My Classroom Environment

Reflection
I was asked to produce an artifact showing my classroom environment using images, sound, and limited text. I've written various papers and other literature about my environment before, but using images was new to me.  Instead of just writing my points down, I had to think through the eyes of the viewer. I had to think about what images popped into my head when I thought about certain words. This was a lot of fun for me to think about (once I got on a roll) especially being a kindergarten teacher. Many of my students come in with little to no english. We have to communicate through motions, sounds, and pictures. How very appropriate for me to be in the opposite roll, trying to help others understand my point.  Even later in the year, kindergarteners write many stories using only pictures to show their stories. 

After completing the above graphic, I began to think about how might my students represent their knowledge in different ways. I used graphics that included some words in some instances.  If it were my students, this entire graphic would be pictures. I think I will use this activity next year with my kindergarteners. I could ask them to explain a word on a poster, maybe using only magazine pictures or pictures they draw. 

My own research- how child development plays into using technology in the classroom

       I am currently working on my Master's degree in Elementary Education with a focus in Education Technology. In another course, we are talking about digital literacy. This week we were asked to consider some possible downsides when using technology. While researching, it was interesting to see how much connected with the child development course I am also taking.  I am currently planning a digital storytelling unit for my summer school kindergarten students, so I did some researching.  Story telling and story time is used daily in a kindergarten classroom. Unfortunately, the older children get, the more teachers forget the power of stories. “Although story time is a staple in early childhood education, one rarely observes learners above the fourth grade engaged in a storytelling activity, which is in direct conflict with theorists in education who tout story as a primary tool in learning and memory  (Banaszeqski, 2005).” One of my kindergarten team members is moving to a 3^rd grade classroom next year. She tried to bring me all of her books after the last day of school. I tried to tell her that 3^rd graders still enjoy read alouds, and that she can use them with her new students. It took a few other teachers to hear what was going on to convince her to keep the books. Just because a student can read, doesn’t mean they forget the love of picture books. 

       Through my research, I found that when working with kindergarten students, one has to be very carful when scaffolding learning with technology. I am a huge technology user, so I am constantly looking for new technology to use with my children in my classroom. But is using all that technology always beneficial for 5 and 6 year olds? When planning the scaffolding for 5 and 6 year olds, It is important to keep in mind that most have never touched a computer before. I teach in a very poverty stricken school district, so it’s a little easier for me to plan out lessons with technology, since little to no students have had experiences before.

       Before looking at the child development side to educational technology, I had never before thought about scaffolding limiting growth, or scaffolding TOO much. I always thought scaffolding was a great thing, and as teachers, we must scaffold as much as possible. Dalton had a different point to make. “Successful learning depends on customization, and scaffolding is essential to making it work for each child. However, scaffolding can limit growth and actually cause students to disengage if it is too constraining or if there is no progression toward increasing independence. For example, I may start with an activity that is highly constrained, yet still offers creative choices around the skill that is the focus of the lesson (Dalton p13).” Of course we can lose our children’s interest! Why have I never thought of this before? I have never lost a child’s interest from introducing too much technology at one time. But I have lost interest from not allowing them enough creativity. “When products start to look the same or students lose their creative energy, it’s a sign that there may be too much scaffolding (Dalton p13).” It’s always a hard thing for teachers to give up control, I find. I remember in my first year of teaching three years ago, I had to constantly remind myself that my kindergarteners could do things themselves. I need to continue to remind myself of this while using technology. 

       I am very much looking forward to using technology in a way that is productive for my student's development next year.  I will be careful not to push too hard with using technology. Just like with anything else with children, we must first make sure they are ready, so as not to turn them off from a specific activity too early. Most of the students I will have are from families that cannot afford technology in their homes. Looking at their developmental level while planning the lesson's scaffolding will lead to successful learning in my classroom 

Dalton, B. (2012). Multimodal Composition and the Common Core State Standards. The Reading Teacher, 66(4), 333-339.

Morgan, H. (2012). Technology in the Classroom: Creating Videos Can Lead Students to Many Academic Benefits. Childhood Education, 89(1), 51-53.

