pedagogy
what a teacher says or does that engages children and contributes to their learning and development.
effective teaching
the use of approaches that are proved to be successful based on scientific evidence and that a high probability of enhancing children's learning and development.
teaching strategy
a behavior or activity that a teacher deliberately selects and flexibly applies to help students construct meaning
learning strategy
how children construct meaning in any context or situation
teacher-initiated experiences
learning experiences in which teachers take the lead by providing explicit information and modeling or demonstrating a skill, as determined by the teacher's goals and direction
child-initiated experiences
experiences that allow children to gain knowledge and skills through their own exploration and interactions with objects and other children
acknowledging
giving positive verbal or nonverbal attention that promotes the child's persistence and effort
encouragement
verbal comments or nonverbal signs such as pats or high fives that promote the child's persistence effort
feedback loop
back-and-forth communication between a teacher and a child or small group of children in an effort to reach deeper understanding
modeling
showing children a skill or desirable way of behaving or speaking
demonstrating
showing the correct way to perform a skill or procedure while children observe the outcome
apprenticeship
the process of children learning by observing adults and more accomplished peers performing tasks and by practicing the skills themselves with adult guidance and support
Using knowledge of research to inform planning and decisions about practice is essential to becoming an intentional teacher
Effective teachers have a large repertoire of strategies to use in different situations.

When there is a specific skill that children need to learn, a teacher may intentionally demonstrate it for children.

The Science of Teaching
Research is used to answer two sets of questions: (1) What skills and abilities predict children's later outcomes in important areas like reading, writing, and mathematics? and (2) What teaching behaviors, curriculum, and other educational interventions contribute to or inhibit gains in children's skills and abilities in these areas?
Classroom Research: Emotional Climate
a high score on emotional climate on the class means that teachers are sensitive and responsive and have positive relationships with children.
Classroom Research: Classroom Organization
In well-organized classrooms, teachers use positive strategies to guide children's behavior. They are well prepared in advance and manage time productively, maximizing opportunities for learning.
Classroom Research: Instructional Climate
The class instructional climate score indicates how well teachers use a variety of teaching strategies to promote children's concept development and higher-order thinking.
facilitating
providing short-term, temporary assistance to help a child achieve the next level of functioning
supporting
providing assistance that helps the child to accomplish a difficult task by making it easier
questioning
eliciting different types of responses and promoting different types of thinking
open-ended questions
questions that require children to analyze information in some way and that have many possible answers
closed questions
lower-level questions that have one right answer and usually require children to recall information or facts
wait time
the length of time that a teacher waits for a response after asking a question or responding to a comment
co-construction
teaching strategy that involves thinking and working collaboratively to solve a problem
direct instruction
explicitly giving directions for completing a task; providing facts, verb labels, or other specific informational or providing instructions for a child's action or behavior
scaffolding
using a variety of strategies to support children's ability to accomplish learning tasks that they could not otherwise accomplish independently
conceptual frameworks
mental models that connect new learning to prior knowledge, enhance memory, and deepen understanding
advance organizes
ways of introducing new information that serve as a bridge between what the student already knows and the new learning
K-W-L
an advance organizer strategy in which teachers ask children what they already know (K) about the topic of study, what they want (W) to know, and then what they learned (L)
classification systems
systems teacher use to help children build concepts by identifying similarities and differences or by comparing and contrasting objects and ideas
graphic representation
the process of depicting thought and ideas through drawing, modeling, or other media
metacognitive activities
activities that engage children in thinking and reflecting about their own learning
planning
requires children to make intentional choices and encourages them to identify their goals, consider the options for achieving them, make predictions, and anticipate consequences; helps build children's higher-level thinking and problem solving
reflection
teaching strategy in which teacher help children go beyond remembering what they did to becoming aware of what they learned, what was interesting, how they felt about experience, and what they can do to build on and extend the experience
reciprocal teaching
a strategy that promotes' children's reading comprehension and higher-order thinking by engaging them in summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting
hypothesis generating and testing
applying previously acquired knowledge to a new situation by making a prediction and then observing and reflecting on the outcome
scientific method
method of beginning with a hypothesis, testing it with an experiment, making observations and gathering data, and then confirming or disconfirming the initial hypothesis
onlooker
teachers act as the audience for children's play
stage manager
teachers set the stage for children's play by providing the probe and theme and being available to respond to children's requests
co-player
teachers actually join in and take an active role in children's play
play leader
teachers participate in children's play; includes making deliberate attempts to enrich and extend the play episode
assistive technology
a piece of equipment or product that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities