There is a lot I am trying to plan for WAY ahead of time. I am trying to get all my ducks in a row way before I need to.
These are some of the improvements I would like to make next year:
1) A school schedule of events GIVEN to all teachers
2) Scheduled and unscheduled observations where I observe the teachers and how they teach and give them tips and suggestions (aka mentoring) Maybe once a month PER teacher.
3) Better Teacher Training
4) Meetings: PACAF days
5) More shelving
6) Recycling bin: Separating Recycling
7) Lesson Plans: Teachers create them 2 weeks ahead of time and turn a copy of them in to me.
8) Better grading systems: checklists and portfolios instead of report cards
9) Continue Ouch Reports
10) Daily reports (2's only)
11) Each teacher clean up their area even if it means you stay late!!! Or your pay is docked for me cleaning it up.
12) Each teacher decorate their own area
13) School Wide Classroom Management Strategies
14) Be more strict with the teachers and my expectations.
15) Make teachers write weekly reflections. What worked, what didn't, what they will improve the next week.
16) New Themes for afternoons. Related to the morning theme.
17) More Teacher Only Books Related to theme and social emotional learning
18) More Calendar practice
19) More Phonics (maybe a real phonics program)
20) More sight word practice
21) Beginner Reading/Writing on alternate days
22) LESS WORKSHEETS
23) Movement Program
24) Potty Training Help (Firm and sticker chart)
25) Circle time: Talk to the children see how they are feeling, what they want to share. Give them a chance to get involved and share with you. This may be the only time they have to talk to you. Make it count. Treat them like a friend and with respect and they will respect you for it!
26) Create your classroom WITH YOUR STUDENTS WORK. Their school should represent them AND LOOK NICE and professional.
27) Give them choices. Let them choose the color paper they want, let them choose where to sit. Give them the option between a couple different toys to play with. Let the kids make small choices so they feel partially in control too!
28) Hug them. Show the students you care about them. Treat them like you do too.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
A difference two years make
In August 2012 I wrote an article after my first week of working at my preschool. I saw a lot of changes that needed to happen and some of the changes I wanted to effect. I wanted to look into how many of those I made happen to date:
Things I would like to continue to improve:
More books:
A year later-Ironically enough we needed less books not more books, we had a lot of books but they weren't effect in their display. The children were using them to make a mess rather than pick them up and read. I moved the books to buckets and then proceeded to make a library where it became exciting to read books.
Now we have books in each of our classrooms, still I think they could be organized a bit but we are steadily making changes. We still do have our library and it seems effective but I think we are going to be changing that around as well. And using the shelves for better storage space. I did end up buying more books but put them in a place the kiddos couldn't destroy.
A more up to date (preferably technology involved) calendar A year later-(The calendar I ended up with wasn't technology based but I was able to make it mimic the pattern and colors of that month so that became very effective.
Now: We work on the calendar as a needed basis. I think this is something that could be more reinforced with some of my teachers. Into the next year :)
Newsletters A year later-(Once a month I sent a newsletter home and letters home (good, bad and informational) when needed)
Now newsletters are a part of our norm: Every month parents expect it.
Hands on learning A year later-(We try to do lots of hands on learning or tactile learning. We make crafts, practice our manners, practice our school rules, work on our letters in sign language and our numbers on our fingers, we even sing songs with different movement and beginner sign language.)
We work a lot more with our hands and have incorporated more science and social studies into the mix which has been great fun!
Parent involvement activities A year later-(We did a few of these. Mainly for holidays, I wanted parents to feel welcome in the classroom. We will be having a graduation ceremony June 3rd as well.)
Now: Every month we work on a parent involvement day we have done everything from Ice Cream Socials to Bring your Mom to School day to Donuts with Dads day!
School assemblies A year later-(I think I meant field trip like things here. We went on a couple field trips (aka went to the first floor and watched some shows), our school is not open Saturdays, but some Saturdays we have different programs we put on like magicians, egg hunts, etc
Now: We don't really do this but we do Saturday events to get the kids involved and we did do egg hunts.
Classroom rules, playground rules etc. (with visuals)
A year later- (It took me a while to get this one accurate, I had a few rules I bought in the states, and I just got a lot more. I wanted not only rules but behavior and manners etc. This has yet to make a big impact, but it is better than it was before.)Now: I am still looking for that perfect classroom management strategy but I have learned that leaving it in the hands of the teachers make them stronger. I still think there is a way to incorporate more!
