Choice Words
I am taking a class this semester therefore some of my blogs will focus around being “back in school”.
For class I read, “Choice Words, How our Language Affects Children’s Learning”, by Peter Johnson. https://www.amazon.com/Choice-Words-Language-Childrens-Learning/dp/1571103899
My first reaction to the reading was that this would be an easy read, after beginning to read I then thought, “what did I get myself into?” as the reading had me reflecting and then re-reading!
I experienced a range of emotions from the reading that I will convey in this reflection.
I am stricken and angry thinking how many interactions I had with my teachers growing up that “stopped” my learning. I am evolved enough to let that go and today it deepens my resolve to learn the skills of being a teacher who not only creates a collaborative learning community but sustains it. I am very fortunate to work with management that supports this developmental model. I read the book wearing two hats. One as a teacher of young children and the second as a mentor to young adults.
I reflect that as a teacher of young children, I am quite capable of allowing and supporting mistakes and retries. Allowing children to take risks and try things out is a common occurrence in my classroom. I noticed that within the daily structure I have emphasized correction, “have to” and/or set up situations leading to an expected or anticipated result. I will be conscious of that going forward. Within the first chapter of the reading there was a reference to “telling mode” this irritates me in my personal life yet I see that at times I have behaved that way in the classroom. At this I feel frustrated. The author reminds us that “we don’t know what we don’t know” which relieves some of my frustration and encourages me to think and grow.
Working with young adults I see that I have followed many of the examples from the reading. Allowing each person accountability, responsibility and ownership for their thoughts and actions creates the productive learning community the author speaks of. I employ many examples of the prompting language he suggests. A few weeks ago I read an article about adult learners that helped to identify for me the assumption that all teachers should “know” a rule, policy or teaching strategy and how frustrating it is if they do not. http://www.childcareexchange.com/article/helping-adults-succeed/5021316 The author of Choice Words supported this as well, challenging us to know our audience and to identify them in terms you want them to be. I am in the habit of identifying the teachers as professionals when we talk, similarly to the way the writer identifies the children as readers and authors.
I am proud to think that I have evolved more to this model however I am interested to observe my own practice and the practice of those around me. Of particular interest is noting how many teachers are teaching from the IRE model (teacher Initiates, student Responds, teacher Evaluates). How often do we give infants/toddlers/children/other teachers the opportunity to explore, experiment, take risks, fail, and conclude for themselves? How often do we respect their opinion with an open mind? Are we using gender neutral questions/phrases?
I like open our weekly teacher meetings with asking for any follow up, concerns or comments. I am really happy to be able to shift to “any compliments?” I imagine it will set the tone for great conversation. I have had the conversation many times trying to figure out why it is natural to assume negative intent, yet now I see I have set that up in my opening statement every week. Time for a change! Have you ever received a phone call or had someone say to you, “Let’s meet in my office” and be given no more information and then assumed the worst or jumped to a negative conclusion. I have and I have witnessed others do the same. The line of open ended questions similar to “which part are you sure about and which part are you not sure about” will help to clarify in the future.
I am excited to practice. I am armed with an arsenal of references to powerful language!
Objective Observation
Objective observation.
When observing children it is important to write an objective observation. Why is objectivity important?
It is important for educators to be as objective as possible when recording their observations in order to avoid bias. A bias could be defined as a pre-determined way of perceiving, and can be positive or negative. Usually, bias arises out of past experiences. Pre-determined perceptions can influence how an educator records an observation as well as what an educator includes in an observation.
Objective observations are descriptions of what is observed stating the facts and details with as little interpretation as possible. The objective observer will seek to record simply what they see without offering any opinion. In this type of observation results should be the same among individuals.
Objective information is that which can be observed, seen, tasted, touched, smelled, counted, or heard.
Examples of objective observation. Bennett speaks into the phone, “hello, yes, please bring milk home.”
Objective observations are used for child assessment and injury reports.
Subjective observations are observations that are influenced by past events, opinions, background or personal experience often biased information.
Subjective information is opinion, judgement, rumor, assumption, belief, or suspicion based on thoughts, feelings, ideas or decisions. Results among individuals vary widely.
Examples of subjective observation.
Bennett talks on the phone, probably imitating how he sees his mother use the phone.
