I Was Compelled to Take This Course Because I Feel That It Completes the Circle of My Stanford

Development in Early ChildhoodRuhi Vasanwala-Khan

Observation Date 4/14/

Journal # 3

Teacher’s Post

Patio – Auboree

Back 40 – Nandini

Sand- Nathan

Art – Pecky

Greeter/Story – Michelle

West AM Schedule

8:30 – Student’s arrive

10:05 – Clean Up

10:15 – Snack

10:45 – Playtime

11:15 – Story time

11:30 – Time to go home

Scene: Observation “To be 29 ½ ”

“How old are you?” I asked. “I’m three and a half,” she replied in a tiny voice. Next, others, without any request, began to inform me of their ages, as well. “I hate being little,” she added after hearing the others say they were four and four and a half, respectively. As this occurred, two things instantly came to my mind. One, I forgot what it felt like to add “1/2” to your age. And, secondly, all I want to do stop time, as my 30th birthday is just around the corner and I want to look and feel younger. Ironically, here is a precious little girl who just wants to be bigger! As we talked, however, I conveyed how “big” and smart she was for finishing the puzzle so fast.

I began my day with a brief discussion with Nandini reflecting on my experience so far at Bing. She initiated the conversation by recognizing my interest in comparing Bing’s philosophy with other teaching methods. First, she described the atmosphere at Bing and then compared it to her previous experiences. She also shared some observation tips and helpful hints on where to place oneself on the playground to get maximum vantage.

My objective today was to distinguish where the academic learning was talking place in the classroom. I sat at the letter-writing table and waited for students to join me. The desk was organized with paper, pencils, envelopes, and insect stickers that could be used to adorn their work. A few minutes later, Regan came over and began to play with the stickers and place them on a piece of paper. “Are you writing a letter to a friend,” I inquisitively asked? “No,” he replied, “it’s an airplane for me.” He said this in a voice like “can’t you tell!” Reflecting back, I perhaps should not have been so eager by guessing and asked him first. Still, I feel like sometimes when I look at a drawing that is so obvious for them to distinguish and know what and where everything is, that when I ask “what is it” they feel either sad that it is not recognizable or offended [What do you think?].

As Regan continued to place the stickers on his airplane, he found one of a caterpillar and began to tell me the story of how he once found a caterpillar on a tree, and that it had turned into a butterfly. Next, he found another sticker with an insect with more legs and called that a caterpillar, too. I took a second to think of what I should say or do, if anything. After a moment, I pointed out that this insect had more legs then the first one he had called a caterpillar. Then I said, maybe this one is called a “millipede.” I did not know if this would confuse him even more and maybe he was not ready to learn a new insect, especially one that looks so similar on the sticker. After, my statement, Regan did not respond immediately, he stayed to himself, and found yet another sticker with a similar insect, but with even more legs than the second sticker. He looked up, realizing the difference as well, pointed at the second sticker and said, “It’s a centipede.” I had to catch my breath just to reply, “Yes, it is.” Where do they learn this? Each week, these kids say and do such remarkable things that I vividly remember them and think about them all week.

Later, I made my way over to the Art table where I found Morgan asking another teacher to write an inscription on her artwork in a very small space that she kept clear. It read, “Mommy, I made this especially for you. XOXOXOX” As she was finished, she turned over to me to show me her artwork and her inscription with all of the “hugs and kisses” on it. She said, “I worked really hard on this” and described all of the details she put into it, “I had to trim the edges.” I could see the detail, and the fine motor skills it would have taken to create her gift. Across from us, on the painting table, everyone, but one child was painting butterflies. One of the children spilled the paint onto the table and began to finger paint. I remember from my previous week there that had been such an activity. Each week I can see more clearly on how the children are allowed to choose their activity, and nobody said, “we’re all painting butterflies now, we’ll finger paint another day.”

