Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul. ~ Friedrich Froebel
According to pediatric occupational therapist, Angela Hanscom, there are several reasons that young children are unable to sit still in school and have difficulty with social situations.
In her study, she showed that kids are behaving differently. They get frustrated easier. Children fall out of their
seats, are less attentive, and run into
each other and sometimes even run into the walls. Before academic rigor became so important, these types of behaviors were seldom seen. Due to this academic pressure, early childhood education programs are feeling the pressure to limit free play
more than is developmentally appropriate in order to meet the growing demands for
academic readiness that was expected before children entered
kindergarten.
Research points out that young children learn best through meaningful play
experiences, yet many preschools and kindergartens are transitioning from play-based
learning to becoming more academic in nature. Teachers are
pressured to document and justify what they do and why they do it, which leads to the
relaxed playful environment being compromised. We continue to do what is best for our students, while trying to fit into the ever-growing
restraints we must work within.
Parents, too, are increasingly putting their young children into more organized and structured playtime activities. Outdoor play is becoming a thing of the past. Many of my own students spend more time in front of a screen (tablets, iPads, apps on iPhones, and the television) than they do outside. Several go to bed each night with their televisions on in their bedrooms...at the age of five and six.
It is before the age of 7 years — ages traditionally known as pre-academic, when children need to have a wide range of
whole-body sensory experiences each day in order to develop
strong bodies and minds. This is best done outside where the senses are
fully engaged and their little bodies are challenged by the very ground on which they play.
Preschool years are the very best time for children to learn through play, and also a crucial
developmental period. If children are not given enough natural movement
and play experiences, they start their academic careers with a
disadvantage. They are more likely to be clumsy, have difficulty paying
attention, exhibit trouble controlling their emotions, utilize poor
problem-solving methods, and demonstrate difficulties with social
interactions. We are consistently seeing sensory, motor, and cognitive
issues pop up in later childhood, partly because of inadequate opportunities to move and play at an early age.
The thing about playing is that it's not
separate from learning. It IS learning. In fact, if young kids aren't playing,
chances are they are getting a fraction of the knowledge they would get if they
were "just" goofing around. This will sound strange but instructing kids may actually backfire.
Here's an example from Peter Gray's book, Free To Learn: A
researcher conducted an experiment on some 4- and 5-year-olds. She had a toy
that you could make do four different things -- squeak, light up, buzz...
whatever. She took a third of the kids into a room (one by one) and
demonstrated how to make the toy squeak: You press this button here.
The second group she sort of ignored while she
"played" with the toy and made it squeak, seemingly for her own fun.
The third group she simply handed the toy.
Later on, Groups 2 and 3 had discovered how to
make the toy produce more effects than the Group 1 kids. Why? Group 1 was
following instructions: They did what the teacher showed them. Groups 2 and 3
played.
The point??
By "teaching" children
the traditional way -- sitting them down and spoon-feeding them information --
we are actually making them less curious, more passive and, finally, less
educated, since all that gets into them is what the teacher tells them. We are shutting down their natural inquisitiveness.
If
children are given opportunities to play outdoors every day with
peers, there would be no need for these special exercises or meditation
techniques for the youngest of our school children. They would simply develop
these skills through play. Something that doesn’t need to
cost a lot of money or require much thought. Children just need the
time, the space, and the permission to be kids.
But substituting top-down
"education" for free play isn't preparing little kids for college or
careers.
