In our last article we discussed the importance of reflection.  We said that the ultimate purpose for being a reflective practitioner is to become an intentional practitioner; in other words, teachers or caregivers who regularly think about what they do can be purposeful in the choices they make with children, families, coworkers and supervisors.

Intentionality

Early childhood education (ECE) professionals have often been viewed by society as glorified babysitters.  A babysitter’s job is important, to be sure – keeping children happy and safe until their parents return.  But, as we know, the early childhood professional’s job is far more complex than that, requiring unique skill sets, knowledge and experience in order to be effective.  To help the rest of the world understand this fact and accord us with a “worthy wage” higher than that of a babysitter, we must educate them as to the intentionality of our work – the reasons or rationales for the choices we make that are based on a combination of research, theory, data, evidence and a keen understanding of the unique children we serve.

In NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice (2009), Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp write:

To be an excellent teacher means… being intentional.  Whenever you see a great classroom, one in which children are learning and      thriving, you can be sure that the teachers (and the administrators who support them) are highly intentional.  In everything that good teachers do – creating the environment, considering the curriculum and tailoring it to the children as individuals, planning learning experiences and interacting with children and families – they are purposeful and thoughtful.  As they make myriad decisions, big and small, they keep in mind the outcomes they seek. 

For example, a babysitter may choose a particular storybook to read “because the kids love it”.  An intentional ECE professional, however, may choose a particular book because she has observed that the children expressed interest in its topic or because it illustrates her current curricular math or literacy goals of patterning or sequencing.  She may then intentionally follow the book-reading by inviting the children to act out the story, with a goal of increasing the cognitive benefits for her more kinesthetic learners (children who learn more by doing than by seeing or hearing). 

As Ann Epstein writes, in her book, The Intentional Teacher (2007):

To be “intentional” is to act purposefully, with a goal in mind and a plan for accomplishing it.  Intentional acts originate from careful thought and are accomplished by consideration of their potential effects.  Thus an intentional teacher aims at clearly defined learning objectives for children, employs strategies likely to help children achieve the objectives and continually assesses progress, adjusting strategies based on that assessment.

Epstein outlines some of the key indicators of intentional ECE professionals.  She says that intentional teachers:

• have high but developmentally and culturally appropriate expectations of children’s capabilities
• demonstrate purposeful, consistent yet flexible planning and management of children’s experiences and behavioral guidance
• create education-oriented classrooms that promote cognitive, physical, social and emotional learning
• provide engaging activities that are meaningful to each child’s passions
• are thoughtful listeners, questioning and facilitating children’s experiences in ways that challenge each child to reach her or his next skill or developmental level
• give constructive feedback to children that focuses on strengths and encourages growth

To be intentional, it seems, is to be proactive; to plan ahead in order to make sure that the teaching choices we make will be most effective.  However, wise ECE professionals also know all about being flexible and changing our plan when an opportunity for a “teachable moment” arises.  Therefore, Deb Curtis and Margie Carter, in their book Reflecting Children’s Lives (2011), suggest that intentionality is also about “disposition;” qualities found in our hearts and minds; our very natures:

Intentional teachers in child-centered programs have certain qualities that distinguish them from teachers who depend on curriculum activity books, follow the same theme plans year after year or struggle daily to get the children involved in anything productive.  The knowledge and skills of master teachers are not necessarily different from those of other teachers.  Rather, these professionals have become improvisational artists.  They have developed a set of attitudes and habits of mind that enable them to respond readily to the classroom dynamics and multiple needs of children.

Intentionality is about all of the above and so much more. The intentional ECE professional operates in a perpetual cycle from week to week, day to day, even moment to moment – assessing past experiences, flexibly facilitating and observing in the present moment and then planning future experiences.  She “sets her intention;” her teaching and learning goals for a child or children and then sets about meeting them.  Watching an intentional, master ECE professional in action can be like watching a brilliant artist and  scientist at the same time.

What do you think about intentionality?  Are you an intentional professional?  Epstein ends her book by providing a variety of answers to the following sentence starter:

• To teach with intention, teachers…

How would you complete the sentence?  Please take a moment to reflect and send your thoughts to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Next month, we’ll share with you all of the wise responses we received from across the CDA community…

CDA Community Reflections on our last topic... "Reflection"

Last issue, we asked the CDA community to send their thoughts about the topic of the last article, "reflection," to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you to everyone who responded. Here are some of the interesting responses we received...

"I have been teaching for seven years and have kept a journal all along. I can't tell you how helpful it has been! The process of writing in my journal helps me gather my thoughts and think through solutions to problems I'm having in my classroom. Even more helpful than that is what I learn by re-reading past entries. That's where I can spot patterns of children's behaviors that I never noticed! For example, re-reading my journal entries is how I figured out that one of my students, Alex, was having his melt-downs at the exact same time every day. Now my assistant teacher gives him some special attention every day right before that time and his meltdowns have stopped! Hooray for journals!"

- Melanie R.

Hollywood, Florida

"I had some serious problems with my Dad when I was a kid. I shared this with my friend/coworker who suggested that I start really reflecting on the connection between that and some struggles I was having with some of the fathers of the children in my class. I realized that I was really angry with some of them because of how angry I was with my own dad. Since I figured that out, I have been working harder at being better to those fathers."

- Theresa W.

Kansas City, Missouri

"Thanks for the great article! I've been doing just what you suggested – paying attention to my thoughts. One day, two boys in my group were fighting and I yelled at them. Later, I remembered that my thought right before I yelled was "They ruined that volcano activity I had spent so much time preparing!" Then I realized that I should have known better – I learned a long time ago not to get so attached to how I think an activity should go because, with twos, it's always going to go differently than I had planned."

- Sandra S.

Gary, Indiana

References:

Copple, C. and Bredekamp, S. 2009. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Curtis, M. and Carter, D. 2011. Reflecting Children's Lives: A Handbook for Planning Your Child-Centered Curriculum. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Epstein, A.S. The Intentional Teacher: Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children's Learning. Washington, DC: NAEYC.