With the guidance of my liaison teacher, I ran snack for the first time. She had asked me last week, but I didn’t feel confident then, not that I felt confident this time! I tried to cut the fruit in the same way (I’m glad I did after hearing one classmate say that the children commented on how she did not cut the same way as their teacher that was absent that day.) We ended snack that day with puzzles. I could clearly see the different skill level here. Some children finished their puzzle with ease and others had some trouble and needed help from another student. After snack, some of the children stayed at the table, engrossed and eager to complete other puzzles. A few children from the other tables even joined us. Sofie picked out the alphabet puzzle, which I have been waiting to see a child play with. I was curious to see what she knew. Was she looking to match the shapes up? As she placed each letter into the correct slot, she was singing the ABC song softly. She had picked up an “S” and I knowing that her named began with an “S” I thought she might know this letter, so I asked. She immediately said the name of the letter. Then even when she grabbed the next letter “H” she said its name as well without me asking. She finished the puzzle and decided to do it again. Before she took the letters out, I asked her the names of a few letters, she knew each one. When I asked her about “W” she first replied “M” but then quickly said “W.” [I was curious though, if she had not corrected herself, should I have? Or let her just think it was “M”? What would you do?] As Sofie started over the second time, she picked up a letter and said, “A is for apple; B is for boy.” As we were working on the puzzles, Rachel with the number puzzle looked up and said to me, “Can you help me with this? I need to learn!” It’s amazing how often these children can shock me with how much they know and how wonderful they are.

Thoughts and Questions to grapple with from the reading

“Once the fight is stopped, the teacher responds with reflection of feelings, such as “You didn’t like…? You wanted…” (p. 79)

“…It is helpful to end the experience by focusing, pointing out what a child can do ‘next time’.” (p. 84)

I see these points followed out each day. The teachers in my classroom use this same method when resolving conflicts. Empowering the children to use their words and let the other child know how they feel by what just may have happened. One teacher that I particularly like to observe resolving conflict is Michelle. I think she is an excellent model for me to follow. She first comes into the scene taking away whatever is the focus of their attention and then asks each child what they think happened and why. Sometimes she helps the victims with his/her own words and encourages them to say, “no” or “stop” or “I am playing here.”

“You’re mad at Tom? …He did something you didn’t like?” (p. 88)

How come the questions are written in statement form? Versus, “Are you mad at Tom?”

What is the classrooms philosophy with playing with toy guns that they built in the woodwork area? I’ve observed two different responses to this. (p. 96)

“…a minimum of dependence and a maximum of self-direction.” (p. 102)

An excellent quote.

Just before snack and after a full morning of playing in the sand, water, and light rain, a few of the children had to change their clothes. I was surprised to see that each child even had spare clothes. Later this week, a friend of mine commented about how paint had gotten on something of mine and said oh, it must have been form one of the children’s fingers. This friend of mine works at an after school non-profit and said that some of the mothers have been complaining that their girls were coming home dirty and the school should try to keep them clean. I was curious do you have any such parents, if in the future I encounter one, what would you recommend I say?

One of my biggest challenges is letting a child learn on his/her own and not to interfere by helping. When the children were playing with the puzzles and some were having difficulties, I tried to arrange the puzzles in such a way they will see which piece goes next. I always think this is what Vygotsky means by Zone of Proximal Development. Is it? Or is it best to let them figure it out totally on their own?

Developmental Stages

1. Peripheral Play – Child is engaged in his own activities on the outskirts of the group.
2. Parallel Play – more awareness, side-by-side activity with little or no interaction. Child seldom listens to anyone else as he talks to himself about what he is doing.
3. Twosome Stage – aware if a particular person besides whom he has been playing in a parallel fashion and begins to follow him or her about
4. Shifting Pairs and Triangles – still plays most comfortably with one child
5. Group – after the new triangle becomes bearable. All of these people can be accepted because the feeling of social comfort.

Can a child be in different stages of play at the same time? For example, be in a parallel play stage with one child, but then group play with others.

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