Approaches to Learning: Guiding Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students, Slides of Mathematics

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Kindergarten to Grade 3 Guide

PPROACHES

A A TO LEARNING

Marilou Hyson, Ph.D.

Consultant, New Jersey Department of Education

INTRODUCTION

As a teacher in kindergarten and the primary grades, you know that children’s progress depends greatly on their motivation, interest, persistence, and ability to plan their work and manage their emotions. Just as New Jersey educators are guided by standards in areas like literacy and mathematics, expectations are needed for the critically important domain of Approaches to Learning. This Guide describes each of the core expectations and indicators; defines Approaches to Learning and explains how these competencies connect with other aspects of development; describes why Approaches to Learning competencies are so important for K-3 children; gives you grade-by-grade examples of how children demonstrate these competencies; and lists many examples of ways that you can support children’s EPPIC skills: engagement in learning, their planning and problem-solving, and their initiative and creativity.

You may notice that the K-3 Approaches to Learning or EPPIC Skills are similar to but not exactly the same as New Jersey’s Approaches to Learning standards for birth to age 3 and preschool. The K- standards are also organized somewhat differently than Approaches to Learning in the few other states that have K-2 or K-3 standards in this domain. All the important aspects of Approaches to Learning are here, but the expectations and indicators are organized to be (a) easy for teachers and administrators to understand and remember—only 3 expectations with a few indicators under each, as compared with as many as 5 standards and many more indicators in some other states—and (b) easily aligned with New Jersey’s K-3 content standards and curriculum emphases.

Implementing Approaches to Learning for K-3 Students: What’s Here to Help You

This Guide has many features intended to help K-3 teachers provide children with what they need to be successful learners, using the EPPIC skills of Engagement, Planning and Problem Solving, and Initiative and Creativity. At various places in the Guide, you will find:

 (^) Vignettes illustrating the importance of approaches to learning in the lives and learning of individual students.  (^) “What’s So Important About... ?”—3 boxes, each of which briefly explains the importance of one of the components of Approaches to Learning.  (^) “Yes, But.. .” boxes with questions or concerns that might be raised by administrators, colleagues, or families—with answers you can use.  (^) Examples of “Remodeled Lessons” that continue to strengthen children’s competence in specific content standards and curriculum areas while at the same time promoting skills in the three components of Approaches to Learning.  (^) EPPIC child behaviors, grade-by-grade: Examples of children’s demonstrations of competence in each ATL component: Engagement; Planning and Problem-Solving; and Initiative and Creativity.  (^) Teacher supports, grade-by grade: Examples of specific ways that teachers can support growth in each ATL component.  (^) Research evidence that shows why ATL are so important for overall development and learning, AND how teachers’ everyday supports can strengthen each child’s ATL.

What Are “Approaches to Learning”?

A Tale of Three Children

We begin this Approaches to Learning Guide with descriptions of three children, Marta, Joe, and Taniesha. We meet them in the first weeks of their new school year. Perhaps their stories, and their challenges, will sound familiar.

In the years from kindergarten through Grade 3, children are expected to develop competence in academic areas: language and literacy, mathematics, science and technology, and social studies. However, these vignettes show that academic competence needs strong support from other areas of children’s development. Marta, Joe, and Taniesha all have the potential to be capable young learners, but each of them has difficulty becoming deeply engaged, planning and following through, or exercising initiative in learning and creative thinking. Without these competencies, their academic skills are unlikely to develop as well as they might, and their motivation and enthusiasm for learning are unlikely to grow.

