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Most early childhood teachers are using learning centers in the classroom, but do not approach them in ways that fully support a variety of learning opportunities. This book approaches learning centers through the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) lens, and shares how themes can be integrated into centers to promote creativity and highler-level thinking.

Young children who enter school without sufficient social and emotional learning (SEL) skills may have a hard time learning. Yet early childhood educators say they don't get enough training to effectively help children develop such skills. In this article, Megan McClelland, Shauna Tominey, Sara Schmitt, and Robert Duncan examine the theory and science behind early childhood SEL interventions. Reviewing evaluation results, they find that several interventions are promising, though we need to know more about how and why their results vary for different groups of children. Three strategies appear to make interventions more successful, the authors write. First, many effective SEL interventions include training or professional development for early childhood teachers; some also emphasize building teachers' own SEL skills. Second, effective interventions embed direct instruction and practice of targeted skills into daily activities, giving children repeated opportunities to practice SEL skills in different contexts; its best if these activities grow more complex over time. Third, effective interventions engage children's families, so that kids have a chance to work on their SEL skills both at school and at home. Family components may include teaching adults how to help children build SEL skills or teaching adults themselves how to practice and model such skills. Are early childhood SEL interventions cost-effective? The short answer is that it's too soon to be sure. We won't know how the costs and benefits stack up without further research that follows participants into later childhood and adulthood. In this context, we particularly need to understand how the long-term benefits of shorter, less intensive, and less costly programs compare to the benefits of more intensive and costlier ones.

Background A growing body of studies has shown that fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity (PA) are crucial for preschoolers’ development. However, most Hong Kong preschoolers still do not meet the WHO guidelines for PA and demonstrate poor FMS performance. The present study examined the effectiveness of physical activity routines, education, assessment, literacy, and information technology application in young children (PA-REALITY), a social cognitive theory-based movement education program led by preschool teachers. Methods Twenty-nine preschools signed up for the program and were cluster-randomized into an experimental group (15 preschools) and a wait-list control group (14 preschools). Totally 440 (age = 4 ± 0.95 years; 54.5% male) preschoolers took part in the baseline test and 349 preschoolers from 26 schools took part in the post-test (10 months). We delivered intervention contents including teacher workshops, teaching materials (booklet, simple sports equipment), and a mobile application to teachers. At baseline and post-test (10 months), respectively, preschoolers’ FMS proficiency, PA, and executive function (EF) were assessed using objective tools. Mixed-linear models using intention-to-treat analyses were used to examine intervention effects. Results Participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in catch ( B  = 0.37, p  < .001) and moderate-to-vigorous PA ( B  = 4.49, p  = .04) at 10 months, compared with participants in the wait-list control group. No effects were found for total PA other FMS and EF outcomes. Conclusions The PA-REALITY intervention improved some FMS outcomes and MVPA at 10 months. These results highlight the important roles of teachers in developing children’s movement skills and PA. Continuous professional development training for teachers may be an effective and sustainable way to improve existing practices.

English learning among Chinese preschoolers has increased in recent years. Despite policies that strongly oppose external English instruction for this age group, many parents are unrelenting and persist in providing English learning opportunities for their children. This study seeks to address how formal and informal literacy activities within the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) mediate the relationship between parental beliefs and Chinese children’s attitudes towards learning English in a foreign language context. Specifically, it explores: (1) how formal literacy activities within the HLE mediate this relationship, (2) how informal literacy activities within the HLE mediate this relationship. The study involved 405 participants who completed a questionnaire on family demographics, beliefs about the importance of early English education, the HLE, and children’s attitudes towards English learning. Quantitative data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with a Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach. Parental beliefs positively influence children’s attitudes towards English through formal and informal learning. These results highlight the importance of fostering a supportive and engaging HLE to enhance children’s positive attitudes towards learning English. The implications suggest that policy and practice should recognize the value of various literacy activities in early childhood education, particularly in the context of a foreign language and academically focused Asian society.

This single-case investigation was designed to evaluate the effects of telehealth training on practitioner implementation of a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI). Six general education preschool practitioners engaged in an intervention with six children with varying disabilities in inclusive classroom settings. The telehealth training package included a collaborative approach to intervention planning, online training module, video self-evaluation, and performance feedback via videoconferencing. Following telehealth training, practitioners reached criteria for implementation fidelity and increased communication opportunities. Additionally, child participants increased communication behaviors above baseline levels. All behaviors generalized to a different activity context and maintained over time. Social validity was measured and results suggest high levels of acceptability for the telehealth training package.

The aim of this study was to determine preschool teachers' STEM training, STEM classroom activities, lesson planning processes, problems, and evaluation strategies and methods during activities. The study sample consisted of 20 preschool teachers. Participants were recruited using criterion sampling, which is a purposive sampling method. This was a case study, which is a qualitative research method. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. Qualitative data were analyzed inductive content analysis. Themes, categories, and codes were developed according to the content analysis results in line with the research purpose. Content analysis results showed that participants implemented different preschool STEM activities and used different strategies, methods, and techniques while implementing those activities. They also stated that they faced various problems during those activities. They stated that the STEM training helped them to develop professional competence. However, they had difficulty planning lessons in line with STEM education, due to lack of content knowledge.

Through art children make sense of their experiences and the world around them.Drawing, painting, collage and modelling are open-ended and playful processes through which children engage in physical exploration, aesthetic decision-making, identity construction and social understanding.

The aim of this study was to investigate PYP practitioner preschool teachers’ science teaching practices in terms of their pedagogical beliefs. In this mixed method study, the quantitative data were first collected and analyzed, and then the qualitative data were collected and detailed. Accordingly, Pedagogical Belief Systems Scale (PBSS) was first implemented to 39 preschool teachers. Then, teachers were selected based on their scores from PBSS and included in the qualitative data processes. Data sources in this study are PBSS, Science Teaching Construction Task (STCT) and Classroom Observations. On the other hand, data analysis consisted of three steps. In the first step, quantitative data analysis was performed. Qualitative data analysis was performed in the second and third steps. In the first step of the qualitative data analysis, inductive content analysis was performed based on the constant comparative method on the responses of the teachers in the lower and upper groups to eight questions in STCT. Then, teachers’ science teaching practices in their own classrooms were analyzed through analytic rubric and enriched with field notes The results revealed that PYP practitioner preschool teachers had child-centered pedagogical beliefs. They also performed science teaching activities based on question-answer and deliberative interactions representing child-centered orientation, independently of their pedagogical beliefs. According to the results in this study, the quality of PYP practitioner preschool teachers’ theoretical orientations and practical applications for science teaching was independent of their pedagogical beliefs. However, preschool teachers with high pedagogical beliefs put more emphasis on inquiry in their theoretical conceptualizations about science teaching. The most important limitation in this study is the population. The first limitation occurs because PYP practitioner preschool education institutions were very limited in Istanbul; PYP practitioner preschool teachers were difficult to reach. The second limitation is that this research relied on only teachers’ self-reported views and practices. Findings in this study is important in terms of describing the quality of preschool science teaching in the context of PYP and how teachers’ pedagogical beliefs serve it. Hence, based on the results obtained in the study, it was revealed that PYP practitioner preschool teachers were generally based on child-centered teaching and tended to use inquiry-based pedagogical strategies.

Start young children off with Common Core math using these innovative activities Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades K-2 provides teachers with the help they need to begin teaching to the new standards right away. The book outlines the Common Core math standards from kindergarten to second grade, providing one classroom-ready activity for each standard, plus suggestions for variations and extensions for students of different learning styles and abilities. Along with teaching the required mathematical concepts and skills, many of the activities encourage collaboration, technology utilization, written and oral communication, and an appreciation of the significance of mathematics in modern life. As the Common Core is adopted across the nation, teachers are scrambling to find information on CCSS-aligned lesson planning and classroom activities. This comprehensive guide answers that need, providing both the background information and practical, applicable guidance that can bring the Common Core into the classroom today. The activities include: * Abstract and critical thinking using mathematical reasoning * Problem-solving strategies and calculation proficiency * Math fluency, and an understanding of mathematical concepts and skills * Applying mathematical understanding to real life problems Early confidence and success in math is critical to a student's future performance. Math anxiety and a shaky foundation can hinder a student's potential far into the future, giving elementary math teachers a huge role in shaping their students' academic lives. The Common Core has set the bar, and Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades K-2 brings the standards to life.