Research to Practice

Learning Process and Growth

No one is perfect, but I think it is safe to say that my blogs have improved drastically since the beginning of the year. Looking back on my very first blog post, No More Tears, I wrote in a linear fashion. All of the information was chunked, and the pieces did not quite come together. It looked as if I was following a checklist and moving on after I had completed each task. I would write down what I observed in the classroom, the questions I had, and the research I looked into, but the connections between the three were unclear.

When I compare this to my second blog post, A World Without Questions is a World Without Answers, I realize all of the stylistic changes I made. I began to ask the audience questions to make them consider ideas they may not have before. For instance, I started my first blog with boring factual information such as the number of students and location I observed in. While this is good to know, it does not make for a very good hook. In my second blog post, I opened by asking the audience what the world would be like if no one asked questions, and what we are truly doing when we shut down children’s creativity. This is much more effective in getting their attention, as it is more personal. Instead of listing things I saw, I asked the audience to look more closely at their surroundings and consider whether or not they have seen and heard similar things. By my fourth blog post, Tell Me Why, I added headings to ensure all of the information I needed to get across was easily accessible. This way, my audience could locate basic information quickly, but I could still write in a conversational tone.

In both my first and second blog posts, I typed out the exact question that I had. I used the same key words that I had typed into the database when attempting to find articles, and maintained a formal, direct tone. By my fourth blog post, I wrote questions throughout the post that allowed the audience to form some questions of their own. This way, they are encouraged to continue asking questions and finding answers, as opposed to thinking they already found all of the answers by reading.

The research portion of the project was a huge area of growth for me. In the past, I would often change my entire subject for a paper, simply because I could not find any relevant articles. This project has shown me to be patient with the process, and reassured me that there is relevant information out there if you know where to look. I knew that I struggled with this, so I put the most time and effort into this section each time. In doing so, I found information that can help me to become a better teacher. For example, my first blog post referenced an article about helping children with separation anxiety. These are great skills to have entering early childhood education, as many children are upset when their parents leave in the morning, or they simply miss home throughout the lengthy school day. My second blog post highlights an article about using play to help students with language delays. This is a natural way to help children gain communication skills, and no one student is singled out in the process. My fourth blog post includes an article about incorporating the sciences in the classroom as young as possible. Knowing how helpful this can be for students not only encourages me to do this in my classroom, but also provides statistical evidence if I ever need to back my teaching in a conversation with administration.

Most of all, my way of reflecting on everything I had learned throughout the process grew. In my first blog post, I did not truly synthesize the information. I reflected on a couple specific experiences I had had, but I did not go any deeper than that. In my second and fourth blog posts, I was able to use the information learned in the research to provide specific strategies that teachers could use in their classrooms.

I undoubtedly became more familiar with the technology as I went. At the beginning, it would take me 20 minutes of trial and error when attempting to include just one hyperlink into my blogs. That being said, I only used them when I absolutely had to, making it more difficult for my audience to locate my sources. Now, I am able to include hyperlinks all throughout the post, and I don’t even consider throwing my laptop across the room.

Project Reflection

If I were to do it all again, I would take more risks. I took the safe route and stuck to a blog throughout the entirety of the project. While it may have been easier for me, it limits the impact my ideas have on my audience. Those who prefer to listen to information were at a disadvantage, as that option was not available. Not to mention, words when spoken make it easier to send a message. Emotion and inflection is much harder to convey through written text. By speaking, I improve the chance that the audience understands what I am trying to say. That being said, if I were to have another chance at this project, I would do a podcast with the script printed out below to challenge myself and accommodate my audience.

Future Teaching

I am thankful for this project in the way it has helped me to become not only a better teacher, but also a better learner. I know now that if I am ever struggling with something, I can look to see what exactly I am having difficulty with, ask specific questions, and then look for an answer. This can mean anything, from helping one child with behavioral issues to making a lifelong impact on the children I come into contact with. If I am ever stuck, I can look to the books and know that I am not alone. This is crucial in helping not only me, but my kids.

Advice to Students

If I could talk to future students, I would tell them to give each and every post their all. It is easy to get wrapped up in all of the other assignments and take this activity lightly since it is an A for effort the first few attempts. However, these are skills that are applicable to our futures as teachers and learners. In order to ensure their best work, I would suggest they do not procrastinate. I know it is easier said than done, but I for one am much more likely to work hard on something if I am not battling with the deadline. I would also recommend writing down their observations as they go. If this is not possible in the classroom, reflect as soon as they get home. There were a few instances in the classroom when I thought of a great topic, and by the time I tried to write about it, I had forgotten what I wanted to talk about. Recording observations as they happen and reflecting on those ideas is a great skill to have no matter who you are or what you plan to do.