Marta has just begun first grade. Her family has recently moved from Mexico, and Marta is still learning English. She has already made friends in the class and loves playing with them in the dramatic play area and doing anything with markers and crayons. Although her teacher Ms. Abel’s preliminary assessment indicates that Marta already has many competencies to support language and literacy development in her home language and in English, so far Marta has tried to avoid involvement in most of the class’s literacy-related activities. She seems to have difficulty paying attention if something more interesting presents itself. If she participates, she usually gives up quickly, saying that she doesn’t know the answer, cannot do the activity, or is too tired to keep working. Joe is a third grader with an eager attitude. Every day he comes to class with a big smile and “Hello!”--ready to jump into whatever Mr. Kennedy has planned. The problem is that he doesn’t think before he acts. For example, the class is beginning to become involved in an in-depth project 1 on transportation in their city, integrating literacy, math, and social studies. During extended periods of the day, small groups work in learning centers or “worksites,” each with a different specific focus within the transportation theme. His teacher encourages the children to choose where they will spend their time, but Joe tries to do everything at once—and then becomes frustrated when his too- ambitious plans don’t work out well. As a result, his work, although showing great potential and creativity, is never well-organized and seldom completed. Taniesha has very strong academic skills compared to many of her kindergarten classmates, at least at this point in the year. Her teacher, Ms. Henry, finds that she has few problems completing literacy and math activities correctly. She follows directions and tries to help others who may be struggling. However, Taniesha seldom takes the initiative, even when choices are offered. Most of the time, she sticks to what she already knows and always waits for her teacher to give directions. When it’s time for learning centers, Taniesha gravitates toward a few where she feels comfortable. In class, Tanisha doesn’t ask many questions, but when she does her questions are factual. She rarely tries to explore new ideas or new ways of using materials.

3 1 For information and detailed examples of project work, see the NJ DOE’s First, Second, and Third Grade Implementation Guide.

What Are “Approaches to Learning”?

Different names for these competencies, but agreement that they are essential. People have called these competencies by different names. Here we call them “Approaches to Learning,” a term that has been used by many states. In this guide we also use the acronym EPPIC Skills to make these core competencies easier to remember. Starting in the 1980s, experts identified “Approaches to Learning” as one of the key areas of school readiness, along with preschoolers’ physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. Some researchers have used the term “learning behaviors,” both for preschoolers and older children. Other writers have used phrases like “executive functions,”“habits of mind,”“grit,”“non-cognitive abilities,” and “soft skills” to describe these characteristics in the children’s lives. In New Jersey, many of these skills are represented in the New Jersey Career Ready practices (http://www.state.nj.us/education/cte/hl/CRP.pdf) and have been identified as essential by New Jersey’s business community (http://www.njbia.org/docs/default source/galinks/NJBIAWorkforce Agenda2014.pdf?sfvrsn=0). So there are different names but strong agreement that Approaches to Learning—EPPIC Skills--are important throughout the school years and in later life. For early childhood educators, the most important questions are: ? What do these skills look like in children from kindergarten through grade 3? and ? How do educators support the development of these skills?

Why Are Approaches-to-Learning

Competencies So Important for Children

in K-3?

Your own teaching experience, and the examples of Marta, Joe, and Taniesha, reinforce the belief that children need to become engaged in learning, persist at difficult tasks, explore new experiences with curiosity, make and implement plans, and develop other EPPIC Skills. Of course, positive Approaches to Learning are valuable in themselves, but they also predict children’s competence in other areas of development and learning. A few examples from research:  (^) Children who show greater engagement in kindergarten learning tasks are likely to develop a higher level of academic skill in later years.  (^) Children’s early self-regulation abilities predict later success in areas such as math.  (^) Strong “competence motivation”—being involved in learning for the purpose of becoming more capable—often leads to better academic outcomes.  (^) Children who develop a “growth mindset,” believing that their abilities can grow rather than being fixed, are more likely to take on challenging academic tasks.  (^) Children who are motivated to read—who are behaviorally engaged or dedicated to reading-- usually develop higher levels of reading competence over time. The References at the end of this document include many studies that have found these kinds of connections. It’s clear, then, that if we want to help children meet challenging academic standards, we must intentionally support their development of the EPPIC competencies included in Approaches to Learning.

How Do Teachers Support

Approaches-to-Learning Competencies?

