When thinking about school readiness, I feel the pressure, as a teacher that I have to get the children to be able to do this before they are ready to go to the next grade. Then it just makes it harder for the child because I am forcing the child to do things to show parents that the child is doing these things. How do you know if a child is "ready?" A child may be the smartest in the class, knows his or her letters, and listens well, but that does not mean they are ready; what if they are not socially ready?
I feel that children are ready for anything that life gives them, as long as they get practice and soon they will get the hang of things. Even as adults, I feel that we make many trials and errors before making things right. When we get a new job, we go through training, and even when we are on our own after; there is leeway because we are new workers. However, we put so much pressure in the children to have to know certain things before starting kindergarten.
Parents often are stressed about if a child is ready for kindergarten and feel that their child would fail. As teachers, we want whats best for the child and want them to learn in the best possible way; however, with so much pressure and making the child feel forced to learn, where does that lead the child? They wouldn't want to learn or wouldn't want to do activities.
With school readiness, companies provide assessment tools for teachers to use, but who does it really benefit? As I look at TS Gold, which is what I also use at work; it does not benefit the child at all. It benefits the company. Even with this assessment tool, I feel that it does not truly identify that the child is ready for school.
When I use the TS Gold tool, I use it to put my documentations, but I also provide summaries and a portfolio for the parents to see, because the program is so difficult to navigate around, and the terms are complex; it is better to put things into a portfolio for the parents to better understand what I have learned about their child. I feel that using this tool does not get to know the child, it just shows what the child does at school and it is simply just meeting standards. But it doesn't show true personality. It doesn't show a child's interest or personality at all.
I feel that a child who is willing to learn and is excited about learning is a child that is ready for school.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Looking at the three assessment tools this week and reviewing what each program does is really interesting. They each cover about the same things, but are used for different purposes.
Dial:
Dial-4 is used by preschool and kindergarten teachers, specialists, childcare administrators, and other early intervention programs. With Dial, the power resides in the person that is conducting the screening. Also, it is the parents and the students. There are many factors with Dial because in the format that was suggested, there are many different people around the child. It really depends on how the child reacts, they may be more shy around new people or outgoing. The screening is also mostly up to the person who does the final outcome because of the percentages that are used, it is based on which percentile is used.
Dial is useful for screening children that may be at risk for developmental delay. They clearly stated that it is not a "readiness" test. It is just to see if the child is within the normal curve or at risk, it is to allow professionals to help parents with resources if needed. They suggested a setting where the children and screeners have one-on-one interaction. The layout allows children to focus on the activity. It also allows no interruptions and is fast because after they are done, they go to another station to do another activity. The best setting to use this screening is if teachers, parents, specialists, or administrators see a potential child at risk for developmental delay. If they notice that the child is having some trouble and is behind in development, this would help to figure out if the child is at risk or not.
I think that everyone benefits from this screening because it is for the betterment of the child. If teachers, parents, screeners, or anyone sees that a child is at risk, we would want to find resources to help the child catch up or have an early intervention to help the child. It benefits everyone, especially the child, because they would be helped in the best way possible.
I think that the draw back of using this screening is that it shows the national range, every child is different, but it scores the child and it is an exam. I do not think that it would be effective because each child's strength is different. Using this is like placing a child at a certain range where it is "normal" or "ok" to be at that range. Some children are a little behind but could eventually catch up.
I don't think that this screening would affect instruction in classroom because it would be a screening that is used outside of the classroom or at a different time. However, teachers would benefit by being able to use this to help promote activities to help the child practice skills that they are behind in.
Brigance:
From the video, and the format of the PDF, it looks like Brigance is used to see if the child is "ready" for school. The way that the screeners talk to the children and ask questions is similar to how programs screen children to see where they are developmentally and if they would fit into the program. I would think that teachers and program administrators use this to enroll children. The power resides in the child and how much they know.
