What should a preschool classroom look like according to research? Part 3

Welcome back to our mini series on preschool/maternelle! We've spent the last few posts discussing the importance of play and considering materials and lay out in our preschool (maternelle) classrooms. In this article we are going to focus on some different activities/experiences that we want to see in the preschool setting. 

Mark Making 

We want children to practice mark making activities that lead to writing in a way that is relevant to their lives. Not necessarily through worksheets and rote practice, but through inquiry and creativity. Mark making activities are one where students are literally making marks on a page. The evolution of this moves from experimental scribbling, to more purposeful scribbling, and then into phonetic writing, and conventional writing. Each of these steps are an important part of the marking making experience, "Scribbles are products of a systematic investigation, rather than haphazard actions" (Matthews, 1999). When children are engaging in making a list for shopping there's meaning behind their work and it takes on an importance that a worksheet cannot give. If children are asked to partake in a task that requires them to tally up how many people are at their table, the clipboard that they have to use to complete that work gives them a sense of necessity to what they do, making their learning deeper.

 A writing experience is more engaging, and therefore learning more profound, through pretend play. For example, by writing names  at the doctor's office check-in desk,  by recording names to make a seating chart, or creating name cards for a table plan, through creating traffic signs for the block area construction zone, or by recording their favorite experience of the week. When we ask ourselves the questions,” why do children need to learn to write?” We suddenly find many authentic opportunities for them to practice. 

Exposure to Print

Furthermore, we want children engaging in print rich activities. Print rich activities are ones that make use of all the many, many that we see print used - stories, posters, signs, menus, magazines, letters, cards. Using these different types of materials encourages students to explore the playfulness of sounds, expand their vocabularies, and build other early reading skills (Mol & Bus, 2011; Roskos & Neuman, 2001; Neuman, 2004; Stricland & Morrow, 1988). Using multisensory strategies for children to engage with letters and their sounds is a critical part of learning to read and engages more readily struggling learners on their journey towards learning to read (Neuman et al, 2012). Teachers should be paying close attention, through observational data and benchmark assessments, to how students progress (see Oct 7 2022 blog for more information about how children learn to read). Reading instruction may need to have pieces of it that are explicit, but that does not need to replace multisensory experiences where students get to engage with the playfulness of sounds nor is this limited to paper only activities.

Authentic, Inter-connected Experiences

The authenticity of these experiences in school is part of what makes them meaningful to students, and therefore powerful. We support students to have meaningful learning experiences when we offer opportunities to connect to their learning in a way that's relevant to them. Any of the experiences that we create in a school setting, whether it's preschool, elementary, or secondary school, we want these to be integrated together so that no content area is taught in isolation. Grammar can be taught as a part of a letter writing lesson in social studies. We can create a store in class that integrates both money concepts from a math lesson as well as healthy eating from a science lesson.  When we connect our students to authentic experience and tap into critical thinking skills, then we've got the recipe for engaged learning.

Documentation

As students engage in more authentic learning experiences and projects reflect the meaning that was made through an inquiry or a learning journey then we can see a shift in how the school shares student learning. Look for a school that uses the students' work to tell a story of their learning and to explain the numerous concepts behind their thinking. Moving away from just displaying student work and more towards telling the story of the students inquiry or the journey that came with exploring materials, asking questions, or trying something new (Kroll & Meier, 2018). For example, if our classrooms displays shift to the idea of documenting the students' work, we place value on the process of learning as opposed to just the final product. 

Other Areas

Other areas of materials and set-ups that we want to see in preschool classrooms are open access to a diverse range of books (Hamilton, 2010), opportunities for a variety of different kinds of group settings (whole group, small groups, rotating stations, partner work), and authentic experiences connected to outside life through parent and family involvement or through connections in the community. As these are concepts that are more readily discussed in school settings, we won't go into greater detail about them here.

Developmentally Appropriate

While each of these points is about an engaging, rigorous learning experience for young students, the notion of rigor is misguided when we conflate being "rigorous" in the classroom with demanding tasks that are developmentally inappropriate. For example, in the early years this might look like asking children to read simple sentences when they haven’t mastered short words, teaching math skills that are too complex and esoteric, or teaching a kindergarten curriculum to preschoolers (Broström, 2012). These tasks are not rigorous, rather they are forcing children to perform tasks that they are not developmentally ready to do. 

Inclusion

Finally and most importantly, look for a school that welcomes everyone. A fully inclusive school is 100% possible in preschool/maternelle (at every level for that matter!) and should be the norm everywhere. Research shows that inclusive schools have clear benefits from all students. Working in close teams and with interdisciplinary specialists, children with any kind of need can be supported effectively. We believe very strongly in including all students in their neighborhood or chosen schools. Contact us to find out how to make an inclusive school a reality. 

We hope that you've enjoyed and gained some important insight for these series on preschool/maternelle practices. Please leave us a comment or reach out to us with questions. 

Jessica Lament is cofounder of School Partners, a boutique non profit organization that provides professional development, instructional coaching, and school leadership coaching for educators in and out of schools in the Paris area.