It's preparing them to check out.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Too Much, Too Soon
With SO much being said about the importance of play and what is learned through play, I decided to share my thoughts, as well as some research:
The changes that seem the most troubling are more around the HOW kids are learning, not the WHAT that kids should be learning. In one study, from the University of Virginia, researchers chose to compare teachers’ responses from two years, 1998 and 2010. 1998? The federal No Child Left Behind law had not yet changed the school expectations with its testing and emphasis on the achievement gap. Here is a part of what they found:
How can teachers hold all children to the same standards when they are not all the same? They learn differently, mature differently – they just are not all the same especially at the age of 4-6. Teachers can have a whole year age difference, or more, between students, primarily due to the increase in "red-shirting" (or holding children out for a year). GET THIS!! A 2011 nationwide study by the Gesell Institute for Child Development found that the ages at which children reach developmental milestones have not changed in 100 years. 100 YEARS!! The manner in which children develop has not changed, yet we are asking our students to do things that they are not developmentally ready to do!! Here's an example: The average child cannot perceive an oblique line in a triangle until age 5½. This skill is a prerequisite to recognizing, understanding and writing certain letters. Key to understanding concepts such as subtraction and addition is “number conservation.” A child may be able to count five objects separately, but not understand that together they make the number five. The average child does not conserve enough numbers to understand subtraction and addition until 5½ or 6. They might be able to memorize the skills. If they are unable to learn and understand the skills, their academic performance will suffer as they get older. Child development experts understand that children can only learn what their brains are ready to absorb. Kindergarten is supposed to set the stage for learning and exposure to academic content when they are older. If they are going to push our kindergarten children to move faster, what will that mean for the push for educating” Pre-K?
Play is vastly important in kindergarten! Through play, children build literacy skills they need to be successful readers. By speaking to each other in socio-dramatic play, children use the language they heard adults read to them or say. This process enables children to find the meaning in those words.
In kindergarten, there is a wide range of developmental skills. A good kindergarten teacher observes and makes note of the various levels and stages of development and adjusts his/her teaching to meet the needs of each and every child assigned to that classroom.
CHECK THIS OUT: Two major studies confirmed the value of play vs. teaching reading skills to young children. Both compared children who learned to read at 5 with those who learned at 7 and spent their early years in play-based activities. Those who read at 5 had no advantage. Those who learned to read later had better comprehension by age 11, because their early play experiences improved their language development. (I would love to give credit. It was not given in the article I read...)
The drafters of the Common Core ignored the research on child development. In 2010, 500 child development experts warned the drafters that the standards called for exactly the kind of damaging practices that inhibit learning: direct instruction, inappropriate academic content and testing. These warnings went unheeded. How sad is THAT!! Went unheeded.....
It may satisfy politicians to see children perform inappropriately difficult tasks like trained circus animals. However, if we want our youngest, most precious resource to actually learn, we will demand the return of developmentally appropriate kindergarten!!
The changes that seem the most troubling are more around the HOW kids are learning, not the WHAT that kids should be learning. In one study, from the University of Virginia, researchers chose to compare teachers’ responses from two years, 1998 and 2010. 1998? The federal No Child Left Behind law had not yet changed the school expectations with its testing and emphasis on the achievement gap. Here is a part of what they found:
- Currently, it is the expectation of kindergarten teachers that students should know the alphabet and how to hold a pencil before beginning kindergarten. (How to we reach incoming families to let them know the importance of PreK? What can we do if they are unable to afford PreK? No one can answer that and it's typically the students who need it the most that are not reached, leading those children to already start behind the proverbial eight ball.)
- 31% of teachers, in 1998, believed their students should learn to read during the kindergarten year. In 2010, that jumped to 80%. (Consideration for students being developmentally ready to read and have the tools that they need to be a successful reader were not taken into consideration.)
- And then there's the increase in testing. In 2010, 73% of kindergartners took some kind of standardized test. 1/3 took tests at least once a month. In 1998, kindergarten students did not take standardized tests at all! But the first-grade teachers in 1998 reported giving fewer tests than the kindergarten teachers did in 2010. (Now, it's even higher.)
- Decrease in daily music and art. Why? More emphasis on "testable" academic content. (Let's look back at songs and nursery rhymes for a sec. Don't they teach patterning and rhyming, as well as a host of other skills?)
- A drop in engaging, interesting science instruction, such as dinosaurs and outer space, which children find interesting and engaging.
- There were HUGE decreases in the percentage of teachers who said their classrooms had areas for dress-up, a water or sand table, an art area or a science/nature area. (Again, skills learned in center-like activities are not tested. Never mind the language and social skills that are learned in these activities...)
- Teachers who offered a minimum of an hour a day of student-driven activities dropped from 54 to 40 percent. During the same time, whole-class, teacher-led instruction rose along with the use of textbooks and worksheets.
- Even though there is a rise in childhood obesity, time for recess has decreased.
- This report raises important questions about how we are teaching our youngest learners. The changes that seem the most troubling are more around HOW kids are learning, not WHAT kids should be learning. These trends are even stronger in high-poverty classrooms and in schools with more nonwhite children.
