Students have been participating in lots of stations during
my morning visits to preschool. Memory games, name tracing worksheets, sorting
manipulatives, and even Bingo, it’s been a great and beneficial experience
watching what these smart kiddos are capable of accomplishing academically. It
felt great participating in some of the stations and having that opportunity to
see how proud of themselves some of the students were when they would
successfully complete an activity. It only took a little encouragement to
motivate them to want to do a good job. Children really do love positive
reinforcement and will strive to finish tasks if they feel that you truly care
about the work they produce.
My favorite experience happened last week when I was hanging
out with the non-verbal student in one of the stations the teacher had set up.
This kiddo might not have much to say but he is the most amusing, spirited, and
spunky child I’ve ever met. We were supposed to be playing Bingo… But that
ornery child was not having it. Every time the TA would hold up a picture card,
he would use his device to say the word “Go” (as in Bingo) even though he
obviously didn’t have a Bingo. He also thought it was hilarious to keep
pointing out to me, the body part pictures on his device. Specifically, the
picture of the crudely drawn buttocks was most amusing to him. When I asked him
if that was a picture of a booty he laughed so hard he got us busted by the
teacher for not staying on task 😊
· Describe the range of abilities in the class.
How does the teacher accommodate for the range of abilities represented in her
classroom?
We actually have a wide range of abilities in our classroom.
Not only do we have the two ELL students from China, but we also have two children
with IEP’s and a child who is nonverbal and uses a device to communicate with
other people. We also have a few children who, based on some of the behaviors
I’ve observed, I would probably recommend being evaluated.
One of the ways the teacher accommodates the wide range
of skills and abilities in her classroom by differentiating her instruction in
order to meet the needs of all of her students. There are several ways in which
I have observed her doing so. She sets up stations and centers where students
have the opportunity to work independently, in a whole group, in pairs, and in
small groups. She also encourages her students to ask questions, participate in
discussions during group activities. Therefore, they have a chance to not only
learn from her but also from their peers as well as themselves.
·
How does the teacher talk to the children? Note
similarities and differences in how the teacher speaks to individual children
(i.e. gender, race, ability, etc.)
She’s really good about engaging her students in
conversations and asking them questions about what they’re interested in so
that she can integrate that information into her lessons and activities. If
students are interested in a topic or activity, they are more likely to want to
learn more about it, thus they become more engaged. I haven’t noticed any
distinct differences in the way she talks to her students individually, but she
definitely is a bit more patient with her ELL students in repeating
instructions and waiting for them to complete activities. She also tends to
hold her older preschoolers to a higher standard when modeling good behavior to
the other students.