Positive reinforcement A year later-(This is my big thing. I am very positive at school except in those instances I can't be. I can bounce right back to being positive however. Some of my teachers need ot work on this a lot. THey seem to always nag the students, this will be changing in the next month)
Now: Teachers are wonderfully supportive and they get better and better! I am so glad and proud of the teachers I have! :)
Art projects A year later-(This was one of the first things I changed. I wanted parents to see their kids create things and accomplish things they could be proud of .Worksheets are a bit too boring to do every day.)
Now: I love the projects my teachers are making. They make the cutest, most age appropriate, theme oriented crafts in the world! I love it!
Teaching writing A year later-(We teach how to write names and letters, I am starting my Kindergarten Readiness class on beginning reading and CVC words)Now: We have started beginner reading and beginner writing. We focus mostly on writing this year. Next year I think it should be an every other day thing.
More musical involvement A year later-(This we are doing well at and starting to get even better. We have some decent cds with some great movement songs, also we are incorporating KinderJam into the program as well.)Now: Our music program has increased even further, we have made our own instruments, still use KinderJam and really work hard on singing, dancing and enjoying our music!
Less paperwork at one time A year later-(I got rid of worksheets for a LONG time, and did mostly just art projects. Slowly I brought worksheets back, we may do one or two a week. Nothing like the 6 they were doing a day)Now: I left it up to the teachers some teachers do a lot of worksheets so that the fast learners are busy and she gives them a half hour to get done what they can. Personally, I think there are better ways to teach writing at this age but this works for this teacher.
Movement activities A year later-(With KinderJam, plus the different gross and fine motor skills and games, this has increased wonderfully. We no longer climb on equipment and we follow the rules on how to act, how to run etc)Now: Now we have movement programs the teachers can follow and ways to incorporate extra movement into their classrooms! It is wonderful!
Themes-monthly and weeklyA year later- (I decided on bi-weekly and for the summer we are going to have 2 pretty intense themes. I am trying to push my students a little farther than we have been so we don't get too comfortable. I think that may be some of the reasons some of my students are acting out.)
Now: We still follow two themes each month and are focusing on that in different ways in different classes! And we have added it over to the afternoons!
Guided lessons A year later-(I am working on making this even better, we do this a bit now. But my teachers are more repetitive then exciting.)Now: I have strayed from this entirely. I wanted to do this because some of my teachers weren't up to the job at hand. Now, all of my teachers are wonderful and able to come up with the education on their own.
Creative lessons A year later-(I love this! We are doing so much more for the students and pushing them to be better students and stronger thinkers)Now: This is how we run our classrooms. The teachers have guidelines to follow but they create so that they love their jobs more!
Bathroom breaks A year later-(After snacks and lunch we go to the bathroom. With only 2 kids bathrooms in our facility (one boys, one girls) it is hard to have bathroom breaks without losing kids attention. If kids gotta go, they gotta go)Now every class goes to the bathroom once a hour or so. It helps defer from accidents and helps with potty training!
Things I looked into:
Teacher's backgroundsA year later- (My teachers and I have made goals and are working on strengthening our teaching skills. I am pretty impressed at this and it helps me know where they feel strong and where they feel weaker)Now: I have helped teachers grow and find their inner teacher as much as I can. Now its up to them to find what they love best. I also ask teachers and parents for their feedback
Prices A year later-(I have had a few impacts on this some to better students, some to better the company)Now: The price remains the same, in fact there was a raise. But overall it was necessary and I talked him down on his grand ideas.
I would still like to lower the Japanese rate but thats something that will just have to wait.
New curriculum. A year later-(Thank GOD I did this)Now: We have tried a few different lessons. But I have learned to let go and leave things up to the teachers.
Book selection we do have:A year later- (I would like to arrange these eventually by theme so we can rotate them. BUT with how these books barely survive these kids, it may just be easier to let survive of the fittest handle that)Now: I have ashley only books that the kids can't touch but the teachers can use. This made a big difference.
Money allotments we could use A year later-(I got some petty cash, not much, and have made things work to my benefit in some ways.)Now: This hasn't gotten much better.
Teacher meetings (weekly?) A year later-monthly, and by the teachers job title, not all together.Now: I have learned meetings are hard. but email blasts are easy! :D
Spelling? A year later-CVC and Sight words, this part is seriously brand new. like maybe a month max we have started this.Now: I made a big push for phonics so we really work on that throughout the year! :D They know a lot of letter sounds and which letter that goes with.
