Teachable Moments Make Ordinary Extraordinary
“The greatest part of each day, each year, each lifetime is made up of small, seemingly insignificant moments. Those moments may be cooking…playing catch with a child before dinner, speaking out against a distasteful joke, driving to the recycling center…. But they are not insignificant, especially when these moments are models for kids.”
- Barbara Coloroso (20th Century), U.S. Parent, Educator, Author. Kids Are Worth It (1994)
One of the beauties of teachers is that they recognize in seemingly ordinary moments what those who are not teachers don’t see. An everyday circumstance or a negatively perceived behavior becomes a Teachable Moment – an opportunity to help a child learn, develop and grow to his or her full potential. It means taking the time to notice, stop and engage.
As educators, we must cultivate the social and emotional skills of young learners to help them achieve success and develop confidence. Children’s social and emotional skills are essential for school readiness and are central building blocks for cognitive development and gaining knowledge.
Every day in the classroom provides endless teachable moments. For example, suppose that Jacob is playing at the water table and you notice he has arranged the rubber ducks in order from largest to smallest. Taking a minute or two to ask Jacob open-ended questions about his work creates a teachable moment during which you also enable him to talk about seriating, among other math skills.
Teachable scenarios can extend beyond cognitive development to address social and emotional development. For example, Jacob is at the water table and his classmate Lucy wants to join him, but will not ask him whether she can help with the ducks. The teacher observes Lucy’s hesitation and quietly asks Jacob whether she can watch him work. Jacob agrees and makes room. The teacher looks up and signals to Lucy to come closer. She says to Lucy, “Would you like to help too?” Lucy nods. “Can you ask Jacob the same way that I did? He is really good at working here and he can help you.” Lucy shrugs and quietly asks Jacob whether she can play too. He readily agrees and as Lucy steps to the table, the teacher backs away saying, “You two have fun! I cannot wait to see what you do next. If you need me, I’ll be at the next center.”
Although there are a number of ways this interaction could have gone, the teacher noticed Lucy’s hesitation and due to other interactions the teacher has observed, the teachable moment became one of modeling and guidance.
Sometimes teachers need modeling and guidance, too. What techniques, cues, modeling tips and strategies do you integrate into your daily life as an educator to increase successful social and emotional development of your young learners?
Jenne Parks
Jenne Parks started as a kindergarten teacher in a federally funded full-day Title-1 class and continued her career with at-risk pre-kindergarten students. In 2000, Jenne worked as a Curriculum Specialist with La Petite Academy managing the Education Department that served over 600 schools and 13,000 teachers. There she created and launched the most effective and relevant training tools for teachers. In 2010, Jenne began her work with Hatch and she now assists in the creation of research-based content for existing and new products. She is an accomplished national presenter and author on early childhood teaching and training.
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