Competitive Academics and Social Development

Do you remember being in a Spelling bee? I sure do. I was a HORRIBLE speller, and never made it to the school spelling bee. I can tell you that I still get knots in my stomach thinking about it now as a 25 year old. I remember one instance in particular. I was in 4th grade, and we were doing some spelling "around the world" to see who the winner of our class was. The winner of each class would then get to stand up in front of the school and compete to be the spelling bee winner of the entire school. It was round one in our classroom, and I missed up the very first word. Everyone laughed at me, and I was incredibly embarrassed and down. I'm sure no one else remembers me missing the first word, but to this day I still will not spell a word for someone needing help.  Spelling bees are competitive  and T& Johnson explain it perfectly : "An interpersonal, competitive situation is characterized by negative goal interdependence, where, when one person wins, the others lose. T & Johnson, p 280)." Negative goal interdependence happened with lots of things when I was in school. Spelling bees, around the world, math facts, I could go on and on. Each of those activities, to this day, make me cringe. I have adapted my teaching style around this, in fact. I never teach in a way that negatively effects any of my students. I want them to learn, but I refuse to distrees any of my students while they are learning. In my opinion, the learning environment should be a positive one. 

In an article from Queen's University, the author talks about team sports helping children become successful. The article discusses how being with a team gives children all sorts of positive benefits. "Coaches who were able to help children improve against their own benchmarks rather than focusing on comparison with others, and who provided challenging, innovative practices also helped foster an environment in which young players displayed initiative and motivation (Queens, p1)."The key in that statement, however, is that the coach is focusing on the player, not comparing the players. In a sport, each child or person's skills matter. Each person works on their skills to improve, which then helps the entire team. Players on the team work together to make the team better. In my experience, the coaches who brought out the most where the ones who looked at the team as a whole, instead of it's parts. 

To look at the other side of this argument, competition creates students that will work hard to achieve something. It seems like more and more in sports, children are given awards even if they didn't "win" something. I've heard of organizations giving participation awards to every player, or even not keeping score of a game. While I don't believe all competition has a place in school, I do think it is important to teach children that we are not all winners, and we will not always win. If our society continues to do this, we will be creating people that are motivated not by being better, but by simply participating. Would we want a pilot flying a plane that wasn't good at it, but he/she tried? Absolutely not. We have to continually practice and work very hard, and even then, we still might not win or be the best.  But it's fun to try! We must instill the drive to become better, but the knowledge that we are not all the best at everything. 

In looking at how to improve certain activities to promote a better environment for competition, I think simple changes can make a very big difference. For instance, when looking at a spelling bee, one could change the competition from single players to a group atmosphere. Groups must work together to outsmart the other team. 

Sources 

Belfield, C. R., & Levin, H. M. (2002). The effects of competition between schools on educational outcomes: A review for the United States. Review of Educational research, 72(2), 279-341.

Roger, T., & Johnson, D. W. (1988). Cooperative Learning. Transforming Education.

Queen's University (2011, July 20). Team sports: For kids, it's more than just a game. ScienceDaily. 

Emotional Intelligence

        After reading chapter 8 and 9, and after researching memory and intelligence, I personally believe that emotional intelligence paired with IQ is a more valid predictor of academic and vocational success than solely IQ. In our textbook Berk states, "Emotional intelligence is modestly related to IQ. And in school-age children, adolescents, and adults, it is positively associated with self esteem, empathy, prosocial behavior, cooperation, leadership skills, and life satisfaction (p325)."All of these skills are beneficial, if not necessary, for success in the working world. While researching more information on emotional intelligence, I found this TED video. 

The speaker has some great points on emotional intelligence, and how it is completely different than IQ. In the middle of his presentation, he talks about his brother going to visit a killer in prison. The killer had a very high IQ, actually a certified genius, but committed a horrendous crime. The speaker's brother asked the killer," How could you do this act,  didn't you feel any pity for your victims?" The killer replied that he did not feel pity and that "I had to turn that part of me off." This man had an incredibly high IQ, could have been very successful, but because of his emotional intelligence, he committed a huge crime. Through my readings and understanding, there is no correlation between IQ and empathy. 

