Differences Overview of Changes Between As Teach ECE was first adapted from Teach Primary, there exist core similarities between the two, such as a shared framework and the coding protocol. However, there are a number of differences between the two Teach Primary at every level of the tool which respond primarily to the different age ranges and educational environments being observed. This document highlights the differences between Teach Primary and Teach ECE at tool-, area-, & Teach ECE element-, and behavior-level. The main changes made to Teach Primary and reflected in Teach ECE are:1 1 2 The Teach ECE tool was designed to observe early childhood education (ECE) classrooms for children 3-6 years of age. Teach ECE has two components, one to measure the share of time the ECE teacher provides children with learning Developmental level Guided Learning criteria Modified descriptions and examples Changed Area of activities, called Time-on-Task, and to be appropriate for children 3–6 “Instruction” to “Guided another component that measures years of age and to reflect quality Learning”, reflecting the the quality of ECE teaching across a range of cultural contexts greater amount of teacher- practices, called the Quality of and differing ECE teaching practices, child interaction and Teaching Practices. The Quality of from teacher-centered to child- mediation or scaffolding that Teaching Practices component is centered learning activities occurs in ECE organized into 3 Areas: Classroom Culture, Guided Learning, and Socioemotional Skills. These Areas 3 4 have 9 corresponding Elements that refer to 28 behaviors. Behaviors are scored as Low, Medium, or High, based on the evidence collected during the observation. Behavior scores are translated into a 5-point score that quantifies quality of ECE Focus on Language Facilitation Checklist component teaching practices for the Element. Introduced throughout the tool Added to the Teach ECE reflecting the strategies ECE tool that captures aspects teachers use to facilitate young of structural quality in ECE children’s language development, classrooms such as expanding upon their responses, engaging in back-and- forth exchanges, asking open-ended questions, and modeling Tool-Level Differences particular, indicators that measure Language Facilitation  or more detail on behavior-specific differences 1 F between Teach Primary and Teach ECE, see were integrated throughout Teach ECE (see Annex 1A for Annex 1B. Teach ECE was designed to observe ECE classrooms, and how Teach ECE measures Language Facilitation through 2 A teacher-centered activity is one in which the required changes in the tool descriptions and examples behaviors). ECE teacher leads the activity and the children throughout the entire tool to make them more suitable participate. It may also be referred to as direct instruction. A child-centered activity is one in for ECE settings. For example, where the Teach Primary which the children are protagonists, actively manual refers to “students”, the Teach ECE manual refers Element-Level Differences leading the activity and playing important roles in what occurs during the activity and how it takes to “children”. Another example is the replacement of place. Similar to the Areas, while 8 of the Elements are the the term “lesson” (used in Teach Primary), with “learning same as Teach Primary, Teach ECE has Facilitation 3 For example, high-quality direct instruction activity” in Teach ECE, to reflect the oftentimes more may involve an ECE teacher who, after reading of Learning as opposed to Lesson Facilitation as interdisciplinary and activity-based nature of ECE a story to children, provides a metacognitive an Element. While there are some differences in the explanation that s/he is going to model how to pedagogy. learn vocabulary words to help them understand behaviors of this Element, the overall description of the story better, because learning vocabulary The varied contexts in which Teach ECE might be applied the Element is fairly similar, seeking to capture the way will help them become better readers. S/he then defines the words for the children and engages was accounted for as well in the adaptation process of the ECE teacher facilitates and scaffolds learning in them in activities that have them applying the Teach ECE. As observers may observe direct instruction the classroom. The slight differences stem from the vocabulary words to new contexts. A high-quality or teacher-centered as well as play-based or child- acknowledgement that learning activities may be less and more child-centered, play-based approach may involve an ECE teacher asking children centered ECE classrooms,2 an effort was made to include structured and more focused on promoting children´s several open-ended questions as they build a examples that reflect a range of instructional contexts learning, hence the focus on the facilitation of learning. structure with blocks, engaging in back-and-forth exchanges. in order to ensure relevancy and applicability.3 Teach ECE 4 The development team considered including has been developed in a way that allows observers to capture the quality of ECE teaching practices regardless Area-Level Differences routines such as meals and naptime, but finally excluded them after receiving feedback received concerning the complexities of observing of the classroom environment. However, using an While two of the Areas are the same as Teach Primary — routines across the varied contexts in ECE. approach in which children are actively engaged in Classroom Culture and Socioemotional Skills — Teach meaningful and socially-interactive activities would make ECE replaced the Area of Instruction from Teach Primary it more likely that