In our Child Development course, we talked a lot about Piaget and his theory about children and the way that they develop. I learned that the vast majority of students in my class are still in the preoperational stage of development and have a very hard time seeing a perspective other than their own. This explains why so many incidents in my class have been due to students having a lack of empathy for their classmates because they haven't quite developed to that stage yet. It was so very interesting to try out the Piagetian tasks with my students and be able to see where they were in the developmental continuum.
A lot of my lows for this month consist of classroom management issues. I'm not sure if it is because my students have not been properly introduced to the classroom rules or if they still aren't used to me yet but for whatever reason, I have been having a bit of difficulty trying to manage my classroom. I must say that Conscious Discipline has helped me a lot in thinking about how to keep my composure in the classroom and ways to approach managing my classroom better.
Despite all of the challenges that I have faced so far in the classroom, I have so many things to celebrate! One of my ELLs who first had a lot of difficulty recognizing and writing letters can now recognize the letters in her name and write them!
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My students are learning how to cooperatively work together and how each person has something valuable to add to the class!
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And also, they are making strides in their writing and coming along so very well in the writing process!!
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Looking at all of the things that I have to celebrate in short a short period of time gives me hope for how much more I will be able to accomplish in the future. I'm exciting to keep getting to know my students and keep seeing them grow in all aspects of learning. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing the growth that I am going to make as an educator and all of the memories I'm getting ready to make with the awesome students of Pre-K 3! :-)
Yay! What a great start to your new job! I love the pics, so so cute, especially their lovely little samples of emergent writing. Looks just like the examples in Literate Lives! Your challenges in classroom management sound tough. I'm sure a lot of it is just you and them adjusting to new routines and you'll find your feet soon. Keep up the good work! :D
ReplyDeleteMs. Griffin!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations again on the new job by the way. I see you and I have had some similar issues this month. In terms of classroom management, we just have to take it a day at a time. As we approach each new day, we can try new strategies to see what works and what doesn't work, but this is normal though, and I know it will get better.
I love how you reflected on Piaget's 4 stages of learning. You seem to have the concepts down when it comes to your young students. This will no doubt assist in being exactly what they need. You are taking the time to get to know who they are and what their needs are. This makes you a dynamic educator in my opinion. Continue the great work Ms. Griffin!
Tilifayea! So awesome to see a) that you now have a job! And b) That you are making such strides!
ReplyDeleteI love how you are using Conscious Discipline and Yardsticks and understanding of Piaget's theories in order to understand and appreciate where your students are cognitivly. This is such an important step in being able to support a group of kids who are all unique and individual in their growth. Nice work!
The writing that you displayed is awesome for pre-k. I love how there are pictures, and names and letters written. It definitly seems as though your students are engaged and interested in their learning process. All I can say, is that with the classroom management, try songs! I realized this month that songs really work! If there is chaos in the room during line up time, I just make up a song to the tone of “This is the way”
“This is the way we get in line, get in line, get in line,
this is the way we get in line, so early in the morning.
I like how Dulce is waiting in line, waiting in line,
her hands are by her side and she is noooot talking...”
Works like a charm. Try it and let me know!
Good luck!
Wow! You have accomplished a lot in three short weeks! Your eagerness and enthusiasm for teaching is demonstrated in such a manner that your students are enjoying the new experiences with the hands on learning you give. I too have referenced Chip Wood's Yardsticks book to re-learn those key developmental characteristics that help to better understand the temperament and personality of my students. You seem to be doing just as Mr. Woods states in his book about keeping the needs of the students as your foundation to all you do in the classroom. I think that each day I learn something new about my students and I am sure you will continue to do the same through out the school year.
ReplyDeleteWorking with my students on the Piaget Theory was truly enlightening. I am not sure if I was more amazed of the out come or if the students enjoyed the activity more. Learning and applying the theories from our Psychology course is beyond helpful to understanding their perspective.
There is some much to explore in your new environment with your students. As you move forward in your classroom I know that you will enjoy many more celebrations throughout the year!
Sounds like you're really getting down to business in Pre-K! I really enjoyed reading about how your students are writing and how exciting that one of your ELLs is really advancing in her literacy development. I'm sure you're using the Ladybugs book for help in how to work with ELLs!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you noticed the egocentrism that Piaget refers to in his theory. I see this a lot in my students too. It's fascinating when they start to realize someone else's point of view and I'm sure you'll start to see a little bit of that in the coming months.
I understand the struggle of classroom management when it comes to your students. Sometimes you just feel at a loss of what to do in order to get your class in order! I'm sure that you'll get the hang of it soon though. You're a very sweet person, and I can tell that you are truly celebrating the victories that you are seeing in your classroom. There's so much more to come, and I can't wait to hear about it! I find it helpful to go over the rules daily and ask children what they think that rule means and why do they think we need a rule like that. Sometimes providing kids with a rationale really helps them grasp the concept. Can't wait to hear how things go in the next month!
Thanks so much for sharing your blog! I am so excited for you that you finally have a class to work with, and it sounds like you are off to a great start! :) I really enjoyed learning about your experience with classroom management, as I too have found that this is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. I would love to hear which aspects of "Conscious Discipline" have been helpful for you in learning about practices for implementing discipline. I have found a lot of suggestions in there to be helpful for me as well! I also liked the connection that you made to Piaget's theories, as I think it is particularly interesting to connect theory and practice in this manner. Thank you again for sharing, and I can't wait to hear more about your experience in the Pre-K class!
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