Transforming Teaching: Creating Lesson Plans for Child-Centered Learning in Preschool

Child-centered lesson planning can have a daily positive impact on your time and energy and on the quality of children’s learning and engagement—but it takes organization and a toolbox full of strategies and ideas.

Whether you are just beginning your career in early childhood education or have many years of experience in the classroom, this book helps you to assess where you are and what you are doing and provides you with tips and resources to inspire creative, developmentally appropriate teaching approaches.

In each chapter, you’ll find

• Real-life examples showing what is possible when teachers work together to enrich and personalize teaching.
• Links to early learning guidelines and standards to maximize planning and communication
• Ideas for dramatic play themes that relate to daily life, families, cultures, and communities
• Strategies to infuse rich vocabulary experiences that scaffold language development, support executive function skills, and strengthen self-regulation
• Tips to help you evaluate and adapt spaces and materials to address physical needs
• Examples for how to support dual language learners
• Ways to integrate family engagement as a strength and asset for development and learning

Book Features

The following features invite you to dig deeper and apply what you read to your own setting:

• Daily teaching scenarios. The illustrated classroom examples show teaching in action and represent a variety of pre-K settings and situations. Here, you will see the principles and strategies presented in practical and useful ways.
• Tips for Teaching. This feature details practical skills to maximize your effectiveness in meeting children’s learning and social needs. You will find ideas for preparation, observation, materials, vocabulary, supporting learning, encouraging children’s choices, and making the most of teaching moments.
• Research Connections. Each chapter introduces easy-to-relate research links between children’s development and the activities and interactions that will strengthen emerging skills. These take-away anchors will ensure you know the latest information you need.
• Individualized Teaching. This section will connect the development of children to their relationships with families, communities, and culture. You will find information about facilitating learning for children who are learning multiple languages.
• Balance Points. This feature includes needed behavior supports for self-regulation, strategies to promote executive function, and mediation for stress and trauma.
• Ready Resources. Sources for digging deeper are provided for early screening, adaptation for special needs, technical assistance networks, state early guidelines, creative activities, national organizations, and professional development opportunities.
• Helpful Hints: Quick tips provide pointers to make lesson planning work for you.
• Links to NAEYC Program Accreditation Standards and Assessment Items. This feature anchors curriculum planning, effective teaching, assessment, and family engagement to professional guidelines and high-quality practices.
• Sample lesson plans. Examples with explanatory captions and comments show how to plan a schedule, play areas, prop boxes, book lists and themes, and detailed teaching plans with extensions for playful learning with individualized supports.
• Chapter reflection questions. Practical applications at the end of each chapter will inspire your growth and may be used for personal or group study.

Marie Masterson, PhD, is the Director of Quality Assessment at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University. She is a licensed early childhood teacher, a national speaker, child behavior expert, and author of multiple books and articles that address behavior guidance, parenting, early care and education, and high-quality teaching. She was previously a university professor in early childhood teacher education and early childhood specialist for the Virginia Department of Education.