How can teachers hold all children to the same standards when they are not all the same? They learn differently, mature differently – they just are not all the same especially at the age of 4-6. Teachers can have a whole year age difference, or more, between students, primarily due to the increase in "red-shirting" (or holding children out for a year). GET THIS!! A 2011 nationwide study by the Gesell Institute for Child Development found that the ages at which children reach developmental milestones have not changed in 100 years. 100 YEARS!! The manner in which children develop has not changed, yet we are asking our students to do things that they are not developmentally ready to do!! Here's an example: The average child cannot perceive an oblique line in a triangle until age 5½. This skill is a prerequisite to recognizing, understanding and writing certain letters. Key to understanding concepts such as subtraction and addition is “number conservation.” A child may be able to count five objects separately, but not understand that together they make the number five. The average child does not conserve enough numbers to understand subtraction and addition until 5½ or 6. They might be able to memorize the skills. If they are unable to learn and understand the skills, their academic performance will suffer as they get older. Child development experts understand that children can only learn what their brains are ready to absorb. Kindergarten is supposed to set the stage for learning and exposure to academic content when they are older. If they are going to push our kindergarten children to move faster, what will that mean for the push for educating” Pre-K?
Play is vastly important in kindergarten! Through play, children build literacy skills they need to be successful readers. By speaking to each other in socio-dramatic play, children use the language they heard adults read to them or say. This process enables children to find the meaning in those words.
In kindergarten, there is a wide range of developmental skills. A good kindergarten teacher observes and makes note of the various levels and stages of development and adjusts his/her teaching to meet the needs of each and every child assigned to that classroom.
CHECK THIS OUT: Two major studies confirmed the value of play vs. teaching reading skills to young children. Both compared children who learned to read at 5 with those who learned at 7 and spent their early years in play-based activities. Those who read at 5 had no advantage. Those who learned to read later had better comprehension by age 11, because their early play experiences improved their language development. (I would love to give credit. It was not given in the article I read...)
The drafters of the Common Core ignored the research on child development. In 2010, 500 child development experts warned the drafters that the standards called for exactly the kind of damaging practices that inhibit learning: direct instruction, inappropriate academic content and testing. These warnings went unheeded. How sad is THAT!! Went unheeded.....
It may satisfy politicians to see children perform inappropriately difficult tasks like trained circus animals. However, if we want our youngest, most precious resource to actually learn, we will demand the return of developmentally appropriate kindergarten!!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Teachers: Conceal and Carry
To carry or not to carry? That is the question. Here's my two-cents: There are so many people out there who want to make a statement by doing horrible things to other people. It is the world that we live in, unfortunately. To that end, should teachers be allowed to conceal and carry? What a loaded question. (no pun intended) There are sp many points of view on this issue. Here's mine: I took a gun safety class one summer. When school started that fall, low and behold, one of my student's mother and her father were in the class, too. I asked her how she felt about having a teacher who could use a handgun. Her response? "I think it's sweet!" She went on to say that she would feel her child was much safer if I was able to carry at school. This is how I feel. If an unknown person were to force his/her way into our building, I would want have the ability to protect my students, my fellow teachers, and myself. Would I die for my students? In a heartbeat! I've lived a very good life. My student's lives are just beginning.
So, if teachers were ever allowed to conceal and carry, I would be one of the first to make that request with district officials. I do believe that anyone who owns a gun should first pass a background check and take a gun safety class. Rest assured, the people searching for fame by shooting up schools, movie theaters, malls, etc. I believe that this is not a gun problem. It is a person problem and those people should be getting the help they need.
So, if teachers were ever allowed to conceal and carry, I would be one of the first to make that request with district officials. I do believe that anyone who owns a gun should first pass a background check and take a gun safety class. Rest assured, the people searching for fame by shooting up schools, movie theaters, malls, etc. I believe that this is not a gun problem. It is a person problem and those people should be getting the help they need.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Many of my teacher-friends do not look forward to conferences. I am an odd-duck in that I look forward to conferences! For me, conferences are a time to touch base with parents, look at the strengths and struggles of each child, and form a partnership to help the students be as successful as possible.
