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ABCDEEarly ChildhoodOF LEARNER NEEDS

We are all born into this world full of potential. From our earliest days, as we learn andgrow, we are driven by aspirations, and we develop the ability to make meaningfulcontributions to the world around us. But fulfilling our potential is dependent on how wellour needs are met. Over the past several years, both our own and our children’s needs have been tested. Weare all still recovering from the trauma and loss brought on by a global pandemic and thewidespread instability that accompanied it. As a result, both children and adults are behaving differently. And all behavior iscommunication. This guidebook is designed to help answer the question: What are thesebehaviors telling us? Psychologist William Glasser defined several core human needs "which provide motivationfor all that we do." We've framed them in the context of school: Autonomy, Belonging,Competence, Developmental Appropriateness, Engagement, and last but not least, Fun. We learn and grow best when our needs are met. Therefore, when we’re not thriving, theseunmet needs are often at the root of the problem. Identifying these unmet needs is the firststep toward addressing them; this is as true for adults as it is for young children. There is something powerful that happens in our relationships with one another when weswitch from viewing problematic behavior as disruption, defiance, and disobedience toviewing it as a result of unmet needs. A Guidebook for Educators and Parents of Young ChildrenWhat are the ABCDEs, and what can they do for me? For nearly 20 years, Center for InspiredTeaching has used this tool witheducators serving preK-12 youth. The ABCDE of Learner Needs supportsthe instructional approach pictured here(which you can read about in greaterdetail via the QR code). It leads to calmerclassrooms, more engaged learners, andbetter instructional outcomes. Teachers,and parents, you can use the resources inthis guidebook with confidence, knowingthey are grounded in years of researchand practice.Contact Us: www.inspiredteaching.orginstitute@inspiredteaching.org202-462-1956Student as ExpertPurpose,Persistence,and ActionWideRangingEvidence ofStudentLearning JoyMutualRespectINTELLECTINQUIRYIMAGINATIONINTEGRITY

AUTONOMY"I want to have a say in what happens to me." Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, andto express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted withopportunities to exercise free will.BELONGING“I want to feel connected to and valued by those around me.” Belonging is our psychological need to love and care for others and to believe that we are lovedand cared for in family relationships, friendships, and working relationships. To belong, we mustconnect with people by cooperating, caring, sharing, and being involved.COMPETENCE"I want to feel a sense of significance, worth, and accomplishment."For us to feel capable, we need a sense of empowerment, worthiness, and achievement.Competence is both an inner sense of pride, importance, and self-esteem and an outer sense ofbeing heard and respected.DEVELOPMENTAL APPROPRIATENESS "I am nurtured in my continual growth."Learners need the right amount of challenge, fueled by just enough skill to get through thedifficulty. If children are tasked with assignments that are too far beyond where they aredevelopmentally or too easy, they are likely to disengage.ENGAGEMENT"I want to be actively involved."Engagement can happen through play and laughter, but joyful learning also occurs whenwe are creating, problem-solving, making interesting decisions, and interacting withothers through worthwhile tasks.AN OVERVIEW OF THE ABCDEsFUN“I want to do something that brings me joy.”Fun is engaging in an activity, with or without a goal in mind, because you enjoy doing it.We learn through play, and fun is essential to our learning. You have fun when you aresmiling, feeling joyful or relaxed, laughing, and doing something outside the ordinary.If a child is exhibiting unwanted behavior, chances are good one or several of their needs are not being met.The ABCDEs are core needs we all have as learners. Shaping our instruction to meet these needs can help toreduce problems in the classroom. Understanding what these needs look like when they're not met anddeveloping strategies to address them helps us solve problems in a student-centered way when they do arise.