        

          Some think that emotional intelligence has become a sort of "buzz word" in the last few decades. But according to a table in our power-point for chapter 8, Gardner's eight intelligences include a couple which would be considered emotional intelligence. These are interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Interpersonal intelligent people are known for their sensitivity to other people's moods, feelings, temperaments,motivations, and their ability to cooperate in order to work as part of a group. Intrapersonal is having a deep understanding of what your strengths and weaknesses are, what makes you unique, and being able to predict your own reactions or emotions. All of these qualities that belong in these two intelligences are important parts of a person's being. If a person would have 6 of 8 intelligences, but no intrapersonal or interpersonal intelligence, can you imagine what kind of person they would be? Would you want a person like that working for you? I would assume not. 

 

              At my school we have a system set up. Each teacher is given a folder with different indicators on it. Some are for emotional intelligence, some are for humor, analytical, etc. Throughout the year, when we see one of the indicators present, we write the child's name next to the indicator. If we see the indicator, we put a tally next to their name.  Then in the spring, we count up the students who had the most tallies, and we test those students with some sort of program. Unfortunately, only the analytical memory  are really tested with the program. But I think the process that we use is very fair and gives a chance for students with different high abilities a chance to be tested. 

        Unfortunately, emotional intelligence varies across different situations, so it is difficult to compare adaptiveness. This doesn't mean it is any less important."The concept of emotional intelligence has increased teachers' awareness that providing experiences that meet students; social and emotional needs can improve their adjustment(Berk p325)." As educators, we need to not only focus on IQ, but also the emotional child behind the learning. Instead of asking, "how smart are you?" we should be turning toward the query "how are you smart?" (Cassady). For a child to be able to succeed to the best of their ability in their adult life, focusing on IQ and emotional intelligence creates the best chance of success. 

            

         

Sources 

Berk, L. E. (2012). Child Development. Prentice Hall.

Cassady, J. C., & Eissa, M. A. (2008). Emotional intelligence: Perspectives on educational and positive psychology (Vol. 336). Peter Lang.

Child Development 2- Over stimulation

       Too much stimulation over an extended time can most definitely affect infant development in a negative way. Sometimes parents try too early to "teach" their children in order for them to be smarter when they are older.  Infant stimulation is important, but it is more important to do what they are ready for in order to not overstimulate them.  Too much stimulation during early childhood can change a child's whole life by causing an inibility to focus. "ADHD is on the same rise as ADD and both are increasing at an alarming rate. Some 4 to 5 percent of children have ADHD and 60 percent of these children carry symptoms well into adulthood (Vera)." Introducing infants too early to too much can increase the likelihood of ADHD and inattention.  "At the same time, ADHD is associated with environmental factors. Prenatal teratogens- particularly those involving long term exposure, such as illegal drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes- are linked to inattention and hyperactivity (Berk p.291)."

       Along with infants, this issue is also important later in child development. I've seen many times where parents want their children to do sports at a very young age. They are not always developmentally ready for this, and they may end up hating it and wanting to quit because they do not feel successful.  My brother had issues with sports early on. My dad is a huge football fan, and wanted to start him young in camps and football leagues. He wasn't ready, and wanted to quit after a very short time. A few years later, after he had further developed, he tried again and was extremely successful in the sport. 

Studies show that too much video games, tv, and movies can also cause problems for children.  "Frequent TV viewers in early childhood were most likely to score in the highest 10% for concentration problems, impulsiveness and restlessness. Scoring within that 10% doesn't mean a child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but many would have it, and the others could face major learning problems.Every added hour of watching TV increased a child's odds of having attention problems by about 10%. Kids watching about three hours a day were 30% more likely to have attention trouble than those viewing no TV (Elias). " Coincidentally, my brother was also diagnosed early on with ADHD. He was constantly playing video games, watching TV, and started activities before he was ready. Looking back, I now know that his early ADHD may be attributed to these factors. 

      

        As a kindergarten teacher, I see daily the impact child development has on learning. Each year, we are pushed more and more to teach our kids material they are NOT ready for, earlier and earlier in the school year. For instance, our school district wanted us to teach about money and time near the beginning of the year. My kids were incredibly frustrated and wanted to give up. I stopped teaching, and tried again at the end of the year. The learning came easily to them because they were ready for the material, Thankfully, the early presentation of the material did not hinder their learning later on, but it scares me to think about what will happen in the future. It is such a scary thought that we are forced to teach material that we know children are not ready for. Our school district is realigning our learning targets for next year to incorporate the 8 step process. I am worried to see what will happen with our youngest learners.  If we really want children to learn we also need to be able to recignize their needs and wait till the children are ready. 

