Educating Young Children Volume 1 – Spring 2025 | Page 21

Once morning meeting is over, the children are free to choose which center they’ d like to go to. Ms. Joseph and Ms. Winaro visit each group, engaging with the children and facilitating their activities. One-on-one interactions occur as the teachers provide targeted support and instruction— helping with counting strategies, offering feedback on art projects, and guiding sequencing steps. The teachers also observe and document during this time; for example, recording the one-to-one correspondence James demonstrates for the first time and noting the order in which Elly places pictures of the main events from The Greedy Python.

Planning and using a range of learning formats are vital in early childhood education settings— from preschool to kindergarten to the primary grades. Large groups, small groups( which include learning centers), and one-on-one time address children’ s varied developmental needs, interests, preferences, and strengths. By intentionally planning for and incorporating these different types of learning experiences throughout the day, educators create environments that support all domains of development in consistent and flexible ways. This is part of developmentally appropriate practice.

As educators know, some groupings occur organically, such as when children make choices about where, what, and with whom they play and work. Others are planned through daily schedules and curriculum implementation. All are informed by teachers’ observations, documentation, and reflection on children’ s learning and development— each day and over time. They’ re also guided by children’ s engagement, skills, and need for support.

In my work as a teacher and director at a child development center, I’ ve seen firsthand the benefits of a rich and varied mix of learning formats that take into account children’ s choices and interests. In this article, I outline the strengths of each one, then offer photos and suggestions for ways early childhood educators can plan for and implement them in preschool settings.( For tips on incorporating different formats in kindergarten and the primary grades, see“ Centers in Kindergarten: When Do You Have Time for That?” and“ Small Groups in the Primary Grades.”)