This implementation video provides an overview of my Foundations in Effective Pre-K Instruction course developed in Schoology. The course was designed to support Pre-K teachers in moving beyond classroom management toward more intentional instructional decision-making. The video highlights the course structure, instructional design approach, alignment of outcomes, activities, and assessments, and the ways authentic classroom application, reflection, and learner-centered experiences are incorporated throughout the course.
In the discussion boards, I got some great feedback from Daniel Alcantar where he challenged me to embed reflection pieces into the course. As a result I developed the idea for students to identify a classroom challenge in the first module. This is a challenge that they are having instructionally in their classroom. It might be that they are having a difficult time engaging students in large group settings, or they might have difficulty with transitions, or they might have some learning centers where students lose attention and interest, etc. The choice is theirs. The course is designed so that they will come back to this challenge in each module and reflect on how they can address it based on the content they are learning. For instance in module 5.11 students will revisit their classroom challenge and identify a strategy that they will implement. And then in module 5.12 they will come back and reflect on how that implementation played out. (see example below)
As I mentioned in the video, I only integrated two discussion boards. One is in module three and the other is in module five. I don't want to have discussion boards just for the sake of having them. I want them to be intentional, meaningful, and helpful without overwhelming the teachers who are already carrying a heavy load. I am eager to get feedback on this decision. Should I shave off other activities in the module to make more space for discussion boards or is my approach reasonable?
Return to the classroom challenge you identified earlier in the course.
Now think about it through the lens of independence and the learning pipeline.
Ask yourself:
Is there an activity or material children are not yet ready to use independently?
Are independent stations becoming repetitive or too easy?
Are centers lacking new materials or meaningful choices?
Am I introducing activities at the teacher table that could move into independent use?
Is there something children could do more independently if I prepared them first?
Select one small change you will try.
You might:
move a familiar teacher-table activity into an independent station;
introduce a new activity with the goal of making it independent later;
add a familiar activity or material to a free-choice center;
use a Quick Commercial to introduce a new material;
increase the challenge of an existing station; or
remove some teacher support and give children more responsibility.
One change I will try:
What I hope to notice:
Keep it manageable.
Try one intentional change, observe what happens, and use what you learn to decide what comes next.
You have spent this module thinking about how learning can move from teacher-supported instruction to increasingly independent learning experiences.
In 5.11, you identified one change or strategy to try in your classroom. Now take a few minutes to think about what happened when you put that idea into practice.
Think about the strategy or change you selected.
Consider:
What did you try?
How did the children respond?
What did you notice about their engagement or independence?
Did the activity work differently than you expected?
What evidence helped you determine whether the learning was carrying over?
Your evidence does not need to be formal. It might include something a child said, something you observed, work the children created, or a change in how independently they used the materials.
Respond briefly to the following prompts:
1. What did you try?
Describe the change or strategy you implemented.
2. What did you notice?
What did the children do, say, or demonstrate that helped you understand how the experience was working?
3. What would you keep, modify, or try next?
Based on what you observed, what would you do the same or differently the next time?
The goal is not to prove that your strategy worked perfectly.
Effective teaching involves making an intentional decision, watching how children respond, and using what you notice to decide what comes next.
Plan → Try → Notice → Reflect → Adjust
That cycle is part of becoming a more intentional teacher.
Submit a brief reflection responding to the three prompts above.
Your reflection may be written in short paragraphs or organized by question. Focus on what you learned from trying the strategy rather than writing a lengthy response.
Make sure your reflection:
identifies the strategy or change you tried;
includes something you noticed about the children's response or learning; and
explains what you would maintain, modify, or try next.
A strong reflection shows that you can connect an instructional decision to what actually happened in the classroom and use that evidence to make your next instructional decision.
Generative artificial intelligence tools were used as production supports in the development of this course. Google NotebookLM was used to create selected instructional video overviews based on instructor-selected source materials. ChatGPT by OpenAI was used to generate selected original images and visual concepts used throughout the course. All instructional content, source selection, course organization, learning activities, assessments, and final editing decisions were reviewed and determined by the course designer.
Bates, A. W. (2022). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning (3rd ed.). Tony Bates Associates Ltd.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 5–31. doi:10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2024, September 18). A guide to serve & return. Harvard University.
Dickinson, D. K., & Porche, M. V. (2011). Relation between language experiences in preschool classrooms and children’s kindergarten and fourth-grade language and reading abilities. Child Development, 82(3), 870–886. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01576.x
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2020). Developmentally appropriate practice: A position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Texas Education Agency. (2022). 2022 Texas prekindergarten guidelines.