References

Dennis, L. & Stockall, N. (2015). Using play to build the social competence of young children with language delays: Practical guidelines for teachers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0638-5

Fair, B. (2019). No more tears. Retrieved from https://blogs.millersville.edu/bfair/2019/03/09/no-more-tears/

Fair, B. (2019). A world without questions is a world without answers. Retrieved from https://blogs.millersville.edu/bfair/2019/04/05/a-world-without-questions-is-a-world-without-answers/

Fair, B. (2019). Tell me why. Retrieved from https://blogs.millersville.edu/bfair/2019/05/01/tell-me-why/

Paul, C. (2018). Using magnetism to move a toy vehicle: At a kids’ inquiry conference, preschoolers assume the role of scientists. Science & Children, 56(3), 28–33. https://doi.org/10.2505/4/sc18_056_03_28

Wilkerson, D. C. (1997). Easing separation anxiety: Recommendations for parents, families, and teachers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 24, 155–160.

What’s the Problem?

Teachers know they are required to include science in the classroom every day to meet certain standards for certifications, but many do the bare minimum by spending two minutes discussing the weather. Even then, no one takes the time to mention why it is raining, only that it is in fact raining. When children notice the disparity and begin to ask questions, they are not always met with thorough responses. While it is widely understood that schools are crunched for time, under no circumstances should you reprimand a child for wanting to know more about the subject. I bring this up because in third grade, we too learned about different types of weather. I raised my hand to ask the teacher, “Why does it rain?” to which she snapped, “I don’t know, it just does!” I don’t know about the other kids, but I for one was not interested in asking any more questions that day.

While there are many fantastic teachers out there who would be horrified hearing this story, they may indirectly discourage children from asking questions. For example, there was an eight year old child I had at camp last summer. Every day he would get in trouble for something, such as losing a hula hoop in the lake or not listening to what he was supposed to make in art class. On the surface, it may seem as though he simply doesn’t want to follow directions. However, when I took a step back and asked him why he put stuff in the lake, he responded, “I wanted to see if it would float.” When I showed interest in his original art project, he told me he designed his own bug trap. Albert Einstein once said, “The important thing is to never stop questioning.”  How can we prepare students to save the planet and cure deadly diseases if we program them to ignore their curiosity? The short answer: we can’t.

How Do We Solve It?

The United States rank extremely low academically in comparison to other developed countries, particularly in science. How are we supposed to compete globally in one of the most important subjects if it isn’t even considered an important subject until middle school? In the article Using Magnetism to Move a Toy Vehicle: At a Kids’ Inquiry Conference, Preschoolers Assume the Role of Scientists, Cheryl Paul shows that children are capable of conducting developmentally appropriate science experiments even at the preschool age. They are naturally curious about their environment, and an inquiry based question such as “How do magnets work?” could fuel an entire unit. Using a simplified version of the scientific method, children could articulate what they want to know, and use the given materials to test for the answer. By incorporating science into our classrooms from a very young age, children will be trained to look closely at their surroundings and ask questions.

Keep these findings in mind when planning for your own classroom. More often than not, children will meet the expectations their teacher sets for them. If you believe they can accomplish great things and you challenge them to do so, then they will in fact accomplish incredible things. If you underestimate them, there is a good chance they will start to believe they are incapable of completing certain tasks. By allowing our students to dig deeper into their curiosities, we can better prepare our students for an unpredictable future.

 

References

Paul, C. (2018). Using magnetism to move a toy vehicle: At a kids’ inquiry conference, preschoolers assume the role of scientists. Science & Children, 56(3), 28–33. https://doi.org/10.2505/4/sc18_056_03_28

When teaching a ten minute, hands-on lesson at Eshelman, my group noticed that the kids were involved for the entire period. There were not any behavior issues during this time, and the students appeared to be genuinely interested. These ideas were confirmed when their teachers pointed out how the students were intrigued by our lessons and therefore listening more than they normally would in class. This brought us to the question, “How can we keep elementary students engaged throughout the school day?” Were they simply behaving because it was an event and they knew they would not be able to attend if they acted out? Is it possible to keep children entertained for a full day with academic content?

Stacia Miller and Suzanne Lindt discuss how one of the biggest methods of teaching that has led to greater student learning, long-term knowledge acquisition, and high student engagement is movement integration. When movement is integrated into the teaching and the lessons that are taught to students, they are much more likely to stay engaged and retain knowledge. A higher rate of student interest, engagement, and learning were all recorded during lessons that integrated movement. This makes complete sense when we look back on our rainbow science activity we conducted. The activity was hands on and the children were are to move the discs around in the water, working on both their gross motor skills (by moving their whole arms) and their fine motor skills (moving their fingers in the water and to color). Hands on learning generally incorporates movement and absolutely engages students more than learning that is strictly paper and pencil. Movement integration and hands on learning are the optimal ways of teaching when it comes to keeping children engaged throughout the lesson and school day.

In conclusion, incorporating movement and hands on activities is a great way to keep students actively engaged. All students love to move around or touch things, so finding a way to incorporate that into a lesson will increase the likelihood of the students understanding the lesson. It will also increase the likelihood of them wanting to learn the lesson. Hands on activities have no restrictions so any student can participate in such a lesson. As mentioned with the rainbow activity we had no behavior issues or incidents, everyone was engaged and had fun. As future educators it is important to know what methods will work with students and which ones won’t. No matter what the lesson may be, involving movement or a hands on activity is definitely a good choice to see full engagement.

