Manny Cantor Center
Principles of Ideal Learning in Action: A Look at Manny Cantor Center
Identify the principles in the video.
What examples from your own practice can you describe that put these principles into action?
What challenges have you encountered in enacting these principles?
What supports do you need/have to enable to make these principles come to life?
Instruction is Personalized to Acknowledge Each Child’s Unique Development and Abilities
In this video each child is focused on and invited to respond to the song. How do the teachers respond?
How do you personalize your approach to different children in your teaching practice?
Young Children and Adults Learn Through Relationships
This clip illustrates how teachers engage with individual children to both personalize and build relationships with children. How are the teachers doing this?
Reflect on an interaction with a child that you have had that does this.
How does the interaction between children and between children and adults for infants, toddlers differ from interaction taking place with 3’s and 4’s?
The Environment is Intentionally Designed to Facilitate Exploration, Independence, and Interaction
What skills, understandings, dispositions are children learning from the different centers/activities featured? Explain so that a family member/caregiver/administrator would understand.
How does the layout of the environment for the different age groups (infants, toddlers) differ from the layout for 3’s-4’s?
Interview with School Director Sarah Toles
Reflect on Sarah’s explanation of how teachers communicate and respond to
children. What are the key points about this?
How does the issue of equity shape the practices of the school?
How do the children’s interests shape the curriculum? Give an example.
Reflect on how you can do this in your own practice.
Interview with Two’s Teacher Luis Durango
What are some of the qualities Luis talks about that are needed to
help children express their feelings?
Luis discusses how the environment is set up to support learning. What are the key areas?
- Curriculum – how does curriculum develop and evolve in a child-centered
- learning environment? What is the teacher’s role?
- Language diversity – how is it supported?
- Valuing teachers – Luis talks about the contribution teachers make. Reflect on this and share your perspective.
Resources for Manny Cantor Center
Brochure: https://mannycantor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1.2- MCC_EarlyChildhood-bilingual-2024_FINAL_NP-1.pdf
Additional photos:
https://mannycantor.org/family-early-childhood/infant-toddler-center/
https://mannycantor.org/early-childhood-at-mcc-frequently-asked-questions/
https://mannycantor.org/early-childhood-mission-and-philosophy/
100 Languages of Childhood poem:
https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/100-linguaggi-en
Spuyten Duyvil Preschool
Principles of Ideal Learning in Action: A Look at Spuyten Duyvil Preschool
Identify the principles in the video.
What examples from your own practice can you describe that put these principles into action?
What challenges have you encountered in enacting these principles?
What supports do you need/have to enable to make these principles come to life?
Decision-making reflects a commitment to equity
This video show translanguaging strategies (following children’s thinking in their home language) when communicating. (For more information about translanguaging, see “What Is Translanguaging and How Is It Used in the Classroom?”)
How do you think translanguaging helps children?
What other strategies might you use to support a new English learner?
Children construct knowledge from diverse experiences to make meaning of the world
This video shows
a) children engaging with varied materials in school,
b) sharing their experiences from outside of school with their classmates, and
c) learning together in school from the outside world.
What skills/knowledge/dispositions are children learning from these different experiences?
The teacher is a guide, nurturing presence, and co-constructor of knowledge
How does the teacher get a sense of the children’s understandings and intentions and help to extend their thinking?
The environment is intentionally designed to facilitate exploration, independence, and interaction
What are the critical areas to set up in your early childhood classroom?
Describe the areas and what kinds of materials should be in each.
Make a map of your classroom to demonstrate.
Continuous learning environments support adult development
What kinds of supports help you to support children’s learning?
What questions do you have about teaching that could benefit from discussion with your colleagues?
Interview with School Director Judith Menken
Judith talks about how kids learn. Explain how teachers and the environment support children’s learning.
What are some ways families can be involved in their children’s school/learning?
How can different kinds of learners be supported?
What are some of the key teacher qualities that support children’s learning?
Interview with Music and Movement Teacher Mary E. Cartales
How does movement help children’s learning?
What can teachers do to use these understandings?
Resources for Spuyten Duyvil Preschool
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1mxt_O18yF1sqqY5qlEXeEsKbg3oC46HS
The Brooklyn New School
Principles of Ideal Learning in Action: A Look at The Brooklyn New School
Identify the principles in the video.
What examples from your own practice can you describe that put these principles into action?
What challenges have you encountered in enacting these principles?
What supports do you need/have to enable to make these principles come to life?
Play is an Essential Element of Young Children’s Learning
What are children learning through the different activities you see in the video? The farm? The mud kitchen? The classroom?
The Time of Childhood Is Valued
What do you notice in the video that makes you think children, their learning process, and their work are valued?
Interview with Principal Diane Castelucci
What are the values that underly the practices of the school as expressed by the principal?
Continuous Learning Environments Support Adult Development
What structures are in place to support teacher learning at BNS?
What qualities of a learning community are evident?
How does the BNS handle the mandates they face in their public school context?
What are your thoughts about it?
Resources for The Brooklyn New School
https://www.bns146.org
Shore School images: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19WGPDLzf6JDaP6JTVMMDAtePblXOqiW3
Other BNS photos:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hnWB_GgFwof6Kt9T5ndI0sJv-Nx8NGln
