Gallo, Maahs, and Mayer Present at National Conference
Dr. Dawnita Gallo (School of Teaching and Learning) along with Gail Maahs (Early Education Center & School of Teaching and Learning) and Jill Mayer (Early Education Center) presented at the annual conference sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This group’s presentation, entitled: Teaching Through Transitions: How to Use Engagement Cues and Hook Techniques to Help Toddlers and Preschoolers Transition from One Activity to Another.
The presenters modeled methods and strategies to capture young children’s attention and focus during transitions, using signals/prompts to guide them from one activity to another. Furthermore the presenters shared individualized transition strategies for better behavior management. Participants learned the importance of tailoring these techniques to suit the learning needs of the diverse children in today’s early childhood classrooms, thus leading to a more conducive learning environment for all. Hands-on examples, demonstrations, and interactive learning strategies of specific engagement cues, transition strategies, and hook techniques were ways that participants could learn to utilize the information in their own EC classroom. The use of these strategies and techniques will contribute to smoother transitions and also to the overall growth and development of young learners. Interactive exercises using scenarios and personas were shared to allow participants an opportunity to understand and practice the application of these various strategies and techniques when they returned to their classroom of toddlers and preschoolers.
The presenters were excited to share these strategies and techniques with approximately 160 participants.