Encouraging Peer Interactions in Preschool Classrooms: The Role of the Teacher

Abstract

A new school year is just around the corner, and Ms. Annie is doing her usual preparations. She is setting up her classroom and planning the different activities that she will do with her children. As a veteran teacher, Ms. Annie knows how to provide an appropriate and stimulating environment that will promote the children’s growth and development. Most years, she does not worry about how things will go when preschool starts. This year, however, is a bit different. During her home visits, she met Lizzy, an extremely shy and withdrawn child. Ms. Annie learned that Lizzy has good language skills but tends to sit back and watch other children rather than play with them. Lizzy’s parents told her that one of their goals for Lizzy was to have her engage in more social interaction with her peers. Ms. Annie knows that planning interesting activities and limiting the number of children who can play in an area at a given time can go a long way to ensuring that children interact with one another, but she is not sure that this will be enough for Lizzy. Ms. Annie is a little nervous for school to start.

Playing with others: Head Start children's peer play and relations with kindergarten school competence

“…Furthermore, understanding how to maximize the benefits of peer play seems important. For instance, teachers may create opportunities for peer play and help facilitate learning during peers' interactions through naturally occurring teaching opportunities (Stanton-Chapman & Hadden, 2011). Getting answers to these questions involves intensive repeated measures, often using demanding observational procedures.…”

Leveraging the developmental strengths of young children in context.

“…This enhanced discovery approach integrates cognitive problem solving, language, and mathematics learning within child-directed play through adult scaffolding and gentle guidance (Hassinger-Das, Hirsh-Pasek, & Golinkoff, 2017;Weisberg, Hirsh-Pasek, & Golinkoff, 2013). For example, teachers can intentionally deepen children's learning of language and literacy skills through props, pretend play themes, books, songs, and games encouraging expressive language and literacy skills, such as rhyming (Stanton-Chapman & Hadden, 2011). To do so, early childhood educators may need professional development support and additional training to engage children in peer-mediated learning experiences, especially when children display disruptive or disconnected peer play behaviors (see Bulotsky-Shearer et al, 2016).…”

Promoting Alphabet Knowledge Using Peer-Mediated Intervention

“…In early childhood, kindergarten, and the early elementary years, both children with and without disabilities often lack key social skills necessary for success as readers (Calhoon, Otaiba, Greenberg, King, & Avalos, 2006; Stanton-Chapman & Hadden, 2011). Professionals serving young children with disabilities are recognizing that full participation in daily activities and routines may require the use of specific instructional strategies and supports (Sandall & Schwartz, 2002).…”