Renee Dinnerstein, who has over 40 years experience as an early childhood educator, has started a blog called Investigating Choice TIme and it should be an interesting and illuminating blog about education and how children learn, important topics in these times of budget cuts and constant academic assessment.
Dinnerstein has taught both in Italy and the United States and has spent eighteen years as an early childhood teacher at PS 321, one of New York City’s leading elementary schools. She was the teacher-director of the Children’s School early childhood inclusion annex and worked also as an Early Childhood Staff Developer in the New York City Department of Education, Division of Instructional Support, where she wrote curriculum, led study groups and summer institutes, and helped write the New York City Pre Kindergarten Standards.
When I taught kindergarten and first grade, the most exciting part of my day was Choice Time, when children had time to pursue an inquiry topic, explore materials and ideas and, of course, have space and time to play. If you would have asked any of the children what the most exciting time of the day was for them, I would not have been surprised if they would have also named Choice Time as the best part of their school day.
Now that I’m a staff developer working with early childhood teachers I can see that it’s difficult for them, considering the push for high academic standards for young children, to program Choice Time into their daily schedules. My challenge is to help them (and their administrators) understand that a well-planned Choice Time gives children the opportunities to explore new ideas, problem-solve, practice newly-learned literacy skills in personally meaningful contexts, and, quite importantly, to have fun playing!
I’m starting this blog to open up a forum for sharing ideas, reflections, memories, suggestions, problems and questions about Choice Time. Ideally, we will all have the opportunity to dialogue on the topic.
In play a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behavior. In play it is as though he were a head taller than himself.
Lev Vygotsky
The door is open. Let our Choice Time conversation begin!
Hi Renee,
I am just getting some time to respond to my e-mails. You are so right about what the children enjoy most, and not only what they enjoy most, but what they remember most. A parent wrote a note to Nadya and me. She said that when she asked her child what she did in school, the child responded, “Choice Time.” We invited the parent in to share our daily schedule, and Choice Time was right after Morning Meeting. Well, although this parent was also able to see that we have Math Workshop, Reading Worshop, Writing Workshop, and Inquiry Study, the child remembered “Choice Time” most.
Louise, thank you for sharing this information. I’m really eager to have parents of young children visit the blog and give their opinions on this topic. It’s important for teachers to hear what parents are thinking!