Creative Strategies in Ernie’s Early Childhood Classroom
By Karen L. Bauer and Marilyn Al Sheerer with Ernest Dettore, Jr.
The three-to five-year-olds in the Early Learning Lab are vying for a position in line to be the crane that picks up the blocks and loads them into a box.
“Over here, Ernie. I need to get this long one!” yells Ian, being the cranes, as Ernie, the teacher “operating” the crane, guides the four-year-olds legs toward a particular corner of the room.
“I’m next,” calls Hillary. “I’m picking up all those little ones!”
“While these cranes are working, how can we pick up the Legos?” asks Ernie.
“I know, I know,” offers Tyler excitedly. “Let’s use my big scooper!”
Tyler begins using a cardboard lid to dig into the pile of Legos and return them to their container. He makes a motor noise to add legitimacy to his endeavor.
“Alex, I want you to show us how we can clean this up…Oh, he’s going to use his glow gun to help him. Hm…m…m, nice invention. Alex.”
Ernie responds to children’s needs. He believes that guiding children’s behavior is situational, and he avoids preconceived approaches.
“Children have valid reasons for their behavior.” Ernie believes. “We may not agree with or approve of the behavior, but our job is to discover why a behavior occurred and help the child find an appropriate way to behave.”
Cleanup Time
Adults recognize that through cleaning up, children learn classification, seriation, organizational skills, respect for their environment, and a sense of responsibility. Adults therefore incorporate cleanup as an integral part of play or activities. Ernie uses this approach in his classroom. However, he occasionally uses cleanup time to engage children in unique play episodes or to encourage an uncooperative child to comply.
“Rigidity can increase the conflicts that arise between children and teachers,” says Ernie. Instead of becoming upset when cleanup time is not going well, he takes a different tack. He focuses on the issue at hand and personalizes his responses to the children and the situation. His approach incorporates flexibility and spontaneity.
The idea of children becoming “human cranes” evolved in response to an uncooperative child during cleanup time. Ernie recounts the story.
When I reminded Kevin that he was supposed to help clean up, he responded with “I don’t feel like cleaning up.” Since this wasn’t typical of Kevin, I decided to try to change his mood. I said, “Well, if you won’t pick up the blocks. I’m going to have to turn you into the human crane.” He looked puzzled. I picked him up at the waist and gently turned him upside down. Then I told him to use his hands to pick up the blocks. I began to make engine sound effects to maintain interest. Kevin happily put the blocks away, a confrontation was avoided, and the other children wanted to try being the crane.
Ernie employs the human crane infrequently but successfully. When he’s asked why he chose to use the crane with Kevin, Ernie replies, “I sensed that Kevin needed some support and guidance and that some sort of physical intervention would be necessary. I chose to approach the situation with a sense of humor. It worked like a charm. The human crane is not a technique I would want to use all the time, but, on the occasions when I do, it works.”
Creating Various Cleanup Devices
Some days the children do an incomplete cleanup job. Ernie may make a game of cleaning up the room by asking the children to each find five items that need to be put away or five pieces of paper on the floor to throw away. Not a particularly unique approach, but Ernie describes how the “human comb” grew out of such a day.
I explained the phrases “comb the area” and “go over with a fine-tooth comb” Then I instructed the children to line up side-by-side and on all fours. I told them that they were human combs and had to pick up everything in their paths and put it all away. The children were very cooperative, the room looked great, and, in addition, the children expanded their language skills.
One activity center in Ernie’s preschool is a “clipping and cutting service.” Here the children design collages, signs, books, invitations, and lists, among other things. Supplies in the center include magazines, catalogs, wallpaper samples, construction paper samples, construction paper, glue, tape, scissors, string, and a paper punch. A favorite activity is using the paper punch, a difficult but intriguing task for three-and four-year-olds. It’s also a very messy activity.
Ernie invented the “dot picker-upper” after a big day of hole punching. When it was time to clean up, the children struggle to get the paper dots off the floor. Ernie places masking tape on the ends of small unit blocks and demonstrates how to operate the new invention. Children scurry to use the dot-picker-upper. When they discover that the invention picks up more than one dot at a time, Ernie describes.