New teacher problems? A year later-Getting the new teachers to the same level of my old teachers is a struggle. But one I can take on. For now, i need to get my teachers to focus on all students, handle their own problems and be MORE positive.)
Now: I have teachers that last! FINALLY! And I have resources to hand to new teachers like a powerpoint and a contract with job description. Also, I have other teachers train them!
NOW things to look forward to this coming year:
More Teacher Only Books, Less books on the floor.
More calendar time
More Phonics
More Sight word
More beginner reading/writing (alternating days)
Overall school behavior management system
Less Worksheets
Afternoon Themes
Movement Program
Potty Training Help (sticker chart and HAVE TO TRY, BE FIRM)
Things I would like to continue to improve:
More books:
A year later-Ironically enough we needed less books not more books, we had a lot of books but they weren't effect in their display. The children were using them to make a mess rather than pick them up and read. I moved the books to buckets and then proceeded to make a library where it became exciting to read books.
Now we have books in each of our classrooms, still I think they could be organized a bit but we are steadily making changes. We still do have our library and it seems effective but I think we are going to be changing that around as well. And using the shelves for better storage space. I did end up buying more books but put them in a place the kiddos couldn't destroy.
A more up to date (preferably technology involved) calendar A year later-(The calendar I ended up with wasn't technology based but I was able to make it mimic the pattern and colors of that month so that became very effective.
Now: We work on the calendar as a needed basis. I think this is something that could be more reinforced with some of my teachers. Into the next year :)
Newsletters A year later-(Once a month I sent a newsletter home and letters home (good, bad and informational) when needed)
Now newsletters are a part of our norm: Every month parents expect it.
Hands on learning A year later-(We try to do lots of hands on learning or tactile learning. We make crafts, practice our manners, practice our school rules, work on our letters in sign language and our numbers on our fingers, we even sing songs with different movement and beginner sign language.)
We work a lot more with our hands and have incorporated more science and social studies into the mix which has been great fun!
Parent involvement activities A year later-(We did a few of these. Mainly for holidays, I wanted parents to feel welcome in the classroom. We will be having a graduation ceremony June 3rd as well.)
Now: Every month we work on a parent involvement day we have done everything from Ice Cream Socials to Bring your Mom to School day to Donuts with Dads day!
School assemblies A year later-(I think I meant field trip like things here. We went on a couple field trips (aka went to the first floor and watched some shows), our school is not open Saturdays, but some Saturdays we have different programs we put on like magicians, egg hunts, etc
Now: We don't really do this but we do Saturday events to get the kids involved and we did do egg hunts.
Classroom rules, playground rules etc. (with visuals)
A year later- (It took me a while to get this one accurate, I had a few rules I bought in the states, and I just got a lot more. I wanted not only rules but behavior and manners etc. This has yet to make a big impact, but it is better than it was before.)Now: I am still looking for that perfect classroom management strategy but I have learned that leaving it in the hands of the teachers make them stronger. I still think there is a way to incorporate more!
Positive reinforcement A year later-(This is my big thing. I am very positive at school except in those instances I can't be. I can bounce right back to being positive however. Some of my teachers need ot work on this a lot. THey seem to always nag the students, this will be changing in the next month)
Now: Teachers are wonderfully supportive and they get better and better! I am so glad and proud of the teachers I have! :)
Art projects A year later-(This was one of the first things I changed. I wanted parents to see their kids create things and accomplish things they could be proud of .Worksheets are a bit too boring to do every day.)
Now: I love the projects my teachers are making. They make the cutest, most age appropriate, theme oriented crafts in the world! I love it!
Teaching writing A year later-(We teach how to write names and letters, I am starting my Kindergarten Readiness class on beginning reading and CVC words)Now: We have started beginner reading and beginner writing. We focus mostly on writing this year. Next year I think it should be an every other day thing.
More musical involvement A year later-(This we are doing well at and starting to get even better. We have some decent cds with some great movement songs, also we are incorporating KinderJam into the program as well.)Now: Our music program has increased even further, we have made our own instruments, still use KinderJam and really work hard on singing, dancing and enjoying our music!
Less paperwork at one time A year later-(I got rid of worksheets for a LONG time, and did mostly just art projects. Slowly I brought worksheets back, we may do one or two a week. Nothing like the 6 they were doing a day)Now: I left it up to the teachers some teachers do a lot of worksheets so that the fast learners are busy and she gives them a half hour to get done what they can. Personally, I think there are better ways to teach writing at this age but this works for this teacher.
