Assignment 1: Fostering Classroom Communities

Title

Activities to Support Young Children in their Transition from Preschool to Kindergarten

The objective of this dissertation study was to motivate Pre-K students (4 and 5 year olds) towards positive transitions to kindergarten. The study included an activities handbook facilitated by preschool teachers, parents and students working in the early childhood community. Feedback was given on activities to stimulate positive motivation for pre-k students (Roach, 2017).

Method and results

The study used a quantitative approach to analyze their findings. The activities handbook was conducted by 14 preschool teachers six months before children transitioned into kindergarten (Roach, 2017) The study analyzed findings from a survey that there were consistent issues reported on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree. Out of 37 teachers from 3 different preschools, 14 teachers responded (Roach, 2017).

The results came out to be that the teachers would use the activity handbooks in their classroom. This project would conclude that the activities would be very effective in motivating 4-5 year old student transitions to kindergarten. The most negative concerns from the data collected was the lack of parental involvement (Roach, 2017). This result was collected from the survey.

Three resources used:

Choi, D., Kim, J., & Murdock, T. (2005). Investigation of parents' beliefs about readiness for kindergarten: an examination of national household education survey (NHES: 93). Educational Research Quarterly, 29(2), 3-17. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ739378

Daniels, D. H. (2014). Children’s affective orientations in preschool and their initial adjustment to kindergarten. Psychology in the Schools, 51, 256-272. doi:10.1002/pits.21748

Duncan, G. J., Dowsett, C. J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A. C., Klebanov, P., Pagani, L.S., Feinstein, L., Engel, M., Brooks-Gunn, J., Sexton, H., & Duckworth, K. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43(6), 1428-1446. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1428

Each of these resources are useful because as educators we want to clarify our understanding of the structure of transitions and our parents beliefs about pre-k transitions into kindergarten. Kindergarten readiness is a highlight for further future success. Even after their transition to kindergarten we need to evaluate their adjustment in kindergarten so see how much of an impact pre-k had on them to aid in being somewhat successful in kindergarten. The activities hand book was a great idea to get viewpoints from parents and teachers to see what works for their children. School readiness is vital. I always say that early education sets the foundation.

The information from this dissertation will help further my interest and research in fostering supportive learning environments by looking at what is best for the students as they transition. Many of them are not ready and lack very important skills. I want to find ways to help improve quality success and school readiness so we can avoid future delays in academics. It also take having more parents involved.

Another thing I would like to research and gain more knowledge of is families of different cultures. Sometimes for example we have Hispanic families that migrate here only knowing their native language and work long days and nights to be better providers for their families. Learning about their culture and things they do to adapt and learning what they are open to will help me to understand their children and help that family be more attuned with their child’s academics.

Reference

Roach, D. (2017). Activities to support young children in their transition from preschool to

kindergarten (Order No. 10286913). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1972566618). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/1972566618?accountid=14872

Scholar Practitioners as Program Evaluators

When I think about evaluating and supporting early childhood education, I think about the long term effects for young children’s outcomes. There needs to be constant evaluation, research and support in all areas of the field such as teachers, learning centers, parents, children and the community. Of course the state, local and govern will have a hand in this. I look at what can be done better. I look at what is already working.

I am hoping for this course to impact me in ways of training, supporting and guiding teachers to be successful in classrooms. I want teachers to enjoy what they do. I want teachers to appreciate the experience and roles that they play in families lives as they set the foundation for primary grades. I would like teachers to show effective practices that promotes healthy learning and development for young children.

Questions that arise my curiosity is why aren’t teachers aloud much flexibility in teaching? I get that we have to follow policy and accreditation and curriculum, but does it have to be the way of the book.

In my past experiences, I would do the lesson plan the way it’s asked of us teachers but I would not necessarily follow it because my students were not benefiting from it. I knew my students and how they learned. I knew what worked for them and what did not. My students performed much better when I taught and parents very much so appreciated it. I’m not saying I completely disregarded the lesson plan, however majority of it was taught for the best of the students.

