| Nursery School Observation Essay, Research Paper
March 2001
Early Childhood Activities Observation # 2
1) Identify the Focus
Adult-Child Interaction
2) 10 Expectations
1- I expected that before any activity in which food was handled, prepared, or eaten, (snack time) the teacher would direct and encourage the children to wash and dry their hands (Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, George S. Morrison, 259).
2- I expected for the teacher to include the class in cleaning up after meals and or snack (Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, George S. Morrison, 261)
3- I expected that the teacher would allocate extended periods of time (at least one hour) for children to engage in free play (DAP in Early Childhood Programs, NAEYC, 126).
4- I expected for teachers to use proactive guidance, in which teachers and children anticipate possible problems and consider acceptable solutions (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 31).
5- I expected for health and safety limits to be identified and enforced (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 31).
6- I expected for group activities to be at a minimum, such as circle time (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 33).
7- I expected the teacher to calm children when the need arises (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 29).
8- I expected the class to be guided by consistency, structure, and routine (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 30).
9- I expected for the teacher to be a good role model (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 42).
10- I expected the teacher to listen to her children and talk with them (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 36).
3. Statistics
Type of School- Nursery School
Type of Program- ?
Age of Children- 4
(include some traits) Very hyper, short attention span, some very shy, and very loud.
Number of Children- 7
Number of Adults- 1
Daily Schedule
12:30 P.M 1:15 > Arrival/ free play
1:15-1:40 > Dance time
1:40-1:45>Rest time
1:45-2:00>Snack time
2:00-2:05>CleanUp
2:05-2:25>Circle time
2:25-2:45>Project time
2:45-2:50>Clean up
2:50-3:00>free play/ dismissal
4. Observation
Floor Plan- see next page
Materials,
Decorations,
Unique Features;
The class room had very little visible materials. Everything was put away in drawers and compartments. I saw crayons, pencils, books and puzzles, records and tapes, blocks and toys. The room was decorated accordingly to the season, spring, along with Easter eggs and bunny rabbits. What I found very unique was when you looked up at the ceiling, the light was an orange-yellow glowing ball. This represented the sun and there were models of the planets and stars revolving around it. As you went down the wall the paint got lighter and lighter until it was a very pale baby blue with painted white clouds. Very cute.
What did you see?
When I walked into the room the first thing I noticed were the unique decorations on the ceiling and walls. The second thing I noticed was that it was Mathew s birthday and he got to wear the birthday crown for the day. I could tell from the expression on his face that he felt very special for wearing it. As children were arriving they would join the class at the table and play with toys that were scattered on the tabletop. While they were playing, the teacher was asking them questions such as How was you vacation Micheal? Where did you go again? What did you do there? What were your favorite things to do? Why? How about everyone else? Has anyone else ever been on an airplane before? What did you like about it? What didn t you like about it? What did you get for your birthday Mathew?. . .
Several kids were absent that day. At 1:15, they began dance time. They gathered in the center of the room and stood at the edge of the carpet. Dance time was a chance for the kids to visit the world. They played songs from Ireland while dancing the Irish gig, they went to Mexico where they danced around a sombrero, they went to Egypt where they walked like an Egyptian , and they went to Australia where they all jumped around like kangaroos. Then they put there heads down on their table and rested for five minutes. After eating cupcakes in celebration of Matt s birthday it was time for Who wants to be a millionaire? during circle time. Besides the usual calendar, pledge of allegiance, and a short story, they had some pretty fun and interesting activities during circle time. The game was called Who wants to be a millionaire? played a little differently from the original television game show. The kids loved this game because the teacher would ask them a question such as, What s inside our bodies that helps us breath? or, What does the heart do in our bodies? , and if they answered correctly she would reward them with fake money that looked real and really amused them. She would try and give everyone a chance to answer but there was a very shy and quiet girl that would hesitate before speaking, and then there was this very loud boy who would yell out the answer before giving her a chance. The teacher told him to stop but didn t take any further actions which caused him to repeat his behavior. Then the class participated in coloring Mr.Blood as their project for the day and after cleaning up they played until they all got picked up and went home.
5. Reflections: expectations +observation= reflections
Personally, I think this is a great school. Compared to my previous observations, I found this one to be the closest to developmentally appropriate practices. I enjoyed seeing the teacher interacting with the children and getting down on their level instead of constantly standing over them and making them feel inferior. I noticed that the teacher would get involved in their conversations and make them feel special by actually being interested in what they had to say. (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 36). I noticed that the teacher kept a daily routine and had no problem directing the children from one activity to the next because they were used to it by now (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 30). One thing that I thought should have had a stronger approach was the situation with the little girl being nervous and afraid to answer and participate in the Who wants to be a millionaire game. If the teacher would ve taken a step further by disqualifying the boy who was misbehaving it might have had a better effect (A Child Goes Forth, Barbara J. Taylor, 29). I was happy to see that the children were engaged in cleaning up after activities and snack (Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, George S. Morrison, 261). Group activities were not kept on a minimum. They had group activities though out the entire day. I, on the other hand, do not believe that it was DIP mainly because the kids were interested and actively involved in each activity. Overall I believe that this is a pleasant environment for a preschooler and that Teacher was a patient, caring , and understanding person that helped her students develop self-esteem and self discipline.
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