The Learning Professor Blog
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Superhero and Gun Play in the Classroom
Around the age of 4, many children begin to exhibit behaviors, such as gun play or superhero play, which enable them to feel a sense of power or control. Teachers often feel unsure of the best way to handle this type of play. Traditional approaches of banning the play or allowing the play with limits […]
Classroom Practices During COVID-19
Note: This is an opinion piece only whose goal is to start a conversation. I am not a medical professional nor a COVID Researcher. Recently I’ve been asked numerous questions about practices within ECE classrooms and the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions have included some of the following: Should we let children play together or separate them? […]
What is my best advice for challenging behaviors?
Check out my newest feature, the 5-Minute Professor, in which I answer questions about teaching and parenting young children. Read the transcript or watch the full video below! Hi. I’m Dr. Jenni Jacobs, Founder of The Learning Professor. Welcome to the 5-Minute Professor where I answer your questions about early childhood. One of the questions […]
To Trace or Not to Trace?
Of all the topics about preschool literacy that I teach, the most hotly debated among teachers is that of tracing. A simple google search on preschool writing or curriculum ideas will no doubt result in some form of tracing. In fact, even some handwriting curricula encourage the practice. Whenever I introduce the idea of no […]
Language Matters When it Comes to Shame
Recently I’ve joined several parenting (mom) Facebook groups online to get a sense of some of the topics that parents are struggling with. It’s supposed to be a place of support, where mothers can ask questions without fear of judgment. I have found it is quite far from that. I think I naively assumed that […]
Spoiling Babies???
A friend of mine has a 7 month old infant in a group care setting. She came over with him the other day and told me that the day care had asked her not to hold him so much on the weekends because she was spoiling him. Apparently he was expecting the teachers to hold […]
The Process of Art: What Do I Say?
Guest Blog by Jacki Leader “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou Our field has come a long way in what we consider art for young children. In the past, the art tended to be cookie cutter models, with each child’s art project looking near identical […]
Up or Down the Slide?
Guest Blog by Jacki Leader Every time I am at a playground, whether it be at a school or in a community park, an interesting phenomenon occurs. Children of all ages try to climb up the slides. If we stop and reflect on this phenomenon it makes sense. There is a sense of thrill and […]
Goodness of Fit – Do we really practice it?
As I prepare to teach a temperament class today at a conference, I’ve been reflecting on the topic of temperament. As I thought about the 9 different temperament traits I became very aware that the importance in knowing about these traits isn’t actually in the traits themselves, but rather in knowing how to approach, accommodate, […]
The Problem with Behavior Charts
I recently taught a class in which we engaged in a discussion about the use of behavior charts in the classroom. These come in all different varieties….from forms sent home with parents to charts on the wall to flipping cards to those infamous stop light systems. Do these types of things really work? And are […]