Brigance is useful for preparing for school, seeing if children are ready for school, and where they stand in development. The setting would be best in a classroom or somewhere that the child is comfortable in. It is more one-on-one interaction because the screener asks questions.
Schools would benefit from this program the most because it shows where the child is developmentally, and how to prepare their programs on what they know about the child. This program seems like it would be used before school starts and when they are meeting the child for the first time. I think that the child does not benefit from this screening because it is about what the child knows "intellectually" but not about the whole child.
The drawback that I see from using this program is that the program does not think of the child as an individual. It seems like something that is used for the benefit for the classroom and the teacher. This screening would affect the classroom in positive ways, for the teacher, it would help them know where to begin and what they need to work on with the children. It gives the teachers an idea of where the children stand.
Battelle:
With Battle, the program believes that the power is within the teacher and the staff. They believe that it is not where you are from, what district; with teachers who are great, it wouldn't matter where the school was. This screening process is useful for schools and programs to recruit and find teachers and staff members that are eager to help children learn and grow. There are different settings for this screening because it depends on the location, because each city, school, and district is different from others, there are strengths and weaknesses in each different school, what the program wants is staff that is willing to excel in all areas and create a program that help children succeed.
The students and community benefit from this program because with the staff that is described in this screening process, it shows that the staff is amazing and is willing to adjust to the changing economy. This screening process seems like it would find teachers who are really passionate about teaching and want what is best for each student they encounter. I feel like the only drawback from this screener is that not all teachers fit into this category. Although we like to believe that all teachers are passionate about their work, some teachers are different and they show their strengths in many different ways. It seems like there would be only a certain way that is "great teaching" but there is never just one way to teach. This screener would affect the classroom in different ways, positive and negative, because it could either help children and the program, or make teachers feel like they are not good enough to be a teacher because they do not fit in the descriptions.
Dial:
Dial-4 is used by preschool and kindergarten teachers, specialists, childcare administrators, and other early intervention programs. With Dial, the power resides in the person that is conducting the screening. Also, it is the parents and the students. There are many factors with Dial because in the format that was suggested, there are many different people around the child. It really depends on how the child reacts, they may be more shy around new people or outgoing. The screening is also mostly up to the person who does the final outcome because of the percentages that are used, it is based on which percentile is used.
Dial is useful for screening children that may be at risk for developmental delay. They clearly stated that it is not a "readiness" test. It is just to see if the child is within the normal curve or at risk, it is to allow professionals to help parents with resources if needed. They suggested a setting where the children and screeners have one-on-one interaction. The layout allows children to focus on the activity. It also allows no interruptions and is fast because after they are done, they go to another station to do another activity. The best setting to use this screening is if teachers, parents, specialists, or administrators see a potential child at risk for developmental delay. If they notice that the child is having some trouble and is behind in development, this would help to figure out if the child is at risk or not.
I think that everyone benefits from this screening because it is for the betterment of the child. If teachers, parents, screeners, or anyone sees that a child is at risk, we would want to find resources to help the child catch up or have an early intervention to help the child. It benefits everyone, especially the child, because they would be helped in the best way possible.
I think that the draw back of using this screening is that it shows the national range, every child is different, but it scores the child and it is an exam. I do not think that it would be effective because each child's strength is different. Using this is like placing a child at a certain range where it is "normal" or "ok" to be at that range. Some children are a little behind but could eventually catch up.
I don't think that this screening would affect instruction in classroom because it would be a screening that is used outside of the classroom or at a different time. However, teachers would benefit by being able to use this to help promote activities to help the child practice skills that they are behind in.
Brigance:
From the video, and the format of the PDF, it looks like Brigance is used to see if the child is "ready" for school. The way that the screeners talk to the children and ask questions is similar to how programs screen children to see where they are developmentally and if they would fit into the program. I would think that teachers and program administrators use this to enroll children. The power resides in the child and how much they know.