Autonomy is the need for independence; the abilityto make choices, to create, to explore, and to expressoneself freely; to have sufficient space, to movearound, and to feel unrestricted with opportunitiesto exercise free will.What it looks like when this need is NOT being met:Refusal to do the task you have assigned Seeking ways to “work around” rules andexpectationsTesting boundariesFrustration on the part of the child when theycannot "do it myself!" Ways to help meet this need:Wherever possible, create more choices, forexample: where to sit, what to eat (provide morethan one snack option), what materials to workwith, etc. Create opportunities for children to help out (i.e.distributing snacks, putting away materials, callingthe class to attention). Arrange the classroom so there is plenty of spaceto work independently and the freedom to choosewhich spaces to work in. Provide choice or centertime every day.Establish clear routines that get practiced over andover again in the first weeks of school so childrencan take ownership of them. More clear routinesmean the class requires less teacher voice andstudents can do more by themselves. Create instructional boards for centers withpictures that explain what to do—this enablesstudents to really guide their own learning, andyou can have them help make the pictures forthese centers by demonstrating the work! AUTONOMY"I WANT TO HAVE A SAY IN WHAT HAPPENS TO ME."Giving children opportunities to practiceindependence and experience autonomyhelps them create a sense of mastery overtheir body, their mind, and theirenvironment. This supports independentand critical thinking, encourages intrinsicmotivation and inspires confidence.In the Early Childhood ClassroomAsk yourself:What more can my students do ontheir own? Where can I create more space fortheir voices? Where can I give up more control? How can I listen more and speak less? - Michigan State University (n.d.). The littletoddler that could: Autonomy in toddlerhood. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_little_toddler_that_could_autonomy_in_toddlerhood

Find out the unique qualities ofeach student and find ways totap into their contributionsthroughout the day (When canthey dance? When can theysing? When can they draw?When can they kick a ball? etc.) What it looks like when this need is NOT being met:Hesitancy to work with othersIsolation and lack of engagement in groupactivitiesName-calling and picking on others Taking others' belongings, interrupting, ordamaging others' play or workWays to help meet this need:Ensure students see their names in print andtheir faces in photographs and drawingsthroughout the room, this helps them feel partof the space.Speak each child's name several timesthroughout the day. With students who arestruggling, try to say their name 5 times in apositive context at the start of the day beforeyou say it while making a correction oraddressing misbehavior.Use "equity sticks" to ensure you call on everystudent during group activities. (This is acontainer of popsicle sticks with each child'sname on one. You pull one and call on thatstudent, then set it aside until the container isempty and you begin again.) KarimJulieAletaMonishaWukiJillMattQuinnBenKenyaBelonging is our psychological need to love and carefor others and to believe that we are loved and caredfor in family relationships, friendships, and workingrelationships. To belong, we must connect with peopleby cooperating, caring, sharing, and being involved. BELONGING"I WANT TO FEEL CONNECTED TO AND VALUED BY THOSE AROUND ME."A sense of belonging doesn’t just happen; ittakes time and effort to grow. Focused,planned ideas are important. Growing withyour families creates not only a positivesense of belonging but also helps foster thecircle of nurturing. - Penn State Extensionhttps://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/creating-a-sense-of-place-considering-routine-ritual-and-belongingIn the Early Childhood ClassroomAsk yourself:What connections can I make with mystudents’ families or caregivers? What can I do to make sure studentsfeel at home in this classroom? What more can I learn about mystudents in order to foster strongerconnections in the classroom? Pre-KTigers

What it looks like when this need is NOT being met:Frustration with a task that shuts down a child'swillingness to keep trying Desire for attention, sometimes in ways that are nothelpful to other learners in the roomEmbarrassment and/or effort to hide mistakes Low self-esteem, negative comments about selfIsolating or hesitating to try things in front of peers Ways to help meet this need:Provide many opportunities for children to try thesame activity/task over and over again. Centersshould be designed with lots of small parts and formultiple uses and not just a single item so studentscan experiment and learn how things work withrepetition over time. Competence is built through practice with ourbodies so plan and create space for lots of physicalmovement both as a group and individually and insmall groups. Confidence and competence grow when studentspractice helping each other. Create occasions forstudents to assist each other, from helping to put ona paint smock, to building collaboratively withblocks, to discussing how to draw something for astory, to opening each others' snack containers. Take extra time to ensure all students can getcompetent in routines like putting on jackets orcleaning up. You can’t have efficient routines untilyou’ve had lengthy routines. You need practice toget to efficiency.COMPETENCE"I WANT TO FEEL A SENSE OF SIGNIFICANCE,WORTH, AND ACCOMPLISHMENT."Self-esteem can start as early as babyhood. It can start just because a child feels safe,loved, and accepted. It can start when ababy gets positive attention and loving care.As babies become toddlers and youngchildren, they're able to do some things all bythemselves. They feel good about themselveswhen they can use their new skills.-Nemours Children's Healthhttps://kidshealth.org/en/parents/self-esteem.htmlFor us to feel capable, we need a sense of empowerment,worthiness, and achievement. Competence is both aninner sense of pride, importance, and self-esteem and anouter sense of being heard and respected.In the Early Childhood ClassroomAsk yourself:How else can my students help each other? What messes (problems!) can my studentspractice creating and cleaning up? Have I shared the positive contributions mystudents are making with them?