This past week, we held parent-teacher conferences. Out of the 18 kindergarteners entrusted to my care, only one child's family did not show and that was due to a sudden family emergency, out of town. We will do that conference when they return, one day after school. Of those families, six conferences included both parents.
Additionally, I feel that parents can give teachers a huge insight to their children. One of the most important things that I can do is to make the parents of each child feel welcome and that their insight into their child will help me be a better teacher for their child. This is why, when I get my class list at the beginning of each school year, I call each parent, tell them I am going to be their child's teacher this school year, and invite them to Back-to-School Night. I also have a "secret" Facebook page, where I can share classroom news, pictures, updates, etc. Parents are also give my cell phone number. In the six years I've been doing this, not once have the parameters been breached. Those parameters include no calls before 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
This past week, we held parent-teacher conferences. Out of the 18 kindergarteners entrusted to my care, only one child's family did not show and that was due to a sudden family emergency, out of town. We will do that conference when they return, one day after school. Of those families, six conferences included both parents.
Additionally, I feel that parents can give teachers a huge insight to their children. One of the most important things that I can do is to make the parents of each child feel welcome and that their insight into their child will help me be a better teacher for their child. This is why, when I get my class list at the beginning of each school year, I call each parent, tell them I am going to be their child's teacher this school year, and invite them to Back-to-School Night. I also have a "secret" Facebook page, where I can share classroom news, pictures, updates, etc. Parents are also give my cell phone number. In the six years I've been doing this, not once have the parameters been breached. Those parameters include no calls before 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Friday, September 11, 2015
We Will Never Forget
14 years ago: We lived in the Kansas City area. My husband had flown to a meeting in Minneapolis, MN. He sat next to a Middle Eastern man who kept reading the Koran and shutting his eyes and praying. One of the hijackers? We will never know. I was home with our three kids. The girls were both at middle school and high school. Our son was home, watching Sports Center. His friend called and told him to switch to the news. We switched over just in time to see the second plane hit the twin towers. Our son said, "That looks like a good movie!" I told him it was no movie. I took him to school and went to the girls' school just to see their faces.
I went to the high school first. The marching band was out in the field, practicing for their halftime show. I pulled up to the curb. Our daughter came over. She asked why all of the jet-trails were in circles (the planes were circling Kansas City International, waiting to land) I told her that all planes were being forced to land, and that there had been a terrorist attack in New York City. I didn't know anything else.
Next I went to the middle school to see our other daughter. I sat at their lunch table and just visited with the girls. The principal came up to me and said, "We're not telling them anything. We feel it's best that this is a family conversation, especially without many details." He was an amazing principal and I agreed. I didn't want anyone else having that discussion with one of my children. The girls said that they heard there was a bomb. I could honestly say that no, it wasn't a bomb.
Because I was substitute teaching at the time, I was called in as just an extra set of hands and eyes in our son's elementary building-a floater. I was unable to reach my husband. All lines were clogged with people checking on loved ones.
After school that day, as were all dealing with the shock and trauma, our house cat ran away. While we were combing the neighborhood, looking for her, our son reached up to grab a neighbor's baseball net and pulled the entire goal down on his head, hitting the front of his head on the driveway and the rim of the goal clunking him on the back.
The next day, the two younger kids stayed home. Our middle daughter because she was distraught about her cat, at least that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Our son, because he had a concussion. Later that day, the cat came back and my husband was able to call.
He had no way to get home. All airlines were grounded, as well as bus lines. Three days later, he was able to rent a car and drive home.
A year later, I was lucky enough to be asked to go on an American History trip to Washington, D.C. At the Smithsonian, there was a tribute to 9/11. One of the things on display was answering machine recordings of people who were either telling their loved ones goodbye or of people trying to reach their loved ones. The messages were heartbreaking! I can't begin to imagine the fear, the deep sadness, the loss, the despair, of those people! It is unimaginable! I shall never forget!
I went to the high school first. The marching band was out in the field, practicing for their halftime show. I pulled up to the curb. Our daughter came over. She asked why all of the jet-trails were in circles (the planes were circling Kansas City International, waiting to land) I told her that all planes were being forced to land, and that there had been a terrorist attack in New York City. I didn't know anything else.
