times the teacher employed the new skill and missed opportunities. Debrief your observation with the teacher afterwards. (PCF, p. 42)
Encourage teachers to engage children in solving routine, daily problems during the day instead of silently solving all problems by themselves. For example, if a child can’t reach a plate of crackers at snack time, say, “Oh-oh. Felipe can’t reach the crackers. I wonder what we can do to help him.” (PCF, p. 47)
Model for teachers how to solicit children’s opinions regarding how to deal with problems involving rules. Emphasize that sufficient time should be taken to ensure that all children are heard; and all children are not rushed into premature resolutions of issues. (Prekindergarten Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 87)
Show teachers how to give children specific, descriptive feedback on the positive impact of their prosocial behavior. For example, you might say, “Arthur, you helped David pick up the bike when it fell over. I saw that he gave you a big smile to say thank you.” (Prekindergarten Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 88 and PCF, p. 70)