The presenter discusses best teaching practices for kindergarten, including activating prior knowledge, presenting material in smaller chunks, guiding student practice, checking for understanding, and preventing misconceptions. Effective strategies include thinking aloud to model curiosity, using descriptive words to build vocabulary, reinforcing thinking over praising answers, and allowing time and support for students to verbalize their knowledge. The goal is to maintain a warm, accepting environment where students are motivated to learn through their natural sense of wonder.

1. P
PRESENTED BY
Ms SARAH BOODHOO

2. How We Teach Makes A
Difference!

3. High performance is never an
accident; it is always the result of
high intention, sincere effort,
intelligent direction, careful
planning, and skillful execution; it
represents the wise choice of many
alternatives.
Adapted from Willa A. Foster

4. BEST TEACHING PRACTICES
 Activating prior knowledge to make connections
 Framing the learning for all students
 Presenting smaller amounts of material at any time
 Guiding student practice as students worked problems
 Providing for student processing of the new material
during and after lesson
 Checking the understanding of all students
 Preventing students from developing misconceptions

5. The most important single factor
influencing learning is what the
learner already knows. Ascertain
this and teach him accordingly.
David Ausubel, Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View
ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
WHY?

6. Be Understanding With Young
Children
• Inexperienced teachers sometimes misinterpret a child's
unwillingness to participate as stubbornness or bad
behaviour.
• Children often do not have the vocabulary to express
themselves.
• Use reflective listening to help children verbalise what is
upsetting them.
• Sometimes children work well in groups and this helps
them learn to share and develop ideas and at other times
they just need to be alone with ample time to figure things
out.
• Relax and have fun with your students!

7. Best teaching methods...
Motivated children - pay attention
• Kindergarten students are generally motivated to learn about
everything. Unless children have often been made fun of
when investigating or presenting their knowledge, they
usually have a strong desire to find out and share
information.
• One of the best teaching methods is to motivate children by
modelling enthusiasm and curiosity.
• Motivation comes from within (intrinsic) and from outside
(extrinsic). Making too much fuss of any one child can result
in a competitive attitude in the class. Keep internal
motivation high by modelling curiosity about the topics
studied.

8. Best teaching methods-
Cont…
• Reinforce thinking processes rather than
praising the child.
• Try, “That is an interesting way that you sorted
your blocks. Tell me what you were thinking."
Then, "Sarah sorted her blocks in a different
way. Both ways of sorting are interesting."

9. Best teaching methods - kindergarten...
Children benefit by describing what they
learn
• When children have an opportunity to communicate
their new knowledge to patient adults it helps
solidify concepts. It often takes children time to find
the correct words to explain their thinking.
• Another best teaching practice is to supply the
students with descriptive words as they are playing
or working, e.g. "Notice how dull those rocks are,
the other ones are shiny". This extends their
vocabulary and increases their ability to share new
discoveries.

10. Presenting Smaller Amounts of
Material At Any Time
Example: Think, Pair, Share
• Think: How might you use “chunking” of
material in your classroom?
• Turn to your neighbour and share.
Be ready to share out to whole group.

11. Guiding Student Practice
• Practice makes permanent not perfect
• Don’t allow students to practice incorrectly
• Learning Sequence
– I do (teacher models)
– We do (whole class practice w/teacher)
– All do (small group or partner practice while
teacher monitors)
– You do (independent practice)

12. Providing for Student
Processing of the New Material
“Slowing down is a way of speeding up”
Madeline Hunter
• Theory
• Wait Time
• Summarizing

13. Checking the Understanding of
All Students
• What it isn’t….
–Are there any questions?
–Are you all with me?
–Am I going too fast?
–This is an adverb, isn’t it?
–Who can tell me?

14. Preventing Student
Misconceptions
• Students do not come to school as blank slates
• What they think they know greatly impacts their
learning
• Anticipate confusion
• Use specific strategies to bring forth misconceptions
• Get all voices heard (SIOP)

15. What is SIOP?
• S = Sheltered
• I = Instructional
• O = Observation
• P = Protocol

16. High Quality Kindergarten
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XriN7Ks6j84

17. Summary
• Maintain a classroom atmosphere of warmth and
acceptance.
• When kids know they are loved and accepted,
when they know you are willing to help them, they
relax and learn.
• Keep a sense of wonder and curiosity about the
world around you and your students will imitate
your behaviour.
• Model the behaviours you want your students to
adopt.
• For some kindergarten children, your classroom
will be one of the few places where their opinions
and ideas have been valued.

18. ALWAYS END YOUR DAILY LESSON
WITH A FINAL PROCESSING ACTIVITY
• cements the day’s lesson for the
students
• provides immediate assessment to
inform next day’s instruction