Play + Academics + Relationships: Teaching in Ways Kindergartners Learn Best

Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., of Stand for Children asked this amidst the rich conversation  during this GLR Learning Tuesdays session that was a part of a series planned in partnership with New America, lifting up “Kindergarten as a Sturdy Bridge” between the early years and early grades. In this session, panelists shared some of the most important research findings on teaching and learning in kindergarten. Duke’s remarks pointed to increasing instructional density, which she described as thinking about “multiple areas of literacy development at once and looking for opportunities for interdisciplinary instruction where you’re developing language. And when you’re developing literacy, you’re developing science and math all within an interdisciplinary opportunity.”

Panelists discussed several strategies including delivering content with practices such as playful learning and learning goals and opportunities for social interaction and independent learning. Deborah Leong, Ph.D., of Tools of the Mind stressed the importance of attention to building children’s executive function. Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, Ph.D., of Temple University and Brookings Institution raised the importance of starting “with the cultural values that are meaningful to the community that you’re working at.”

Anya Hurwitz of Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) built on this idea, “When children are engaged, when they’re interested, when they’re curious, the learning is deep. Children are born with scientific minds. We talked about them as critical thinkers. They’re natural sociologists and historians. They ask big questions, big important questions, and our job is to structure classroom and learning experiences to build on those innate assets.”

Educators shared their reactions to the conversation to this point. Cynthia Crespo with New York City Schools noted, especially this year, the importance of building a classroom community, so children feel safe and welcome. Without this work, she said, “things are not going to get done.” Crespo’s colleague, Seymonnia Cutkelvin, added the intentionality she has put on enhancing children’s social and emotional skills and building literacy skills because for many children, “they’ve just been surviving with their families for the last three years.”

For Luis Gallego, M.A.Ed., of Tools of the Mind, one of the biggest ideas in the conversation so far is the power of using play intentionally to guide children’s learning. This was the second webinar in the series Promoting Impactful Teaching and Learning in Kindergarten that the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and New America’s Early & Elementary Education Policy Program have developed to promote impactful teaching and learning in kindergarten. Join us for the remainder of this series in 2023.