The challenge became how many dots could be picked up at once. You could hear children calling out numbers for several minutes until all the dots were gone. In fact, the children were disappointed when there were not more dots to be found. They love the process.
The “home for lost toys” was spawned after another not-so-great cleanup effort. As children are sometimes wont to do, toys and games are mixed together or placed in wrong bins during cleanup. “This behavior is characteristic of young children and not an effort to avoid work,” says Ernie.
Rather than reprimanding the children or becoming angry, Ernie decides to approach the problem in a creative way. He sorts through the toys to collect all the misplaced items and places them in a line. Next, he tells the children how he had heard all the toys crying when he came into the classroom that morning. “I really exaggerated by picking up a block and pretending it was crying, “ says Ernie.
“Oh, I really miss my block family,” Ernie whimpers. Sympathetic children willingly sort all the items into their proper containers.
Ernie believes that it’s important to take into consideration the thinking of young children. It’s his philosophy that.
You can capitalize on it to find ways to make tasks enjoyable. For example, I adapted one of Aesop’s Fables, “The Greedy Dog,” to encourage children to keep the room tidy. Our greedy dog puppet is the epitome of bad manners. If the room is unusually messy. I bring on the puppet and say something like, “oo-ooo, I love messy rooms. Let’s leave it like this.” Of course, the children want to do the opposite, and they respond by hurriedly straightening up. They enjoy telling the puppet how they are going to make the room look nice. It works every time.
Children in Ernie’s room also have learned how to operate the “Chair bulldozer,” a combination wrecker and organizer. Children building with blocks can help in the demolition and cleanup. The chair bulldozer is a preschool chair turned upside down and the operator pushes on the back legs of the chair and scoops the blocks into a pile. Another crew stacks the blocks back on the shelves. Children take turns being the bulldozer operator.
We might ask, wouldn’t it be easier just to require the children to pick up the blocks? Ernie responds, “Not necessarily. Children are generally quite willing to clean up. It’s on those occasional times when things aren’t going smoothly that I find a different approach.”
Ernie believes that the teacher needs to respond to the situation. However, how the teacher responds determines whether there will be a confrontation. He tries to avoid pitting his will against a child’s as much as possible. “That‘s not to say that I am never directive,” says Ernie. “Sometimes it’s necessary to be directive.”
One morning the children just didn’t clean up after being asked. I called a meeting and said, “I saw people running. I saw people throwing toys. I saw people shouting.” Then I gave clear, concise direction to each child. I focused on something small that could easily be accomplished. “Your job is to put the playdough away,” I said, and I doled out jobs to each child and selected one child as the model. I praised how well Alex had followed through with his task and asked the other children to do the same.
Ernie’s goal is to help the children successfully complete what is asked of them. Sometimes he finds it necessary simply to tell them what needs to be done, but he has faith that children will cooperate. Ernie trusts that when he deals with the situation by focusing on the children’s needs, things will turn out well.
Transitions
Cleanup time is only one transition that children are expected to make. Other transitions, while kept to a minimum, also are necessary.
“As teachers, we want to encourage children to concentrate on their activities and become engrossed in their projects, says Ernie. He believes that frequent transitions detract from this concentration. Inevitably, however, we must address transitions from one activity or area to another. How teachers organize transitions will influence the momentum in a classroom and the success of an activity. Ernie’s view is that establishing a consistent routine in which adult expectations match children’s ability is vital.
Transition requires time. Young children should not be hurried nor should they be made to wait for extended periods of time. In some programs where children must share facilities such as the gym or computer room, one group may need to wait for a previous group of children to exit. This potentially restless time challenges Ernie. He uses creative planning to eliminate misbehavior.
“Let’s fool our computer teacher by pretending we’re a still-life painting on the wall,” Ernie suggests to the children. “I’ll tell her you aren’t here today, so I brought down this picture. But, when the teacher comes out, you’ll come alive and surprise her.” Silent children were the result of this tactic.
Making Connections for Transition
Teachers should feel free to employ their own creativity to enhance many routine transitions. Making a connection between a story and a transition is extremely effective. Children in Ernie’s room were once “airlifted” to various areas of the classroom.