We all can be impacted and impact the process of program evaluation. We are scholar practitioners in this field, so the fact that we are already in this programs say’s we want to do more and we want to be more. We are constantly doing research in this field and most of us work in this field and practice new knowledge. We are advocating for families, we are bringing new program evaluations and support and most of all we are promoting positive social change.

Assessing for Development, Emerging Knowledge, Intervention, and Modification: Using Assistive Technology

Assistive technology provides devices for students/people with disabilities. Technology has created so many possibilities for disabled learners. Many years ago people with disabilities have been shut out of participating events and schools due to their disabilities ( Nielsen, 2011).Some were not even able to participate in classrooms due to the lack of accessibility or instructional problems. Today there thankfully has been developed technology to assist in the isolation of disabled students.

There are many types of assistive technology to aid in learning and attention issues.

1.      Audio players/recorders- helps the child listen to the recording as the teacher reads them on the pages. There are e-books, phones, and tablets with text to speech software that could be read out loud to the child (Nielsoen, 2011).These type of devices can be used for children 2 years of age through adults. It fosters ways of learning through reading and writing guidance.

2.    

Writing supports- Some children have trouble with writing. This could be used in a forms of writing utensils or a computer (Nielsen, 2011).Some writing programs come with features that help with spelling and grammar. Another think to look at is that if a student is having a hard time with thoughts, some software has word predictors. It would require the child typing in the first few letters and as the software will generate the word choices of what the child may be trying to use. This can be used for children 5yrs and up.

Assistive technology may or may not be culturally responsive. When involving families to assist with learning, educators would have to gather information such as strengths, needs and priorities. All of these needs have to be matched with the family’s cultures for that student to succeed. Consistency would be key for a family’s culture values.

Any technology can be considered bad technology if not used in the useful appropriate ways. For example; a child who has a difficult time writing may use the tablet frequently, but sometimes too much of the tablet can enable a child to not have strong enough fine motor skills practice to start writing without the tablet.

Reference

Nielsen, L. (2011). 25 incredible assistive technologies. Retrieved from http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/09/25-incredible-assistive-technologies.html

Assignment 2: Blog: Choosing the Proper Assessment Scenarios

presented below are two scenarios who requires intervention to determine their needs. intervention get's the child properly diagnosed so that the services get's provided in time. intervention involves assessing a child and it plays an integral part of teaching and learning Purposeful assessment affects a child's learning in more way than you know. The purpose of assessments is to let the teachers and parents know where their child is and where they are going Banerjee & Luckner (2013).

Addison is a 7 year old girl. Every day after school, Addison knows to come home to complete her 20 minutes of reading daily to complete her reading counts test. Addison has a hard time understanding why she has to read chapter books for her age and according to her lexile level. She goes through all other underage leveled books very quickly. When it comes to the chapter books, Addison complains, cries, but reads to get it done. She has difficulty reading some of the words, but overall she is an avid reader. It challenges her to be better at reading.

Addison’s mother had issues reading while she was in kindergarten, but tries to find resources to help her daughter get to the appropriate levels for her reading counts test. Addison’s father was a great reader and had lots of support from his teachers and reading tutoring while he was in the first grade.

Addison is the youngest of 3 siblings. Although her parents work full time they are very involved in making sure their children are successful with their academics. To encourage Addison to enjoy reading her parents encourages all other siblings to read with her at the family dinner table every night as they all take turns. They read fun, funny, and enjoyable stories that also relates to their home environment. She even gets to read to her dog. Banerjee & Luckner (2013) suggests that professionals are most effective when they collect and use data assessments to use as instruction. What assessment skills could be used to identify the lacking skills? How can I as an educator identify strategies for making reading more enjoyable?

