At times, the teachers may notice a child stuck in a rut, frustrated by a challenge, or in other ways experiencing unproductive interactions. In these situations, the teachers may ask a question or offer some new materials as a catalyst for renewed explorations (e.g., asking "what do you think would happen if ...?", adding smooth stones to the sand table, or introducing paper cups and plates in the block area). They may also provide "scaffolding" to help a child meet a challenge, such as an extra hand, a piece of advice, encouragement to persist, or an appropriate tool. Generally, the teachers offer only as much assistance as is needed to facilitate the resumption of constructive exploration.

Throughout the program day, teachers model appropriate speech and behavior so that children can learn by imitation. This type of modeling is especially important when dealing with mistakes, conflicts, and unexpected events because these situations are difficult to engineer but essential for learning how to cope with real life. Teachers also purposely demonstrate both behaviors and thought processes relevant to new centers, activities, tools, etc. so that children have a basis for beginning new explorations. Similarly, teachers use direct instruction when introducing concepts or communicating ideas that are best learned with explicit focus, typically because of their complexity or the importance of following a specific procedure for safety reasons (e.g., responding to a fire drill).

As you can imagine, our teachers are continually making choices among strategies, experimenting with new approaches, and revising their methods to best support their students' learning. The same range of strategies can be applied to parent - child interactions. There are times when direct instruction is necessary, others when demonstration or modeling is sufficient, and many when all that is necessary is a helping hand, an encouraging word, or a child-safe environment for independent exploration. I encourage you to experiment with the full range of methods and invite you to observe our teachers doing the same.