Movement activities A year later-(With KinderJam, plus the different gross and fine motor skills and games, this has increased wonderfully. We no longer climb on equipment and we follow the rules on how to act, how to run etc)Now: Now we have movement programs the teachers can follow and ways to incorporate extra movement into their classrooms! It is wonderful!
Themes-monthly and weeklyA year later- (I decided on bi-weekly and for the summer we are going to have 2 pretty intense themes. I am trying to push my students a little farther than we have been so we don't get too comfortable. I think that may be some of the reasons some of my students are acting out.)
Now: We still follow two themes each month and are focusing on that in different ways in different classes! And we have added it over to the afternoons!
Guided lessons A year later-(I am working on making this even better, we do this a bit now. But my teachers are more repetitive then exciting.)Now: I have strayed from this entirely. I wanted to do this because some of my teachers weren't up to the job at hand. Now, all of my teachers are wonderful and able to come up with the education on their own.
Creative lessons A year later-(I love this! We are doing so much more for the students and pushing them to be better students and stronger thinkers)Now: This is how we run our classrooms. The teachers have guidelines to follow but they create so that they love their jobs more!
Bathroom breaks A year later-(After snacks and lunch we go to the bathroom. With only 2 kids bathrooms in our facility (one boys, one girls) it is hard to have bathroom breaks without losing kids attention. If kids gotta go, they gotta go)Now every class goes to the bathroom once a hour or so. It helps defer from accidents and helps with potty training!
Things I looked into:
Teacher's backgroundsA year later- (My teachers and I have made goals and are working on strengthening our teaching skills. I am pretty impressed at this and it helps me know where they feel strong and where they feel weaker)Now: I have helped teachers grow and find their inner teacher as much as I can. Now its up to them to find what they love best. I also ask teachers and parents for their feedback
Prices A year later-(I have had a few impacts on this some to better students, some to better the company)Now: The price remains the same, in fact there was a raise. But overall it was necessary and I talked him down on his grand ideas.
I would still like to lower the Japanese rate but thats something that will just have to wait.
New curriculum. A year later-(Thank GOD I did this)Now: We have tried a few different lessons. But I have learned to let go and leave things up to the teachers.
Book selection we do have:A year later- (I would like to arrange these eventually by theme so we can rotate them. BUT with how these books barely survive these kids, it may just be easier to let survive of the fittest handle that)Now: I have ashley only books that the kids can't touch but the teachers can use. This made a big difference.
Money allotments we could use A year later-(I got some petty cash, not much, and have made things work to my benefit in some ways.)Now: This hasn't gotten much better.
Teacher meetings (weekly?) A year later-monthly, and by the teachers job title, not all together.Now: I have learned meetings are hard. but email blasts are easy! :D
Spelling? A year later-CVC and Sight words, this part is seriously brand new. like maybe a month max we have started this.Now: I made a big push for phonics so we really work on that throughout the year! :D They know a lot of letter sounds and which letter that goes with.
New teacher problems? A year later-Getting the new teachers to the same level of my old teachers is a struggle. But one I can take on. For now, i need to get my teachers to focus on all students, handle their own problems and be MORE positive.)
Now: I have teachers that last! FINALLY! And I have resources to hand to new teachers like a powerpoint and a contract with job description. Also, I have other teachers train them!
NOW things to look forward to this coming year:
More Teacher Only Books, Less books on the floor.
More calendar time
More Phonics
More Sight word
More beginner reading/writing (alternating days)
Overall school behavior management system
Less Worksheets
Afternoon Themes
Movement Program
Potty Training Help (sticker chart and HAVE TO TRY, BE FIRM)
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Energy Drain: Activated!
When does playing with or learning with your students start to feel like a chore? When do Mondays seem to drag? When do the meetings outweigh the fun? When do the planning hours that zipped by ruin your day?
I think those days happen to me when I am drained! When my kiddos have been having a pretty gruling day, when my stress levels are out of control when I just don't have the energy to go on.
So why not share that with the kiddos. Explain to them that you get energy off their behaviors and the better they behave the more you can do for them.
What happens if they are having an exhausting and draining day? You take that away from them. You have given them the knowledge, you have explained your reasoning and when you take something away because you don't have the energy to keep it up, they will learn.