Miguel is a 3^rd grader who enjoys playing rough with his friends and doing house activities with his sister who is 5 and brother who is 12. Miguel and his siblings reside with his aunt, uncle and mother. Miguel was placed on an IEP during kindergarten in which he was diagnosed with having a learning disability in academic difficulties. Miguel’s father had LD during his elementary years which Miguel’s mother found out through her ex- husbands parents, so Miguel’s grandparents. Miguel’s father died while he was a newborn.

Miguel is a well behaved boy and very respectful to his superiors. Miguel really tries his best to complete assignments on time and it’s even harder at home because Miguel lives in a house full so his homework does not get fully completed or looked over. This problem makes it even more difficult for Miguel to be on the appropriate level for his age. Miguel’s teacher often catches Miguel getting off task and remembering things. Miguel also show signs of not being organized.

There has been some conversations at parent teacher conferences between Miguel’s mother and teacher. He is constantly getting behind and needs educational support to stay on task. Miguel’s teacher recommended and suggested to the mother that specialist come into the classroom and work with him side by side. The teacher is thinking about what assessment tool would be best used to determine the help Miguel needs. What intervention assessment tool would be best used to assess and collect data on Miguel?

Reference

Banerjee, R., & Luckner, J. L. (2013). Assessment practices and training needs of early childhood professionals. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 34(3), 231–248

Blog: Policies and National Regulations and Standards for Early Childhood Education

I decided to analyze and compare the standards of the state of Michigan. The state I am originally from. The state of Michigan takes pride in early learning program standards as it addresses the needs in family care settings such as learning centers and classroom programs (MSBE, 2013). There standards are intended to help early childhood programs providing quality in settings to help children and families.

The state of Michigan’s approach to learning is to outline areas of development in areas such as intellectual, social, emotional and physical development (MBSE, 2013). These approaches to learning is to demonstrate how children think, learn, and act.

Their views on child assessment and program evaluations are influenced by the child’s growth and development. The state of Michigan believes that the younger the child, the more difficult it can be to withhold reliable assessment data (MSBE, 2013). There seems to be many limitations when assessing. I can definitely agree with this. In my experience of assessing a child in the early years teachers are limited on tools to assess and the environment we are in does not make the results as valid. I have had to assess students in a classroom full of other shouting kids which caused many distractions. In this case it has been difficult to obtain reliable information (MSBE, 2013).

As of this day and age new models of assessment have been considered and emerged. There is authentic assessment, curriculum assessment, curriculum alignment with early learning standards and outcomes, functional objectives and outcomes, and individual targets for instruction in inclusive, natural environments ( Bagnato, S., eta al, 2011). All elements are essential parts of assessing and development. I would say The state of Michigan could benefit from some of these key elements.

Policies stated by (MSBE) are similar to National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Both aid in supporting children’s health, growth and development by their approaches to learning and they also implement their standards in learning centers and schools. It was also nice to see that they both support inclusion classrooms, this ensures equality amongst all students so diversity is encouraged and implemented.

Both The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NBPTS) shares a responsibility of:

·         Implementing a well thought out planned curriculum

·         A comprehensive system of curriculum and assessment guided by ECE practices

·         Conducts valid and reliable assessments a focal point of early childhood programs

·         Program evaluations and goals

·         Support professional development and provide other resources for teachers to help them meet tasks in ECE to be successful for early learners

As of 2003, other states have been developing appropriate standards for preschool age children (NBPTS, 2012).  Standards have been commonly put into place for k-12 students however, a survey was done on 39 states that had begun a frameworks for preschool standards (NBPTS,2012).

Questions to consider:

How to assess appropriately to gain reliable results?

What does a quality program look like?

Should the state reconsider their approach to assessments and program evaluations?