Brigance is useful for preparing for school, seeing if children are ready for school, and where they stand in development. The setting would be best in a classroom or somewhere that the child is comfortable in. It is more one-on-one interaction because the screener asks questions.
Schools would benefit from this program the most because it shows where the child is developmentally, and how to prepare their programs on what they know about the child. This program seems like it would be used before school starts and when they are meeting the child for the first time. I think that the child does not benefit from this screening because it is about what the child knows "intellectually" but not about the whole child.
The drawback that I see from using this program is that the program does not think of the child as an individual. It seems like something that is used for the benefit for the classroom and the teacher. This screening would affect the classroom in positive ways, for the teacher, it would help them know where to begin and what they need to work on with the children. It gives the teachers an idea of where the children stand.
Battelle:
With Battle, the program believes that the power is within the teacher and the staff. They believe that it is not where you are from, what district; with teachers who are great, it wouldn't matter where the school was. This screening process is useful for schools and programs to recruit and find teachers and staff members that are eager to help children learn and grow. There are different settings for this screening because it depends on the location, because each city, school, and district is different from others, there are strengths and weaknesses in each different school, what the program wants is staff that is willing to excel in all areas and create a program that help children succeed.
The students and community benefit from this program because with the staff that is described in this screening process, it shows that the staff is amazing and is willing to adjust to the changing economy. This screening process seems like it would find teachers who are really passionate about teaching and want what is best for each student they encounter. I feel like the only drawback from this screener is that not all teachers fit into this category. Although we like to believe that all teachers are passionate about their work, some teachers are different and they show their strengths in many different ways. It seems like there would be only a certain way that is "great teaching" but there is never just one way to teach. This screener would affect the classroom in different ways, positive and negative, because it could either help children and the program, or make teachers feel like they are not good enough to be a teacher because they do not fit in the descriptions.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Introduction to 440
Hello,
My name is Monica. I am in my second to the last semester at UHWO. I currently work at Alani Children's Center at KCC as a lead teacher with 3's and younger 4's. This is my second semester teaching so I am still learning each and everyday. I am the second of 4 children, 3 girls and one boy. My family speaks Cantonese. I was born in Manhattan, but raised in Hawaii since I was 2. On my free time, I love to eat; noodles are my favorite! I love to relax and just have alone time because of my crazy schedule. A great way for me to relieve stress is by going to the gym and doing some cardio, which also is good for my health!
I am excited to start this semester with everyone!
Monica
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Ready to be a director?
This course and really made us think about different aspects of being a director. All the different things that a director has to do. I now appreciate my director that much more because I know all the stress that she has. I also give her props for doing all that she does, from being a professor, to a mentor, to our director and having to deal with us and our needs. It is just amazing. How would you show your director that you appreciate her? I feel that we do not appreciate the things that our directors do for us because we do not understand their workload and we tend to take things for granted. How would you use these techniques that you learned to build your program? Even though you are not going to be a director, you can still use these when teaching. How would you use these for your everyday in your classroom?
Nature
Assignment 11:
Sarah used her resources well in this situation. Since she had such beautiful landmarks and such great learning opportunities, she created an program that was about nature and the children's environment. Her approach was to teach children that it is not all about "TV" and video games, nature is beautiful and she wanted to teach them how to appreciate it. The children in my program go on nature walks, we think about what we will see and make charts. The children learn about gardening and learning about different types of plants and see them grow. We teach the children that whatever is at the school, should stay at the school because it belongs there. The children enjoy catching potato bugs and millipedes, but they know that they need to go back home when we go back inside to play. I would love to be able to use resources from outside to help us learn about our environment because it is important that the children know what is around them. Involving the entire program was also great because then the children are all learning about the same thing.