Some people think that children are simply born with different levels of Approaches to Learning. They may think that certain children are just more motivated, more eager, or more persistent than others. That is not the case: Although genetics or inborn temperament may play a small role, for the most part children’s Approaches to Learning are a product of their environments. Experiences that children have, especially in the early years, help build—or, at times, undermine--these competencies. In providing experiences that will promote Approaches-to-Learning skills for each and every child, teachers are the key. Certainly, children will arrive in your classroom with great variations in their approaches to learning. Joe had a hard time focusing and following through even in preschool; in contrast, his classmate Aaron never gives up no matter how hard the task is for him. However, the kindergarten and primary-grade years are a wide-open window of opportunity. Your intentional efforts to create ATL-supportive classroom environments and interactions can pay off with more engaged, planful, curious, and motivated children. And, in turn, these characteristics will help children gain competencies in every other area of their development and learning: A child who has learned strategies to help her persist will be able to stick with new, difficult math challenges such as those posed in the Common Core; a child whose self-regulation abilities have improved because of your efforts will be better prepared to make and sustain positive relationships with classmates even in the face of conflicts. These strategies will serve students well throughout the later years of school, as you can see in this video of an award-winning high school robotics team [link]. Teachers Are the Key: Evidence from Research. We have overwhelming evidence about the critically important role of classroom teachers in promoting children’s Approaches to Learning. Here are illustrations of this research, with classroom examples adapted from the First, Second, and Third Grade Implementation Guide. Citations may be found in the References.  (^) Teaching approaches that strengthen children’s executive functions lead to improved math competence. [First grade teacher Ms. Abbott has introduced a daily “planning time,” when each child describes what he or she will accomplish during their work time, representing the plan by writing and drawing. Planning, implementing, and flexibly modifying plans are all executive functions essential for academic competence, including math competence.]  (^) When content is taught through activities that children find inherently enjoyable (such as small- group work), their intrinsic motivation to learn increases. [At the beginning of a class project about communities, Ms. Jackson creates small groups to brainstorm questions they might ask when interviewing community members. In their groups, even the quieter students offer creative ideas, which are then shared with the whole class.]  (^) Close relationships between teachers and children have positive effects on both engagement and achievement. [Mr. Mendez often shares his enthusiasm for baseball with his similarly baseball-obsessed third graders. Often disengaged from academic work in the past, these children are working harder this year, eager to receive their teachers’ approval.]  (^) Especially early in the school year, teachers who use daily routines to build children’s self- regulation (they know what to do without being told) find that students are more deeply engaged throughout the year. [Kindergarten teacher Mr. Davis invests much time during the first weeks of school building the children’s comfort and confidence in the daily routine. Individual, small group, and class responsibilities are practiced and reinforced with picture schedules and other visual reminders.]

How Do Teachers Support the Growth of EPPIC Skills?

Individual and Cultural Differences in Approaches to Learning

In the next section of this Guide, you will see lists of children’s expected behaviors grade by grade, for each of the three core components of K-3 Approaches to Learning. These expectations are useful, but you should keep a few cautions in mind: Individual children’s development varies a great deal—in Approaches to Learning as well as in other domains. You will see all children in your class make progress, but even at the end of the year some children’s behavior may still be more typical of a child in a lower grade. This slower progress may reflect a specific disability, or it may reflect a more general delay in this area of development. For example, some children may enter your class with very few experiences that have supported their EPPIC skills (Engagement; Planning and Problem-Solving; Initiative and Creativity). The supports you provide in school, as suggested in this Guide, will help. To scaffold some children’s progress, you may find that the suggested supports for lower grades are a better fit, at least for a while. A child’s culture may also influence how he or she demonstrates some Approaches to Learning. For example, some cultures value individual initiative more than others. Some children, who may be growing up in families that strongly value interdependence and collaboration, may be more comfort- able showing initiative as part of their contribution to group projects rather than in a solo activity. Knowing the cultural norms and appropriate behaviors for the children and families you serve will help you understand and encourage positive Approaches to Learning, but in a way that is responsive to each child’s culture. The Bottom Line:

Positive approaches to learning are essential for every child’s development and school success. Teachers can ensure progress by paying attention to children’s individual characteris- tics and cultural contexts.

