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Teaching as Interaction: Challenges in Transitioning Teachers’ Instruction to Small Groups

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I love the CREDE model. It has helped me to be a better teacher. I find that I listen more closely to what my students say during our small group sessions because I want to expand on what they are saying.—Lois, Kindergarten teacher.

Abstract

Although small group instruction is often endorsed in teaching young children, teachers are rarely given explicit instruction on how to move instruction into small groups where effective adult-child interactions can take place. This study examines how 14 early childhood educators transitioned their instruction from whole to small group teaching after participating in a year-long program of professional development. The results indicate teachers’ previous definitions of “teaching as dissemination” interfered with their ability to take on new roles, design tasks, and manage time. Implications include the need for teacher educators to focus on how teaching through interaction shifts these aspects of the teaching process.

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Correspondence to Tasha Wyatt.

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Wyatt, T., Chapman-DeSousa, B. Teaching as Interaction: Challenges in Transitioning Teachers’ Instruction to Small Groups. Early Childhood Educ J 45, 61–70 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0758-6

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