an ECE teacher would receive higher with a revised Area entitled Guided Learning. The focus scores across the different elements in Teach ECE.4 of this Area is slightly different from Teach Primary, as the way ECE teachers scaffold or mediate children’s Additionally, one of the behaviors identified during the learning is visibly different at this stage of development. desk review present in other ECE observation tools that is not explicitly captured in Teach Primary is Language Facilitation, which refer to strategies teachers use more frequently to facilitate young children’s language development, such as expanding upon their responses, engaging in back-and-forth exchanges, asking open- ended questions, modeling, etc. Recognizing the importance of this practice for young children in Contact us at teach@worldbank.org and visit us at www.worldbank.org/teachece Differences Between Teach Primary & Teach ECE Annex Behavior-Level Differences between Teach Primary and Teach ECE The following Table outlines behavior-specific changes between Teach Primary and Teach ECE. Behavior in Behavior in Teach Primary Teach ECE Modifications to Behavior in Teach ECE 0.1 0.1 For Teach ECE the definition of learning activities may include routine tasks such as self-care. For younger children, these self-care routines Teacher provides learning Teacher provides can be considered learning activities in and of themselves, as children are learning how to wash their hands, etc., whereas this is not the case for activity most students. learning activity to most administrative tasks, which are not learning activities in and of themselves, unless learning activities are explicitly embedded in them by the ECE children. teacher. Note that meals and nap time are not considered self-care activities and are not considered learning activities by default, unless there is an explicit learning activity embedded in them. In addition, in Teach ECE, there is additional guidance on how to code when there is more than one adult in the classroom, which occurs more frequently in ECE classrooms. In whole class instruction, all adults are observed. In small groups, the observer should focus on the lead teacher only. 0.2 0.2 Teach ECE measures the proportion of children off task, allowing for more children to be off task than in Teach Primary. This change was made Students are on task. The Children are on task. For because younger children tend to have shorter attention spans and move around more during learning activities, therefore it may be harder to number of students off a Low, fewer than half of assess whether they are on task/engaged or not. The application to Teach ECE is slightly different in order to capture age-appropriate examples, task or not participating children are on task. such as respecting children by physically getting down to their level or asking or informing them before physically moving or picking them. in the learning activity is Note that the failure of an ECE teacher to ask or inform children before physically moving or directing them would not necessarily be evidence counted, with 6 children of disrespect (a Low Range) unless the ECE teacher is moving them roughly or using physical force as a punishment. However, as with Teach or more considered a Low. Primary, the Supportive Learning Environment items can be adapted, in consultation with the client country, to reflect the specific cultural context more accurately. 1.1 1.1 The application to Teach ECE is slightly different in order to capture age-appropriate examples, such as respecting children by physically The teacher treats all The teacher treats all getting down to their level or asking or informing them before physically moving or picking them. Note that the failure of an ECE teacher to ask students respectfully. children respectfully. or inform children before physically moving or directing them would not necessarily be evidence of disrespect (a Low Range) unless the ECE teacher is moving them roughly or using physical force as a punishment. However, as with Teach Primary, the Supportive Learning Environment items can be adapted, in consultation with the client country, to reflect the specific cultural context more accurately. 1.3 1.3 For younger children the behavior may also be observed as an ECE teacher’s recognizing and helping to verbalize children’s feelings. As such, The teacher responds to The teacher responds to in Teach ECE the ECE teacher may receive a High rating for acknowledging the child’s feelings and helping him/her find a solution. Similarly, if a students' needs. children's needs. child is upset and the ECE teacher simply solves the problem without addressing the child’s feelings and emotional needs, the teacher may only obtain a score of Medium. 2.1 2.1 In Teach ECE the ECE teacher sets behavioral expectations for activities and/or routines, as routines are often an important part of the The teacher sets clear The teacher sets clear schedule in ECE. At a High level of setting clear behavioral expectations, the ECE teacher presents them in a sequence for classroom activities behavioral expectations behavioral expectations and/or routines. This is different from Teach Primary and represents pedagogy that promotes self-regulation in children’s behavior, as they learn to for classroom activities. for classroom activities follow more than one instruction for activities. In ECE, what is important is the process and ECE teacher language and explanation of important The focus in Teach and/or routines. concepts, and less of a focus on content per se. Primary is on the content and that the students seem to be following along. 