Improving Early Childhood Learning in Virtual Preschool

Written by Sasha Blakeley

Improving Early Childhood Learning in Virtual Preschool: Overview

Virtual preschool is a relatively new phenomenon that has impacted students, parents, and educators around the world over the past several years. It involves teaching students in an online classroom using video chat features and other interactive educational technology. Virtual preschool is a form of early childhood learning that is still in its developmental phase as educators and education theorists work out the best ways of teaching very young children in an online environment. There are some downsides to the process, as young children do benefit from in-person interaction and feedback from teachers and peers. However, the need for online early childhood education has become much more acute recently, as many students have had to spend time away from in-class environments. As a result, it is more important than ever that educators receive the support that they need to provide high-quality instruction online. Although virtual preschool presents many challenges, there are a wide variety of ways that educators and parents can improve the online learning experience for young children.

Vary Content and Use Best Practices in Virtual Learning

One of the most important things educators can do when facilitating virtual learning for preschool students is to emphasize the importance of variety in their teaching plans. Creating variation in the content that students receive is key to keeping them interested and engaged throughout the school day, especially for those who need to teach preschool without the benefit of in-person interaction. With young classes, it is important for teachers to incorporate new content into their teaching on a regular basis.

However, it is also essential to vary content on a daily basis and within individual classes, as frequent changes in activity and information delivery can make it much easier for young students to maintain focus. Variety can keep young students from getting bored and can make preschool feel like a fun, engaging activity instead of a frustrating chore. Keeping school fun is crucial in an online environment where it is much more challenging than usual for teachers to maintain an appropriate level of control over a class. Educators should make sure to incorporate plenty of games, breaks, songs, and other fun activities to help support their students' learning throughout the day.

Increase Interactive Learning Opportunities

One of the challenges when it comes to hosting preschool online is that online environments tend to be relatively impersonal compared to in-person educational settings. Young students, in particular, benefit from highly interactive learning opportunities with a lot of feedback from instructors. Despite the limitations of the medium, it is essential for educators to aim to provide as many interactive learning opportunities for students as possible. Different classes and subjects will lend themselves to different kinds of interactive activities, but ideally, these interactive opportunities should include as many students as possible. Singing songs together is one great option as it allows everybody to participate at once.

Consider adding hand and arm gestures to songs to improve students' engagement and to help the kinesthetic learners in the class feel more included. Activities that require students to provide suggestions or answer questions are also effective. Collaborative digital drawing exercises, videos followed by simple discussions, and show-and-tell activities can all improve the interactive elements of a classroom experience.

Promote a Sense of Belonging in Virtual Preschool

One considerable downside to virtual preschool is that it can limit the amount of interaction that students have with one another, thereby making it more challenging for some students to make friends and participate in class. It can also be more challenging to create a sense of class-wide cohesion when students and teachers cannot meet face to face. Although these obstacles can make virtual preschool more difficult to manage, educators who are aware of them can go a long way to promoting a sense of belonging for all students.

Teachers can help their students feel as though they belong in the class by focusing on asking all students questions during lessons. Highlighting and praising the accomplishments of students throughout the class can also help students feel seen and understood. All forms of positive reinforcement, including things like virtual stickers or other small rewards, can help students look forward to coming to class.

Educators should be particularly aware of the importance of including quiet or shy students who might not be as eager to speak up in online situations. Speaking directly to these students and encouraging them in their successes can help them connect and engage with the material. It is okay if not all students are eager to participate, as long as instructors still find a way to acknowledge all students' participation, presence, and experiences. It may be helpful to keep notes on all of the students in a class so that nobody is forgotten and so that teachers can work on building individual relationships with all members of a class.

Rely on Micro-Lessons in Virtual Preschool

In pedagogical theory, it is widely understood that younger students typically have short attention spans that gradually increase as they age. Preschool students are at the very beginning of their formal educational journey and may struggle to maintain focus for more than a few minutes at a time. Micro-lessons are one strategy that educators can incorporate into their lessons or entirely rely on entirely when structuring school days. Micro-lessons typically take five minutes or even less to deliver. Distilling important information in a short period increases the odds that students will pay attention and retain what they learn.

Micro-lessons can also allow teachers to add variety to lessons as each part of the day is very short. One thing worth noting is that educators do not have to entirely move away from a subject after five minutes. Switching activities or looking at the information through a new lens also fits into the micro-lesson framework, so teachers can retain student engagement without sacrificing educational content. For example, teachers might provide a five-minute lesson, then teach a song about the same subject, practice the song, and then return to the original subject and do another activity before moving on to a new topic.

Switch Between Preschool Education Subjects

In the same vein as micro-lessons, teachers working in preschool education might find it helpful to switch between subjects frequently. Quick changes may be even more effective in a virtual environment to prevent students from getting distracted. Different students will have different subjects of interest, so cycling through topics can help maximize engagement across the class. For instance, teachers might do a brief math lesson, take a movement break, review vocabulary from the previous day, and then go back and reinforce the math lesson with an activity.

How often these switches need to happen and how the day should be divided will depend on the energy levels and dynamics of a particular class. Preschool teachers should be prepared to gauge the class's interest level and change lessons earlier or later than initially planned depending on the class's needs. This kind of dynamic teaching can be challenging, especially online. Like all elements of the teaching process, it takes practice and might not always work perfectly.

