Week #3 Video Reviews
The Smells Inventory Group
The group did an interesting activity where they went around the classroom to smell 5 different things & write about words that came to mind when they smelt them. It's a great hands on discovery lesson that supports learning about the 5 senses. The teacher later discussed what the children found & took note of words that were not written on the students paper but mentioned so that she could go back & address it later, most likely for a vocabulary lesson. The only thing I didn't like was that she was a bit unprepared at the beginning when she was explaining the activity to the group. She ended up using her student's 1-5 sheet & while explaining asked him if she could add the example onto his paper taking away
The Animal Train
Two toddlers are building with blocks & creating a home for animals using their imagination. The teacher is talking with the students & asking them questions about their invention. His questions are intentional learning because he is trying to get them to think beyond & create new ideas as they play. For example he asks, "Why is the horse here but not over here?" The student says, "The hay is over here." The teacher says, "So there is no hay over there." He is giving them language so the child can think about the use of the word , "here" & "there." He also asks questions about what kinds of buildings there are, how they built them, & why certain animals are together. He accepts that the students are using their imagination & don't always answer his questions in the most "logical" way but gives them the extra knowledge & vocabulary so that they can consider it while playing. I am a big fan of this teaching style as it lets the child be themselves but still helps them with literacy & speech.
Teaching Strategies & Math
The speaker talks about using different strategies for teaching math. He talks about singing, creating centers, & keeping strong interactions. This is very true & true for any subject! He also states the importance of keeping records of the child's learning. Even if it's very quick it's important to keep note of where the students are at.
Giving Up The Computer
A student is throwing a fit because he had to give up the computer because it is another child's turn. He is upset & crying on the floor but the student is very calm & talks to him. She explains to him that she understands his feelings that it's hard to wait but she also explains that because he was having so much fun he didn't realize that he was on the computer for a long time & it's someone else's turn. She is very thorough in talking it out with him & very calm the entire time. She gives him a number of options, putting his name on the board for later, working with her on something else, going to another center, etc. The teacher is very good at handling the situation.
Multiple Teaching Strategies
The speaker talks about planning lessons. She speaks from her personal experience how she had a lesson but noticed a student who was interested in the number of 5. She planned a lesson on graphing but because a student was excited finding out different ways to find the number 5 so she went on that & had the class learn about his discovery that day. If she had decided to continue on with the graphing she would have missed an opportunity to expand learning. She talks about how it's important to plan the lesson well but remember that it's important to take advantage of children's discoveries when they appear because those are teaching moments. This is extremely true! Another speaker discusses how teachers need to support children's effort to play as it is where a lot of self regulating & discovery happens. They don't always get the opportunity to discover on their own so it's vital that they get classroom time to play.
The group did an interesting activity where they went around the classroom to smell 5 different things & write about words that came to mind when they smelt them. It's a great hands on discovery lesson that supports learning about the 5 senses. The teacher later discussed what the children found & took note of words that were not written on the students paper but mentioned so that she could go back & address it later, most likely for a vocabulary lesson. The only thing I didn't like was that she was a bit unprepared at the beginning when she was explaining the activity to the group. She ended up using her student's 1-5 sheet & while explaining asked him if she could add the example onto his paper taking away
The Animal Train
Two toddlers are building with blocks & creating a home for animals using their imagination. The teacher is talking with the students & asking them questions about their invention. His questions are intentional learning because he is trying to get them to think beyond & create new ideas as they play. For example he asks, "Why is the horse here but not over here?" The student says, "The hay is over here." The teacher says, "So there is no hay over there." He is giving them language so the child can think about the use of the word , "here" & "there." He also asks questions about what kinds of buildings there are, how they built them, & why certain animals are together. He accepts that the students are using their imagination & don't always answer his questions in the most "logical" way but gives them the extra knowledge & vocabulary so that they can consider it while playing. I am a big fan of this teaching style as it lets the child be themselves but still helps them with literacy & speech.
Teaching Strategies & Math
The speaker talks about using different strategies for teaching math. He talks about singing, creating centers, & keeping strong interactions. This is very true & true for any subject! He also states the importance of keeping records of the child's learning. Even if it's very quick it's important to keep note of where the students are at.
Giving Up The Computer
A student is throwing a fit because he had to give up the computer because it is another child's turn. He is upset & crying on the floor but the student is very calm & talks to him. She explains to him that she understands his feelings that it's hard to wait but she also explains that because he was having so much fun he didn't realize that he was on the computer for a long time & it's someone else's turn. She is very thorough in talking it out with him & very calm the entire time. She gives him a number of options, putting his name on the board for later, working with her on something else, going to another center, etc. The teacher is very good at handling the situation.
Multiple Teaching Strategies
The speaker talks about planning lessons. She speaks from her personal experience how she had a lesson but noticed a student who was interested in the number of 5. She planned a lesson on graphing but because a student was excited finding out different ways to find the number 5 so she went on that & had the class learn about his discovery that day. If she had decided to continue on with the graphing she would have missed an opportunity to expand learning. She talks about how it's important to plan the lesson well but remember that it's important to take advantage of children's discoveries when they appear because those are teaching moments. This is extremely true! Another speaker discusses how teachers need to support children's effort to play as it is where a lot of self regulating & discovery happens. They don't always get the opportunity to discover on their own so it's vital that they get classroom time to play.