Prompt 4: Mathematical Thinking and Expression

            I have not seen a lot of math being practiced in my placement. I have observed a couple of mini activities that dealt with counting, but I have not seen them sit down for a math lesson or discussion. A couple math materials I have observed include:

• ·         Number line:  The number line helps students communicate different ways to add and subtract within the number line.
• ·         Number cards with pictures (1-10): This relates to the communicating and connecting processes. The classroom has cards with numbers 1-10 written on them. Underneath the number, each picture has the correct amount of objects. In the morning the teacher points the pointer at the numbers and asks the students to say which number he/she is touching. This allows students to practice their communication with numbers. They can also make a connection between the number and how many objects that number represents in the picture below it.
• ·         Number charts: One time I observed my students create their own number chart. They were given a bag of skittles and asked to separate them by color. They were then asked to count how many were in each color and fill in a chart with the correct marks. This type of activity uses the representing process. The children were able to represent the information by writing it down on a chart. The Bullard text says, “Children might use fingers, make tallies, create diagrams, produce graphs, make maps, or draw pictures to represent their knowledge.”
• ·         Different colored animals: These different colored animals can be used for counting, creating different patterns, or to practice grouping.
• ·         Counting books: Some of these books represent good problem solving situations that the students have to figure out together. The Bullard text describes the steps to problem solving as, “understanding the problem, making a plan for solving the problem, implementing the plan, and reflecting to see if the solution works or the answer makes sense.” A lot of these books are set up to take students through the steps of problem solving.  
• ·         Calendar:  The calendar uses the connecting process. The children connect that the date (the 17^th) is defined by the amount 17 that they use while counting. It also helps to show them how each day that goes by adds 1 more onto the last number. This works with their addition skills or subtraction skills depending on questions the teacher may ask them.

I have seen a lot of my students use the reasoning process to solve certain problems while they play. On occasion when I am playing with the students, I ask them why they are doing the things they do. Most of the children give me their reasons as to why and how they solve different problems. The teacher is also very good at asking questions to understand the students thinking processes. I have also seen different forms of communication with math between my students. When a lot of my children are asked “how much” questions, they usually hold the answer up on their fingers. The Bullard text says that children may communicate verbally or nonverbally.

The idea of number instinct is something that is hard-wired into our brain. The Carey article says, “Human beings, even if they live in remote cultures with no formal math education, have a general grasp of quantities as well, anthropologists have found.” Number instinct is something we do on a daily basis and it goes unrecognized. For example, let’s say someone is offered two different bowls that both have strawberries in them. One of the bowls is going to have more strawberries than the other. Of course, most people wouldn’t sit there and count out how many strawberries are in each bowl. Instead, our number instinct gives us the ability to know which bowl has more without counting.

Although I have not experienced a lot of math in my classroom, I have witnessed an activity where the teacher was building on the student’s idea of number instinct. My teacher would lay out 2 different piles of rubber animals. She would then ask the students to decide which pile has more or less without counting them. Sometimes she would line them up, while other times she would just put them into 2 different piles. I believe the best way to do an activity like this would be to do it with one child at a time. It could also be used as a good assessment tool to see where their knowledge of number instinct is.

Prompt 3: Emergent Literacy and Language Development

During my time at my placement, I have noticed multiple instances where literature was being promoted. My classroom has currently been working on the alphabet. The teacher has a display of each of the letters with pictures underneath that have objects that start with the specific letter. The class is currently working on the letter “s”. My teacher gives each of the children one of the letters that they will use in a class discussion. Each child is instructed to go home and bring in several objects that they can find that begin with their letter. They then bring the objects into the classroom and the children have to say what the object is, and if it begins with the correct letter. I have found this activity to be very effective because the students love to bring in their own objects from home. The children also get extremely excited and anxious to see what their classmates have brought in for the day. It allows the students to have fun while correlating the letters of the alphabet to different words/objects.