Assignment 12:
As a director, I would want my staff to not feel like they are working for a corporate, I want them to feel like they are working in a open and welcoming preschool program. I would want the staff to be able to come to me to help them with any problems they are having. We have many different assessments, but I know that no child is the same, they are all developing the same, I feel that we often forget that children develop at their own pace. I really liked how they took the timepieces out of the classroom, because it allowed the children to not feel rushed. It allowed the children feel like they belong their. It wasn't so teacher-based and more about the child because the staff had to focus on the child and their body languages. My next steps, I would want to be able to use these techniques to create an amazing program!
Sarah used her resources well in this situation. Since she had such beautiful landmarks and such great learning opportunities, she created an program that was about nature and the children's environment. Her approach was to teach children that it is not all about "TV" and video games, nature is beautiful and she wanted to teach them how to appreciate it. The children in my program go on nature walks, we think about what we will see and make charts. The children learn about gardening and learning about different types of plants and see them grow. We teach the children that whatever is at the school, should stay at the school because it belongs there. The children enjoy catching potato bugs and millipedes, but they know that they need to go back home when we go back inside to play. I would love to be able to use resources from outside to help us learn about our environment because it is important that the children know what is around them. Involving the entire program was also great because then the children are all learning about the same thing.
Assignment 12:
As a director, I would want my staff to not feel like they are working for a corporate, I want them to feel like they are working in a open and welcoming preschool program. I would want the staff to be able to come to me to help them with any problems they are having. We have many different assessments, but I know that no child is the same, they are all developing the same, I feel that we often forget that children develop at their own pace. I really liked how they took the timepieces out of the classroom, because it allowed the children to not feel rushed. It allowed the children feel like they belong their. It wasn't so teacher-based and more about the child because the staff had to focus on the child and their body languages. My next steps, I would want to be able to use these techniques to create an amazing program!
Bringing my vision to life
What dispositions do you see Michelle bringing to leadership?
Michelle worked hard with her directors group to get help in making her program better. Even though she had a hard time leaving her program to go to the meetings, she knew that it was important for her and her staff for her to go. With these meetings, she was able to come up with ideas that would better help her program. She set policies and structures to help her teachers become self-reflective, collaborative planner and problem solvers. She had to redo her budget, staffing patterns, and her staff's professional development. She focused on her staff and how to make them be more confident in their teaching and planning. Michelle noticed what was wrong, for example, her staffing. She noticed that most of them were leaving or never stayed long, she was constantly hiring new staff. She knew that she was only hiring to fill the spot, not to find valuable and eager teachers.
How are your dispositions similar to or different from Michelles?
I think that for any person, we always reevaluate ourselves at a certain point. I always try to think about how I could do things better. With the support of my staff members, I always find ways to better myself. I know that without them, I probably would not be able to do what I am doing today. I went through what it was like to be short staffed and not having staff that stayed for very long. It was tough on the children and the other staff members because we were constantly overworked or had different people in the classroom. The children were constantly confused and testing the new staff which made it hard for us to have steady schedules. If I were to be a director, the most important thing I would want is for my staff to feel confident in what they do.
What aspects of her vision appeal to you?
What I liked best was the fact that she was so focused on helping her staff and bettering them. At the same time, she was evaluating herself and thinking about things that she could do better that would help her staff and her program. She also asked herself the same questions that she asked her staff. It was like she was connecting herself, rather than being the boss, she was learning along with them and helping them through the process.
What could you imagine yourself doing that is inspired by this story of Michelles work?
I feel like with this story, it helps us learn that even though you are a boss, you have to think about how to evaluate yourself too. Even though there is no one watching you make your mistakes, what you do is also gonna effect the staff and the program. It is a big responsibility, but if you take it slow and try new things, it will all work out. It is also important to have a good support system of people who are there to help you and guide you along the way.
