Lecturer：Dr. Cheng Wanni

Lecturer’s Profile

Dr. Cheng Wan-ni is 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, she empowers educators to build heart-centered communication models, enhancing the interaction quality and engagement in early childhood Chinese language education.

Course Overview    

Many teachers face common classroom challenges such as children not responding, low engagement, or limited participation. This course integrates child development perspectives with practical teaching strategies, focusing on questioning design, response techniques, and interaction facilitation. Participants will gain both theoretical understanding and practical tools that can be immediately applied in the classroom to create more engaging and responsive learning environments.

Course Objectives

1. Understand the importance of participation in learning and classroom interaction. 

2. Apply questioning strategies that encourage children’s responses and participation. 

3. Use effective response techniques to extend children’s thinking and expression. 

4. Improve interaction quality and engagement in daily activities. 

5. Use the teaching toolkit to transfer learning into classroom practice. 

Course Features

1. Integrates child development theories with classroom teaching practices2.  Focuses on the three core areas: questioning, responding, and interaction facilitation3.  Provides practical teaching strategies and ready-to-use classroom tools4. Enhances teachers’ instructional adjustment skills through real classroom case studies5. Emphasizes the design of highly interactive and participation-centered learning environments

Course Content

1. Understanding Children’s Participation

2. Questioning Strategies that Invite Responses

3. Teacher Response Strategies

4. Interaction Design in Daily Activities

Take-home Course Resources

1.  Children’s Participation Observation Checklist

2.  High-Response Question Prompt Cards

3. Teacher Response Strategy Checklist

4.  Classroom Interaction Self-Reflection Tool

5.  Activity Adaptation Template

6. Further Reading Resources