Another literature based activity my teacher uses is the morning calendar. Every week she chooses different students for different jobs around the classroom. One of the jobs is to do the morning routines. This includes one of the students using a pointer on the calendar as the class says the month and date out loud. This routine sounds something like this, “Today is Wednesday, February the 10^th, 2016”. While each of the words are being announced, the student in charge points to the correct word on the calendar. The teacher repeats this line about 4-5 times and eventually lets the students say the statement without her help.  I really enjoy this activity because I can tell the children are beginning to understand what the calendar means. By saying the information out loud and looking to where the plastic finger is being pointed, they are able to make a connection.

The Whitehurt article explains emergent literacy in child development. Some of the components I feel that my program uses from this article would be emergent reading, and knowledge of letters. I have noticed that a lot of my kids partake in emergent reading. After observing a multitude of students and asking them to read their books out loud, I noticed a lot of them look at the pictures and make up their own narrative to the story. Although a lot of the students did not understand what the words were saying on the pages, they still understood that the print was telling a story or gives direction. According to the Whitehurt article this means that these children have a higher level of print intentionality. Children who have lower levels of print intentionality do not understand that the print on the page is a symbol system with linguistic meaning. 

The other component I noticed in my classroom was knowledge of letters. As I discussed before, my classroom is really focused on learning the alphabet at this point in the year. They spend a lot of time thinking of words that start with some of the different letters and the teacher tests their knowledge with different activities. Sometimes she will give them a choice of words and they will have to decide which one begins with the correct letter she is asking for. These activities are crucial because the Whitehurt article discussed that if a beginning reader does not know the letters of the alphabet, they cannot learn the sounds the letters make. I believe my teacher does a great job with helping the children understand the sounds that each letter makes.

My classroom does have a literacy based center. One corner of the room includes a bookshelf with dozens of books for the children to choose from. There are cozy chairs for the students to sit in as they read as well as a nice big carpet area. The Bullard text talks about how it is important to have this type of comfortable and aesthetic environment when creating an effective literacy center. Whenever the children either complete an activity before everyone else is finished or finish their snacks before the rest of the class, they immediately go over to the literacy corner and begin reading. During this time the children are extremely quiet and make sure to respect their other classmates. The Bullard text also states how a literacy center should be well-stocked with quality books. While the students were working the other day I looked into the literacy center to find many different genres and difficulty levels within the books. Needless to say, each child has a variety of books to choose from. One thing I did notice was that a lot of the children seemed to have their favorite book(s) that they would go back to every day.

If I was using the ELLCO, I think my classroom would do best in Section 4 which is Books and Book Reading. This section includes organization of book areas, characteristic of books, books for learning, approaches to book reading, and quality of book reading. My classroom would do well in this section because there is a multitude of different books to choose from with different genres, the teacher spends a lot of time reading out loud to the students, and the teacher reads different educational books with follow up materials for the students to engage in. My classroom would not do very well in Section 5 which is Print and Early Writing. This section includes an early writing environment, support for children’s writing, and environmental print. My program would not do well in this section because I have not seen a lot of my students writing. The teacher always writes the students names on their materials before passing it out so they do not have a chance to do it themselves. Although they do a lot of reading in my classroom, I still have yet to see my students attempt any form of writing. 

Prompt 2: Evaluating the Environment and Role of the Teacher

Arriving at West Goshen Baptist, I was extremely nervous and anxious. Although I have had a lot of experience with children, I had never worked in a Pre-K setting. Upon my arrival, I was welcomed with open arms by the director Arlene Flye. She was extremely friendly and caring and took myself and the other girls into one of the meeting rooms. In this room she explained how grateful they were to have us there and how important we are to them. Once we got the paperwork out of the way, she took us on a tour around the school and gave us a packet about the information. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed with how welcoming they were within seconds of our arrival. When I first met my teachers Mrs.Wujcik and Miss Tricia, I noticed how positive they were. They both seemed very pleased to have me in the classroom with them.