Slide show with objective or subjective questions to answer.
http://www.slideshare.net/janiceaughey/subjective-objective-exercise
Documentation Board: For Families
This is a simple explanation of a documentation board for families in your program.
A Documentation Board is a visual communication tool. These boards are organized around a theme, with artwork, photographs, dictation, anecdotes, work samples, and educational information to communicate with you. They are also used by the teacher to deepen and extend the learning in a classroom and to inform future classroom learning goals.
A documentation board is created by observing, recording, interpreting and sharing the processes and products of learning.
A documentation board will enhance communication with you by:
- Allowing for a deeper understanding of how children learn
- Sharing a visible record of classroom learning
- Sharing your child’s learning
- Deepening our relationship with your children and yourselves
- Encouraging you to ask questions
Children can re-visit, reflect and respond to the visuals of a documentation board, enhancing their learning experiences.
Additionally, a documentation board allows your child’s teacher to reflect on her practice which completes the cycle to start over again.
Fall 2016 Newsletter
Welcome to Fall 2016!!
Look at our fall-2016-newsletter here!
Welcome New and Returning Families!
Welcome New and Returning Families!
We are so excited for the new school year and cannot wait to get started! This year will be filled with exciting adventures, fun projects and educational activities. These will be designed to help prepare the children for life’s endeavors, understand dynamics and engage in small and large groups, and become familiar with concepts they will further develop throughout elementary schooling and beyond.
We are welcoming so many new families, and are also mixed with bittersweet emotions as we send off our graduating students to continue their academic journeys in kindergarten.
Please join us for the end of summer playground playdate and Art Show on Friday, August 28th from 4:00-5:00 PM.
FGNS Kids
Please label everything your child brings into school. Each child brings hundreds of personal items into the school throughout the year and it is not possible to keep track of what belongs to who. Things fall out of cubbies, children take things off and throw them on the floor, give them away to another child or put them in the wrong cubby. In order to avoid confusion, we respectfully ask that you label absolutely every personal item that your child brings or wears into school. This may include but is not limited to sippy cups, thermoses, water bottles, lunch boxes, containers, jackets, hats, mittens, boots, slippers, comfort items, blankets ect. Anything special, valuable or irreplaceable should not come into the school. If your child comes home with something that does not belong to them, please return it in a timely manner. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Welcome New Teachers!
We want to extend a warm welcome to our new staff who will be officially beginning their journey teaching at Friendship Garden Nursery School full time for the 2015-2016 School Year. They are all thrilled to be part of our team and excited to further enrich the children’s lives with excitement and intrigue. Their objectives in the next few weeks will be to learn all about the children and their families, and continue to offer the structure, social, emotional and academic education the children need to thrive.
We appreciate your understanding and patience as everyone continues training for the last few weeks of summer. We recognize the importance of consistency in caregivers and are committed to maintaining a high standard of excellence in the quality of early education experiences offered here at FGNS. The new teachers were carefully selected, are in the process of undergoing comprehensive training and each has offered their assurance they are reliable caregivers and focused educators.
Meet Our Staff
Alexis Turner is our new Lead Teacher, stationed in the Toddler Room. Alexis has over 20 years experience teaching in preschool and toddler classrooms. She is also the mother to 3 wonderful daughters, Ashton, Emily and Ava. We are thrilled to have Alexis on our team as we know she will bring a whole new level of excitement for our amazing group of toddlers. 
Olivia Fluker will be the full time Teacher for our Pre-Kindergarten classroom. Olivia is developing a comprehensive curriculum plan to prepare the children for kindergarten and beyond. She is working hard to create a full schedule of fun and engaging activities and projects. She will be working in collaboration with Megan and myself to implement these plans effectively throughout the year.
Megan Foster will be the full time Teacher Assistant in the Pre-Kindergarten classroom. Megan is so happy to pursue her career as a preschool teacher. She will be working more closely with the young preschoolers to allow them more flexibility in academic based projects and increased support in social emotional development and potty training.
Boys Need to Move a Lot, Why?
I recently returned full time to the classroom with our recent move to Alaska. I have a class of 6 boy’s ages 2.0-2.5 years. This fact has caused me to look more closely at the early development of boys!