Approaches to Learning Components,

Child Behaviors, and Teacher Supports

Component 1: Engagement

Definition: Demonstrates effortful, persistent involvement in learning activities. Indicators:  (^) Becomes involved in a variety of classroom activities  (^) Sustains attention despite distractions  (^) Persists in activities

Six Months Later: Marta Revisited

At the beginning of the year, Marta did her best to avoid most of the first grade literacy activities. She had trouble persisting and focusing, and only enjoyed being part of a few activities, such as dramatic play and art work. Now, six months later, her teacher sees real growth in Marta’s engagement as well as significant development of her language and literacy skills in her home language and in English. Marta’s active involvement has now expanded to a greater number of activities, and even when these are challenging Marta does not give up so easily. What’s happened? Many things. Her teacher Ms. Abel has made a special effort to develop a warm relationship with Marta and her family, which has seemed to foster Marta’s willingness to try things that are hard for her. Ms. Abel has also used Marta’s creative talents to connect with specific literacy competencies—for example, a recent project on legends and fairy tales tapped into Marta’s creative abilities while encouraging deeper, more focused engagement. Ms. Abel has created more frequent, and longer, small group times than in the past, making it easier for Marta and other children to stay focused than in whole-group literacy activities. Marta seems proud of her own ability to concentrate and persist—a new favorite phrase is, “It was hard, but I did it!”

Approaches to Learning Components, Child Behaviors,

and Teacher Supports

Examples of Child Behaviors Demonstrating Engagement, Grade by Grade

Kindergarten

 (^) Concentrates on a specific learning activity for extended periods of time, especially if activity is of personal interest.  (^) Listens with attention for brief periods.  (^) Perseveres at tasks with adult support.  (^) Shows social competences that will help the child become involved in collaborative learning activities.  (^) Recalls and carries out simple directions.

Grade 1

 (^) Begins to be able to focus on tasks assigned by others.  (^) Listens with attention for longer periods.  (^) With support, begins to be able to shift focus of attention when needed (transitions to new lesson or activity or topic).  (^) Accepts redirection when focus of attention is not appropriate to the situation.  (^) Intentionally sets up own learning situation to avoid or minimize distraction (e.g., choosing quiet corner of classroom to write).  (^) Perseveres at academic tasks even when these present challenges.  (^) Resists temptation to abandon involvement in a group activity that does not interest him/her.

Grade 2

 (^) Stays focused on tasks for longer periods of time.  (^) Remembers and consistently applies directions.  (^) Shifts focus of attention with minimal prompting from adults.  (^) Uses skills in reading and math for a wider variety of purposes.  (^) Perseveres at difficult academic tasks in class and in home assignments.  (^) Shows pleasure at own ability to remain focused or to persevere when learning tasks are difficult.  (^) Often demonstrates a self- image as a persistent, effective learner.

Grade 3

 (^) Sustains involvement in complex learning activities extending over several weeks or more.  (^) Works collaboratively with classmates exerting collective effort on learning activities.  (^) Uses academic skills flexibly for multiple purposes.  (^) Encourages other children become engaged or stay focused on learning activity that they are working on together.  (^) In extended group discussions keeps focus on the topic with pertinent questions and responses.  (^) Consistently demonstrates self-image as persistent, effective learner.

Approaches to Learning Components, Child Behaviors,

and Teacher Supports

Examples of Examples of Teacher Supports for Engagement, Across Grades and Grade by Grade

Kindergarten  (^) Create expectable classroom routines and responsibilities to maximize time available for deeper and longer engagement.  (^) From early in the year, develop individual supportive relationships with children (known to predict greater engagement and persistence).  (^) Praise children’s hard work and persistence even if relatively brief.  (^) Suggest strategies individual children can use to help themselves pay attention.  (^) Model strategies for focusing and sustaining one’s attention and resisting distractions.  (^) Provide many opportunities for children to make choices, which promotes attention and engagement.  (^) Play games that help develop children’s focused attention  (^) Keep expectations for attention brief enough that children will experience success.  (^) Create cues to prompt children’s focused attention or shifts in attention—picture schedules, verbal prompts, etc.

