Running head: Strategies for Helping Early Childhood Students 1

Strategies for Helping Early Childhood Students

Learn Appropriate Teaching Practices

Jessica Manetta

Molloy College
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Abstract

This paper is an article critique based on the Grossman and Williston article of

“Strategies for Helping Early Childhood Students Learn Appropriate Teaching

Practices”. By applying strategies in Early Childhood Education for potential teacher

candidates, included are methods, strategies and techniques in preparation for a career in

education.
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Strategies for Helping Early Childhood Students Learn Appropriate Teaching Practices

On the path to becoming a teacher it is important to have experience prior to

having your own classroom. Future teachers can prepare with observations, student

teaching and attending class lectures. When observing, the focus should not only be on

the teachers’ methods and strategies, but also the students’ response and engagement in

the lesson. The strategies conveyed in the article “Strategies for Helping Early Childhood

Students Learn Appropriate Teaching Practices” by Sue Grossman and Judy Williston are

for college level students to use when observing in an early childhood classroom.

Based on the Associate Professor Grossman and Professor Williston, they believe

in the strategy of learning through experience and reflection. Their two courses offered at

the University of Eastern Michigan are “The Developing Professional” and

“Implementing the Curriculum in Early Childhood Education”. In the “Developing

Professional” phase students learn the communication between student and teacher. They

also learn how to build relationships with the students and teacher being observed. The

second phase focuses on the curriculum and the approaches taken to plan effectively. The

students are learning how to improve their future student teaching careers by following,

what they refer to as, “MTS”. “MTS” are the methods, techniques and strategies applied

when reflecting after engaging in their observing classroom. They stress the importance

and benefits of observations when approached in the appropriate manner.

As potential future educators, implementing proper observation skills are key.

Experience is what helps teachers to build their own methods, techniques and strategies.

The article gives a breakdown of how future teachers can improve their student teaching.

Through modeling, professors give an example of how to welcome their classroom while
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explaining their expectations of each student. Observing teachers in action is another

strategy where behaviors are studied between student and teacher in the classroom.

Sample scenarios, readings and writing assignments are also given to the student teaching

observers to reflect and form their own opinions and approaches to situations. Student

teachers are also given the task to write about their own experiences in the past as

students and how they can apply their experiences to their future classroom.

This article sets a goal for what they feel is necessary to achieve as future

educators. Qualities like compassion, self-awareness and enthusiasm are deemed

necessary. These qualities, according to the article, all stem from experience. The

relevance of this article to future students is very important in relation to ones attitude

and approach as a teacher. The methods, like the writing assignments, readings from

assigned text and reviewing sample scenarios, are useful and accurate so that students are

faced with realties and ideas that they can apply. This article is useful in ones preparation

however, can stand to give adequate examples as far as the approach to each strategy.

Helpful charts are also used to clarify each strategy based on each course taken

sequentially.

Grossman and Williston’s review on strategies is quiet effective. Learning from

experience is crucial in the world of teaching because this is how one formulates their

philosophy of education. Application of these strategies in the classroom can be

administered through classroom management, engagement and motivation. Experience in

managing a classroom where the students are engaged and motivated, creates a positive

classroom environment. In this situation both the student and teachers are able to learn

and prepare effectively.

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References

Grossman, S., & Williston, J. (2003). Strategies for helping early childhood students

learn appropriate teaching practices. Childhood Education, 79(2), 103-107.