Classroom Teaching

Abstract

The primary structure of classrooms at both schools was similar. All four classrooms started the day with a period of whole group instruction (circle time). There was a period for learning centers (usually referred to as centers, or center time), small group instruction, and large motor play. The children had lunch, a literacy activity, and then settled down for a nap. However, what happened within this structure was different. Differences began in lesson planning, the way that teachers structured their own role as facilitators and created activities for intentional teaching of skills and competencies. Planned lessons manifested themselves in different ways in the four classrooms, allowing varying levels of child input.