References

Bagnato, S. J., McLean, M., Macy, M., & Neisworth, J. T. (2011). Identifying Instructional Targets for Early

Childhood via Authentic Assessment: Alignment of Professional Standards and Practice-Based

Evidence. Journal Of Early Intervention, 33(4), 243-253.

doi:10.1177/1053815111427565

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2003). Early Childhood

Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation Building an Effective, Accountable System in Programs for Children Birth through Age 8. Retrieved on August 28, 2017 from: https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/CAPEexpand.pdf

National Board for professional teaching Standards (NBPTS). (2012). Early childhood

generalist standards (3^rd.ed.). Retrieved

from http://boardcertifiedteachers.org/sites/default/files/EC-GEN.pdf

Michigan State Board of Education. (2013). Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infant

And Toddler programs. Retrieved from

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ECSQ_IT_approved_422341_7.pdf

Michigan State Board of Education. (2013). Early Childhood Standards of Quality

Prekindergarten programs. Retrieved from

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ECSQ_OK_Approved_422339_7.pdf

Week 11: Your Personal Language and Literacy Development Journey

As a scholar practitioner and family advocate in the field of early education, it is evident of how much of my passion has become a lifestyle. I eat, breath and sleep early childhood education. I currently run my very own educational support services. I provide tutoring, homeschooling and parent advocacy in regards to their children. Daily I am fostering language development with students.

One of the memories I have is with one of my Japanese students. This student of mine moved here from Japan not speaking any English. Two weeks later she was speaking chopped up sentences. I am so proud of her progress because she had to adapt to new friends, new surroundings, change of language and lifestyle.  I’m glad this big change happened while she is younger because it’s easier for younger children to adapt.

During our sessions I would go back to the basics and have her review each letter and then in the weeks to come letter sounds. She is a very fast learner. I then had her identify lower case letters by participating in small activities. One particular activity she loved was rainbow rice and bottle tops. We took a bag of white rice, used four different pans, Ziploc bags, food coloring and vinegar. I then used a bunch of old water bottle tops and wrote lower case letters on them.  Once we mixed all the ingredients, let them dry and mixed all the rice together, we had ourselves a rainbow rice party with letters.

As my student picked up letter and letter sounds fast, I then introduced her to reading. We would look at pictures and I would have her tell me what she sees and then match up the word to that picture by sounding out the word that sounded close to what that picture was. I have been working with this student for two years and now she is fully speaking English, reading, writing and singing at the age of 4. She is now learning addition, subtraction  and reading  at a second grade level all while continuing her sessions with me.

I have found this course highly effective in my field of practice. I have been attuned more towards the child language development versus a child overall development. Most childcare development courses I have taken just look at a broader aspect of all domains. This course focused on a specific domain.

An article I found in this course that was interesting as it relates to my experience with my Japanese student is What happens in the brain when you learn a language?  It was discovered that your brain actually expands when you learn a second language (Mackey,2014).  “Early language studies based on brain research have shown that Japanese speakers can learn to hear and produce the difference in “r” and “l” by using a software program that greatly exaggerates the aspects of each sound that make it different from the other” ( Mackey, para. 7.,2014).It is a great advantage to learn a second language overall.

I would still like to learn about the milestones of children in language and literacy. How can you predict when a child is supposed to know or had developed this many words or an understanding of that when each child’s development is different? I believe that more information of this topic will affect my future topic greatly for parents. I have been dealing with competitive parents who wonder why this some kids are smarter than their kid or why the sister is not as smart as the brother in reading and writing. This would help me explain to the families on a research level versus my basic answer for them.

Mackey. A. (2014). What happens when you learn a language? Retrieved fromhttps://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/sep/04/what-happens-to-the-brain-language-learning

Reflection

Throughout this course, I was fed lots of information. Most early childhood courses I have encountered in the past has been basic instructed courses whereas this course broke down developmental domains and gave more analytical backgrounds through research. This course allowed me to really see the set foundation of a child’s ongoing development.

I would like to learn more information about child developmental milestones, considering that each child is different and unique and learns differently. I would also like to know more about community practice, finding out what the issues are in my community and how to address those issues. As much as I do, I do not feel as though I am involved enough.

