Using a Workshop Model to Teach Future-Ready Skills in Kindergarten

Inside: Discover how to use a workshop model and play-based centers to teach future-ready skills in a kindergarten classroom.

Why Teach Future-Ready Skills?

What would you say is the most important letter in the alphabet?

If you believe that preparing students for the future is super important, then you might agree that it is letter C.

Many future-ready skills, also known as 21st Century Skills, or soft skills, begin with the letter C.

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Character
• Citizenship

These are the skills that often get overlooked in the face of academics and the ones that employers often cite as most desirable in potential employees.

And while our kindergarteners first job might be a long way off, there are opportunities we can take advantage of right now to help them develop these skills.

Making Time and Space for Future-Ready Skills

We can talk about these skills all we want. Even read stories about characters that exhibit them. But creating a classroom environment with time and space for “living” them goes a whole lot further!

How can we do that?

Look no further than your traditional choice time (well, maaaaybe just a little further)!

You see, when you take choice time and wrap a workshop model around it, you have an instructional framework that supports teaching those important future-ready skills.

Using a Workshop Model to Teach Future-Ready Skills

So let’s break down that workshop model and see how it can be used to foster these skills. The components include a mini-lesson, status of the class, work time/conferring, and share time and look something like this:

Mini-Lesson (5-10 minutes)

This is a brief lesson around one teaching point that supports your children as they work in centers.  For example, you might use it to introduce a new set of blocks, demonstrate a clean-up procedure, model the skill of observation, or role-play how to negotiate ideas with a friend.

Status of the Class (5 minutes)

This quick check-in routine helps you document children’s interests and friendships and record who is working where.  You might also use it to help children make a plan for their work.

Choice Time/Conferring (30-45 minutes)

This is the heart of the workshop where your children go off to work at choice centers and are given the freedom to select materials and decide what to do with them.

They will naturally collaborate with peers to build a block structure, communicate their ideas through a piece of art or think critically while solving a puzzle.

At the same time, you can confer with children and facilitate their work as appropriate. 

Share Time (5-10 minutes)

The workshop ends with a brief sharing period where selected children showcase work and behaviors that reinforce the mini-lesson, highlight a particular future-ready skill, or tie-in with an ongoing curricular goal.

Getting Started with Discovery Workshop

In my classroom, we call this part of our day, Discovery Workshop. We use the same structure for reading and writing workshop, so children are familiar with the framework.

Not only will Discovery Workshop help you prepare your kiddos for the future, but it also provides opportunities for you to get to know your children better by observing their interests and friendships.  

You can also use the time that children work at centers to meet with a small group or individuals for research or project work.

And…the engagement factor is super high as children build a sense of agency and develop a growth mindset.

Are you ready to give it a try?

Here are few tips to get you started:

Discovery Workshop Start-Up Tips:

• Set up 5-6 choice centers such as blocks, science, art, math, and storytelling or dramatic play.
• Choose a few ongoing center invitations that will always be available, open-ended, and highly engaging.
• Make a plan for opening and introducing centers.
• Brainstorm a list of mini-lessons that will support children in working in these centers.
• Finally, document the workshop through notes, photos, and videos and continue to build from there.

And here are a few more resources on Discovery Workshop and choice centers that you might find helpful:

Future-Ready Skills: Preparing Kindergartners for Tomorrow Through Play

Discovery Workshop Start-Up Guide

Room Tour: Play-Based Centers for Kindergarten Choice Time

3 Ways to Add Materials to Your Kindergarten Play Centers

Launching Choice Time Centers at the Beginning of the Year

Discovery Center Start-Up Guides

And for more kindergarten ideas and resources, visit the Roots & Wings Resource Library. Thanks for stopping by!