Professional Learning Resources Online

Research. In Action.

Teachscape Online Professional Learning Resources are designed to help busy professionals-- teachers and instructional leaders-- deepen their understanding of academic content and of effective, research-based strategies. This will enable educators to apply the content to improve both the processes and outcomes of teaching and learning.

Teachscape Online Studies: The Early Childhood Series

The following Summary Chart provides an overview of the six Professional Learning Resources in the Early Childhood Series, the intended audience and the online professional learning modules each resource includes. Developed in partnership with the Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE), these resources are designed for both instructional leaders (mentors/coaches) and early childhood teachers. The Early Childhood Series promotes developmentally appropriate practices that focus on building cognitive and social skills.

The Online Professional Learning in Early Childhood Series
Summary Chart

Early Childhood Resources	Audience	Online Content
Mentoring Effective Early Childhood Practice	Instructional Leaders	Mentoring Classroom Management for Mentors Phonological Awareness for Mentors
Supporting Emerging Literacy: Focus on Listening and Speaking	Teachers	Setting the Stage for Children's Talk Read Alouds
Supporting Emerging Literacy: Focus on Early Reading	Teachers	Building Vocabulary Phonological Awareness
Supporting Emerging Literacy: Focus on Early Writing	Teachers	Letter Knowledge Written Expression
Supporting Math Development: Early Childhood Mathematics	Teachers	Early Childhood Math
Supporting Early Learning: Setting the Stage	Teachers	Classroom Management

I. Early Childhood Resources for Mentors

Mentoring Effective Early Childhood Practices promotes effective mentoring by highlighting the practices of accomplished mentors as they guide and support early childhood teachers in developing the environment and instructional practices that scaffold social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of children. Online modules include:

• Mentoring focuses on the work of two mentors as they build relationships, set goals and prioritize student learning with new and more experienced teachers. This module stresses understanding and addressing the individual interests and concerns that inform the work of teachers
• Classroom Management for Mentors promotes mentoring techniques to guide teachers in developing, managing and maintaining effective and appropriate environments for children. This module focuses on understanding and valuing the differences children bring to classrooms.
• Phonological Awareness for Mentors explores mentoring strategies that guide and support teachers in developing phonological awareness, a key skill shared by competent readers, This module stresses understanding how to help children move along the continuum of phonological awareness, from simple to more complex skills

II. Early Childhood Resources for Teachers

Supporting Emerging Literacy: Focus on Listening and Speaking focuses on two of the four components of literacy (listening, speaking, reading and writing) by creating meaningful contexts for the children to communicate in writing and by planning and preparing read alouds that scaffold language development. The online resources include:

• Setting the Stage for Children's Talk promotes modeling, supporting and teaching effective oral communication and providing environments that foster sharing and risk-taking. This module stresses developing language rich environments that create contexts for oral communication.
• Read Alouds offers guidance on the "nuts and bolts" of planning purposeful read alouds-- from selecting books that connect with existing centers and ongoing learning to following up with activities to reinforce the content of the read alouds. Emphasis is placed on planning and practicing the read aloud.

Supporting Emerging Literacy: Focus on Early Reading promotes developing integrated, thematic learning experiences to build a language-rich environment and to provide a context for purposeful teaching of vocabulary and phonological awareness to scaffold early and efficient reading. The online modules include:

• Building Vocabulary focuses on using thematic units to develop vocabulary through authentic and varied learning experiences that are seamlessly woven through all the centers. This module stresses the use of thematic units to promote deep understanding of the vocabulary.
• Phonological Awareness presents the key ideas in promoting phonological awareness along a continuum of skills that begins with listening and ends with blending and manipulating sounds-- all in a purposeful, yet playful and developmentally appropriate way. This module stresses listening, rhyming and using alliteration in enjoyable ways to develop love of language among the children.

Supporting Emerging Literacy: Focus on Early Writing promotes understanding of the concept and use of letters and how these, along with pictures, can represent and communicate ideas by explicitly connecting letter knowledge with reading and writing. Online modules include:

• Letter Knowledge supports teachers in offering learning activities that focus on letter names, letter sounds, what letters look like and how letters are written and in creating language-rich environments to support early reading and writing. This module stresses the critical role of letter knowledge in early literacy.
• Written Expression focuses on the importance of writing to communicate ideas through individual and shared writing and by creating meaningful contexts that promote exchange of ideas. This module emphasizes the importance of planning writing activities to promote early literacy.

Supporting Math Development: Early Childhood Mathematics helps teachers leverage children's natural curiosity about math concepts as an impetus to plan and implement focused, yet developmentally appropriate, math learning experiences. The included online module is:

• Early Childhood Math explores how teachers can provide centers, read alouds, manipulative materials and focused learning activities that promote development of early math concepts, such as shapes, patterns, size, ordering and others. This module stresses using literature to support mathematical development.

Supporting Early Learning: Setting the Stage provides insights on developing, managing and maintaining the structures, routines, procedures and relationships that foster learning, independence, self-regulation and love for learning. The online module included is:

• Classroom Management focuses on understanding the importance of setting up a room to support instructional goals and minimize conflicts, on establishing familiar routines and procedures to support transition from home to school and promote positive interaction in the classroom, and on developing and maintaining positive and supportive relationships that promote respect for the individuality of each child and support learning. This module stresses the critical need for positive relationships in the classroom community.