Exam question number 1

Excellence in teaching

Searching for excellence in teaching, to find ways that every student can achieve their fullest ability, John Hattie looked initially at what influences the students learning. His research shows it is the teacher that can make the difference in student learning. Good teachers have positive effects on their students, however, by striving for excellence in teaching outstanding achievements can be reached.

Reflecting on my own teaching, I can identify lessons that run more smoothly than others, usually, this has to do with my preparation for the subject, my feeling for the subject, and how much sleep I’ve had that week. When I know the subject matter really well I find I am much more flexible in absorbing the children’s input into the lesson spontaneously – they always have an idea to ‘help’ the story and if I can bring those suggestions into the story it often becomes more alive and enriched, however, if I’m not as confident with the subject matter the suggestions can be unsettling and the story’s flow interrupted as I try to grapple with the idea put forward. If the subject is really alive for me, my enthusiasm will inspire the children. If I am tired or stressed my ability to maintain flexibility and spontaneity is seriously compromised!

While there are many differences between experienced teachers and expert teachers, the following points alone make a considerable difference:

Challenge
Deep Representation
Monitoring and Feedback.

Put simply, an expert teacher challenges students to learn and master knowledge by being active in their learning, they teach a deep understanding of information by extending ideas and finding meaning by collaboration and interaction with peers as well as their teacher, rather than passively listening to the teacher and memorising information to pass the test. When students are engaged in their learning, they question and collaborate to problem solve allowing the teacher to monitor progress and give feedback.

Further to these findings, my study of Anthroposophy and my classroom experience also shows some vital points for teachers of young children. As young children learn through imitation it is important that my behaviour, words and actions are worthy of imitating. As they experience the world through their senses it is important to help the senses unfold harmoniously – particularly in the first seven years the will senses of touch, life, movement and balance. As they come into the physical world and develop their physical body, in the first seven years of education as a Steiner Kindergarten teacher I facilitate learning in a whole body way – rather than a head (abstract thinking) way. For instance Science and Environment lessons can happen while gardening, on nature walks, in the sandpit. Maths happens in music lessons, their creative play, building and climbing. English is learnt through story, verse, song and Eurythmy.

In my Kindergarten class the children sit at tables of four or six, I allow them to sit where they please with whom they please, only intervening if a child is having particular difficulty settling into their work because they are so busy disrupting their friends. I prefer to help the children sit together harmoniously and will only move one as a last resort. This arrangement allows for peer interaction and on the whole I find the children willingly help each other. Often, when one child asks me a question he/she will be answered by many! Regularly on craft day I have a lengthy queue of children requiring assistance, it is particularly lovely to enlist help by looking down the queue at the problems needing to be solved and saying “Heidi knows how to fix that problem” or “Jarrah has just learnt how to do that – perhaps you could ask them for help rather than wait in the queue”, the children are delighted to help each other and they gain a deeper understanding of the craft by teaching another.
I notice in my daily activities how important it is to find a moment in each day for each child. By noticing and praising the things a child does well or correctly helps them want to achieve a little more next time. It develops a pride in their own work and a willingness to keep trying. It doesn’t need to be a large statement that everyone hears, although it can be, a quiet whisper in a child’s ear “I really love the way you’ve made your colours shine in this drawing” shows the child you notice his work and you are proud of him. Even a secret shared smile or a wink shows the child you’ve seen them, you acknowledge they’re on the right track, and there is a natural affection in the smile or wink that makes them feel loved.

It is important to teach children from something they know, to use their zone of proximal development. Before teaching the children how to do blanket stitch, I introduced them to sewing by using wool as thread and beeswax (to keep the wool from fraying) as a needle. The children learnt a simple running stitch sewing a cardboard folder for their artwork. Next the children were taught running stitch with a real needle and thread to sew together a flag and it was after this, the children were taught the fancier blanket stich on their frog, a little rest time snuggle toy.
Each lesson began with a nature story to stimulate the senses and the imagination; each skill went to short term memory and with rehearsing went to long term memory. This skill was then retrieved to be added to with the next level of skill. The children were delighted with their work because it had meaning for them.

I would like to be a teacher that inspires children to think, feel and do.
I practice being clear with instructions, serious with children’s questions and generous with praise.
I aim to be creative and imaginative in my approach to teaching, developing a lesson plan to suit my class of children rather than teaching what has always been taught.
I am excited about the new things I learn and endeavour to put them into practice.


A CREATIVE KINDERGARTEN

Working with young children provides me with constant opportunities for a creative approach to everything I do.

