A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom, 6th edition by Dan Gartrell

1. Chapter Five
“Organizing the Encouraging
Classroom”
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

2. Guiding Questions:
• What is an encouraging classroom and how
does it prevent school anxiety?
• What is the relationship of developmentally
appropriate practice and the encouraging
classroom?
• What is the place of learning centers in the
encouraging classroom?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

3. Guiding Questions:
• How does the teacher organize the
classroom for prosocial development?
• Cultural Responsiveness: How do teachers
help children living in poverty gain
linguistic competence?
• Family Partnerships: How does the teacher
encourage family engagement with the
program?
• ©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

4. Characteristics of an
Encouraging Classroom
• In the encouraging classroom:
– Teachers work hard to sustain the dynamic balance between the
changing needs of each individual and the right of the community for
mutual appreciation
– Teachers actively teach children socially acceptable ways to express
needs
– Teachers build positive relationships with each child and provide
enough freedom for each child to learn and grow
• Including all children in developmentally appropriate
learning activities, being culturally responsive, and actively
developing healthy relationships with each child, school
anxiety is prevented or alleviated along with the mistaken
behaviors associated with this anxiety.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

5. Developmentally Appropriate
Practice
• Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) include
features such as:
– Learning centers
– Integrated curriculum
– Creative arts and journals
– Manipulatives-based math
– Diverse small group experiences
– Active and concise large groups
• DAP reduces mistaken behaviors by providing instruction
that children are developmentally ready for and able to
engage in.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

6. Learning Centers
• Increasingly, teachers are designing theme-
based centers aligned with the interests of
the children.
• Thematic instruction can be accomplished
with use of a variety of learning centers that
are designed to be:
– Self-directing/open-ended
– Teacher-directed/exploratory
– Self-directing/self-correcting
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

7. Learning Centers
• Establishing routines for center selection
ensures that children get to have a turn while
promoting self-regulation and adaptability.
• Providing adequate time for exploration is
important to allow children to become fully
involved in the learning.
• Flexible use of learning centers diversify
learning opportunities to better accommodate
individual children.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

8. Organizing for Prosocial
Development
• Prosocial development means the gaining of social knowledge and
skills that young children need to inter-relate with others.
• Such abilities typically include:
– Caring
• Model caring through communication and relationships in the encouraging
classroom
– Sharing
• Small group interactions around learning centers provide ongoing
opportunities for sharing
– Cooperating
• Establishing opportunities for sharing can set the stage for cooperative
efforts and joint products
– Helping
• As children internalize values of friendliness they are more likely to engage
in altruistic activities such as helping another child
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

9. Family Partnership
• Teachers can invite family involvement in a variety
of ways, including:
– Hold a “Greeting Meeting” for all families.
– At or after the Greeting Meeting, ask parents to complete a
questionnaire.
– Mention volunteering at the home visit.
– Establish with parents when they are welcome.
– Let parents know that they have multiple ways to volunteer.
– Treat parents as you would like to be treated if you were
visiting a class.
– Have the children compose thank-you notes or pictures.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

10. Family Partnership
• There are many types of involvement that teacher
can solicit from family members, including:
– Assist children with home assignments.
– Attend parent-teacher conferences.
– Attend parent meetings.
– Participate in home visits by staff.
– Contribute materials.
– Follow through with staff recommendations.
– Participate in “family journals.”
– Chaperone special events.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

11. Family Partnership
(Continued)
• There are many types of involvement that teacher
can solicit from family members, including:
– Visit for observation purposes.
– Make presentations to the class.
– Volunteer to help on a regular basis.
– Help to organize special events.
– Assist other parents to volunteer.
– Sit on policy boards.
– Further their own development and education.
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.