       A lot of this TED talk was incredibly interesting, but the very last sentence he said stuck with me the most,"If we change the beginning of the story, we change the whole story." What an amazing way to wrap up his talk about stimulation and early childhood. 

Sources

Berk, Laura. Child Development,. nineth edition. New York: Allyn and Bacon, 2010.

Cushman, T., LeBlanc, M., & Porter, G. (2004). ADHD: Results of a national survey of school psychologists. Ethical Human Sciences and Services, 6(3), 183-192.

Elias, Marilyn. “Short Attention span linked to TV.” USA TODAY (online) 4/5/2004. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-04-05-tv-bottomstrip_x.htm>

Vera, M. ADD/ADHD. <http://hype-glory.wetpaint.com/page/ADD%2FADHD>

Child Development 1- Early Childhood Programs

             While reading the first few pages of Child Development by Beck, I found myself nodding my head and grinning. I am a kindergarten teacher, and have always been interested in early childhood. Beck describes this as follows, “Early childhood: from 2 to 6 years. The body becomes longer and leaner, motor skills are refined, and children become more self-controlled and self-sufficient” (p6). As kindergarten students grow from the first day of school until the last day of school, I can literally see the growth in their self sufficiency, motor skills, and their bodies. For example, this year I have a child named Edgar. He came in almost entirely unable to cut with scissors. We were constantly working on helping him grow with these skills. On the last week of school, he was helping other students cut out their projects, as he got done early. This growth in just one child is astounding! Berk also goes on to say, “Make-believe play blossoms, supporting every aspect of psychological development. Thought and language expand at an astounding pace, a sense of morality becomes evident, and children establish ties with peers.” This is exactly what I see in my classroom each day.

            In this week’s discussion board posting, our class discussed over stimulation in children, and how it can cause negative effects. As I was researching this, I started to have some questions about Early learning centers and preschool. Could these possibly be doing harm to children, by overstimulating them? I found an article that talked about this in more depth.  “Second only to the immediate family, early care and education (ECE) settings are the context in which early development unfolds, starting in infancy and continuing through school entry for the vast majority of children in the United States. In 2005, 11.3 million children under the age of 5 were in some child care or early education arrangement while their mothers worked, including 1.9 million infants under the age of 1 (U.S. Bur. Census 2008). (Phillips and Lowenstein, p484) That seems like an incredible number, and that was just in 2005. I can only imagine that number has grown. In our school district, Head Start is a major program that many families are using to provide Early Education. It has gotten bigger and bigger each year. I found some information regarding this program. “Results of the randomized experimental Head Start Impact Study suggest that the program benefits low-income children’s cognitive and social development in the short term but has few longer-term effects(Phillips and Lowerstein, p.493” The study went on to say that children that begin at age 3 instead of age 4 have more significant gains. This was interesting to me. I am curious to see why it makes such a small difference, yet the 4 year olds grow even less than the three year olds. This article did not mention any negative effects, but they weren’t necessarily looking for them either.

            After reading about the growth (or lack thereof) from programs like head start, I started researching more about how a child’s character is developed. I appreciated the “From Research to Practice” on page 15 of our textbook. It discussed social change and some popular information on parenting with early childhood specifically. I found an article that was very interesting and helpful while searching for answers on this topic. However, little information could be found about how teachers influence character. “This is because much more is known about the effects of parenting on child development than is known about the effects of teacher behavior on child development” (Berkoqitz, p59). I’m surprised at the lack of data showing teacher’s role in behavior, especially since we are so involved in these children’s lives.

            One of my favorite theorists, Piaget, said, “…children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world. (Berk p20). This is something I believe in fully, and wish I could incorporate into my teaching more than what I already do. It seems like education is swinging more and more in the opposite direction. Our school district seems to be ignoring developmental levels more and more, and it scares me for what is to come. Hopefully, I can gain some more knowledge of how to correctly meet the needs of my students while teaching the subjects my corporation wants me to teach. It might be difficult to do both, but I am determined to do what is best for my students. 

