5 Ways Your Preschool Curriculum is Hurting Rather Than Helping

I've worked with educators, learners and their parents to address underlying causes of low performance and packaged the experience as a curriculum supplement designed to increase engagement among preschoolers. I've done the heavy lifting for you, so you don't have to go through the trouble of reinventing the wheel.

We want preschoolers to remain engaged (and feel included) in class activities. This requires access to instruction and repeated exposure to letters and numbers. Singing an educational song or playing an abc game doesn't mean students are growing toward mastery of alphabetic principles. Glaring evidence comes in the form of overcompensation - students appearing to learn the material. Such students are skillful in interpreting facial expressions and picking up on cues from the environment to choose correct answers; however, they are not able to demonstrate mastery without prompting.

The route we don't want to take involves passing the student with great personality and social skills along without strong literacy skill. We don't want to wish children into special education courses and IEP programs. We also don't want to prevent intellectually advanced students from transitioning with their peers to the next classroom or to kindergarten. We want to be proactive about unexpected and uncharacteristic challenges they experience.

The curriculum supplement that I propose as a solution to this conundrum isn't the solution, simply a solution that requires minimal adjustment to the way classrooms are run. The ABC Sensory system serves as a bridge by making instruction (and assessment) more accessible to early learners. Preschool curricula that do not provide this approach require expenditure of resources to secure teams of professionals: dyslexia and auditory processing disorder specialists, early literacy interventionists. Implementing ABC Sensory is a low-cost alternative and useful for building strong home-school partnerships as well.

(Save this image for a condensed view of preschool learning objectives.)

ABC Sensory addresses five pain points of many preschool curricula.

Preschool Pain Point #1: Setting parameters for writing letters "correctly". Too much correction prompts learners to disengage and narrow definitions of mastery lead to low confidence. We want to combat this unintended effect embedded in many preschool curricula. ABC sensory handwriting practice sheets show letter shapes and make room for learners to form each in ways that feel natural to them. It's an appropriate modification for learners with weak fine-motor and coordination skills.

Preschool Pain Point #2: Lack of accommodations for learners with delayed language development. Curriculum modifications for special needs populations requires communication, time, and effort. Nonetheless, these learners need strategies in order to follow directions the first time during active learning experiences. Learners who do not yet speak clearly or process language slowly benefit from the ABC Sensory approach in lieu of expressing thoughts verbally. Normalizing ABC Sensory hand signals at home and school-wide addresses this pain point.

Preschool Pain Point #3: Supporting diverse groups of preschoolers with varying social emotional strengths. Adhering to limits and expectations, taking care of their own needs appropriately, forming relationships with adults and friends are all aspects of development that may be impeded by language acquisition challenges. ABC Sensory offers a solution that addresses these and more social emotional preschool learning guidelines by equipping students with tools for interactive classroom collaboration.

Preschool Pain Point #4: Placing limits on self-expression. This approach prompts young learners to shut down. It's difficult to demonstrate a positive approach to learning when the expectation is that students express themselves in ways they have yet to master. With this pain point, I'm specifically referring to students who are learning to cope with delayed and different cognitive abilities. The examples in a recent blog post further demonstration how ABC Sensory offers relief in this area.

Preschool Pain Point #5: Delayed diagnosis and intervention. Encouraging use of digital games to strengthen alphabetic knowledge takes precious time away from building strong motor skills. With ABC Sensory print games (suitable board games), we don't have to choose between learning letters or improving handwriting skill or mastering social-emotional objectives. Playing print games with adults and peers is especially helpful for nurturing the whole child.

Why reinvent the wheel?
ABC Sensory is a system created for clients and perfected over the course of dozens of private tutoring sessions with feedback from parents and early learning experts. Hand signals for each letter of the alphabet are specially designed to improve recall and ideal for teaching the differences between features of similar letters like b, d, p, and q. Using the hand signals helps students unlearn instinctive directionality associated with other objects in the environment. Early learners, preschoolers, and special needs populations learn their ABC's with ease; they're also equipped to participate in an inclusive setting while working toward mastery.

Preorder the complete ABC Sensory system today to save program dollars and develop your staff. The system includes ABC Sensory teachers handbook, flashcards, and 200+ pages of abc learning activities especially designed to facilitate participation in inclusive preschool classrooms and meet the unique challenges learners with disabilities face. Request a quote for bulk orders.

To sample the complete ABC Sensory system, download the handwriting journal and flashcards in our Teachers Pay Teachers store. Educational Support Professionals are available to answer questions and walk you through product demonstrations. You're invited to schedule professional development training today.

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You're invited to become an ABC Sensory partner 
by emailing the learning center: published@je411.com. 

                      

Early Academic Intervention: Should the Classroom Teacher Tutor?

Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Doing more of an ineffective thing doesn't qualify as a genuine attempt at becoming more effective, right? That's not how any of this works.

I want to preface this message by showing gratitude for how hard classroom educators work. Their commitment and sacrifices are not sufficiently acknowledged nor rewarded.We shouldn't expect them to do it all alone...

I raise this question - should the classroom teacher tutor? - because tutoring sessions held by classroom teachers are failing so many students. As a nationally certified professional tutor, it's disheartening that the majority of my clients believed they couldn't learn because of how the classroom teacher unpacked learning material. All too often, learners become frustrated because the multiple representations strategy is missing in many classrooms.

