The Intentional TeacherHolloway - 1 -
The Intentional Teacher
Act with Knowledge and Purpose
Stephanie Holloway
SpringArborUniversity
Early Childhood Education 368
Mark Tompkins
June 29, 2013
Early childhood education teaching techniques have been highly debated over the last few years. According to Dr. Epstein, “An effective early childhood program combines both child-guided and adult-guided educational experiences. Children have significant, active roles in adult-guided experiences, and adults play intentionalroles in child-guided experiences, taking advantage of both planned and unexpected learning opportunities” (Epstein, 2007). Teaching with intention is not an accident, it is thoughtfully applying knowledge to act on a situation and teach a lesson in the moment. The intentional teacher will act with a goal driven purpose and knowledge that one already obtains to formulate a plan to accomplish it.
Intentional teachers support child-guided learning with children when they are interacting and engaging in activities. During this time children can establish relationships on their own. They are also apt to problem solve on their own and investigate new skills while they apply existing knowledge. Child-guided learning allows children to turn to each other and investigate while exploring and learning. It’s crucial as a teacher to be aware of this specific time, as adult intervention would interrupt the learning process that is taking place.
Adult-guided learning is also applied by the intentional teacher as well. This time is taken when children need extra assistance in an area of further learning. A teacher would take this time if a child asked for more information or help. Adult-guided learning would be used if I child was using unsafe or hurtful actions. “Teachers must know when to use a given strategy to accommodate the different ways that individual children learn and the specific content they are learning” (Epstein, 2007, p.1).
The intentional teacher will act with a careful instinct of teaching and consider the outcome before applying a teaching strategy. Epstein states, “To be ‘intentional’ is to act purposefully, with a goal in mind and a plan for accomplishing it” (Epstein, 2007, p.4). Effective teachers will intentionally plan or place an object to stir up an environment with something new to learn from it. Intentional teachers will enhance learning environments for children and interact with them to optimize the learning experience.
Teaching is a driving force. “It is the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and especially the behaviors and skills teachers employ in their work with learners” (Epstein, 2007, p.5).
Teachers are not only responsible for knowing the curriculum but also utilizing effective strategies to implement with various learners. Also, teachers must fully understand pedagogy and promote learning environments to be safe, healthy, and positive towards his/her learners. Teachers must utilize and accurately administer assessments to determine if children are progressing towards learning and developmental goals. These are the guiding principles of an educator and the foundation and key ingredients that help define the principle meanings of teaching.
To effectively teach children, engagement is a key component. “Engagement includes on-task behavior, but it further highlights the central role of students’ emotion, cognition, and voice…When engagement is characterize by the full range of on-task behavior, positive emotions, invested cognition, and personal voice, it functions as the engine for learning and development” (Marzano, 2007, p.99). The intentional teacher will be aware when engagement is achieved and when a different strategy should be used.
Increasing concerns about the achievement gap within early childhood education are on the rise and are becoming harder to close for some children. With a strong educational foundation, intentional teachers can teach the content that develops these skills. Focusing on vocabulary, concepts, and skills will help maximize the general learning experience.
Language and literacy are the beginning steps to child- guided reading. A foundation in language helps build a child’s conversational skills. In return, vocabulary meaning and understanding expressions will increase too. By communicating, better listening skills will develop and will be a model for the active listeners. The intentional teacher will continually engage in conversation and ask questions, to build the language and literacy development of children.
The intentional teacher will provide ample amounts of learning strategies for children to understand and an objects location, special reasoning, and a relationship with another object. Providing mathematical and science applications through adult-guided learning will enhance a child’s awareness with special relations. The intentional teacher will provide learning opportunities for these applications to further develop and grow.
Children begin to familiarize their sense of security and community social group. Social skills are developed through play and child-guided learning. The intentional teacher will create a safe and supportive environment for these social skills to thrive. Teaching children to problem solve with compromising and negotiating will develop their interactions and social skills between their peers.
The intentional teacher will provide space for physical movement to occur. Children will have a better understanding of healthy living habits that will only provide a balanced lifestyle for the future. Physical fitness skills are developed and mastered through discovery and exploration and enhanced through adult-guided learning.
As children progress in their language development, we also see progression through their visual arts as well. The intentional teacher will accept a drawing as is, never pushing for more details. It is important to notice the details that were included. The intentional teacher will discuss and share the artwork with others. If a child is not complete, storing it and coming back to add more detail to the project at a later time is completely acceptable.
An outstanding intentional teacher has these qualities that promote high expectations for students. The planning and management is organized and precise. The environment that the intentional teacher creates is oriented for learning in the classroom with engaging activities. Thoughtful questioning is addressed for learning purposes and feedback is given. The intentional teacher poses these qualities to perform in a highly effective classroom.
The intentional teacher strives for balance and proves to be a more effective in practice. With thorough knowledge and collaboration with children to what the ‘intent’ is in teaching, our children will have a better educational foundation. Epstein states, “Intentional teaching respects the importance and excitement children attach to their own learning” (Epstein, 2009). This concludes that the intentional teacher will be joining the child while exploring and inventing their world of learning while teaching goes hand in hand simultaneously.
References
Epstein, A. (2009, Jan). Think before you (inter)act: What it means to be an intentional
teacher. Exchange, (Jan/Feb 2009), Pg 45-49. Retrieved from Intentional Teaching.pdf
Epstein , A. (2007). The intentional teacher: Choosing the best strategies for young
children's learning. WashingtonDC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved from
Epstein , A. (2007, Feb 19). Intentional teacher. Retrieved from
Marzano, R. (2007). The art and science of teaching. Alexandria,Virginia: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.