What it looks like when this need is NOT being met:Outbursts and expressions of frustration with tasks(either “too hard” or “too easy”)“Zoning out” or difficulty staying focused for a giventime period (ex in early childhood classrooms:lessons that require too much sitting will be difficultfor developing bodies that need to move)Refusal to participate in a task and difficultyexplaining whyWays to help meet this need:Ensure your day has lots of time for physicalmovement and hands-on learning. Set up your classroom and activities so studentshave the flexibility to leave one activity and go tosomething else. Offer activities that can be accessedat a range of ability levels. Gather observational data every day about eachstudent and note their growth and developmentover time. Observational data will let you knowwhere to provide a student with tools to takelearning to the next level, and where to askquestions and try new things to help them overcomea hurdle when it's time to move on to a new skill.You can find a lot of guidance for this in NAEYC'sDevelopmentally Appropriate Practice Framework. Maintain a flow of active to quiet learning. Forexample, read together and then do somethingmovement-based so students' minds and bodies arealways engaged. DEVELOPMENTAL APPROPRIATENESS"I CAN ONLY DO WHAT MY BRAIN AND BODY ARE READY TO DO."Developmentally appropriate practicedoes not mean making things easier forchildren. Rather, it means ensuring thatgoals and experiences are suited to theirlearning and development and challengingenough to promote their progress andinterest. Best practice is based onknowledge—not on assumptions—of howchildren learn and develop.- NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globallyshared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/KeyMessages.pdf Learners need the right amount of challenge, fueled byjust enough skill to get through the difficulty. If childrenare tasked with activities that are too far beyond wherethey are developmentally or too easy, they are likely to disengage.In the Early Childhood ClassroomAsk yourself:What have Iobserved abouteach child'slearning today? How can Iincorporate thefoundations ofknowledge mystudents bring withthem into thelearning I needthem to do?

What it looks like when this need is NOT being met:Trying to distract others and/or refusing toparticipateLow mood, dozing off, or staring into spaceWanting to talk about topics that aren't part of whatis happening in classWays to help meet this need:Notice what your students are interested in anddesign your learning spaces around these interests.For example: if they're interested in vehicles, have acenter with wheeled vehicles, ramps, means ofmaking roads and bridges, etc. This approach in theearly childhood classroom is called "EmergentCurriculum" and you can find a great video fromEdutopia about it here. Create space for independent play and explorationwith open-ended objects and materials. For example:rolls of tape in various sizes and colors, cardboardboxes, natural objects students collect from walksoutdoors, fabric strips in different textures, colors,and sizes, clean recycled materials, beads and string,modeling clay, blank guidebooks of different sizesand paper types, etc. Pose open-ended questions to further studentengagement and problem-solving. For example:What more could we try? What could you do differently next time? What could your friend do to help? What does that make you wonder? ENGAGEMENT"I WANT TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED."What children learn does not follow as anautomatic result from what is taught, rather,it is in large part due to the children’s owndoing, as a consequence of their activitiesand our resources.—Loris Malaguzzi, The Hundred Languages of ChildrenEngagement can happen through play and laughter,but joyful learning also occurs when we are creating,problem-solving, making interesting decisions, andinteracting with others through worthwhile tasks.In the Early Childhood ClassroomAsk yourself:How can I incorporate more physicalmovement into my class? Are my activities enticing?Does student input shape what we do in class?

