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Teaching early learners is quite the challenge, especially in this day and age when children are exposed to stimulus on a daily basis that technological developments provide. Students nowadays have become more demanding and less likely to enjoy the simple things like flash cards and sing along videos that used to make the day of our generations students.
Furthermore, teachers face a much larger challenge they did in those days; in addition to instilling in students the flexibility to readily adapt to changing technologies, teachers must encourage learning environments that encourage critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, global awareness, and social responsibility.
1) Integrated Technology
Being born in the age of the Internet many students are more technologically savvy than the adults teaching them. To connect with these kids, teachers must learn to speak their language and become familiar with the technology that comes so naturally to the young. Integrating technology means tapping into students interests and strengthening their technical skills, all while providing enriching learning opportunities as well as Early learning teaching resources that follow their interests and abilities. These Early learning teaching resources, however, need to prove to the kids that the teacher still knows more than they do!
2) Cooperative Learning Structures
It is important that all early learning teaching resources deduce the centralized role of the teacher. Effective teachers are increasingly using a student-centred approach. Cooperative learning sparks engagement in classrooms by encouraging interaction among the students themselves. The teacher, rather than calling on one student at a time, allows children to discuss class materials with buddies or in groups, thus maximizing the level of participation.
3) Differentiated Instruction
Teachers can adapt learning experiences to differentiate among the individual needs of students in the classroom. Teachers can also differentiate by matching assignments to readiness levels, offering appropriate intervention or extension activities as required. Allowing children to select activities based on areas of interest is another great way to differentiate a great way to achieve this is by using Task cards for literacy centres allowing students to choose from a set of tasks.
4) Goal Setting
Involving children in the goal-setting process is an excellent way to encourage them to take ownership of their learning here again can be of assistance. Teachers can further facilitate goal setting through the use of organizers, anchor charts and similar aids. Free Printable Behaviour Charts provides models of personal charts for early learners as well as Task cards for literacy centres.
5) Cross-Curriculum Teaching
In contrast to the traditional teaching of subjects in isolation, teaching numerous subjects simultaneously can help students go much deeper in learning concepts and skills. This approach, however, asks more from the teacher. It can be easy to blend math, science, or social studies content with reading or writing. This can be achieved with project-based learning which involves children carrying out a project that ends up with a concrete result of some kind using, Task cards for literacy centres can also help to combine many subjects. Problem-based learning asks the teacher to guide children in developing solutions to real-world problems. In inquiry-based learning, children generate their own questions according to their curiosities or interests, which they then investigate. These methods are not only fun, they are highly motivating for children and encourage collaboration, as well.
