- Whom you observed and interacted with in your setting during these two
weeks
In the past two weeks, I've been observing and interacting with the Lead Teacher in a three year old classroom at a licensed day care center. The Lead Teacher received a bachelor degree with Type 04 certification seven years ago and began teaching shortly after. Although she recently began teaching at this day care center, she exhibits great teaching strategies and practices. For instance, there's a student in her classroom that lacks language development. The Lead Teacher plan learning activities that promotes language development. The Teacher worked with this child by engaging in an activity called "What Time is it Mr. Fox". The Teacher and the child decorated two old socks and used them as puppets. The puppets were then used to create a conversation between the Teacher and child. I was amazed to observe the child engaging in the activity. From the expression on her face as well as her brief conversation by the use of the puppet, I could tell the child enjoyed this activity.
Another individual that I observed and interacted with during the past two weeks was the Teacher Assistant in this classroom. The Assistant obtained an Associate degree in child development in August of 2012. The Lead Teacher and the Assistant worked well together. As I observed for several days, the Teacher's were consistent and practiced a set routine. The Teacher Assistant set up all the activities prior to implementing to avoid the children having to wait. This strategy/practice made transitions easier for the children.
- Any special learning experiences, insights, challenges, etc., related to
your topics/focus questions and/or advocacy efforts in this setting, the
community, and/or the field
An insight that I gained related to my topic/focus questions (Learning Disability/Special Needs) is that Teacher's should know each child's learning strengths and weaknesses. The Lead Teacher was aware of the above mentioned child learning needs. She planned and implemented activities to strengthen the child's language development. Also, I like the idea that the classroom contained two assistants which provided the Lead Teacher with appropriate time to conduct a one-on-one correspondence.
Hi Regina it sounds like this teacher is on the ball. With the two assistants I'm sure she is able to do a lot of individual planning and follow through with the activities.
ReplyDeleteHi Regina,
DeleteGreat blog. I appreciated the experience you were able to observe. It appears you had the opportunity to witness a well organized classroom setting with developmentally appropriate practices. Furthermore, it appears this center values teacher education which is a nice reassurance that our efforts toward the betterment of early childcare are being noticed. Well done!
I think that there are many reasons why children may lack language development skills. I think that the idea with using socks were good. I think that as teachers are great resources to one another as the more experience teachers can provide good tips for the new teachers. I think that teacher assistances are very valuable in providing one on one activity with students. I observed in a class where the assist was working with a child who was special needs and that one on one that the child was getting seemed to be good for him. Children will work at different levels and some may need the extra time to ensure that they will grasp the concepts that is being taught. I wanted to know if the child mentioned has been screened before entering the program. Did he need any special services? Was the teacher assistance working one on one with the child? I also agree that teachers must be able to identify the child strengths and weakness and build on strengths. I am also doing my research paper on inclusion/special needs maybe we could give each other insights and share concerns!
ReplyDeleteRegina:
ReplyDeleteIn your moment of insight, I couldn't help but wonder based on your perception of how these teachers understood the strengths and weaknesses of the children, were they perceived as more spontaneous with instructional modification? Or, was instructional design and modification a thoroughly planned activity? Is there something to be said for both? What percentage of a teacher's skill sets do you think should be applied to being able to flow in each or only one of these areas?
Great Post. I love that they were able to individualize instruction so much in this classroom. You mentioned that the teacher had two helpers and I think this is hugely beneficial. I have several red folders (special needs) in my classroom and some days I feel like I lack the support that I need, therefore it is more difficult to differentiate and individualize instruction. Did the lead teacher happen to mention if the child she was working with that had a language delay received speech services? Even though the teacher was highly qualified in early childhood I think that it would be beneficial for the student to receive additional services from a speech therapist.
ReplyDelete