What it looks like when this need is NOT being met:Infrequent laughter or smilesMood may be subdued or melancholyPeers do not engage much or well with one another Trouble solving problemsWays to help meet this need:Prioritize opportunities for students to play freelyand at their own direction (i.e. not doing anorganized outdoor activity or game). Provide opportunities for make-believe play withcenters that have costumes, dolls, puppets, stuffedanimals, and objects that stimulate the imagination.Aside from rules governing safety in these spaces,keep the play open-ended with no right or wrongway to engage with the materials. Seek opportunities for students to explore outdoors,both on the playground and in local parks, gardens,or even walks in the neighborhood surrounding theschool. Read funny books, practice telling jokes, watchhumorous film clips, and seek opportunities to laughwith your students. FUNFUN"I WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT BRINGS ME JOY."If we are to unleash children’s infinitepotential, not only do we have theresponsibility to position play as a right, wemust also understand the agency childrenneed to have during play. Their play willlikely come to life in ways that are unfamiliar– and at times uncomfortable – to adults.May we blur the roles of teacher and learnerand learn alongside them. Mr. (Fred) Rogersexplained: ‘Play gives children a chance topractice what they are learning.’ I posit thatplay allows children to rehearse and enactchange, by asking questions, developingcommunity, and standing up for fairness –which will later be (re)named justice.- Mariana Souto-ManningIs play a privilege or a right? And what’s ourresponsibility? On the role of play for equity inearly childhood education. Early ChildDevelopment and CareFun is engaging in an activity, with or without a goal inmind, because you enjoy doing it. We learn through play,and fun is essential to our learning. You have fun whenyou are smiling, feeling joyful or relaxed, laughing, anddoing something outside the ordinary.In the Early Childhood ClassroomIn the Early Childhood ClassroomAsk yourself:When was the last time my students and Ilaughed? When do my students have opportunitiesto play freely during the school day? What brings me and my students joy?

More Resources to Supportthe ABCDEs in your ClassroomStudent-Centered ActivitiesThe following activities are well suited to early childhood learnersand can help you build a classroom where student needs are met.Sometimes: Sometimes one person can have lots and lots offeelings — different from each other. This activity encouragesstudents to explore that experience.Creating with Materials: One of the best ways to keepstudents engaged is to have them create, with whatevermaterials you might have on hand.Once Upon a Time: Engaging in a playful, structuredstorytelling activity teaches learners to listen carefully, focuson details, sequence elements, and use imagination.4 Ways to Welcome Students in the Door: The very firstthing we say to students as they enter class can set the tonefor all that follows.4 Ways to Start Class With Movement: Starting class withmovement can make a world of difference in focus andattention.3 Ways to Check the Mood of the Room: Gauging thetemperature of the room right off the bat can give you abetter idea of what you’re working with.Related ResearchThe following articles, studies, and resourcesoffer more background on the concepts you’vejust explored. Education Development Center. EarlyChildhood Development and Learning.Lopez-Garrido, G. (2023). Self-DeterminationTheory: How It Explains Motivation. SimplyPsychology.Schwartz, K. (2019). Four Research-BasedStrategies to Ignite Intrinsic Motivation InStudents. KQED.Thompson, J,. & Stanković-Ramirez, Z. (2021).What early childhood educators know aboutdevelopmentally appropriate practice. Kappan.Souto-Manning, M. (2017). Is play a privilege ora right? And what’s our responsibility? On the roleof play for equity in early childhood education.Early Child Development and Care, 187:5-6,785-787.ABCDE WebsiteCheck out our full website filled with resources forteachers, students, and parents related to ABCDE. ABCDE Classroom PosterThe following page includes a classroom poster tohelp you keep the ABCDEs front of mind!

AUTONOMYTo have a say in whathappens, make choices,and buildindependence. All Learners Need...ENGAGEMENTTo problem-solve, makeinteresting decisions,and interact withothers throughworthwhile tasks.COMPETENCEAn inner sense of pride,importance, self-esteem, and an outersense of being heardand respected.BELONGINGTo be valued by andconnected to othersthrough collaboration,sharing, and caring.FUNTo learn through play,experience joy, andhave learningopportunities beyondthe ordinary.DEVELOPMENTALAPPROPRIATENESSThe right amount ofchallenge, fueled byjust enough skill to getthrough the difficulty.

www.inspiredteaching.orginfo@inspiredteaching.org202-462-1956This Early Childhood ABCDEGuidebook is made possiblethrough the generous supportof the PNC FoundationContributing Writers:Jenna FournelAleta MargolisMaureen Young Ingram