Professional Development for Educators in Online Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is a challenging field to work in, particularly because research on the best way to teach young students is constantly changing. Some of the best ways of improving early childhood learning in virtual settings are various forms of professional development for educators. Professional development can help teachers keep on top of the latest research in their field and can give them an opportunity to talk to others who work in similar environments. Teachers who get the chance to troubleshoot and exchange ideas and tips together might find the experience of teaching preschool online less overwhelming.

Because online school has become so prevalent so fast, there is an ongoing technological boom as new methods are developed to make online school a more effective learning environment for both students and teachers. The prevalence of online learning also means that teachers are likely to be able to find others who are dealing with similar challenges in their own teaching careers.

Books and Digital Material Related to Remote Learning

For teachers working in remote learning, there is a wide variety of printed and digital material that can provide useful tips and tricks for teaching online. These materials can also help teachers keep up with new technologies and new approaches to virtual learning. For instance, the Virginia Department of Education has collected an extensive set of resources for teaching preschool online. Individual schools or school districts might also have resources for their teachers that are specific to the standards set by individual states for online and in-person learning outcomes. It is essential that teachers always keep their state's requirements in mind when developing online curricula, but national resources can be helpful as supplementary material.

Early Childhood Online Workshops and Seminars

In addition to written materials and remote learning technologies, there are also many early childhood online workshops that can help teachers prepare to deliver online curriculum effectively. This kind of professional development is often crucial, especially for teachers who are new to online class setups. The Online Library Learning Initiative run by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is one such resource. Depending on the specific forms of professional development available at a given school or school district, teachers might want to supplement their own learning with courses like these. Many of them are asynchronous, allowing teachers to complete professional development courses on their own time.

Teacher Certifications in Remote Learning

Those who are seeking teacher certification must follow the specific guidelines of their state, like the TExES exam in Texas, the FTCE exam in Florida, or the CBEST in California. There are also more widely recognized certification tests like the Praxis exam. However, for those who want to or need to specialize in remote learning, there are more and more certifications and programs for teachers that are specifically related to online learning. While these certifications do not replace general, existing state certifications, they can be helpful especially for teachers who are specializing in early childhood learning.

As online learning becomes more common, online certifications are likely to become more widespread and available to teachers as well. There may come a time when all teachers are expected to get specific online certification in order to be prepared for the possibility that online learning will once again become necessary for students of all ages.

Tips for Remote Learning: Parent Engagement and Participation

One of the most important tips for remote learning that can drastically improve the effectiveness of virtual preschool is parental engagement. When parents understand their children's needs and experiences in the school environment, they are more likely to be able to provide the necessary support to help them succeed. Online learning is most likely a completely new experience for preschoolers, many of whom might not have spent much time in front of a computer before. The expectations that come with school, participation in a group setting, and online learning may take some time to communicate effectively.

Particularly in the first few lessons, it may be helpful for parents and teachers to coordinate so that everyone understands the expectations for students. Teachers should be proactive in communicating with parents whenever possible, with the understanding that online education might be as new to many parents as it is for their children. Increased parental engagement and participation can make a big difference in students' experiences as well as teachers' experiences.

Increase Dialogue Between Parents and Teachers

Teachers can start the process of boosting parents' engagement in the educational process by increasing dialogue with parents whenever possible. While parent-teacher communication is always important, it is especially essential in online virtual education, particularly in the first few weeks of class as students adjust to a new online environment. Online learning is challenging for many students, particularly young ones who have limited experience with any educational environments. When parents know what to expect and what they can do to support their children, the process often runs more smoothly.

Teachers should not assume that parents understand the online educational process and should make sure to communicate their needs and expectations as clearly as possible. Regular emails and brief virtual chats on a semi-regular basis can help keep everyone in the loop and can prevent miscommunications and frustration on all sides. Whenever possible, teachers should also make sure to keep up with any parental questions or concerns so that any issues can be sorted out as quickly and efficiently as possible. It can also be helpful to create avenues of dialogue for any parents who are struggling with technical difficulties, as setting up an online learning environment from home requires resources that not all families have access to.

Preschool Online: Parent Preparation

One way that parents can support their students and make the educational process easier for teachers is to be prepared for their children's classes. Preschool students are not yet able to manage their own educational responsibilities and naturally require support. Parents should make a point to read material associated with online lessons and classes. They should also familiarize themselves with the overall online curriculum as much as possible. It is helpful when parents keep pace with their children's learning each day or each week.

It is also important for parents to make sure that students have all of the necessary materials to keep up with classes, as materials cannot be provided in person for online learning. Teachers should do their best to communicate these tips to parents as much as possible, and parents should be sure to take responsibility and be proactive in their child's learning.

Reviewing and Reinforcing Remote Learning Materials

Remote learning can make it more difficult for students to retain the concepts they learn, especially when they are young and highly distractible. Teachers have to put a lot of effort into communicating the curriculum material to students and may not have as much time to review and reinforce lessons, especially if class time is limited to a few hours a day or week. If possible, parents should try to spend time reviewing and reinforcing the concepts that their children learned in school on a daily or weekly basis. If parents have access to educational materials from teachers, they will likely have an easier time keeping track of what material to review.

The primary benefit of this kind of parental engagement, (besides the fact that it is likely to help students retain the material) is that it can further increase parental engagement with the learning process and help parents understand their children's particular development levels, skills, and potential areas of struggle. Parents should allow students to tell them about what they learned in a particular class, sing songs with them, and ask them questions about the material in a way that remains fun and engaging. This effort can help make online learning a more positive experience for everyone.