Zoning: One-on-One Mealtime
Teacher: Whoa. Oh, yeah. Go for it.
Teacher 2: Yeah. Yeah, Taylor.
Child: We're eating.
Teacher: [Laughs] We're eating, yeah. OK. I have some milk. Does anyone want milk in their cereal?
Child 2: I want fork.
Teacher: You want what?
Child 2: Fork. I want fork.
Teacher: Oh, a fork? Oh, sure! Here's one.
Child 3: Cheese.
Teacher: Some more cheese.
Child 3: I want a big cheese.
Teacher: A big cheese! Oh, I was just going to ask. OK, here's a pretty big one, Claire. Whoa. I've got a couple little ones here, too, yeah.
Child 2: I want big cheese.
Teacher: OK. Whoa. That's the biggest one I have left because I cut them into small pieces.
Child 4: I want more crackers.
Teacher: More cracker. Yes, Harriet? Thanks for using my name.
Harriet: Can I have some cereal?
Teacher: Some cereal? Sure. There's the cracker. I heard you asking for cracker. A little more cereal, Harriet?
Harriet: Yeah.
Teacher: What size scoop would you like?
Harriet: Big scoop.
Teacher: A big scoop. OK. Here it comes. Whoa!
One-on-one zoning is one way to provide individualized support for a child. Notice how the educators work as a team to support all the children at the table. While one educator engages in one-on-one zoning, the other educator monitors and supports the rest of the group. How does this maximize learning for the children? What additional zoning practices are the educators engaging in?