Grade 1  (^) Within lessons, create opportunities for students to shift focus of their attention or level of engagement (varied instructional strategies).  (^) Praise/describe children’s demonstrations of effort and persistence (rather than focusing primarily on performance).  (^) Create the kinds of tasks that inherently build deeper engagement in learning (e.g., reading tasks that involve responding to texts, not just isolated practice).  (^) Help children internalize cues and reminders to engage or focus attention.  (^) Find and read stories illustrating value of persistence in the face of difficulties.

Grade 2  (^) Extend expectations for focused attention while acknowledging difficulties and successes.  (^) Continue to provide choices within curriculum, leading to deeper engagement.  (^) Use curriculum (such as literature units or extended social studies projects) to build and document 3 kinds of engagement—behavioral, cognitive, emotional—and engagement at deeper, more sustained levels.  (^) Create projects extending over several weeks or longer.  (^) Use stories about persistence from historical figures, scientific leaders, and others to illustrate its importance.

Grade 3  (^) Continue to intentionally broaden the kinds of experiences children become engaged in.  (^) Challenge children to maintain their focus even in the face of significant distractions.  (^) Increasingly, base projects on the interests of individuals and groups of children (known to foster engagement).  (^) Identify and praise children’s use of strategies to keep themselves focused.  (^) Involve children in more complex reading and writing about their own and others’ engagement skills and strategies.  (^) Involve children in self- evaluation of their efforts to maintain focus and persistence in academic tasks.

To Promote Engagement: Supports Across All Grades  (^) Emphasize frequent small group activities  (^) Schedule substantial blocks of time to allow deeper engagement  (^) Acknowledge children’s effort and persistence  (^) Adjust engagement expectations to align with children’s individual and developmental characteristics.  (^) “Remodel” some of the specifics of existing lessons to increase the opportunities for deeper engagement, persistence, and focused attention. (See Appendix B for examples of remodeled lessons.)

Approaches to Learning Components, Child Behaviors,

and Teacher Supports

Examples of Child Behaviors Demonstrating Planning and Problem-Solving, Grade by Grade

Kindergarten

 (^) With adult support, plans own involvement in concrete, short-term play-and-learning activities.  (^) Applies familiar behaviors in new situations.  (^) Begins to make and follow multi-step plans for completing tasks.  (^) With adult support, identifies and tries out different strategies to solve academic and social problems.  (^) Uses concrete methods to regulate own emotional response to frustrating learning situations.  (^) With adult support, able to return to learning activities after frustration or disappointment.

Grade 1

 (^) Develops ways to remember information.  (^) Makes and follows multi-step plans for completing essential tasks.  (^) Describes plan in advance, and what result the plan will lead to.  (^) Modifies plans on the basis of results.  (^) Adapts problem-solving strategies to complete unfamiliar activities, or in new contexts.  (^) Becomes increasingly able to regulate responses to frustration during challenging learning activities.

Grade 2

 (^) Individually and with classmates, thinks about and carries out longer term learning plans of greater complexity.  (^) Develops written plans with strategies and expected results.  (^) Makes and follows sequential plans.  (^) Evaluates original plan and makes changes as needed  (^) Is increasingly capable and reflective about how to anticipate and cope with frustration.

Grade 3

 (^) Individually and with classmates, develops and systematically implements long-term, multi-part learning plans.  (^) Evaluates and modifies plans to achieve goals.  (^) Uses reflection on results of problem-solving and flexibly implements different approaches.  (^) Uses appropriate coping strategies to deal effectively with significant frustration and challenge in learning activities.  (^) Anticipates possible problems and plans solutions in advance.