Michelle worked hard with her directors group to get help in making her program better. Even though she had a hard time leaving her program to go to the meetings, she knew that it was important for her and her staff for her to go. With these meetings, she was able to come up with ideas that would better help her program. She set policies and structures to help her teachers become self-reflective, collaborative planner and problem solvers. She had to redo her budget, staffing patterns, and her staff's professional development. She focused on her staff and how to make them be more confident in their teaching and planning. Michelle noticed what was wrong, for example, her staffing. She noticed that most of them were leaving or never stayed long, she was constantly hiring new staff. She knew that she was only hiring to fill the spot, not to find valuable and eager teachers.
How are your dispositions similar to or different from Michelles?
I think that for any person, we always reevaluate ourselves at a certain point. I always try to think about how I could do things better. With the support of my staff members, I always find ways to better myself. I know that without them, I probably would not be able to do what I am doing today. I went through what it was like to be short staffed and not having staff that stayed for very long. It was tough on the children and the other staff members because we were constantly overworked or had different people in the classroom. The children were constantly confused and testing the new staff which made it hard for us to have steady schedules. If I were to be a director, the most important thing I would want is for my staff to feel confident in what they do.
What aspects of her vision appeal to you?
What I liked best was the fact that she was so focused on helping her staff and bettering them. At the same time, she was evaluating herself and thinking about things that she could do better that would help her staff and her program. She also asked herself the same questions that she asked her staff. It was like she was connecting herself, rather than being the boss, she was learning along with them and helping them through the process.
What could you imagine yourself doing that is inspired by this story of Michelles work?
I feel like with this story, it helps us learn that even though you are a boss, you have to think about how to evaluate yourself too. Even though there is no one watching you make your mistakes, what you do is also gonna effect the staff and the program. It is a big responsibility, but if you take it slow and try new things, it will all work out. It is also important to have a good support system of people who are there to help you and guide you along the way.
Monday, November 17, 2014
My vision to life
- How did Lettie integrate her leadership work from each side of the triangle?
Lettie used the triangle, and worked together with the support of teachers and families to help create a vision for her toddler classroom. She wanted to make sure that her staff and families felt that they had a part in creating a program for the toddler classroom. She noticed that in most of the programs, the vision was on paper but she did not see it in the staff and the program itself. Lettie made sure that she focused on the children and the families, and include the staff, to help them feel involved and a part of the school. She focused more on the families rather than on the paper work.
- If you were to put relationships center stage in your management, coaching, and community-building routines, what routine or system might you want to start revamping?
I know that I want to make sure that the parents feel welcomed into the classroom. Making sure that I sustain positive relationships with the parents and the children. Rather than the parents seeing me as the office person who is in charge, I want them to see me as a teacher too who will help their child achieve goals and be the best they can be. I want to welcome them into our daily routines at the school and let them know that I am there for them. If there are things that I could help them with then they should feel free to come to me when they need. Of course, as a director I want to make sure that the parents know that I am there to provide for them and their child. I would also want to have my staff have the same idea of having strong relationships with each other and the families. Even though there are times where parents beliefs and personal beliefs clash, we should all be respectful to each other and work together in supporting the child.
- How would you describe Lettie's disposition?
I think that even though Lettie is the director, she made sure that she involved parents and was very involved in the classroom and learning about the children and their families. She related to them in many ways. She also built strong relationships with the staff and created an vision by visiting other programs and seeing what works and what didn't. She also had patience for making sure that she considered every idea from staff and parents to create a vision that incorporated everyone's idea. She made sure that everyone worked together to help each other. She wanted parents to feel welcomed into the classroom and do things with the children. She created a place for the children and families to feel at home and safe.
- What disposition do you want to strengthen in yourself to begin your revamping work?
I know I want to work on having my parents feel that they can talk to me about anything. Because I am so young, I feel like it is hard to relate to them because I do not have children, nor am I married. I also know that I need to work on my communication skills because I am shy. I want to make sure that parents will feel welcomed into the classroom and the preschool, but also maintaining professionalism. The children are the most important priority and I want to make sure that parents know that I am there to be there for their children 110% and that my goal is to make sure that their child is learning at their best abilities.
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