Explain to them "Uh oh! How sad! You forgot how to listen today and you drained my energy. Now I don't have the energy to take you outside. I KNOW you will do better tomorrow!"
Let their actions dictate yours! That way they are the bad guys! Not you.
How can you use Energy Drain in your classroom to help communicate empathy and understanding in your classes?
I think those days happen to me when I am drained! When my kiddos have been having a pretty gruling day, when my stress levels are out of control when I just don't have the energy to go on.
So why not share that with the kiddos. Explain to them that you get energy off their behaviors and the better they behave the more you can do for them.
What happens if they are having an exhausting and draining day? You take that away from them. You have given them the knowledge, you have explained your reasoning and when you take something away because you don't have the energy to keep it up, they will learn.
Explain to them "Uh oh! How sad! You forgot how to listen today and you drained my energy. Now I don't have the energy to take you outside. I KNOW you will do better tomorrow!"
Let their actions dictate yours! That way they are the bad guys! Not you.
How can you use Energy Drain in your classroom to help communicate empathy and understanding in your classes?
Friday, February 21, 2014
I like spending time with kids, do you?
Think about this: Why do you do things with your students? Why do you teach them soccer? Why do you have holiday parties? Why do you bring them breakfast when they forget, help them with a project or talk to them?
Why do you plan exciting lessons? Read adventurous books? Why do you encourage greatness and accept mistakes?
Sometimes we are teachers forget why we do things for our kids. It is easy to say "We want them to be great kids, we want them to have the best." But really are we that altruistic? Not at all!
We do it because we like to! We all enjoy it! Sometimes, we may forget that, sometimes we get down and we feel like the mundane things we do, just don't connect to the children. But generally, we like to spend time with the kiddos and we like to have fun! And the more we can bring that out for the kiddos, the better it will be.
Sometimes, it can be helpful to share that with the kiddos. Explain to them that you like to do things with them and for them and that you have fun doing it!
This is a great way to build better relationships with children and explain to them that your happiness is dependent on them! Keep them happy and they keep you happy. What a wonderful empathetic relationship!
Why do you plan exciting lessons? Read adventurous books? Why do you encourage greatness and accept mistakes?
Sometimes we are teachers forget why we do things for our kids. It is easy to say "We want them to be great kids, we want them to have the best." But really are we that altruistic? Not at all!
We do it because we like to! We all enjoy it! Sometimes, we may forget that, sometimes we get down and we feel like the mundane things we do, just don't connect to the children. But generally, we like to spend time with the kiddos and we like to have fun! And the more we can bring that out for the kiddos, the better it will be.
Sometimes, it can be helpful to share that with the kiddos. Explain to them that you like to do things with them and for them and that you have fun doing it!
This is a great way to build better relationships with children and explain to them that your happiness is dependent on them! Keep them happy and they keep you happy. What a wonderful empathetic relationship!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Uh oh!
Mistakes happen. No one goes through life mistake-free. Some children feel so much pressure and anxiety do to mistakes, they think their respect and love is on some sort of see-saw that if there are too many mistakes they won't be able to swing that love and respect back up.
In reality, your students are going to make a lot of mistakes. It is a part of your life and it will be a part of your kiddos' life. So how can we help our kiddos be comfortable making those oopsies?
We can be there for them. We can share our experiences and our mistakes. We can make mistakes in front of them and show them how we triumph. We can show them how we improve. We can share our experiences with them. And when we make mistakes that involve them, we can apologize and we can show them that all we can do is learn from them too.
What mistakes could you share with your students to help them feeling a little safer about their own?
In reality, your students are going to make a lot of mistakes. It is a part of your life and it will be a part of your kiddos' life. So how can we help our kiddos be comfortable making those oopsies?
We can be there for them. We can share our experiences and our mistakes. We can make mistakes in front of them and show them how we triumph. We can show them how we improve. We can share our experiences with them. And when we make mistakes that involve them, we can apologize and we can show them that all we can do is learn from them too.
What mistakes could you share with your students to help them feeling a little safer about their own?
Monday, February 17, 2014
Don't have a conversation
What an interesting concept!
So I went to my first Love and Logic seminar and I was told a lot of interesting ideas that could make sense (that I, personally, can't wait to try) and I think should be taught to every parent but I found them so interesting on a teacher standpoint.
