Introduction
In many preschool, kindergarten and first grade, teachers conduct a morning activity to start the day. The children usually sit close together on the floor and are required to attend to the teacher for the whole class session. In my assessment, I made sure that they all sat down and we started with introductions from each child. I made this a routine so that the children will learn of what is expected of them every day. The morning circle helps them pick a daily commitment, and It is based on the Frog Street Curriculum. It encourages participation from all children especially when the activities are fun and engaging. They get to laugh and play as they also learn new words and ideas. Pairing the kids into teams, for example, makes them learn to work together and asking them to greet each other makes them aware of all the other children. They get to memorise other children’s names.
With many activities, the children learn social skills and can grow interactive with each other. They learn to respect other children, and they understand that they are all equally important. With circle time, I can go through the day’s plans and topics. This prepares them psychologically for what will happen in a few hours. The class can understand what they are doing together at every time of the day. In case a step is skipped, the children will even remind the teacher what hasn’t been done. If there was something that was promised the previous day, the children would remind the tutor of what activity is not done. When these routines are practised every day to the young minds, they respond positively and can improve their skills with every passing day. They become part of the class discussion.
Before a reading lesson, it is vital to prepare the children before the experience starts. They subliminally are prepared to read out loud for the class. According to Blatton, since most of their parents are diplomats, business executives or otherwise globally-minded people, the children’s multilingualism can be understood as a facet of their family relationship to the world, (Blaton, 2002). For the children that speak Spanish in class, I make sure that all my lesson plans are understandable. Visual prints are essential for instructions, listening skills and also counting syllables. Different strategies help in handling children from diverse backgrounds. The procedures ensure that not only some of the children excel while others lag. When all children understand what is required, they all learn as a class and perform well.
When evaluating personal performance, it is essential to identify growth in sentence structure and drawing. According to McGee, as most children acquire sight words, a fantastic thing happens unconsciously. When reading the text, they go much beyond by automatically relating letter sequences infrequently encountered words to spoken word parts. Children who always listen to a book story can learn more vocabulary words and identify them. It is therefore emphasised to the parents to regularly read books to their children so that they can learn more and more words. When writing their names, the children are encouraged to also draw a picture of their family, their house or their pets. I always ensure that the children understand the story. I always read the storybook first to see if there are difficult words for them, then introduce the characters of the book.
According to Phillips, phonological awareness is one of the several key precursor skills to conventional literacy that develop during the early school period. If a child is having difficulty in school, a different way of teaching should come in handy, (Phillips, 2008). The child would require more help than what is conveyed. They include;
Providing a lecture outline
Providing study guide
Pre-teaching difficult vocabulary and concept
Providing visual via board
Using flashcards
Providing written as well as oral directions
Giving explanations in small or big words
Providing manipulative task
Different strategies work on different students; therefore it is essential to identify each student’s strong suit while teaching the other children that need special attention. The whole class, therefore, gets to understand each topic and subject collectively.
According to Bi Ying Hu, a teacher should identify assessments to use to plan and create subsequent lessons. The early childhood classroom serves as a rich context to develop these skills and rests on teachers’ abilities to expose children to complex language for higher-order thinking and problem solving, (Bi Ying Hu, 2017). Instructional Support strategy is to increase the use of early childhood classroom materials and how the teacher will interact with students. When I am asking on the performance of each student in my class, I ensure my evaluation and assessment were met according to my lesson plan and curriculum. It is validating to see the children I taught growing and learning new subjects. In every class, there are fast learners and slow learners. It is my duty as their teacher to identify the areas that a couple of students find difficult and take more time on them as I take little time on the subjects that they have grasped. It is also important to note the specific students and engage the parents if they can go through with them in their day to day activities together. Different students are gifted in different ways, and therefore it is no problem to find that other children are slow on a particular field. The various programs available also play an important part in nurturing growth in their development.
The recommendations for future next steps include technological changes and resource changes. The use of computer-mediated communication tools helps students from various geographical locations to talk to one another and converse conveniently. The ability to communicate with experts enhances students learning process, (Foon, 2007). When my students learn through technology, they use my IPad, or computer to read sentences and call out animals that they see on videos. There are various learning tools and videos available online in sites like YouTube and Facebook. Some of my students prefer watching videos on the internet. For Spanish speakers, they like to watch the videos instead of books. When you find the right videos and educational sites, it becomes even better for the children’s understanding and progress. It is therefore essential to consider the right computer devices to purchase for them so as they can watch. It is evident with their attention span that they enjoy more of educative cartoon characters.
From my observation chart for their DRPD, I usually write it down, but since we were using frog street curriculum, they were more interested in what was on the computers. The child of today is quite aware of the latest games and programs for them, and they are entirely updated on what is new. They know all the days of the week and the day that they will be watching a particular channel. The programs have become entirely indulging to them and hence their fast learning process in class. They know how to play games on phones and tablets and even compete with each other. They not only understand the days that the channels bring the programs but also they have memorised all the names of their favourite characters. It is, therefore, a blessing that we have technology that has hastened children’s participation and interaction in class and also outside. With current advancements, the children are aware of where their interests are and can, therefore, start pursuing their long term desires.
According to Zhen, classroom teachers play an essential role in helping families carry over successful classroom strategies to the home environment, (Zhen, 2016). As a tutor, it is my responsibility to communicate with their parents how their child is doing in class. I desire to create a positive relationship with each parent regarding the learning process of every child. Since I will be doing home visits every three months, I will make sure parents are involved in my class sessions as they also give recommendations on what to add or what to do with their child. With the meetings, I will be able to see the interaction between the children and their parents and how I can use their bond to encourage learning. Telephone calls, emails, letters or even class websites are avenues for me to reach out to the parents.
With the visits to their homes, I will be able to access the children’s environment away from school. With all these strategies, the sky will be the limit for the kids as they study to become the dreams they aspire. Right academic habits will help them succeed.
References
Simpson, A., Oh, K., (2013) Teaching Exceptional Children, Reston Vol. 45, Iss, 6: 30-36
McGee, L, M., Richgels, D.J (2009), Literacy Beginnings: Supporting Young Readers And Writers, vitalsourse for capella university. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781256906612/
Phillips, M., Clancy- M., J., Lonigan, C,J.(2008) Topics in Early childhood Special education. Austin Vol 28:3-17
Hew, K., Brush, T., (2007) Educational Technology, Research and development, New York, Vol 55,iss,3 223-252
Chai, Z., Lieberman-Betz, R., (2016) Teaching Exceptional Children: Reston Vol 48, Iss.4
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