Lecturer：Dr. Cheng Wanni

Lecturer’s Profile

Dr. Cheng is currently the Dean of ECCED and Senior Lecturer at the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL). She specializes in picture book creation, localization of teaching resources, and promoting parent-child reading. With her extensive research background and profound expertise in early childhood education theories, she frequently delivers cutting-edge keynote speeches. Her work focuses on promoting game-based autonomous learning, empowering children to construct knowledge through exploration while enhancing the engagement and impact of early childhood Chinese language education.

Course Overview

This course is designed to address the most fundamental challenge in modern early childhood education. By integrating Self-Determination Theory (SDT) from psychology, the 6C’s Skills Framework from cognitive science, and the theory of Guided Play, this workshop facilitates a profound "Pedagogical Shift" for educators.

We invite teachers to transcend traditional disciplinary mindsets and learn how to decode children's behaviors through intentional observation. Participants will master the art of "supportive non-interference"—learning specific scaffolding techniques that empower them to protect a child's agency while effectively identifying and documenting the high-level competencies demonstrated during play.

Course Objectives

1．Internalize Core Theories

Deeply understand the core concepts of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the 6C’s Skills Framework, and Guided Play.

2．Decode Autonomous Behaviors

Learn to use professional tools to observe and decode the motivations and high-level competencies children demonstrate during play.

3．Optimize Guiding Techniques

Recognize and reduce excessive interference, mastering language techniques and scaffolding strategies that "support without controlling."

4. Enhance Narrative Documentation

Transform observation fragments into professional developmental portfolios supported by pedagogical theories.

Course Features

1.  Professionalization： Making implicit teaching experiences explicit and establishing a professional, shared language.

2.  Stress Reduction：Stress Reduction: By understanding child autonomy, teachers learn to release unnecessary power control, lowering professional burnout.

3.  Practicality：Practicality: Providing concrete observation tools and guided conversation templates for immediate classroom readiness.

Foundations of Research and Development

The design of this workshop is rooted in three mutually supporting theoretical models, facilitating the transition for educators from "philosophical mindset" to "practical application":

1. Intrinsic Motivation: Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

°    Core Concept: Learning stems from the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness. When guidance shifts toward "control," a child's intrinsic motivational engine stalls.

°    Practical Application: Empowering teachers to reduce reliance on external rewards and instead foster the child's internal drive, enabling them to become self-motivated learners.

2. The Competency Ladder: The 6C’s Framework

°    Core Concept: Play is more than just fun; it is a progressive process of skill evolution, ranging from Collaboration to Confidence.

°    Practical Application: Providing a professional vocabulary that allows teachers to precisely articulate to school leadership and parents how children develop critical thinking and creative innovation through autonomous play.

3. The Art of Guidance: Guided Play & Scaffolding

°    Core Concept: The teacher's role is that of an "environment designer." The essence of guidance lies in building the "scaffolding" and knowing when to step back.

°    Practical Application: Exploring the boundaries of intervention. By utilizing "optimal challenge" and "the value of errors," teachers enable children to update their cognitive models through autonomous exploration, leading to deep learning.

Take-home Course Resources

Workshop Resources: Professional Toolkit for Supporting Child Autonomy

This workshop emphasizes "Immediate Classroom Readiness." Upon completion, every participant will receive a "Professional Toolkit for Supporting Child Autonomy," which includes:

1. The Guided Dialogue Toolkit: A Dynamic Library of Supportive Questioning Strategies

2. The 6C’s Play Decoding Manual: Practical Frameworks for High-Autonomy Guided Play

3. The Environmental Empowerment Checklist: Guidelines for Optimizing Space and Resources