The class had just listened to the storybook, The Cow Who Became Famous. In this story the cow is tied to the wings of a plane and transported across the country. Ernie employs this idea when the children are to choose where in the classroom they want to work. He picks up a child, as she spreads her arms like airplane wings, and flies her to the selected area. As Ernie guides the child, he asks questions such as, "How are you going to keep from crashing?”
The reading of Mouse Paint was to be followed by activities in the art center. To facilitate the movement. Ernie whispers to the children, “Pretend to paint yourselves white like the mice in the story.” Once the children finish “painting” themselves. Ernie continues, “Let’s see how Ashley tiptoes past the cat. See how quiet she is. Be careful, Ashley. Don’t step on the cat’s tail.”
As Ernie interacts with the children, he asks them silly questions. “Travis, can you get to the art center safely? Would it be a good idea for you to use the cat’s tail as a paintbrush?” Such questions amuse the children but actually require their critical thinking.
“World Famous People Pancakes” was a hit with the children as well. After reading the book Pancakes, children are to cook their own. Ernie creates a safe and deliberate strategy. He pretends to make people into pancakes, while another adult helps children cook. Chanting the recipe, Ernie adds plastic milk, eggs, and butter. He calls one child at a time by name to get into the batter. Next, he stirs the batter with a plastic spoon and pours out the people pancake. He instructs each child to slowly roll over to the cooking center. As the activity continues, the children join in chanting the recipe and stirring the batter. Double batches are made as the children’s attention dwindles.
Children should be given choices and encouraged to help during transition times. Ernie queries, “Do you want to walk on eggshells or creep like a cat? Would you like to walk on thin ice or sneak past the guard?” “Such choices provide children with an opportunity to make decisions while abiding by the classroom rules.” Ernie points out.
Effective transitions can be enhanced by voice changes. Ernie uses cartoon voices or animal voices. Children may select which voice they want him to imitate. Talking softly is another way to get children to listen and lower their own voices. Ernie pretends he is losing his voice: “I can’t talk very loud because I’m losing my voice. You’ll have to help me by listening quietly while I whisper your names.”
Since the goal during transition is to help children successfully change from one activity to another, any creative approach can be considered. A limitless number of ways makes the process fun and enjoyable for children and teachers.
Self-Control
Helping children learn to control their own behavior is an internal part of life in the Early Learning Lab. Feelings are still new to three-and four-year-olds. They need help in learning how to deal with them. The ultimate goal is for children to develop inner control.
“I try to be nonjudgmental and show plenty of patience,” Ernie explains. He consistently demonstrates developmentally appropriate practices in his daily interactions with children.
When the children break the rules, Ernie asks questions but doesn’t interrogate. “The questions,” he says, “are my attempt in understanding what happened. I try to get the children to state the problem. I reflect what they say and help them to verbalize their feelings.” Ernie frequently begins by saying, “I was wondering…” or “I noticed…” These phrases are neutral and avoid putting children on the defensive.
It is common to see Ernie with his arm around a child’s shoulder. He gets down to the child’s level, makes eye contact and talks. His tone is calm. His body language communicates concern.
“It’s important for the adult to remain objective instead of emotional,” he explains. “Children need to know the adult is in control. I want children to respond to their own behaviors. My role is to devise ways to help children monitor their behavior.”
Developing Some Control Approaches
Ernie has some unique approaches for helping children develop self-control. Noting that young children are active and often become so excited that their voices or the activity gets too high, he does not try to shout instructions over the noise, which seems only to escalate the situation. Teachers need to find more effective ways to enable children to lower their own voices and control their own bodies.
The “control meter” devised by Ernie provides a direct physical means for children to monitor their bodies. As he describes it, “When a child begins to run around inappropriately or reaches a frustration level and begins to scream, I calmly ask him to put his hand over his heart to check his control meter. I point out that a wildly beating heart is a sign of being out of control.”
Ernie never humiliates children, nor does he ever tall them they are bad. His control meter serves to temporarily extinguish an undesirable behavior and helps the child regain control. What he ultimately wants is for the child to become responsible for regaining control.
