THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN AND THE ASSOCIATION
FOR CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL
Training Materials Which
Could Be Utilized in Training Early Childhood Educators
Early childhood
educators can benefit a lot from training programs and materials to read or
guidebooks that can furnish them with core strategies of nurturing pre-school
kids. The acquired skills will help them create a stimulating language learning
environment for the young children they work with in a childhood setting. They
also get to learn how to develop language and literacy which is crucial to the
young children.
Programs like
Teacher Talk encourage language development in early childhood settings by
training them on how to use daily conversations, routine and play to promote
social development and communication. These activities cater for all the
children regardless of whether they are second language learners or those with
language delays ("Training and Resources For Early Childhood Educators –
Teacher Talk", 2016).
Early
childhood educators are trained to encourage language development in young
children through the following ways;
· Helping
young children become better conversation partners or communicators by using
proper turn-taking cues and appropriate comments or questions.
· Identifying
children’s conversational styles and the role a teacher should play in
interactions
· Using
five necessary measures to ensure no child misses out on interrelation sessions
during group activities
· Implementing
six steps to following a child’s lead:
Ø Observe
Ø Wait and
listen
Ø Be face to face
Ø Imitate
Ø Interpret
Ø Comment
Ø Join in and play
Teacher talk 2016
also recommends for ‘let language lead the way to literacy’ training for early
childhood educators. The training will discuss important links between literacy
and oral language development. Tutors will learn practical strategies for paving
the way for children to write and read. The workshop trains educators on how to
support and encourage literacy development through;
· Using
book readings as time for conversations and interaction
· Helping
juniors develop a positive attitude towards the use of print
· Making
print a necessity on daily basis
· Choosing
books that are equivalent to the children’s stages of development and their
interests
Teacher talk
program also provides training that will foster successful peer interaction
among young children. The training equips educators with skills to create,
support and encourage opportunities for interaction among toddlers in the
social and physical environment by;
· Providing
useful materials and promoting activities
· Encouraging
need for socialization through groupings and providing precise coaching
· Making
good use of the space in classrooms
Early childhood
educators should also be trained on how to use technology in early childhood
classrooms. With the Internet and Information Computer Technology being the
biggest thing of our generation, there is a need to inculcate IT into the early
childhood education curriculum ("Using Technology in the Early Childhood
Classroom", 2016). Modern technologies are powerful ad leave a significant
impact because they rely on one of the most powerful genetic biases that human
beings have the preference for information presented with visuals. Visually
oriented materials attract and maintain young children’s attention. Technology
can also greatly benefit young interactive children as it allows them to
develop independent thinking skills, curiosity, and problem-solving skills.
Early childhood
educators should learn how to use materials considered developmentally
appropriate for coaching young children as pointed out by the constructivist
approach identified by Buffkin and Bryde (1996). General materials like books,
writing materials, art supplies, and writing material can be used to cultivate
the culture of reading, drawing and writing as they grow up. Playing is equally
important for children as they learn which makes items like dramatic play
materials, math and board games necessary in an early childhood setting. Other
useful items include; counters, pattern blocks, calendar math and unifix cubes.
There is also the need for center-based learning and materials for hands-on
exploration of science materials.
Finally, there is
need to inculcate experimental activities to the educators. Formal operations
by adults do not mean they no longer need experimental learning. As a matter of
fact, college students have admitted that experiments are the best as they help
them make connections from theory to practice (Slotnick et al., 1993; Dart, et.
al., 2005). The practicals make learning more meaningful bearing in mind that
adults just like children have different developmental stages and have
different learning styles, levels of motivation and background experiences.
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