October 29, 2019
picture from Pinterest.
I like the age group, I currently teach which are toddlers and preschool but my model classroom is based on wanting to teach in a Kindergarten classroom. I want to learn more about teaching older children in an elementary setting by taking these graduate classes. I dream of someday being a licensed teacher in a Kindergarten classroom
: I was curious to learn more about the content students should know in Kindergarten and checked out the older addition of this book out of the Gordon Library.
https://www.amazon.com/What-Kindergartner-Needs-Revised-updated/dp/0345543734/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=What+your+kindergartener+needs+to+know&qid=1574037458&sr=8-1
Then I looked up the sources such as what is kindergarten, who came up with it, the benefits, and asked my friend, Mary who is a kindergarten teacher about technology apps about technology. I also asked my other teacher educator friend Mrs. Schug about what kind of technology kindergarten students use in the classroom.
This article states the definition of kindergarten and who researched the idea.
"Friedrich Froebel, a German educator, established a school in Blankenburg, Germany in 1837. Froebel characterized the children in his school as plants and the teachers as the gardeners. "
There are many benefits of using technology in the classroom. Here is a link below.
https://classroom.synonym.com/can-technology-beneficial-kindergarten-class-6647.html
In my model classroom, I would have the children own their learning by asking to learn about subjects they are interested in. I want the students to ask and explore questions and feel their learning has a purpose. https://classroom.synonym.com/can-technology-beneficial-kindergarten-class-6647.html
According to Alan November’s Who Owns the Learning, "Students take on the role of contributor and content provider, teachers become mentors who help guide the process and drive home the lessons it teaches” (8). This is a good reminder that I am a mentor and guide students in their learning.
I want the students to use the technology in the classroom like the book compares to a digital learning farm. The younger generation is surrounded by technology and knows how to use it faster than we do at our fingertips. I would start my year by sending out a parent newsletter about why technology is so important in my classroom. It would explain why I am using technology in the classroom, what the children are learning, and how it helps in society to be aware of what is going on around us. There may be a problem that parents will not understand or want their children learning with technology. I will be using technology to solve problems to help children learn and find a solution.
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I am going to do my WAP practical's apps on the research about how to use technology to teach in a Kindergarten classroom. For my app practical's. I am using Kindergarten children I know through friends. I had to start my research by asking a friend at North Beverly Elementary School questions. I had no idea what kind of technology the Kindergarten students use. I learned their classroom is set up with fourteen iPads and has twenty-one students.
Here is a photo of the iPads
Each child has their own cubbies to put materials in.
There are tables of five to do group work.
The students will learn with technology apps on the smartboard and with hands-on learning activities on paper.
Here is a picture of the smart board, calendar, and a pumpkin art activity.
Description of my Model Classroom
My dream model classroom would have twenty-one kindergarten students. The students would be five and six years old. I would be the lead teacher and teach all subjects and try to incorporate technology in all curriculum domains. The curriculum would be hands-on and engaging. The students would learn with differentiated instruction and by their individual needs.
In the beginning of the year, the children would learn about each other by bringing stuff from home for show and tell. The students would go over classroom rules by writing them down using technology. The teacher’s lessons will be hands-on with technology and the children may get brain breaks by using the smartboard to move. The students will learn education concepts and dance to educational songs to learn about various academic subjects. I asked my friend who is a kindergarten teacher and she says she uses YouTube tips such as Jack Hartman on the smartboard.
Here is the information on Jack Hartman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjmKJKG5Nx0
Morning meeting on the smartboard and guided reading
Here are some videos on what students learned in kindergarten on the smartboard such as word families.
Read aloud on blog and site words
GoNoodle
Home - GoNoodle
GoNoodle® engages 14 million kids every month with movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. Available for free at school, home, and everywhere kids are!
BrainPOP Jr.
The students will learn with reading area, smart board, using an iPad with apps such as drawing apps, see saw app and books loaded on the technology. The students will use hands on learning techniques such as manipulatives, art projects, music, worksheets and individualized instruction in technology while exploring computers apps, writing their own stories, scribing, and doing their own research. They will learn how to be a global community by learning about other cultures and how to show empathy. The children would learn about different music or by using Skype or having pen pals. We would also plan community projects such as singing at a nursing home, picking up litter or doing a fundraiser to help an important cause and visiting and learning about community helpers. I would have the students write about technology in their classroom or draw a picture by using scribing.
Some independent apps my teacher friend told me about are, Lexia and St Math
Here are examples about Lexia
St. math
Early Learning Math Games | Visual Math Learning | ST Math
Learn more about ST Math's visual math learning for early learners, including preschool, pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten curriculums.
For parent Assessment, I would use the See Saw app.
Seesaw
Connect families to see student work and celebrate progress. Up to ten family members can stay in the loop using the Parent and Family app (iOS, Android) or on web
Bouncy Ball app can be fun to play with to talk about the noise level. The visual would work on the smartboard best.
https://bouncyballs.org/
Here are some sample pictures of how children could use the iPad.
Etch a sketch app on the computer.
Meeting Individual needs of Children in my Model Classroom
I may have two or three children in my class that would need teaching accommodations. The students may have a learning disability such as sensory processing or Autism. I would have a paraprofessional in the classroom to assist and also have these children be able to go to academic support to have their needs met. These children would get extra help in computer technology with a one-on-one. I would use Universal design for each child's learning style. Some may need to listen to audios of the story on the computer, or touch the computer screen. For the children with autism or sensory processing challenges, there would be a separate teacher working with the child and giving extra computer help.
My classroom may also have two English Language Learners. The ELL students need to have visuals and individual help. The teacher would give ELL learners the reading or video ahead of time, have a peer buddy for group work and have someone help scaffold in the native language. I would also need to try and learn the language.
In my school it would not be an issue of ethnic background and everyone would be accepted. In my curriculum, I would teach acceptance for all and have the children bring in the food from their culture. I would start my year off talking about cultural diversity and how to accept everyone no matter their culture, race, or religion as we are all one melting pot in the United States. The culture, race and religion of different people could be incorporated into the Technology curriculum. The children could do individual research on diversity and different cultures and also write individual stories about themselves by typing on the computer.
I would use the second step curriculum model about social and emotional skills in my classroom. https://www.secondstep.org/?fbclid=iwar1ddrxrukxa99wcdk50iaiten8mjkd_burlspmye3prbc9orpvuqhfmhn
Here is a screen shot.
A sample of curriculum sent home to parents about kindergarten
In conclusion, I want to follow my own teaching philosophy and I love this quote from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,“A good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others.”
Also this is very important for a teacher to help students to own their own learning in the classroom.
Not all learning should be based on child test scores. I agree with Alan November that “our approach to education must evolve along with its tools, processes and outcomes"(24).
Here is the drawing of my model classroom.
A child could also draw their own version of their classroom either on paper or using the magic doodle drawing app. Here is a sample drawing