Boys need to move a lot, why? The boy brain and the girl brain develop in a different sequence. A boys’ interest in these big body actions is driven by brain development. One of the differences that drives this need to move is the development of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is located at the base of the brain. The cerebellum is responsible for big body (gross motor) movements, balance, and posture. During the first few years of life, the cerebellum in both boys and girls develops rapidly. In girls, the brain tends to begin developing language and fine-motor centers sooner than for boys. In a boy’s brain, the cerebellum develops for a much longer period of time than it does in a girl’s brain. Hence, boys’ interest in movement and their need to move – a lot! How do we manage this in the classroom?
First, I provide many opportunities for “big” movements. Indoors, moving chairs, boxes, baskets and objects heavy enough to engage the muscles. Provide materials and assistance for sweeping, mopping, dusting and moving laundry from the washer to dryer.
Outside moving buckets of sand, large blocks or boxes along with the usual activities of throwing, running, jumping, and riding.
Next I provide creative outlets that allow the use of the whole body. Sitting is difficult for boys. Allow boys to stand for a full range of motion. A fun alternative to standing is having the children lie on their backs and draw under the table (on paper of course). Sitting for snacks/meals/stories becomes easier if boys have experienced big movement.
I have always enjoyed the energy of young boys, and now I have a better understanding of how their brain develops.
Positive Environments, “yes” spoken here!
What does a positive learning environment/home look like?
There are several things I have learned and continue to learn that create a positive rewarding environment in which to live and grow. The following ideas can be used in all work and/or play environments.
One. Treat all children equally. Treat all parents equally, treat all colleagues equally! Playing favorites contributes to an environment of negativity. Eliminate inequities.
Two. Setup the environment/daily home with different things for the children to do, make sure there are clear expectations for behavior, list how many children in each area (for child care centers), and what happens with the materials. The environment should act as a teacher. Put out different things for young children to find/discover. An example of this working well is the library. We tell our children to use quiet voices in the library, the library has engaging books and materials set up for hands on use. Children behave in the library exactly the way they have been asked to by the adult and the environment setup.
Three. Phrase everything that you can in the positive, this is hard at first, but you’ll catch on. A “YES” environment is so much calmer and fun and builds a young child’s self-esteem. As an adult you will feel less stress and more happiness. A “NO” environment limits a child’s ability to build self-esteem and self-regulation. A “NO” environment reduces us all to “I’m not good enough” or to seek pleasing behaviors.
Examples are; when running, state, “we walk inside”, when playing in our chair, we state, “we sit in our chair during dinner”, When the child melts down, we state, “I see you are having trouble, how can I help? This is how we can “use gentle hands”, all positive statements when really you want to yell…..STOP running, NO hitting, etc. No, no, no, no and we stop listening! 
Try to restate the “rule” “We walk inside” and then “I need you to walk inside, we may run outside.” Lastly if necessary give a choice, “we may walk inside or you may hold my hand” or some other option that you find acceptable. The goal is for young children to internalize behavior by making sure the environment is all about what they CAN do.
Four. Use observational/describing remarks to help the young child describe his/her feelings like, “you sound angry”, “you look sad”, “that was a loud yell” acknowledge the feelings and help children manage them by adding; “when you are ready, I will help you”. Limit asking questions. Too many questions can overwhelm the younger child, they really don’t know why they have misbehaved or had a temper tantrum, no need to ask.
Five. Help children to internalize their own self-worth by praising LESS. Encourage young children by acknowledging what has been done by stating what they have done. “You made a red line”, “you asked for help”, “I see you put your mittens on”. The goal is for children to feel internally proud of their accomplishments not for you to impose pride. If you say “good job” or “I like it” the child gets no intrinsic value.
Six. Stay calm. If you lose control of your emotions, the kiddos will get the upper hand, and FEED off of this negative energy resulting in chaos and negativity. Practice deep breathing or put on soothing music.
Seven. Check your expectations for behavior for given age, perhaps they are too high or too low! Remember children mature at different rates so not all behaviors should be expected at the same age for all children.
Teaching styles and temperaments
Do different teaching styles and temperaments help develop a well-rounded child?
Children will encounter many different types of personalities and temperaments in their educators. The skills they develop from each will make them stronger more resilient adults. We have all developed certain traits based on how an educator impacted us, some negative and some positive.
