I believe that teachers are able to promote greater student interaction through experiences that are related to their applicable developmental level, in addition through the use of role play. For example, by relating to a child’s applicable developmental level a teacher can use this to their advantage. Students find meaning in events that are relatable to life experiences that are important to them at that their developmental level. One thing I have noticed in my classroom, when planning a lesson, I am relating it to the experiences of the main character in the book, so the motions and activities the children go through help them understand what is happening in the book. For example, with the book Funny Farm by Mark Teague, the main character Edward goes through many daily activities of life on the farm. On one page we are studying, Edward’s Uncle Earl plows the field. Well, on this page the illustrations help the students understand what is going on. In our science and discovery, we create our own compost out of natural resources, and we also explore the concept of dirt in our sand/water table in addition to adding different materials, such as playdoh and paint. The class also made their own tractors out of recyclable materials and that was put into the dramatic center so they can use them during dramatic play. During the activities, I keep a laminated page from the book close by during the activities so they can understand that this is relating to the text.
b). How can we monitor ourselves to assure that our classes are not characterized by excessive teacher talk?
Taking a step back to just simply observe what the students are learning can be difficult for many people. Using the SIOP model allows you to schedule the outline skeleton of a lesson, structuring which teaching style would best be incorporated. After reading Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, (2004), I believe the SIOP chart is a great resource for teachers to monitor themselves to ensure that his or her classroom is not using excessive teacher talk.