What’s So Important about Planning and Problem Solving? Planning and problem-solving are key skills. People who are able to formulate and implement well- organized plans have the foundation for a wide array of competencies. Children who can plan and carry out their own activities are likely to develop stronger language and cognitive skills. Their planning and problem-solving skills also equip them to deal effectively with social challenges. Planning and problem solving require children to make and test predictions about what is likely to happen, a key characteristic needed in mathematical and scientific thinking. By encouraging children to make plans and use a varied repertoire of approaches to address difficulties, we can contribute to what Carol Dweck and others have called a “growth mindset”—that is, the belief that one’s own intelligence and other abilities can be grown rather than being predetermined or “fixed.” Having this growth-focused belief (which is not inborn but developed through experiences and supports) is associated with positive outcomes not only in schools but in the corporate world as well. With this mindset, mistakes or temporary failures are seen as learning opportunities, an attitude that is part of scientists’ approach to their work. Children who are able to learn on their own can be described as self-regulated learners, with the ability to devise plans, adjust their plans when not successful at first, and monitor their own learning. All of these skills are important both for success in simple, everyday tasks and in much broader, in complex challenges that children face as they move through school and beyond. In this section of the Approaches to Learning Guide we describe expected child behaviors that demonstrate planning and problem solving, and we share examples of teacher supports for these essential competencies.

Approaches to Learning Components, Child Behaviors,

and Teacher Supports

Examples of Teacher Supports for Planning and Problem-Solving, Across Grades and Grade by Grade

Kindergarten  (^) Every day, create a routine that helps children practice concrete planning—e.g., which learning center will I choose to begin Activity Time?  (^) Use small groups for Planning Time.  (^) Support children in drawing pictures of their plans (“Playing with Blocks”) or writing a few words about their plan.  (^) Use group time later in the day to review and discuss children’s plans.  (^) Use self-talk to model how to plan (“After school today I’m going to pick up my twins and go grocery shopping. I think I need a list.”).  (^) When children are “stuck,” encourage them to come up with own solutions before jumping in.  (^) Help children put their problem and possible solutions into words, verbalizing it for them if needed.  (^) Help children increase their “problem solving” vocabulary and language (e.g., I’m really frustrated; I’m annoyed because this isn’t working, etc.).

Grade 1  (^) Use follow-up questions to encourage children to describe the problems they are dealing with, using increasingly complex language.  (^) Continue to provide hints and scaffolded support when children’s problem-solving attempts are not working.  (^) Encourage children to use classmates as resources when trying to make or implement plans (“Maybe Josue has some ideas you can try; last week he was working with that.. .”].  (^) Continue to structure children’s individual development of their daily “Learning Plans” using writing skills.  (^) Continue to emphasize opportunities for collaborative planning in small groups (research shows this is especially helpful for younger children].

Grade 2  (^) Explicitly teach children steps in problem-solving, as used by inventors, scientists, and others (e.g., sequence of [a] identifying the problem; [b] gathering information; [c]modeling and analyzing possible solutions; [d] trying out and analyzing solutions; [e] communicating about the solution to others using multiple means of representation.^2  (^) Encourage children to elaborate on their plans by asking them questions to add depth (e.g., “What are some other ideas about how your group can share what you are learning about clouds?”).

Grade 3  (^) Create opportunities within the curriculum for small groups of children to develop and implement plans—for example, to research a topic in social studies.  (^) Support children’s use of planning folders, wall charts, and other planning tools, including electronic media.  (^) Create routines in which children self-evaluate the effectiveness of their plans (for example, for getting homework submitted on time) and brainstorm alternate approaches.  (^) Encourage children to think ahead about problems they may encounter and various ways that the problems might be addressed.

To Promote Planning and Problem-Solving: Supports Across All Grades  (^) Build in time for children to develop individual and group plans.  (^) Provide multiple ways for children to represent their plans—in words, in writing, in drawing, etc.  (^) Help children think about, talk about, use, and evaluate strategies to solve academic and social problems.  (^) As needed, give children emotional and practical supports to help their academic and social problem- solving efforts.  (^) Use a variety of discussions, games, and stories to help children learn flexibility in applying different strategies or rules: “What might work here?”

(^2) In Stone-Macdonald et al., Engaging young engineers, the authors use the following shorthand description for young children’s planning and problem solving cycle: “Think About It; Try It; Fix It; Share It.”