Essential School Skills for Young Learners: Tips & Strategies

1. Teaching Young Children Basic Skills …Which Are Necessary For All Learning Teaching Skills… Presenter: Vicki Chandler, M. Ed.

2. Advice from a headmaster (husband of a Pre-K teacher): The most important lessons students have to learn before 1st grade are: “Obey your teacher, follow directions, and … don’t bite your neighbor.”

3. What are the skills necessary for successful performance in school?

4. Study Skills Scope & Sequence • Organization Skills • Self-Regulatory Skills • Homework Skills • Studying Skills • Test Taking Skills • Note Taking Skills • Cooperative Work • Research Skills

5. Key Strategy To elevate attention: tell students ahead of time where to focus their attention. ☞

6. I want my students to keep paying attention. Unexpected and novel experiences ☞ On Off ☞ Familiar experiences

7. being distracted feeling bored daydreaming participating thinking working

8. tips some new ideas Some familiar, but good reminders resources suggestions Some affirming: Powerful practices you implement regularly

9. Link academics to study skills.

10. The idea is to purposefully link academics to study skills. Deliberately and explicitly teach study skills while teaching & reviewing academics. Be cognizant of opportunities to reinforce study skills.

11. Simple Things You Can Do T Interactions with the Teacher P Quality of Performance O Interactions with Others 4 4 4

12. Say what to do (in addition to telling students what not to do). • Structure situations. • 3. Teach steps ahead of time. • explaining clearly what is expected • providing visual reminders Simple Things You Can Do

13. 4. Use humor and puppets. • Color code whenever possible. • Teach what most students learn incidentally (e. g., how to stand near another person) • Find creative ways for students to evaluate and regulate their own performance. • Use timers to help students maintain attention to a task. • Use objects as reminders (cards, Koosh ball, direction arrows) Simple Things You Can Do

14. Simple Things You Can Do Teach steps ahead of time. Provide visual reminders. Teach what most students seem to learn without being told. Example: “Stay out of another child’s personal body space.” ☞

15. Use timers to help students maintain attention to a task. Simple Things You Can Do

16. Simple Things You Can Do Use humor and puppets.

17. A Tool to Teach Self-Regulatory Behaviors: Simple Things You Can Do ‘Finger Friend’ Inexpensive materials for you or your students to make personal finger puppets: cleaning gloves

18. Use objects as reminders. Simple Things You Can Do “Only the one with the star can talk.” Use color-coding.

19. Use color-coding and arrows. Simple Things You Can Do

20. Many of the skills necessary forlearning • are skills necessary for Christian living: • Listening • Focusing • Obeying • Cooperating with others • Following directions to God on the Lord His authority loving others in His Word

21. Your Handout ☞ These arenonacademic skills necessary for successful performance in school.

22. Simple Things You Can Do T Interactions with the Teacher P Quality of Performance O Interactions with Others

23. Following Directions Paying Attention ‘Reading’ the Teacher Respecting and Obeying Authority T Interactions with the Teacher

24. T – O - P T Interactions with the Teacher Interactions with the Teacher Involves: Following Directions Address both: Paying attention and sequencing. Requires: Paying attention http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/GingerbreadStorySequenceCards.htm

25. Why teach the concept of sequencing? T Interactions with the Teacher ? sequencing Some students aren’t followingdirections because they don’t understand the concept of sequencing.

26. Teach the concept of sequencing. T Interactions with the Teacher Now I can follow directions.

27. Number each step. T Interactions with the Teacher 4 Add a picture for each step. 3 2 1

28. Show it. Say it. Practice it. Post it. (reminders in pictures)

29. T – O - P Interactions with the Teacher T Interactions with the Teacher Paying Attention • Teach and use signals. • Model good paying attention. • Require realistic amounts of time for attention.

30. T – O - P Interactions with the Teacher T Interactions with the Teacher Paying Attention • Use nonverbal reminders, • if needed for some students. Photo reminder on the student’s desk or on a wall. Stand close to the student. (‘proximity control’)

31. T – O - P Interactions with the Teacher T Interactions with the Teacher Angry!!! Reading the Teacher

32. T – O - P T Interactions with the Teacher Interactions with the Teacher Respecting and Obeying Authority

33. Respecting and Obeying Authority T Interactions with the Teacher Developed with the students Observable Measurable Practice saying an observable and measurable rule for ‘settle down’.

34. Respecting and Obeying Authority T Interactions with the Teacher Teach songs to help students remember expectations. Positively reinforce compliance. Catch students doing good things.

35. Simple Things You Can Do T Interactions with the Teacher P Quality of Performance O Interactions with Others

36. Cooperating and Working With Others Listening to Others Taking Turns Sharing (ideas, materials) O Interactions with Others

37. T – O - P O Interactions with Others Interactions with Others Cooperating and Working With Others

38. O Interactions with Others There are all kinds of students.

39. O Interactions with Others So, strategically place them.

40. T – O - P O Interactions with Others Interactions with Others Listening to Others Teach what “good listening” means.

41. Use a T-chart when teaching skills… O Interactions with Others …to make them and . measurable observable Looks Like Sounds Like

42. T – O - P O Interactions with Others Interactions with Others Taking Turns Use objects

43. T – O - P O Interactions with Others Interactions with Others Sharing (ideas) (materials)

44. Shy Students: Challenge them to share one idea a day.

45. O Interactions with Others = active engagement achievement Participating & contributing increase performance.

46. Simple Things You Can Do T Interactions with the Teacher P Quality of Performance O Interactions with Others

47. Working Independently Sticking to a Task Until it is Finished Following Routines and Schedules Checking Own Work (for quality of performance, for accuracy) P Quality of Performance

48. T – O - P P Quality of Performance Quality of Performance Working Independently Minimize distractions. Strategically place students... away from a window away from distracting things

49. T – O - P P Quality of Performance Quality of Performance Sticking to a Task Until it is Finished • Provide a reminder. • a song played • or a timer Use a buddy system. You may have to implement strategies to help students develop good work habits.

50. T – O - P P Quality of Performance Quality of Performance Following Routines and Schedules