Week 11

This weeks reading made me think about how we come together with family to help children learn. Also, it made me think about how we use technology. I wish that children were able to use the computers in preschool classrooms. There are some preschools that have computers in their classrooms and allows children to use it to print pictures, type, or to do research. It helps children learn computer skills early because they will need the skills when they enter elementary school. Shouldn't that be a "readiness" skill? In this century, we are so dependent on technology and use it everyday. How can we not teach children how to use it?

I love involving parents into our learnings and projects that I would like to have in the classroom. Many of my parents are willing to provide materials to help their children learn. It was amazing to see how the parents were willing to help the children create the track with the robots. They were eager to help their children with their fascination. This allows parents to come together and get to know each other better. It also helps the preschool reach out for resources that are obtainable.

How often do we have group projects in preschools? I know that I hardly get to have children involved in group activities....it was interesting reading about how the girls came together and made the sculpture. You also see how gender is different and how focused they are. Providing group work for children is difficult, especially if they are the younger ages. I've seen where the older children were able to work together and make something. With younger children, we would need to constantly watch over and redirect them. 

These skills that are presented in this reading shows skills that will definitely be needed for future purposes. Children who later on enter the work field will need to work with others to come up with ideas and just to work along side them. They will need to use technology, and find resources. Why are we not enforcing that now? 

What thought process orient the teachers as they document? Does an even partial awareness of these processes have value for professional growth? 

When I create curriculum, activities, and focuses for my classroom, I always look through things that I have documented that week. I use these documentations and recall things that I recall hearing the children talk about. After all, we are there to spark the interest of children and help them learn. How do you help children grow if they are not interested in what you are trying to teach them? When collecting documentations, how are we collecting it? When I create activities, I have a focus on what I want to get out of it. For example, I am focusing on fine motor skills and bugs in my classroom. I created many art activities and fine motor activities for the children to learn about their interest (bugs) and my objective (fine motor skills). 

We see how different it is now from how it used to be in preschool. We now learn that preschool is an important stage and is very important for a child's development. As things are changing at such a fast pace, there are also different procedures that are being added on or changing. How do we all keep up with it? Just today, I had to tell my coworker that he had to cut the banana's in small pieces for the children because it is a choking hazard. He did not know that and said he has been serving the children banana's by just giving them a big piece. 

Seeing how they did the documentations was interesting because they captured all the language quickly and in a group of children. I know that it would've been easier with a recorder yet we will have to remember whose voice is whose. With documentation, you see how children build on everyday experiences and use them in things like building a bridge. 

Week Eight

"The use of portfolio assessment is a valuable tool for teachers to use with young children to better understand how young children develop and learn" (Seitz, 1). 

I believe that it is true that teachers use portfolios to learn about children. We use them to document children to better understand them in many ways. We are helping them developmentally and use them to plan activities and curriculum to help them better their skills or to learn new skills. Because children develop at different stages and times, having a base to what is the "norm" is important. Children grow everyday and it is best to capture that to reflect on how they progress and how fast they progressed. We also learn about what their strengths and weaknesses are. While the children are learning, we are learning about the children through collecting documentations. We also learn about how children grow. Although I know that we learn about the development of children from infant to adulthood, it is different when having hands on experience because each child is unique in their own way. Learning through hands on experience is helpful because it is easier for me to remember.

"The immediate focus of the portfolio is to support a child (learner) with their understandings of concepts, ideas, and emotional self."

Using portfolios also help the programs earn accrediation and makes the program a better program that parents would be interested in enrolling their children in. Having the license makes the program proud and the workers proud that they work there. It shows parents that we are teaching the children rather than just playing with them until they get picked up everyday. Using portfolios also helps us catch developmental delays and signs. Because we know what benchmark or developmental point each age is supposed to be, children who are showing delays would be easier to catch.

Everyday, I observe how the children act and know their personalities well. When the child starts to act a certain way, it automatically alerts me and I would ask the parents if there is something different going on at home. Sometimes, I try to see if it is something that is adjustable in the classroom before asking questions about family life at home. Children often share things when they are comfortable so it is important to build relationships with each child in a positive and trusting way. I use their personalities and their everyday moods to help me better get through the day with them. Everyday is new with them and it is a joy to have because I am never bored at work!