Being intentional with planning and preparing in your classroom will make learning meaningful for your students!
There was a time in my teaching career when I spent the majority of my preparation time researching and writing out my daily lesson plans. This was time well spent, make no mistake about that. Because of all those years writing and implementing my own lesson plans, I built up a library of ideas that I can now draw from in a pinch. From fingerplays and children’s books on just about any topic to ideas for art, math, science – I have years of experiences I can pull together at a moments notice right off the top of my head. However, where I used to spend my time writing lesson plans, I now spend the majority of my time creating and organizing the classroom environment.
Preparing the Environment
You see, it isn’t the lessons that I have planned that ultimately teach my preschoolers how to get along, make good decisions, and work independently. It’s the environment that fosters this type of learning…
And it isn’t the lessons that I have planned that will ultimately teach my young students to be creative, mathematical, scientific, critical thinkers. The environment teaches that too…
Being Intentional
So I spend much of my time making sure every area of my classroom is carefully considered and that each area is as intentional in design as I can possibly make it…
From what goes up on the walls…
To what sits on each shelf around the classroom…
To what is on the back of a bookshelf…
To what is down on the floor…
Everything has a purpose or reason for being there…
Preparing Meaningful Lessons
So what are my lesson plans for? They help me come to preschool prepared to assist the environment in the teaching and learning process, but not to take over the environment…
I think both the lesson plan and the environment add value to the preschool classroom as long as one understands the value and role each play in helping children find success…
The lesson plan and the environment must work in partnership…
The lesson plan helps the teacher come prepared for a successful day
but the environment helps the children prepare for a successful life!