Playing on the preoperational thought processes of preschoolers. Ernie employs a “volume control button” as another way to change behavior. “I designed this strategy,” he says, “to also help children gain self-control. I developed the notion of children having volume control buttons like TVs, tape recorders, and radios.” At the teacher’s suggestion, the volume control button helps children lower their voices. Ernie simply mentions to the child that her voice is loud and asks her to use the volume control button to lower it.
Occasionally, Ernie asks if he may lower the volume control button. Once when he attempted to lower the button for a child without asking, the child said, “You turned it the wrong way.” “I had to turn the button the opposite way,” Ernie recalls.
Would you be upset with that response? Some teachers would view that behavior as inappropriate. It is important to respect a child’s attempt to maintain autonomy.
“This child was willing to lower his voice,” Ernie points out, “but I broke the ground rules. I didn’t ask if I could lower the control button. After I moved the button the opposite way, the child grinned and lowered his voice to an acceptable volume. That was what I wanted, and the child complied.”:
In an attempt to stop a distressed child’s whining, the “Whine box” emerged. Ernie asks a child if she knew she was whining and then suggests that together they put her whiny voice in the whine box and place it in the refrigerator.
“This idea is so ridiculous that the child laughs and goes along with it,” Ernie relates. “When the whining returns, we go to check the box for leaks.” When someone started to whine in Ernie’s classroom now, a child in the room suggests the whine box.
Adapted from the Wizard of Oz, the “oil can” is effective in cheering up sad or grouchy children. Ernie notes that a child looks unhappy, and he comments that her “smile elevator” lines must be stuck. The teacher or another empathetic child then pretends to click oil into the smile lines to loosen them up.
Ernie describes what happens: “Children almost always respond by smiling. Then they begin to frown-smile frown to perpetuate the game. Usually others who aren’t even grumpy ask to play. The result is lots of smiling faces.”
Sometimes Ernie has to get out the “grump remover.” This is an imaginary spray that gets rid of grumpy. Ernie may remark to a grumpy child that “it’s time to remove the miserable grump.” If he sees the child responding to this bait, he then sprays grump remover all over the child’s body. If this doesn’t totally work, but the child appears to want to be cheered up, Ernie gets out the industrial-strength grump remover and re-sprays the child.
Pretend Playing Without Aggression
Some of the children in Ernie’s preschool go to childcare programs in the afternoon. One day a little child said solemnly, “Ernie, I’m going to tell Susan that you let us play Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Why?” Ernie asks, “Aren’t you allowed to play ‘Turtles’?” “No,” the child replies, “because they use violent aggressive behavior.” “Oh, but you weren’t using violent aggressive behavior. What were your turtles doing?” the child thinks a moment, then says, “They were using tools.”
Ernie does not forbid children to pretend to play Mutant Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers or other superheroes, but he also does not permit them to use aggression. “Children are intrigued with these figures and it’s difficult to eliminate them,” points out Ernie. He says, “I take the best out of them and extend the play. I use them to help children learn.”
Recently an observer in the Early Learning Lab saw two boys lying under a table painting on paper that was taped to the underside of the table. “I’m Michelangelo,” explains the one child. “He painted on ceilings a long time ago.” “Yeah,” replies the second child, “we saw some pictures of him painting in a book.”
Ernie takes the children’s interest in superheroes and redirects it in an appropriate way. He says, “It is easier to move children beyond those aggressive play behaviors by redirecting them. If you forbid the play, then it emerges when you aren’t watching or children engage in the play elsewhere. I believe that at least I have extended their knowledge and given them another theme to use during play.”
Conclusion
Our study in the Early Learning Lab yielded wonderfully rich examples of management strategies used by one early childhood teacher. These interactions are based on high level of trust on both sides. Ernie trusts that children will be positive and cooperative, and the children trust that Ernie will be there with them, assisting them in making decisions and trying new things.
Overall, our naturalistic study in this early childhood setting uncovered the variety and complexity of approaches used by one very good teacher to create a context in which children feel empowered and important. Ernie’s knowledge of child development emerges as the basis for making appropriate decisions and guiding children’s growth. We believe a solid understanding of children’s development is vital to all successful early childhood educators; it is the foundation from which developmentally appropriate practices emerge.
Reference
Bredekamp, S., & C. Copple.Eds. 1997. Developmentally appropriate practice in Early Childhood Programs. Rev. Ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC
