Effective, nurturing, and responsive teaching practices and interactions are key for all learning in early childhood settings. They foster trust and emotional security; are communication and language rich; and promote critical thinking and problem-solving. They also support social, emotional, behavioral, and language development; provide supportive feedback for learning; and motivate continued effort. Teaching practices and interactions are responsive to and build on each child’s pattern of development and learning. They can be measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) and other adult-child interaction tools. These observations may then be used to support professional development. Teaching practices also include how schedules and routines are carried out, how settings are managed, and how children’s challenging behaviors are addressed.
Discover the basics of brain development and how early experiences shape the architecture of a child’s brain. Learn about the importance of back-and-forth interactions and strategies that support this growth.
Messy play is the active exploration of materials like water and paper. It offers rich learning experiences for infants and toddlers. Listen to this podcast for strategies to make this activity fun and manageable.
In this webinar, explore how children’s back-and-forth interactions during everyday experiences and routines build the brain. Also, find out how these interactions can set the stage for a lifetime of learning.
Learn ways teachers can support children in using thinking skills to gain deeper understandings and acquire new knowledge.
This in-service suite describes how teachers can help children better understand what they are learning.