One of the points that stood out as the most shocking is NOT to talk about why the kiddo got into trouble, what to look from here. Just be empathic. You don't talk to your pup when he does something wrong and ask him to explain himself, you just reprimand him (I use timeouts) and then you love them after that all the same as always. You don't hold grudges, you just go with it. And you show them how much you still care about them.
My "discipline" technique goes like this:
A) Try to think of every way you have seen the kiddos screw up and think of every way they have in the past pick 3 of them and remind them not to do those.
B) If they are caught doing them do the 1-2-3 count
C) Try to redirect them with other toys, objects or ideas
D) If none of that works, time-out
E) Have a conversation leading out of timeout (normally with a hug, high five or hand shake). We talk about what they did, why they did it, what they could do better next time and what my expectations are.
If things escalate from there we can call mom, if it seems out of control.
This class has taught me to ignore E all together basically. To give them a hug, tell them you believe they will do better next time and drop it. Maybe they are right, maybe my conversations are too long and look like an added version of punishment, also I know some kiddos spoon feed me lines because they know what I like to see from them and how they consistently get in trouble.
I am interesting in trying this new technique and seeing how my kiddos respond.
So I went to my first Love and Logic seminar and I was told a lot of interesting ideas that could make sense (that I, personally, can't wait to try) and I think should be taught to every parent but I found them so interesting on a teacher standpoint.
One of the points that stood out as the most shocking is NOT to talk about why the kiddo got into trouble, what to look from here. Just be empathic. You don't talk to your pup when he does something wrong and ask him to explain himself, you just reprimand him (I use timeouts) and then you love them after that all the same as always. You don't hold grudges, you just go with it. And you show them how much you still care about them.
My "discipline" technique goes like this:
A) Try to think of every way you have seen the kiddos screw up and think of every way they have in the past pick 3 of them and remind them not to do those.
B) If they are caught doing them do the 1-2-3 count
C) Try to redirect them with other toys, objects or ideas
D) If none of that works, time-out
E) Have a conversation leading out of timeout (normally with a hug, high five or hand shake). We talk about what they did, why they did it, what they could do better next time and what my expectations are.
If things escalate from there we can call mom, if it seems out of control.
This class has taught me to ignore E all together basically. To give them a hug, tell them you believe they will do better next time and drop it. Maybe they are right, maybe my conversations are too long and look like an added version of punishment, also I know some kiddos spoon feed me lines because they know what I like to see from them and how they consistently get in trouble.
I am interesting in trying this new technique and seeing how my kiddos respond.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Breakthrough moment
Ah-Hah moments are just a precious piece in time where teachers can actually see the students grasping something new and exciting. The way the students faces light up and eat the information in front of them is just awe-inspiring.
As a teacher those are the moments I crave. I love when students finally understand something and begin to think critically about something in a brand new way.
As a student, I had my very own Ah-Hah moment in my ESL class. I am currently learning about the SIOP model and trying to get my head around it. There is a lot more work for learning this model then for some of the models I have used in the past. I can see the benefits to this model already and one big Ah-Hah moment made it all the better.
The SIOP model is meant to help CLD (ESL) students grasp the lessons a bit easier, it helps teachers think about langauge as its own category and work specifically with differentiation. But my big Ah-Hah moment isn't just to tell my students the lesson and spend extra time learning about it. But with the now minimally 4 objectives (2 content, 2 language) we should be sharing them with the students. That way the students will know exactly what they are learning, exactly what will be on the test and exactly what is expected of them. There will be no need to worry about the rest and the students' confidence should skyrocket.
I can't wait to start doing this even in my preschool classroom. I expect to see results instantly! :D
As a teacher those are the moments I crave. I love when students finally understand something and begin to think critically about something in a brand new way.
As a student, I had my very own Ah-Hah moment in my ESL class. I am currently learning about the SIOP model and trying to get my head around it. There is a lot more work for learning this model then for some of the models I have used in the past. I can see the benefits to this model already and one big Ah-Hah moment made it all the better.
The SIOP model is meant to help CLD (ESL) students grasp the lessons a bit easier, it helps teachers think about langauge as its own category and work specifically with differentiation. But my big Ah-Hah moment isn't just to tell my students the lesson and spend extra time learning about it. But with the now minimally 4 objectives (2 content, 2 language) we should be sharing them with the students. That way the students will know exactly what they are learning, exactly what will be on the test and exactly what is expected of them. There will be no need to worry about the rest and the students' confidence should skyrocket.
I can't wait to start doing this even in my preschool classroom. I expect to see results instantly! :D
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