3.1 3.1 In Teach ECE the ECE teacher should explicitly state what learning activity children will do and the objective of the learning activity. The teacher explicitly The teacher explicitly articulates the objectives states what activity of the lesson and relates children will do and the classroom activities to objective of the activity. the objectives. Differences Between Teach Primary & Teach ECE Annex continued Behavior in Behavior in Teach Primary Teach ECE Modifications to Behavior in Teach ECE 3.4 3.4 While all instances of modeling in Teach Primary would likely be considered modeling in Teach ECE, the definition of modeling for young children The teacher models by The teacher models by is explicitly expanded to include assisting, which means physically helping or adjusting children. In Teach ECE the ECE teacher’s modeling must enacting or thinking enacting, assisting, or include thinking aloud, or narration (which is a form of verbal scaffolding), to achieve a behavioral range score of High. Narration by a teacher aloud. thinking aloud. involves describing a thinking process aloud explicitly or metacognitively or literally describing what is going on physically during a learning activity, like a sportscaster during a sports event. Assisting may happen with or without narration and would be scored as a High or Medium, respectively. Increasing the focus on narration is an additional step the Teach ECE development team took to ensure the incorporation of Language Facilitation into the existing framework of the tool. 4.1 4.1 In this Teach ECE behavior, if the children are learning about art or music and all children are given an art activity or asked to sing/perform an The teacher uses The teacher uses action song, this would be scored a High. This is considered a developmentally appropriate way to determine children’s level of understanding. questions, prompts, questions, prompts, or other strategies to or other strategies to determine students' level determine children's level of understanding. of understanding. 4.2 4.2 Teach ECE considers play time an opportunity for the ECE teacher to be monitoring independent or small group work, a distinction that is not The teacher monitors The teacher monitors made in Teach Primary for the behavior. In addition, an ECE teacher can be visually monitoring children and does not have to be physically walking most students during most children during around, like, for example, when the children are sitting in a circle with the ECE teacher and the ECE teacher visually monitors what each child is independent/group work. independent/small group doing without physically moving. work. 4.3 4.3 Teach ECE has integrated Language Facilitation into this behavior, therefore the ECE teacher may also adjust by expanding children’s language. The teacher adjusts The teacher adjusts While there is some overlap with Teach Primary, where the teacher may adjust by providing an additional definition, explanation, or example, in teaching to the level of teaching to the level of Teach ECE the focus may be on expanding the child’s vocabulary or background knowledge, rather than focusing on addressing an error or a students. the children. misconception. Thinking Task Table: Thinking Task Table: The examples of tasks for the Thinking Task Table were changed for Teach ECE to reflect learning activities that are more common and Language and Math Art/Craft, Learning developmentally appropriate in ECE classrooms. Classes Letters of the Alphabet, Science Experiment, Fine Motor, Shapes and Sizes, and Colors 7.1 7.1 While both Teach Primary and Teach ECE look for choices present in a classroom, the behavior range descriptions are quite different. Teach The teacher provides The teacher provides Primary qualifies behavioral ranges as High or Medium if the choice is connected to the learning activity or not, respectively. Teach ECE outlines students with choices. children with choices. the behavior quality ranges based on the number of options the children are given. For example, if children are allowed to choose from two options, the behavioral range score would be a Medium, whereas if they are allowed to choose from three or more options or make an open- ended choice, the score would be a High – regardless of whether the choice is connected to the learning activity or not. This is important because at younger ages even seemingly trivial choices are important to foster children’s self-regulation, and also because the tool is trying to allow for a range of early learning environments. 8.3 8.3 In Teach ECE, this behavior, “The teacher encourages planning in the classroom,” focuses on planning. Short- and long-term planning is more The teacher encourages The teacher encourages developmentally appropriate than goal-setting for young children, as they plan what they are going to do during a learning activity at the goal setting. planning in the Medium level and during the day or year or when they grow up at the High level. An ECE teacher can encourage planning in the classroom by classroom. asking children what they intend to do during play time, for example. Because the focus is short-term, it would be scored a Medium. 9.1 9.1 Due to the younger age of children, this behavior may often look different in ECE contexts. For example, simply playing together — building a The teacher promotes The teacher promotes house together out of blocks, engaging in imaginary play together, etc. — are all examples of collaboration at the High level in Teach ECE. At the students' collaboration children's collaboration Medium level children may engage in superficial collaboration, in which they are sharing materials but not playing together or they may also sing through peer interaction. through peer interaction. together as a whole class or in groups.