It has been such a joy to work with Head Start teacher Rania and her preschoolers on the Next Generation Preschool apps over the last two years! Here’s a short video from our last visit of the school year (thanks to a third party app called Magisto!):
We’re sad to see some of our young friends graduate from preschool, but excited for what their lives will bring! Good luck, and many thanks to Head Start, Rania, and her class!!
We had a bubble-bursting good time sharing the Gracie & Friends Treasure Bubbles iPad app, now available in the Apple App Store, with our young friends and teachers. What was our approach to integrating this collaborative game into the preschool classroom? Modeling how we can work together to learn math — which is “awesome” and totally clap-worthy!
This modeling — and it’s absolutely participatory modeling with the teachers and children! — is all part of our Professional Development for effective integration of research-based, developmentally appropriate games into the preschool classroom. Teachers model the apps for the children, inviting their thoughts, their voices, and their touch.
As for the children? We saw a lot of joy and exuberance while learning together! And that’s the true treasure.
What are the challenges facing preschool math programs? EdSource names lack of math content and inadequate professional development as the two main reasons why early math education programs don’t succeed, with cost of professional development and math anxiety among teachers playing smaller but not insignificant roles.
By providing our teachers professional development for math content and pedagogy in our Teacher’s Guide, we’re taking these obstacles head on. Teachers will be able to watch videos, receive lesson plans, and read tips from other teachers, all of which will serve to prepare them for using the NGPM digital and nondigital materials. There is so much potential, and clearly so much work to do! Have you seen any awesome examples of preschool math programs that integrate technology? Let us know!
Read the full EdSource article here.
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