The Power of the Power of K Panel Discussion

1. The Power of the Power of KPanel Discussion

2. POK Panel Members • Dr. Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist, FPG/FirstSchool • Dr. Jeanette Hedrick, Superintendent, Cherokee • Russell Johnson, Principal, Stocks Elementary, Edgecombe • Carolyn Kirkland, Principal, Central Park School for Children, Durham • Dr. Sharon Palsha, Asst. Professor, Early Childhood, UNC-CH • Lisa Spalding, Principal, Green Hope Elementary, Wake • Molly White, Director, Elementary Education, Pender

3. POK Purpose • POK provides the opportunity for teachers to gain knowledge, enhance skills and increase their ability to articulate their philosophy and practice. • They focus on: • child development • a broad repertoire of instructional practices • reaching all children • engaging all families

4. What would Kindergarten look like if we used research to guide our practice?

5. What would kindergarten look like if teachers had a good grasp of both development and content? • Children are more successful when their teachers understand both development and content (Siraj-Blatchford, Sylva, Muttock, Gilden, & Bell, 2002). • Developmental appropriateness of classrooms decreases from kindergarten to third grade (Pianta, 2006) • The ability to self-regulate strongly predicts later success in school and life. Self-regulation includes: effortful attention; inhibitory control; planning; and abiding by rules (Bodrova & Leong, 2006).

6. What would kindergarten look like if we applied what we know about relationships? • Research consistently demonstrates an association between positive teacher-child relationships and children’s social, emotional, and intellectual competence (Howes and Ritchie, 2002) • In order to learn through exploration, and remain open to new experiences and ideas, children must have the ability to organize their emotions and behaviors, and they must feel confident in an adult’s availability and ability to help

7. What would kindergarten look like if we were to apply what we know from developmental science? • Teachers would spend much more time supporting children’s vocabulary development and less time teaching specific letter names. Knowing the alphabet is one of the strongest predictors of early reading success and should be taught. However, learning the alphabet does not take as much time and effort as expanding vocabulary. (Snow, 2007)

8. What would kindergarten look like if we were to apply what we know from developmental science? • Play would be a regular, intentionally planned, teacher facilitated activity with the acknowledgement that play for 5 and 6-year-olds is different from the play of 3 and 4-year-olds.

9. What would kindergarten look like if we were to apply what we know about BOYS? BOYS: • Rely on pictures and moving objects to motivate writing • Brains go into rest state many times each day (in order to keep their brains awake they may do things like tap their pencils or throw something). When boy’s brains get bored, they just shut down…bored girls keep functioning • Take longer to transition between activities. They get irritable when moved from place to place. They benefit from in-depth learning

10. What would kindergarten look like if we were to apply what we know about BOYS? BOYS: • Have a hard time talking about feelings (the parts of the brain that control feelings and language are SEPARATE in boys while they are the SAME for girls) • Fantasy and imagination includes a focus on death and violence • Are more motivated to learn through games and competition • Are interested in facts and information

11. What would kindergarten look like if we were to apply what we know about inequities? • Children growing up in low-income families get dramatically less language experience in their homes than do middle-class children • Children from poor urban and minority backgrounds have less access to outdoor play, park and recreational activities. (Louv, 2005) • Students for whom teachers have low expectations, receive fewer positive, nonverbal communications, fewer opportunities to learn, spend less time on instructional activities, and receive a less or diluted version of the curriculum (Proctor, 1984).

12. Panel Discussion