Eight Essential Techniques for Teaching with Intention: What Makes Reggio and Other Inspired Approaches Effective

In her latest book, bestselling author Ann Lewin-Benham describes eight techniques that foster intentional and reflective classroom practice. She presents over 70 novel exercises to help teachers learn to use body, face, hands, voice, eyes, and word choices to precisely convey meaning. Some exercises are for teachers to practice, while others build intention and reflection in children. Dozens of scenarios from typical classroom situations contrast unintentional and intentional teaching behaviors. A self-assessment enables teachers to measure how intentional and reflective they become as they learn to use the eight techniques. This lively and often humorous resource is a companion to Lewin-Benham’s Twelve Best Practices for Early Childhood Education, which explains what to teach and why. This new book explains how to teach.

Book Features:


Shows teachers how to incorporate the body’s micro-actions in their teaching.
Presents “mindfulness” techniques, the leading edge in psychotherapy.
Includes scenarios that show the impact words have on children.
Explains the relation between up-to-the-minute brain research and the techniques presented.
Unpacks the effectiveness of the Reggio Approach to teaching.
“Whether you have never stepped into a classroom as a teacher, or whether (like me) you have taught various subjects at various ages for decades, you cannot fail to learn from this book.”
—From the Foreword by Howard Gardner, professor of cognition and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

“With her eight essential techniques, Lewin clearly and beautifully captures the essence of the decisionmaking dynamics from which effective teaching and learning environments emerge.” 
—Carol Brunson Day, Board President 2014–2016, NAEYC