References

Berk, Laura. Child Development,. nineth edition. New York: Allyn and Bacon, 2010.

Berkoqitz, M.W., & Grych ,J. H (2000). Early character development and education.  Early    Education and Development, 11, 56-72. 

Deborah A. Phillips ,  Amy E. Lowenstein. Early Care, Education, and Child Development. Annual Review of Psychology 2011; 62: 483.   

Preschool Activities

Sometimes parents ask me what they can be doing with their children to prepare them for kindergarten. Practicing ABCs, numbers, counting, and writing their name are basic skills that help tremendously. I also found another blogger who listed wonderful activities that can be done independently. She uses these for her preschooler while she home schools her other children, but these would be great for anyone to do with preschool age kids at home. 

-coloring page

-books on table {choose about 5 books just for them to flip through...could be library books or off of your shelves.}

-preschool skills activity page {Just a preschool skills page from one of those huge preschool books.  It might have drawing, cutting/pasting, circling, etc.}

-puzzle

The next list are the activities that change each day.  You can keep a special box on top of one of our cabinets that holds some of the "extras" that aren't regular toys so that they are new to your child each time they play with them.  

-activity of the day:

1.      Muffin tin sorting: buttons; cotton swab writing: alphabet {You can print off several alphabet pages  to use during these types of activities.  Use a cotton swab and paint to trace the letters on an alphabet page.}

2.      Lacing beads; santa box

3.      Legos; stacking cups {these are just plastic solo-type cups}

4.      Rice and coins; Animal Logic lineup {rice and coins: store them dumped in a plastic bag kept in the special box}

5.      Play dough/spaghetti/cheerios; balloons {ball of play dough, uncooked spaghetti stuck into it, put cheerios on the spaghetti}

6.      Train bin; Uno cards

7.      Magneticdress up book; sock match {pull a bunch of socks out of  your drawer, mix them up in a basket, and have them match them.}

8.      Puzzles; pet shop box

9.      Muffin tin sorting: crayons; fill the bag: choose a color {fill the bag: choose one color, like red, and say find all of the toys that are red and put them in this bag}

10. Count the lights; zingo {I printed a bunch of pages with the numbers 1-20 on them, and she has to walk through the house and cross off a number each time she sees a light.}

11. Duplo blocks; cut magazines and make collage

12. Cookie sheet with flour; spoon matching activity {put a little flour on a cookie sheet and let them draw in it; spoon activity: plastic spoons with capital and lowercase letters...they can match them.}

13. Play dough; phone number practice {Write your phone number on a piece of paper, and have them copy it several times.}

14. Chalk board painting; cotton swab writing: numbers {chalkboard, water, paintbrush}

15. Strainer/pipe cleaners; sticker book {picked up a huge sticker book where the stickers go somewhere in the book, they have to find the "shadow" of the sticker and put it in the right place}

16. Sorting pie; wash tupperware/plastic dishes

17. Wooden blocks; fill the bag: choose a letter {choose any letter and have them find toys that start with that letter, put them in the bag}

18. Count the windows; dry beans {same as count the lights; you can have dry beans for play similar to the rice and coins}

19. Day and night activity; write name with pens, markers, crayons, etc.

20. Sort laundry; teddy bear counters {teddy bear counters are from our math curriculum}

21. Shape puzzlebox; plastic animals

22. Quirkle; count the cabinet pulls

23. Marshmallows/toothpicks; pattern blocks {build things with marshmallows and toothpicks}

24. Jenga blocks; table fort {throw a blanket over the table and play}

25. Build a letter; white board/markers {build a letter is a book that we have with pieces that allow you to build a letter along with the book...can't find a link for it}

26. Dominos; cutting practice

27. Legos; Rummikub

28. Popsicle stick free play; junk mail {save your junk mail and let them open it, cut it, write on it, etc.}

29. Dot markers; memory match {basically a memory/match game}

30. Chalkboard drawing; muffin tin sorting: coins

Hope this gives you some ideas for your own toddler/preschooler. You can get at least 30 minutes of teaching time out of these. 

If you have any links or ideas to share, please do! 

 Click here for he original post.

Enjoy!