One of the things I have found valuable throughout this course was the resources. There were many resources that I was able to share with families. I created a folder for doctoral research and dropped most of the resources in that folder. Some of them are useful for my practicum as well.

An idea on how we as scholar practitioners can effect positive social change would be to be consistent and fearless when working with children and families. We cannot be afraid of positive change and the more we notice needs to be changed, the more responsibility we will gain. Don’t sleep. Do not become lazy, the world may not know it, but they depend on us because we as early educators set the foundation for young children in order to be successful throughout their lives

Language and Literacy development Journey

As a scholar practitioner and family advocate in the field of early education, it is evident of how much of my passion has become a lifestyle. I eat, breath and sleep early childhood education. I currently run my very own educational support services. I provide tutoring, homeschooling and parent advocacy in regards to their children. Daily I am fostering language development with students.

One of the memories I have is with one of my Japanese students. This student of mine moved here from Japan not speaking any English. Two weeks later she was speaking chopped up sentences. I am so proud of her progress because she had to adapt to new friends, new surroundings, change of language and lifestyle.  I’m glad this big change happened while she is younger because it’s easier for younger children to adapt.

During our sessions I would go back to the basics and have her review each letter and then in the weeks to come letter sounds. She is a very fast learner. I then had her identify lower case letters by participating in small activities. One particular activity she loved was rainbow rice and bottle tops. We took a bag of white rice, used four different pans, Ziploc bags, food coloring and vinegar. I then used a bunch of old water bottle tops and wrote lower case letters on them.  Once we mixed all the ingredients, let them dry and mixed all the rice together, we had ourselves a rainbow rice party with letters.

As my student picked up letter and letter sounds fast, I then introduced her to reading. We would look at pictures and I would have her tell me what she sees and then match up the word to that picture by sounding out the word that sounded close to what that picture was. I have been working with this student for two years and now she is fully speaking English, reading, writing and singing at the age of 4. She is now learning addition, subtraction  and reading  at a second grade level all while continuing her sessions with me.

I have found this course highly effective in my field of practice. I have been attuned more towards the child language development versus a child overall development. Most childcare development courses I have taken just look at a broader aspect of all domains. This course focused on a specific domain.

An article I found in this course that was interesting as it relates to my experience with my Japanese student is What happens in the brain when you learn a language?  It was discovered that your brain actually expands when you learn a second language (Mackey,2014).  “Early language studies based on brain research have shown that Japanese speakers can learn to hear and produce the difference in “r” and “l” by using a software program that greatly exaggerates the aspects of each sound that make it different from the other” ( Mackey, para. 7.,2014).It is a great advantage to learn a second language overall.

I would still like to learn about the milestones of children in language and literacy. How can you predict when a child is supposed to know or had developed this many words or an understanding of that when each child’s development is different? I believe that more information of this topic will affect my future topic greatly for parents. I have been dealing with competitive parents who wonder why this some kids are smarter than their kid or why the sister is not as smart as the brother in reading and writing. This would help me explain to the families on a research level versus my basic answer for them.

Mackey. A. (2014). What happens when you learn a language? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/sep/04/what-happens-to-the-brain-language-learning

Blog: Week 6: Sharing Your Language and Literacy Development Journey with Your Community of Practice

Blog: Week 6: Sharing Your Language and Literacy Development Journey with Your Community of Practice

Language and literacy as we all know starts at birth. It has been quite a journey with my conceptualized child involving factors her diagnosis and environmental situation. Language and literacy predicts success in life. My conceptualized child is affected by such skills because of her condition

I am writing about a child named Gracie. She lives in one of the lowest poverties areas of Detroit. Her mother and teacher have just found out that she has ASD. How does a teacher focus or work on this only child in a classroom full of children? I teachers deal with many students a day. Almost as if they are single parents. I have experienced this as a teacher, but not with an exceptional student. This is the stage that is most difficult to me because after preschool, I do not know what is supposed to be mastered during the elementary years. I have no experience with kindergartens and elementary students. It is difficult to write on something that I have no experience with.