Next I went to the middle school to see our other daughter. I sat at their lunch table and just visited with the girls. The principal came up to me and said, "We're not telling them anything. We feel it's best that this is a family conversation, especially without many details." He was an amazing principal and I agreed. I didn't want anyone else having that discussion with one of my children. The girls said that they heard there was a bomb. I could honestly say that no, it wasn't a bomb.
Because I was substitute teaching at the time, I was called in as just an extra set of hands and eyes in our son's elementary building-a floater. I was unable to reach my husband. All lines were clogged with people checking on loved ones.
After school that day, as were all dealing with the shock and trauma, our house cat ran away. While we were combing the neighborhood, looking for her, our son reached up to grab a neighbor's baseball net and pulled the entire goal down on his head, hitting the front of his head on the driveway and the rim of the goal clunking him on the back.
The next day, the two younger kids stayed home. Our middle daughter because she was distraught about her cat, at least that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Our son, because he had a concussion. Later that day, the cat came back and my husband was able to call.
He had no way to get home. All airlines were grounded, as well as bus lines. Three days later, he was able to rent a car and drive home.
A year later, I was lucky enough to be asked to go on an American History trip to Washington, D.C. At the Smithsonian, there was a tribute to 9/11. One of the things on display was answering machine recordings of people who were either telling their loved ones goodbye or of people trying to reach their loved ones. The messages were heartbreaking! I can't begin to imagine the fear, the deep sadness, the loss, the despair, of those people! It is unimaginable! I shall never forget!
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Make the Connection
Sharing this from another site. Before students can learn, they need to know you care. Make the connection! There's an embedded video by the great Rita Pierson that is well worth viewing!
http://fuelgreatminds.com/classroom-management-making-connections/
http://fuelgreatminds.com/classroom-management-making-connections/
Sunday, August 9, 2015
The Beginning of Year 32 in Early Childhood Education (It Can't Have Been That Long!)
Here I sit, on a Sunday night, with my classroom not done, an incomplete class list, and no firm schedule. Staff meetings begin Thursday. Open House is the evening of the 17th. Kindergarteners start, full day, on the 18th.
That sounds like a lot, right? Here are the positives:
That sounds like a lot, right? Here are the positives:
- I was blessed to spend big chunks of time with family, renewing and strengthening our family bonds, including a total (here and there) of SIXTEEN days with our beautiful, spunky, hilarious granddaughter. HEAVEN!
- I spent a couple of days sharing ideas with some younger, energetic, teachers, which doesn't look like a lot on paper. However, planning with peers is ALWAYS energizing!
- This is the start of my fifth year in this school district, in the same building.
- About once a week, out teacher Bible study met to share, encourage, support, and cheer each other on!
- Even though our schedule has not yet been finalized, I have plans typed out on a Word document, so that once we get a schedule, I can just copy and paste into the correct cell of my spreadsheet. That being said, plans are finished through September.
- This year, I decided that I was not going to spend full days getting my classroom ready for the beginning of the year. I have been going in for a couple of hours each morning, while it's still cool enough for the dogs to be outside. I thought ahead to copies I needed for Parent Folders at Open House and got them copied over the summer. I also had copies made of some of my favorite activities to use the first few days of school. I also got ALL of the copies of take-home letters copied for our phonics program. Whew! That's a lot I didn't need to worry about! I have friends who are spending quite a bit of time at school. Sometime, I think to myself, "What am I missing?" Then I remind myself of the pre-planning I did at the end of last school year.
- I am reading THE MOST FABULOUS BOOK--EVER about teaching. It is by an author I became aware of through an online book study/devotions/Bible study last summer. It's called, Unshakable: 20 ways to enjoy teaching every day...no matter what, by Angela Watson. If you are a teacher, reading this blog post, I highly recommend it. I'm only on chapter 3 and am already finding things I can change, as well as things that validate my current practices!
- Two words: Essential Oils! There is a blend called "Serenity" and another called "Balance." Those are my two go-tos. Also, lavender, which is calming. I may diffuse it in my classroom, depending on what allergies I may or may not have.
- Speaking of my classroom, although our class lists are incomplete, pending the transfers, over half of my class are siblings of older students in the building!! I already have strong relationships with those families!! BONUS!
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