I have observed over the years that it is not necessary to be huggy and cuddly to be an excellent early childhood educator. What does this mean, don’t we want our young children to be surrounded by baby talking, cooing people? This is not a necessity to being a good educator. Being kind and fair is. Children must adapt to the teaching style, just like in life. There is not a one size fits all profile for the early educator. The key to success is good relationship between the family and the provider, in other words, “a good fit”.
Ask yourself, are the needs of the children being met beyond custodial care? Is there a loving trusting relationship bond between the educator and the family and the child? If there is it is a good sign that educator is a good caregiver.
I work with educators from age 18-60. We are not all the same in our approach and style. Some of us have more physical energy and flexibility, some of us see more humor in situations, some of us are cuddly, and some of us are reserved. ALL of us care deeply about your children and we meet the basic tenants of caring and committed professionals.
Let’s go outside
Let’s go outside! Many people spend 90% of their time indoors. It has gotten harder to get young children away from the screen. As we get ready to head outside for more hours than in the winter, let’s explore some of the benefits of being outdoors.
The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions going outside is fresh air, sunshine and time to renew my spirit and energy. It takes a great deal of reserved strength to be a great teacher and getting outdoors is a way to renew those reserves. Time spent enjoying nature helps me renew not only my physical energy, but my emotional outlook as well. These benefits are enough to make me head for the door. I believe this to be true for young children too.
Jan White in her Exchange (May/June 2013) article, “Somersaults and Spinning: The Serious Work of Children’s Neurological Development says a vast amount of movement is required for the brain to fully develop and then fine-tune its ability to interpret all the motion possibilities. This also needs to be matched with vision, hearing, and sensory information coming from inside the body (proprioception). Rather than actually balancing and staying still, it is movement in gravity that makes this sensory system wire up in the brain and body. It is perhaps not surprising to find that these are the very things that young children most want to do and find such pleasure in!”
Young children need to move their whole bodies. Young children need to throw, catch and kick a ball, run, jump, dribble and shoot a ball, climb, chase, gallop, swing, crawl, and be loud. Young children need to dig, fill, spill and carry. They also need space to whirl, twirl, roll and bounce. All of these activities build the large muscles of the body necessary for a sense of equilibrium in relation to space and gravity, which is necessary for school readiness. All these movements can be accomplished during unstructured play time or under the direct instruction of a teacher or a coach. Games of toss and catch, kicking into a goal, shooting a ball into a basket, hopscotch, jump rope and hula hoops are some traditional playground games. Remember drawing with chalk on the driveway or painting with water on the building are great ways to strengthen muscles.
Young children need the sensory experiences of sight, sound and touch. Grass, trees, and bushes offer up a variety of sensory experiences. Use all of your senses when outdoors.
At Friendship Garden Nursery School we are in the process of building an outdoor learning center, as an extension of the indoor classroom. Since undertaking this project I have been investigating some different elements to include. Outside of the above mentioned playground activities our area will include a space to make music, a mud kitchen, tables and benches for outdoor discovery, paint easels and a big chalk board.
In this area we will also enjoy sun catchers and wind chimes. There will be baskets of pinecones and tree blocks. The goal is to assault the senses with nature.
Now, go outside and have fun!
How Fun Can a Box Be?
Have you ever heard the statement “they like the box more than what is inside”, when referring to young children? Really, how much fun can a box be?
This week we received some supplies at Friendship Garden Nursery School in a big square box. At first this box was doomed for the recycle pile but at the last minute it was saved from being crushed, at least by my hands. After explaining “recycling” and “reusing” (Science and Language Arts) instead of just putting the box down for the children to discover, I placed in on a drop cloth and gave the children paint and paint brushes. In time the box was covered in pretty colors. (Creative Arts) After the box dried it was time to put it out to play with.
First everyone had a turn to sit in the box, after that they attempted to figure out how many children could fit in the box. (Math) Later we counted how many objects were put in the box. We will do some formal and informal measuring in the coming weeks.
We have spent a lot of time filling and emptying our box using our big muscles. (Motor skills) Young children enjoy.
The box has been a train, a truck, a “jack in the box”, a cuddle spot, a table, a hiding spot and I’m quite sure it will be much more! (Dramatic Play) Unstructured play with a box inspires creativity, resourcefulness and imagination.
Did you know the cardboard box is in the National Toy Hall of Fame?
What can you do with a box?