My Developmentally Appropriate Classroom Management Plan

Early childhood is a time of curiosity, a time for play, and a time of rapid development. Every child is unique and deserving of an early childhood education that facilitates academic, social, and developmental growth through a variety of enjoyable experiences. Differentiated instruction adapts content, products and processes to meet the diverse learning needs and preferences of students (Thousand, Villa, & Nevin, 2007). Friedrich Froebel, the creator of Kindergarten, believed that children grow and learn as they play (Bruno, 2009). Play-based instruction not only enables young learners to have fun, but it also encourages interactive and cooperative learning, passion for discovery, and a foundation for later learning experiences

As an early years practitioner you will recognise that children’s play is closely linked to their learning and development. Children learn in so many different ways but you will notice that they learn mainly through play. When children are able to do many different activity’s that allows them to lean but have fun at the same time thy will find what they are doing fun and will engage the children. It is important that when in you your setting you set up a variety of educational activity’s this way the children will be able to choose freely what they want to do.

“Play is developmentally appropriate for primary-age children and can provide them with opportunities that enrich the learning experience” (Copple & Bredekamp 2009). Early childhood education holds two main focuses; a child-based focus and a family-based focus. Early childhood education has positive outcomes on the child through their learning experiences, and their growth and development. Based on the family, the results of early education happen through the communication that the family has with the educators and by the encouragement they get from within themselves, and also from the educators.

It is important that an environment where children are going to be is a safe and friendly environment, and consists of everything that a child needs to be able grow and develop to the best of their ability. This includes challenging exercises and things that are able learn at their own pace. Whichever age group you a person is working with, it is important to ensure that the planning is done according to each child’s individual needs to ensure that that the development of each child is met. This is vital as every child is different and therefore activities that are put out should be able to be adapted so that every child feels as if they are able to have a go at doing it. A positive environment also includes the way that a room looks and if

The name of Rachel and I’s preschool was Chit Chatter Clubhouse. Our philosophy discusses how our preschool strives to educate the whole child physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. We also strive to provide stimulation activities that will prepare our students for the future. Based off of this philosophy we were able to choose different materials from the content areas and set up our classroom with the areas of science, math, block, art, P.E./movement, dramatic play, and reading/writing and morning meeting/circle time. We decided on materials for these areas based off of our goals as well. We found developmentally appropriate furniture such as shelves, tables, chairs, and couches. These furniture pieces were low to the ground since we are teaching 3-5 year olds. Along with these furniture pieces, we have a teacher area with shelving and a desk for us so we can create lessons or work on things to make us better teachers. We have sinks and bathrooms that help students become independent and learn healthy

The 2010 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Initial and Advanced Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs provides standards that set guidelines for what and how early childhood professionals prepare themselves to be efficient educators and caregivers. Professional development tools and strategies are critical assets for providing high quality early childhood education and care that meets the needs and interest of all learners. Today’s early childhood settings are filled with a diverse group of learners. Efficient educators must use a broad range of approaches, tools, and resources to ensure success for all learners. The NAEYC Initial and Advanced Standards demonstrates particular strategies for early childhood educators to prepare themselves to be successful and effective teachers. For this brief composition I chose to highlight the initial standard #4: using developmentally effective approaches.

By taking advantage of the children's high interest and engagement in different areas of play, educators can plan for play based activities that encourage learning and development in children. In order to do this the teacher needs to set up an environment that stimulates various play activities. Providing the children with a multitude of materials and props for different activities, will give them the freedom of choice to choose what they wish to use and how they want to use it. There must be a period of time structured into the daily schedule that will allow for play based learning activities, and reflection on them. Children can learn not only by engaging in play, but by discussing what they were

Providing children with an environment that nurtures their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development is the framework that will promote children’s optimal learning and development. Gaining knowledge about the child will help a teacher to develop and create programs that are suitable for the age and the stages of children’s development. Applying developmentally appropriate practices will support the excellence in early childhood education because it is based off of the knowledge of knowing each child as an individual and how they develop.

A high quality learning environment should have enough (indoor) space for children to explore their interest and supportive adults to engage them to regulate their feelings and behaviors in it. I will be assessing the “Indoor space” from the Space and Furnishings subscale section of ECERS-3 to rate an early childhood education environment. This playful learning environment is located in Discovery bay and it is named Nolan Kindergarten and Nursery School. I choose to focus a 5-6 years old children’s classroom which has two different areas namely dramatic pretend play and reading. In this essay, I will pinpoint the indoor space with reference to ECERS-3 and assess the selected venue pictures to elaborate whether it supports child development.

A teacher in the classroom setting is considered a professional in that environment because they have the training and skills necessary by which to create a setting which is conducive to learning. To aide in the establishment of a setting which is conducive to learning the teacher must create guidelines which help to provide structure for expected behavior as well as for the dissemination of information between teacher and student. Organization and careful planning are two elements which help to

The Early Years Learning Framework describes play as a “context for learning” in which children make sense of their world (DEEWR, 2009, p.9). Play is essential for learning and development as it provides opportunities for children to express themselves creatively, construct new understandings, and develop relationships (Undiyaundeye, 2013). Play supports the student’s developmental domains such as; social, language, and creativity, cognitive, emotional and physical development. The National Quality Framework acknowledges the educator’s role as facilitator, in which they respond to student’s ideas, play and use intentional teaching to extend and scaffold each student learning (ACECQA, 2013, p. 40). Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory describes learning as a social activity, in which the child’s social and cognitive understanding is constructed through social interaction (Duchesne et al., 2013; Arthur et al., 2015). He believes that play occurs in a socio-cultural context and provides ‘Zone of Proximal’ development for a student in which they can behave beyond their age and act in ways that are not typical of their daily behavior. The educator at pre-primary structured the classroom to support and encourage interaction, for instance, the home corner, which consisted of multiple dining chairs and a range of resources for dramatic play. The pre-primary teacher took on the role as onlooker and mediator during the children’s play, interrupting their play to manage behavior issues,

Play is inevitable when it comes to children. Given the right environment and objects (of any sort), children will find a way to play. Jarvis, et al state that educators must offer inspiring, playful environments which include hands-on activities and interesting resources. This will empower children to educate themselves (2009). Along the same line, Wood and Attfield consider that an environment inclusive of varied resources will provide room for growth in their learning and will support the child’s “creativity, inventiveness and originally” (2005, p.231).

The education of the young mind is an important step in preparing the child for future learning experiences. The evolution of early childhood education has changed how adults and parents view the importance of offering stimulating and exciting opportunities to the very young. Early childhood Education offers the young child learning experiences that benefit them throughout their educational career. They soon embark on a whole new world of learning. These children are not only experiencing standard brain growth, but verbal and physical skills as well. Early childhood education teachers use a variation of techniques for instructing. They use lesson plans, worksheets, and even teacher resources for these young minds.

As a teacher, I implement multiple curricula including mathematics, literacy and science, incorporating the Pennsylvania Common Core State Standards into lesson planning. With lesson planning, I use a backwards design approach that combines coherent instruction with formative and summative assessments that align with the instructional outcomes. I have differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all my students in the classroom, including those of 3 ELL students. Throughout the year I have administered a successful proactive classroom management plan that demonstrated effective behavior management with 23 diverse students that has created a positive learning environment for all students. I have developed a strong relationship and communication

An important part of the classroom is the classroom management and behavioral plan. In the behavioral management plan I developed, there are the following components: students' behavioral expectations, rewards, and consequences. I believe that theses three elements are important and conducive to establishing and marinating a great classroom environment.