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Observing, Planning, Guiding

How an Intentional Teacher Meets Standards through Play
by Patricia McDonald

Patricia McDonald, PhD, is a mathematics instructional coach for an American school in Stuttgart, Germany. A kindergarten teacher when she wrote this article, she now focuses her work on assisting K–3 teachers with best practices in early childhood education and mathematics, collaborating with the community and the faculty on standards to improve learning, and advocating for play for all students.

TAKEAWAYS

“During play, teachers are researchers, observing children to decide how to extend their learning.

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The Teacher's Role

“During play-based learning, teachers are often subtle participants or gentle guides who seek to enrich or expand on the present experience.”

Intentionally Crafting Activities

“To address specific academic standards, I sometimes introduce a concept with a whole-group activity,
then establish an environment that supports further exploration during free-play time.”

Assessing Growth

“As I have shifted toward play-based learning and created more time for child-directed activities, I have carefully observed children’s interests, efforts, and growth.”

From Theory to Reality

“Achieving a balance between accomplishing set curricular goals and sustaining a child-centered environment is more difficult than one would think.”

Identifying Developmental Needs

“One of the greatest yet most challenging facets of teaching kindergarten is accepting that individual development has its own time frame.”

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