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According to the Early Years Learning Framework, the definition of Intentional Teaching is as follows:
"Intentional teaching is deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful. Educators who engage in intentional teaching recognise that learning occurs in social contexts and that interactions and conversations are vitally important for learning. They actively promote children’s learning through worthwhile and challenging experiences and interactions that foster high-level thinking skills. They use strategies such as modelling and demonstrating, open questioning, speculating, explaining, engaging in shared thinking and problem solving to extend children’s thinking and learning. Educators move flexibly in and out of different roles and draw on different strategies as the context changes. They plan opportunities for intentional teaching and knowledge-building. They document and monitor children’s learning" (DEEWR, 2009 p.15).
The sentence from that paragraph that resonates the most strongly with me is:
No where does it mention "Instruction" in this definition. I want you to ponder this! Instruction is simply one single strategy amongst many, to be used sparingly. Children learn best through exploration, play, and active engagement. Children are intrinsically motivated to learn through play. Let's support them in this.
The sentence from that paragraph that resonates the most strongly with me is:
"They use strategies such as modelling and demonstrating, open questioning, speculating, explaining, engaging in shared thinking and problem solving to extend children’s thinking and learning. Educators move flexibly in and out of different roles and draw on different strategies as the context changes."
So, I have collated some quality and free resources on Intentional Teaching for your reading and learning pleasure. Intentional Teaching is more often than not, confused with a single teaching strategy: Instruction. Intentional Teaching is far more complex and multi-faceted than a single strategy. And my goal here is to support educators in moving towards other strategies and broadening their understandings.
This section of our blog, is simply touching on this. It is far bigger than what I am posting here.
As I source more worthwhile resources, I shall add them to this blog post...
Think before you (inter)act:
As I source more worthwhile resources, I shall add them to this blog post...
Making Sense of 'Intentional Teaching'
Children’s Services Central and written by Sally Barnes
Think before you (inter)act:
what it means to be an intentional teacher
by Ann S. Epstein
Program practices that support intentionality in teaching
by Pam Schiller
Intentionality: moving beyond outcomes
by Anthony Semann
More to come at a later date ...
=Gabrielle=
The Educational Leader EYLF
(c) 2015
