Prompt 7: Creative Thinking and Expression

            My classroom is not given as much time I feel they deserve to be creative. Everything is very scheduled and there is little space for any wiggle room. One thing my teachers are very good at, is allowing the students to share any ideas they might have. The teacher allows every students to have their voice be heard and is very accepting of all different answers. I have seen many examples of art, dramatic play, and music within the school day. These different activities normally do not overlap.

            My students are encouraged to come in at the beginning of the day and spend some time doing free play. The girls usually play with the dolls and cook in the kitchen while the boys play with the superheroes and trucks. During this time, the teacher does not facilitate the students or tell them what to do. The teacher will only chime in if the students are using the materials inappropriately. I have seen some of my children partake in sociodramatic play during this time. The Bullard text states that for play to be considered sociodramatic the children must, “engage in role-playing, make believe with actions and objects, have verbal and social interaction with at least one other person to coordinate roles and plot, and have a play theme that persists for 10 minutes or more”. I have seen this type of play more with the girls than the boys. The girls will coordinate a theme and play around with it for a while.

            My teacher facilitates a lot of art throughout the day. The children normally do at least two different art activities a day. They work with scissors, glue, paint, stickers, markers, crayons, and a lot of other materials. During art activities the teacher normally has an example of the product that the students will be making. By doing this, it gives students no room to be creative with their work. The teacher will go through the directions step by step instead of allowing the students to put together the materials on their own. The Bullard text states, “If children do not move beyond exploration they will not develop their full potential in the arts or be able to effectively use the arts as a tool for thinking, inquiry, and communication”.  It is important to supply students with an abundance of materials and allow them to partake in free exploration.

            One thing my students have that you do not see in a lot of schools anymore is a music class. They go to this class once a week and sing songs and learn dances with music. I have a big issue with the music class they attend. The music teacher is extremely strict and does not allow the students to be creative at all. She gets mad when students fidget in their spots, when they try and sing along with her, and if they do not do everything exactly like she says. This is heartbreaking to watch because I feel that it could potentially damage the student’s idea of music. Cutietta’s article says, “It is also important for your child to attend to and interact with music regularly”. This means students should be able to have fun with music and move their body if they feel like it. As for the children’s classroom teacher, she spends a lot of time singing songs about the days of the week, cleaning up, and songs to support different transitions. The Kemple article talks about how it is important for the teacher to participate in the music with the children instead of only directing. My teacher is very good with this aspect and always joins in as the students are singing and dancing.

            Creativity is key for younger learners. It allows them to do things on their own and learn without someone telling them what they need to know. I would adjust the creativity opportunities within my classroom. I feel that my students are not given enough time to explore and learn on their own. I understand that my teacher and school are a little old fashion, but that means there is only more room for improvement. As for art, I would still create different pieces of art with the children, but allow them to be creative with the materials. For dramatic play, I would supply the students with more materials (costumes), so they can become more involved. Although I cannot change how the music teacher approaches learning, I would play music more often in the classroom as the teacher and give students a chance to dance however they feel. The Connor’s article says, “When teachers and children move to music together, it is a unique social and bonding experience”. 

Prompt 6: Social Studies Thinking

            I have not observed a lot of social studies activities/materials within my classroom at my placement. The most materials my classroom has relating to social studies is an American flag, and different story books. One thing I have seen in my classroom is a picture of a less fortunate girl from another country. The school has been raising money to help her receive an education. My class also has a lot of different decorations talking about being nice to each other and being a good citizen. This idea if good citizenship is an aspect of social studies. As I have said before, my classroom is extremely focused on the language arts. The two bullet points that my class focuses on from the Mindes article includes: classroom community development, and foundational understanding for civic engagement. My teacher focuses a lot on the idea of working together as a class and accepting everyone for who they are.

            I have an extremely diverse Pre-K classroom. The different ethnic groups include: Caucasian, Asian, and Indian. A lot of the children have very different beliefs and lifestyles. I have not seen any issues with the mixture of culture within the classroom. The only thing I have observed is that one of the boys who is Indian (rarely speaks in class), refuses to hand any materials to the girls or interact with them. This type of behavior stems from his cultural background. Other than that, all of the kids have no problem working with one another, The Mindes article talks about how it is important for children to appreciate the diversity of their friends and classmates.

            My program does not have any support for bilingual or ELL students. All of my students speak fluent English except for the one boy in my class. Since I have been there, I have only heard him talk about 4-5 times with 1-2 words at a time. The teacher/aid do not know how to help him with his language struggles and they will occasionally do things for him if he does not understand what they are saying. The Tabors article says, “Children from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds may face social isolation and linguistic constraints in the classroom.” I think it is very important to immediately work with these children so they do not fall behind in class and miss out on a lot of experiences.  One support I have seen for second language acquisition would be classroom organization. The Tabors article talks about how having a set routine for activities, allows second-language-learning children to catch on and get into the flow of events.

Prompt 5: Scientific Thinking and Technology

            I have not observed a lot of science materials in my placement. I have noticed that my placement focuses on literacy and language development. The only form of science learning I have seen in the classroom would be from books. On occasion, the teacher will read a book about a different animal species, but they usually end up creating a piece of art from these stories instead of a science lesson. Due to the lack of science materials, my classroom does not have a science center. The Bullard text discusses a study that found only 50% of early childhood classrooms had a science center. This chapter also goes on to describe the different types of science centers a teacher could create. Some of these centers include: a multitude of science boxes with materials focusing on a certain topic, inquiry based center where the children focus on questions or answers to the questions, a discovery center where children are asked to explore different concepts, and a center that uses different inquiry tools that children can use throughout the classroom. Viadero’s article states, “I think a lot of preschool teachers aren’t aware of the fact that preschoolers can figure out things like they do, or make predictions as they do.” A lot of educators are unaware of the potential that students have in the classroom. Students are curious learners and it is important to use this curiosity while they are young so they can grow as learners.

            I have yet to see any technology being used in my classroom. The most technology I have seen consisted of my teacher taking out her phone and taking a picture of the class. My classroom focuses on books, letter/word activities, and making different crafts. The Bullard text describes how technology can be used in the classroom for students to create stories, illustrate ideas, produce presentations, conduct research, and engage with others through electronic means. I personally believe that technology should be incorporated occasionally in an appropriate manner, but not all the time.

            I think the role of technology in preschool is to aid students. It allows the students to become more engaged in the material in a different style. I think technology is a great way for students to share the work they complete in the classroom.  The Bullard text discusses how digital cameras can be used to record and document the children’s learning. These pictures can then be displayed to parents, in portfolios, as decoration, etc. The Virtual Preschool article discusses how it is now an option for students to have their own “virtual school” at home. The program includes digital learning materials, activity guides, learning analytics, and “homeroom teachers” that are all available online. This means that the students can engage in a preschool program without leaving their homes. I was extremely intrigued by this article. It is hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of school becoming a technology based philosophy. I think the most important aspect in preschool is to have students playing and learning with other children around them.