As practitioners in the education community, we tend to present concepts in ways that make sense to us. This approach makes sense. Deconstructing complex ideas and re-packaging them into lessons is challenging. Figuring out multiple ways to present complex ideas to students is even more challenging and requires a level of time commitment that's scarce given the work load of classroom teachers.

Here's what to look for...

First, we have to be willing to look around us to see that an issue exists. Then, we have to name it and look inward to see how we've contributed to the issue. Finally, we have to commit to removing the culprit: environmental influences, preconceived notions, unproductive behaviors.

• If he's not learning in the classroom, stop expecting the classroom teacher to tutor the child. Using the same teaching strategies for tutoring sessions isn't likely to improve performance. For a few, this approach works. For most, it's a bust.

• If she attends class regularly and is failing, stop expecting the classroom teacher to tutor the child. Showing up is half the battle; still students need to receive equitable instruction during class time. Evidence of inadequate instruction shows up early on: inability to complete homework independently; and low daily grades and quiz scores.

• If they don't like being in class, stop expecting the classroom teacher to tutor children. We are reminded by Rita Pierson quotes that building relationships with students is mandatory. Click the image below to learn why it's important for kids to like classroom teachers and how you can facilitate this transition.

Students don't learn from teachers they don't like. Forcing a student to try to learn something from someone they don't like has the potential to strengthen character; but, it's unlikely that academic performance will improve in a timely manner. We want to look for opportunities to match learners with professionals who are best equipped to reach them... and transform performance quickly.

Next steps...

When students are struggling, investigate. Resist the blame-game and finger-pointing. Stressful times are opportunities for parents and educators to show compassion, to follow the student's lead, to seek early academic intervention from a professional experienced in identifying and addressing the root causes of poor performance.

Jackson Education Support exists to develop more independent learners by implementing personalized services and supporting engagement efforts. Both low-performing students and gifted students benefit from intensive academic intervention. Early academic intervention is always best; nonetheless, commitment to a personalized learning plan results in dramatic improvement in performance as well as noticeable increase in confidence.

Here's the secret to Jackson Education Support's 96% success rate among private tutoring and exam preparation clients of all ages.

1. Make content accessible to students through equitable instruction.
2. Engage students in meaningful and rigorous learning opportunities.
3. Encourage multiple means of expression (not only teaching to the test).

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If you have a student or know a student

who could benefit from academic intervention,

visit je411.com/schedule to explore support options.

IEP Teams and Families: 3 Best Practices for Student Success

As an educator and special needs mom, I have a unique perspective on the importance of collaboration between parents and teachers of students with IEPs. Students with special needs are more likely to experience success when there is a strong partnership between school and home.

Following are three best practices for collaboration between families and IEP team members to ensure student success.

COMMUNICATE 

The goal is for parents to be informed of challenges or successes children experience at school. There may be a need to reconvene as an IEP team if something needs to be changed and a parent has the right to request a meeting at any time. By starting off with positive, personal communication, it will likely be much easier to collaborate in the future.

• Families: Request a check-in protocol to maintain open lines of communication. This could take many forms and the needs of the individual child dictate how often this should occur. Teachers may complete a daily checklist or a weekly communication email. This should be established at the beginning of each school year and documented in writing in the IEP.
• Educators: It is a good idea for teachers with IEP students to be proactive and build relationships with parents early (even before the actual school year starts). After reading the student’s IEP, contact the parent and ask for input. Ask questions like: “What are some of your child’s outside interests?” or “Tell me how he feels about school.”   

COLLABORATE 

Educators need to know when to simply listen to parents and when to problem solve. Parents rely on communication from teachers to keep apprised of how children are performing in school. Case managers are the special education “expert” within the school. They are the member of the IEP team responsible for collecting data and managing goals. This person should always be included in any communication with other teachers. They are the liaison for all of the teachers and should be the IEP student's best advocate.  

• Families: It’s important to remember that no decision should be ever be made without input from all members of the IEP team, including you as the parents. In other words, the school team should never hand you a ready made IEP and ask you to sign it. IEP meetings should be collaborative meetings where the team crafts the document together.
• Educators: Sometimes it is necessary for parents to simply have a discussion with teachers in order to feel reassured that their child is being successful. In these cases, save your suggestions, comments and attempts to solve any problem and be an active listener instead. 

COLLECT DATA

The school regularly collects and analyzes data. It is common practice for teachers to meet and discuss how that data will inform their instruction. There may come a time where you do not agree with the school’s summary of your child.

• Families: It is essential to communicate with the team and share any outside data you may have from experts in the field. You know your child best and it is important for you to paint a picture of the "whole child" to ensure school programming is tailored to meet his/her needs.  
• Educators: When you have data to share with parents, remember to communicate sensitively. Parents of children with special needs are inundated with constant reminders of their child’s limitations. Be mindful of sharing in a way that highlights growth and includes the child’s strengths.  

Communication, utilizing a team approach and considering the whole child are best practices for both school staff and parents to successfully collaborate. A strong partnership between parents and educators contributes greatly to student success, especially for students with IEPs.  

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Laurie McLean has more than 20 years of experience in public education as a certified reading specialist, supervisor of curriculum, and administrator. Laurie is also the mother of a 13-year old son on the autism spectrum. Learn more about Laurie's work by visiting her blog: www.lifewithasideoftheunexpected.com