Children experience maths in building games with wooden blocks – dividing blocks amongst friends, measuring the height of the tower. They experience distance in the obstacle course in the playground. Number patterns are experienced with weaving, music games and climbing. Measurement and weight are an everyday occurrence in cooking class. Water and sand play teaches area and volume.

Science lessons are multi-faceted; children discover their natural surrounding environment and how to care for it through nature stories, gardening lessons and creative play. Children care for the Kindergarten animals each day and from this learn the needs of living things. Chemistry is experienced in a colourful way through watercolour painting.

Our weekly cooking lesson teaches the children nutrition and promotes a healthy lifestyle. Safety issues are discussed every day in the playground, through storytelling and with appropriate classroom behaviour. Everyday playing teaches children respect for their peers, for property and ultimately for themselves.

Exam Question number 2

Piaget and vygotsky

Piaget described two processes used by the individual in its attempt to adapt: assimilation and accommodation. Both of these processes are used throughout life as the person increasingly adapts to the environment in a more complex manner.

The major theme of Vygotsky's theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygotsky (1978) states: "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological).” Vygotsky believes learning is a life long process and that we learn in social contexts.

Piaget believed assimilation is the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in preexisting cognitive structures. Accommodation is the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment. Both processes are used simultaneously and alternately throughout life. An example of assimilation would be when an infant uses a sucking schema that was developed by sucking on a small bottle when attempting to suck on a larger bottle. An example of accommodation would be when the child needs to modify a sucking schema developed by sucking on a pacifier to one that would be successful for sucking on a bottle.

Vygotsky developed the theory of the zone of proximal development. He believed that the life long process of development was dependent on social interaction and that social learning actually leads to cognitive development. This phenomenon is called the Zone of Proximal Development. Vygotsky describes the ZPD as "the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers". In other words, a student can perform a task under adult guidance or with peer collaboration that could not be achieved alone. The Zone of Proximal Development bridges that gap between what is known and what can be known. Vygotsky claimed that learning occurred in this zone.

Many pre-school and primary programs are modeled on Piaget's theory, which, as stated previously, provides part of the foundation for constructivist learning. Discovery learning and supporting the developing interests of the child are two primary instructional techniques. It is recommended that parents and teachers challenge the child's abilities, but NOT present material or information that is too far beyond the child's level. It is also recommended that teachers use a wide variety of concrete experiences to help the child learn (e.g., use of manipulatives, working in groups to get experience seeing from another's perspective, field trips, etc).

The physical classroom, based on Vygotsky's theory, would provide clustered desks or tables and work space for peer instruction, collaboration, and small group instruction. Like the environment, the instructional design of material to be learned would be structured to promote and encourage student interaction and collaboration. Thus the classroom becomes a community of learning.

Both Piaget and Vygotsky support the concept that children learn from prior knowledge, that the required learning should be a little beyond their reach but is attainable with the help of adult guidance and the peer/social network. They both support diversity in learning structures and materials, using collaboration as a teaching tool.
Constructivist education is multi-faceted, there is no one-way to stand in front of a class and present information for students to digest and later regurgitate to pass an exam. It allows for creativity in lesson preparation and greater student input. Constructivists acknowledge for students’ to acquire deep learning of a subject it must have meaning, be in context, and the student himself or herself must have an input into the learning. Working collaboratively with other students allows them to access more than one way of thinking, another level of understanding.

Exam Question number 3

Board of studies

Within the Board of Studies syllabus there are documents to aid teachers in planning and implementation and assessment of lessons.
Scope and sequence of the English syllabus outlines what students would be taught with a clear picture of the scope of content, it’s sequence within each stage and what should inform the development of this material.
This document states that in early stage one children should have an understanding of key concepts about the structure and grammar of the text introduced at this stage in Key Learning Areas, with a continued development in others.

The teaching program gives samples of lessons with Board of Studies outcomes. Eg. Indicating how an early stage one talking and listening lesson could be planned and implemented.

The assessment program outlines the students’ ability to achieve/complete the set task. The assessment procedure needs to be in place at the time of lesson planning. At the end of the lesson assessment shows how many students acquired desired outcomes and allows teacher to evaluate success of the lesson, and to make changes to the lesson plan for future reference if required.

These documents determine what should be taught and when they should be taught and assessed, however, it is no indication of how the lesson must be taught. All outcomes address what needs to be achieved but it is up to each teacher to design and plan a lesson appropriate to the school’s ethos and to the individual class.