 I immediately asked what I could do to help out and they told me I could help set up before the kids arrived. Once the kids arrived they seemed very interested as to who the “stranger” was standing in their classroom. Miss Tricia introduced each child to me as they walked in the door and some of them were very shy while others couldn’t stop talking. Throughout the rest of the day I involved myself in everything that went on. I helped the students make their crafts and I played/read with them during other times. One thing I really enjoyed about the classroom was the openness of space. As soon as you walk in there is a big open area where the kids have space to play, read, and meet up for “circle time”. Beyond all of the open area are two tables (one for the boys and girls). I really liked how the teachers used the open space to their advantage. The children also had child size furnishing and toys around the room. According to the Bullard text classrooms are arranged like this thanks to the theorist Montessori. Montessori states that the child needs to find the environment motivating, so they are interested pursuing the activities. Altogether, the classroom is child friendly and the students seem to excel in their environment.

Some of the primary goals/mission of this program include (listed on their website):

• ·         Provide a positive first school experience that focuses on the social, physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual growth of the students
• ·         Ministering to the children, parents and families in the West Chester area
• ·         Strengthen families and cultivate friendships through Jesus Christ

All of these goals align with the idea of Developmentally Appropriate Practice. DAP has 3 core considerations which include; knowing about child development and learning, knowing what is individually appropriate, and knowing what is culturally important. DAP also states that children learn best when they have positive relationships with teachers/adults and their classmates. All of these factors are implemented in Goshen Baptist Preschool.

I think the video The First Five Years is a great example of how early childhood education can impact a child’s life. If it weren’t for some of these early childhood programs a lot of children wouldn’t be given the great opportunities they receive in school. This video was extremely touching and opened my eyes to the effect that these programs have on young children.

The schedule of my classroom looks something like this:

• ·         9-9:15 Activity sheet, attendance Velcro board, free play time as students arrive
• ·         9:15-9:35 Circle time
• ·         9:35-10:20 Centers(once a month chapel from 9:30-9:55)
• ·         10:20-10:40 Bathroom/snack
• ·         10:40-11 Recess
• ·         Tuesday music class 10:55-11:20
• ·         11-11:20 Bible story
• ·         11:20-11:30 Prepare for departure

The children begin the day with unguided free play. They use this time to run around and play with all of the materials provided in the classroom. Throughout the day the students will have time to go off on their own and “read” a book. Recess is extremely beneficial for them because they take that time to run around and get all of their energy out without many consequences. The children seem to work very well with this classroom schedule. They are very aware of what comes next and sometimes they line up at the door without being asked. I have noticed that the schedule is not exactly set in stone. Some things might take longer than expected which shortens another activity.

            The Bullard text mentions some tips to take when planning an effective schedule. Some of these tips that my teachers portrays include; respect children’s needs, include scheduled times, provide balance of child initiated and adult initiated activities, plan transition times, include extended center times for engaging in in-depth learning, include large group time, and meet the needs of the families. All of these factors are crucial to developing a healthy schedule.

            I have noticed during my time spent at Goshen Baptist, that the teachers are very close. The teachers meet up in the morning every day for a prayer which starts their day off on a positive note. They go to each other for guidance, ideas, and positive interaction. When it comes to the students, my teacher is VERY patient. She makes sure to allow children to share their opinions, but also knows how to control them when it is time to learn. Although it is extremely difficult to control a room of 15 Pre-K students, she does a wonderful job. The children in the classroom have a mutual respect for their teachers. They respect the rules that they are asked to follow and rarely show any kind of disrespect. Bullard includes a list of ways to support children’s learning through interaction which is observing, scaffolding learning, supporting peer interactions, acknowledging them as learners, assisting them to follow rules, keeping them safe, and documenting their learning.

           

http://www.goshenbaptist.org/Preschool