Caitlin's+Practicum+Blog

__//14 September 2011//__
For this practicum I expect to be observing and working with yougner children in the pre-k age. I am expecting to see their growth and development in their speaking as well as reading development. I expect that there will be a lot of manipulatives and tactile objects for the children to experience and explore with in their classroom. I am expecting to see play in their classroom both facilitated by the teacher and by the children in the classroom. As I have never worked or even observed in a classroom with children quite as young, I am expecting to learn a lot more than probably the goal of the class. I am hoping that I learn more about how to help instruct children of this age. Also I am hoping to learn and observe on which styles of instruction work better for the younger children.

media type="youtube" key="Tlp7UvLvqXI" height="345" width="420" align="center"

__//30 September 2011//__ When I first walked into my practicum classroom I was terrified of what to expect. Working with children in Pre-K really just scared me beyond belief because it is such a critical stage and it was my first experience with children that young in a real classroom setting. The was so inviting, both the teachers so welcoming, and the students were so excited to meet me all my fears immediately vanished and I felt like myself again. I feel like this is a type of setting that I could be in for the rest of my life and I would enjoy coming to work every day.

The children in the classroom are all extremely energetic and ready to share everything about their day. The kids seem excited to be in the classroom and ready for the day ahead of them. As the day progresses I am able to see the differences between the children and who really needs that teacher or person to reach out and help them through. There are two children who really need that individualized attention to help them get started so they are not behind for the rest of their lives.

This classroom's schedule seems extremely appropriate for the children and it sets them on the right path for their day. It keeps the class in order so that the teachers are able to keep control of the class and work with students in small groups and individually as needed. As of right now I see nothing wrong with the curriculum, nor the set up of the classroom because they both seem to enhance everything that my teacher and her assistant teacher are doing in the classroom.

5 October 2011 I am having a lot of fun getting to know the students in the classroom. They are all phenomenal children and are interested in lots of different things. They all love Play-Dough and to build things. They are all extremely anxious to talk to me. When I come into their classroom I always sit with the students for snack and for lunch. I want that chance to talk to them, because they all have individual times to talk to me while they eat.

One little girl just loves attention and will tell you she likes whatever she thinks you like. Yesterday while I was there she asked if I would be her friend, and if I would come spend the night. She said all I had to do was ask my mommy. When we went outside after snack she asked me what I liked to play, and then told me that it was her favorite too. I love how the little children look up to you so much, and want to be just like an adult. I always just want to remind them not to grow up so fast, and to enjoy your life.

The children all love building and animals. They have a fascination with animals and how they live. During snack time we got into a conversation about how many of the children do not have pets, which just confuses me because growing up I do not think any of my friends did not have a pet. Even if the pet was a fish or a frog, we all had pets. Today, it seems like not many of the kids nor families have pets.

19 October 2011

There is one child who is particularly challenging who does not pull themselves together ever. The child is erratic and acts as if they are in their own world. The child does not follow directions and always needs attention focused 100% on him. The curriculum that is used in the classroom is very group oriented and this particular child needs more of a 1:1 based curriculum. When I was observing it was the first time I had seen this child in the classroom. It was another child's birthday and this particular child couldn't handle the fact that the day was not all about him and what he wanted. The one event that sticks in my mind the most is during lunch. The entire time this child kept saying, "Can I have my cupcake, I want a chocolate cupcake." He repeated this over and over. Once he got his cupcake he couldn't stop being fixate on his birthday. Repeatedly he said it was going to be his birthday now, even though his birthday was actually months away. Instead of giving him attention or redirecting the child on a new conversational piece, the teachers just ignored the behavior. Not only do the teachers not respond to this child, but neither do the other children. I feel as though the children and teachers have built up a wall against this child, but as of now I find this child highly distracting and distracted in the classroom. He needs to be redirected and focused in order to make progress. I feel like when other children act as he does, the other children are disciplined, he on the other hand is just let to do whatever he pleases.

First, to handle this child I would instill a redirection plan. Whenever this child gets out of hand, the teachers need to redirect him into something constructive for him to put his energy into. Second, this child needs to be limited to the number of questions he can ask at a time. Setting limits will help the child self-redirect and continue to work on their own. Thirdly, a key to this student's success is introducing and having him interact with other children in the classroom. This will help him work on his social and behavioral skills by being able to interact with the other children and develop skills that he has yet to master. Finally, this child needs one on one time with the teacher. He needs a lot of structure that group time in the classroom can't give him.

2 November 2011

While completing this scale I realized that the children really have little to no opportunities for growth and development in literacy. The children have no opportunities to write in the classroom, nor do they have the opportunity to really have experiences with environmental print. There are a few recommendations that I would make to the teachers. First, I would suggest that the teacher that there should be a writing center in their center. This would then give the children the opportunity to learn how to hold a pen and a pencil, and give them the opportunity to begin writing. The children in this center need these opportunities for growth. Another thing I would suggest is that the teacher should put more labels around the room so that the children can become familiar with words of objects in which they use every day. Then the children will be more aware of what is around them. Finally, the teacher should give the students the opportunity to practice writing their names. Many of the students know what letters are in their names so I believe that these students should be writing their own names on the back of their projects. Not the teacher, because having the teacher do it does not give the child any practice.

16 November 2011

The curriculum in this class does support for some children the developmental stages that they are in, but not for all children because some children in this class are extremely developed already and are ready for work far beyond the curriculum. Some of the students are still having trouble mastering their fine motor skills, so the small manipulatives and the beg boards are really good for these students because they are able to work on the skills of moving their fingers in those small movements. We can tell these students are having trouble mastering fine motor skills because they are struggling at activities like zipping their own coats, and they have trouble getting their shoes on by themselves. Other students however can easily put on their own jackets, tie their own shoes, and are ready for skills such as writing. I believe that the materials in the classroom help those students that are developmentally on track, but not those children that are ahead of schedule. I think the teachers could add a writing center, and a more in depth book center to help those children that are more developmentally progressed. These students need something more that will engage them and draw their attention in. With the materials in the classroom the students are easily bored and looking for more to do from day to day.

5 December 2011 My goal for this practicum experience was to develop a greater knowledge for the education methods in the preschool classrooms and to understand how teachers set up and facilitate learning in these classrooms. Although I do not feel as though I have completely grasped these concepts completely I have learned a lot about the preschool classrooms, and if I was ever to teach in a preschool classroom how I would and would not want my classroom to be set up. There are a lot of components to preschool I never considered, and have learned I need to keep an open mind to. The children are all in completely different places when it comes to education. They are all ready to learn different materials and ready for different experiences in life. Some students are still looking for the tender care of a parent, where other students are ready to go out and conquer the world, so the teacher needs to be prepared to handle all of the situations that may arise in the classroom. I do feel that there is a lot of preparation that needs to go into everyday before a preschool class starts. There are so many different directions that the class could go in, and the teacher needs to be prepared for it all. The minds of children this age are always questioning and will be questioning everything that the teacher says and does and it is important to help the students continue questioning to help them continue growing.