The child is dictating her own story to the teacher. The teacher patiently waits for the child to create. She doesn’t correct the child’s story, words, etc. Notice that she is focusing her attention on the child and her work while also keeping an eye on the activity of the other children. The other children, […]
We often think of the playground as a noisy place, but notice the quiet of active movement. How is the child learning about sensory awareness? Risk taking? Self-awareness? Body mechanics? Notice the other students’ reactions (or the lack of reactions) to this boy and the bin on his head. Why do you think this is?
There is something about the combination of boys, cars and ramps that clearly shows the industry of play. This is not to say that girls, cars and ramps don’t also create this, just that we have a clear example of play as learning. According to the teacher and videographer, these students were involved in this […]
Twenty to Twenty-one Setting the stage: The teacher has added one straw to two bundles of ten straws, part of a daily exercise in class. He then asked the children how many straws there were, and the children shouted out lots of answers, especially “TWELVE!!” This short clip showed his response and the teachable moment. […]
Curiosity, Cameras and Caring Children are curious by nature; embrace that! Foster that! In this video, the children ask questions of the videographer, who gladly responds with honest answers. The last seconds of this clip show the classroom teacher extending the learning while providing comfort and companionship to one child. We don’t see who found […]
St. Mark’s Nursery School
Preschool-aged children learn many lessons during whole-group gatherings. Watch this video and look for examples of ways the children are learning through play and their own self-discovery about the following concepts and skills: self-regulation–being able to control impulses vocabulary development classifying question techniques shapes numeracy what else do you notice? The teachers bravely introduce a […]
In this video the child feels safe enough to voice his feelings—he doesn’t want his picture taken–and the videographer honors him. “OK, I won’t take your picture,” we hear as the camera turns away from the child. A child learns trust and is empowered when adults respect the child. Think of ways this would have […]
This is a typical conversation between two four-year old boys. Just listen in and notice the things that are important to them and how the pictures they are looking at invoke imagination and excitement. Notice the intonation used to form questions out of statements. This is a nice view of childhood. And notice, too, that […]