References

Miller, S. C., & Lindt, S. F. (2018). Chapter 3: Engaging Elementary Students through Movement Integration in Mathematics and Reading. Curriculum & Teaching Dialogue, 20(1/2/2018), 31–43. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=131343472&authtype=sso&custid=s3915890&site=ehost-live.

All four years olds seem to want to do is ask questions. “Why is the sky blue? How do the people get inside the radio? Why can’t I breathe underwater like our goldfish?” The average four year old asks hundreds of questions every single day. It is those questions that help children take in immense amounts of information about their environments and build upon their original ideas. So, what do you do if a child isn’t asking any of these questions?

In my Pre-K field placement, there is a four year old who only began talking a few months ago. He still does not interact verbally very often, and when he does, he usually mumbles to himself or repeats part of what the other person said. For example, when asked “Do you want to try spelling your name with these magnetic letters?” the child responded, “Letters.” This is true whether he is talking to a teacher or to a classmate. These conversational skills create a vicious cycle in regard to his social development. Since he is not one for continuing the conversation, his classmates will often walk away without much being said, creating a situation in which the child is not only behind to begin with, but also engages in fewer social interactions than the other kids.

That being said, I decided to do some research around the question, “How can teachers help a child with language delays interact more with their peers?” After some digging, I came across the article “Using Play to Build the Social Competence of Young Children with Language Delays: Practical Guidelines for Teachers” by Lindsay Dennis and Nancy Stockall. Here, the authors stress the importance of play on all domains of child development, particularly social and linguistic development. They explain that educators must be intentional when planning opportunities for young children to play. If teachers are able to create situations for play in which the children will assign roles to one another and problem-solve, these interactions can do wonders in helping them grow as individuals. By definition, the children will converse during dramatic play, from acting out a trip to the doctor’s office to pretending to be a chef. This is a perfect low-risk environment for children to work on their communication skills.

It is crucial that we keep the importance of play in mind, as the requirements placed on public school teachers are making play in the classroom a rare sight to see. There is countless research supporting the idea that play helps children develop, so we must find ways to incorporate it into our classrooms. We all know someone who will walk into the room and question how the children can possibly be learning if “all they are doing is playing.” If we can pull out research to defend our stance when there is pushback, we can create a better learning environment for each and every student.

References

Dennis, L. & Stockall, N. (2015). Using play to build the social competence of young children with language delays: Practical guidelines for teachers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0638-5

When observing a preschool classroom with 23 children ranging from ages 2-4, I noticed many of the children cried when their caregivers left on Monday morning. On average, it took the children about 15 minutes to collect themselves after being dropped off. While they were crying, many of the students missed breakfast and/or story-time depending on their time of arrival. One of the teachers would come over to greet the child when they walked in, and repeatedly attempted to take their mind off of the subject by asking about their weekend or giving them compliments. If this did not work, a second teacher would come over to comfort the child with hugs and songs. These two approaches were successful in calming the child about half of the time, but the other half of the children remained upset for the full 15 minutes.

Of course, there are some limitations to these observations. Was it more of an issue on a Monday morning than it would have been if I had observed on a Wednesday? Did the children get used to being at home over the weekend and therefore find it more difficult to adjust when going back to school? These observations and uncertainties led me to question what teachers could do to ease the children’s transition to school in the morning. I decided to base my research around the question: How can preschool teachers help students with separation anxiety adjust in the classroom?

In the article Easing Separation Anxiety: Recommendations for Families, Parents, and Teachers, Wilkerson provides tips for helping preschool aged children adjust to school and be away from their caregivers for a block of time. The author explains that both parents and educators must recognize that this reaction is natural, as being away from a parent can be very upsetting for the child. By letting the child know what to expect at school that day, teachers and parents can help the child transition. For instance, if the teacher explains all of the fun activities that the child will be able to participate in throughout the day, then the level of uncertainty and discomfort for the child is decreased. The child is also able to think about all of the awesome stories they will be able to share with their family at the end of the day (Wilkerson, 1997).

After considering the research, it seems that a combination of approaches would be most useful. The idea that the teachers had initially to distract the child while the parent departed worked somewhat, as the child could begin to think about other things. This strategy, combined with making the students excited about what is going to take place in school that day, could very well help the child transition in the morning. Rather than looking to a parent for comfort and reassurance, the child is informed at the very beginning so that there are no surprises.

References

Wilkerson, D. C. (1997). Easing separation anxiety: Recommendations for parents, families, and

teachers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 24, 155–160.

Easing separation anxiety: Recommendations for parents, families, and teachers – Early Childhood Education Journal

Many children entering school for the first time are anxious and fearful. In the beginning, separation from the parent is difficult for all young children but for some, it is a chronic problem that can disrupt the child’s learning alliance with the teacher.

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