Introduction piece on the child

Gracie’s mother is a single parent living in the city of Detroit. Being a single parent can be very challenging Gracie’s mother was always on it when it came to follow up appointments. When Gracie had turned five years old, she was officially diagnosed with autism. The suspicions had been there for a while, but what parent wants to face the reality of their child actually having autism. This opened up many doors of fear for her mother. Gracie’s mother did not know where to go or where to start, but she stayed positive and hopeful.

Week 4: section on Gracie’s support system.

Family and cultural influences is like a master over mind type deal. We read and see so many articles that projects what a child is supposed to be doing at this age, how they are supposed to act, by this age and what should be developed by this age. All of those assumptions and facts go out the window because every child is different. Every child is their own unique individual. When we study the background of families and their living situations, we then get the scope of the child. Gracie has been growing up in a poor environment. She has a pretty good support system though coming from her grandmother, uncle and church members. Even though Gracie has all of this support, it does not mean she is getting the actual help that she needs. Her mother tries her best to provide for her, but what about her overall development? It makes a difference when we have educated parents versus un-educated parents. What can the teacher do?

Areas of feedback;

·         What can teachers do if they’re hands are tight with curriculum and classroom management?

·         Would all areas of domain be affected by Gracie’s condition?

Sharing thoughts on prenatal care

Discussion 1 assignment,

Anya Maria is no different than any other mother. She made have taken different routes and steps to what she thought was best, but seems to want what’s best for her unborn child. Anya confided in the program executive.

To me that means she sought help. I do believe she should have sought a doctor the moment she found out she was pregnant. Anya also mentioned that her job was a bit stressful. She definitely to take it easy with that as (Music, 2011) explains that high levels of stress can affect the unborn child.

A baby’s brain is the first thing to develop in fetus. Neuroscientist has predicted that early stress, maltreatment and neglect can have long term effects if pregnancy is no properly treated early on (The Urban Child institute, 2015). In this case I would highly recommend Anya see a doctor right away. I would also provide her a list of resources so she can read up on the importance of early effects of an infant.

When looking at this scenario I think of all the experiences I have encountered with other children and families. I think of the pregnant women I was surrounded by and the precautions they had to take to ensure health and safety of their unborn, especially being in an environment of other children and adults who were sick.

Thankfully today there are so many resources out there for women and free health care. For educators there are workshops, classes and articles to stay informed for ourselves and to be resourceful to others.

References

The Urban child Institute.(2015). Baby’s Brain Begins now: Conception at age 3. Retrieved

http://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/why-0-3/baby-and-brain

Music, G. (2011). Nurturing natures: Attachment and children’s emotional, sociocultural, and

brain development. New York, NY: Psychology Press

As an advocate I would see to it that this person gets the right prenatal care and support system. Many women are not aware of the affects that can happen if they are not taking the right steps to a healthy baby. A healthy pregnancy means a healthy baby. The National Institute of Child Health and Human development talks about the importance of a healthy pregnancy ( NIH, n.d.). It talks about preconception care on things to avoid and things to do before considering a child as well.

Working in the profession of Early Childhood Education, it is my obligation to address societal issues through applied practices and research. The best way to advocate is to pursue and take action of my passion. In my field of profession I have had the opportunity to impact lives by connecting with children, families and experts. What better way to connect with parents that come into the school and my office?

This particular cause is important to me because everything starts the minute women conceive. I have seen many children in my years of experience lack skills under domains of their overall development. These lacked skills can and or will carry them through elementary school. I would hate to know that a lot their issues could have been avoided by the parents in the beginning. As an early educator we set the foundation of these young children.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (n.d.)  What is prenatal care and why is it important. Retrieved April 4 th ,2017 from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/Pages/prenatal-care.aspx