Ms.Singh's blog

Before starting long practicum, I did not think it would be much different from the Thursday observations or the two-week practicum we had back in November. But as the weeks are passing by, I am noticing a lot more; small things that I did not notice before or know about.
Something that I was not aware of before was that in my kindergarten classroom, the students are more focused in the mornings and up until about 11:30 am. After this, a lot of them struggle to pay attention. Therefore, after lunch, we usually have lighter stuff planned for them such as art, story, centers and music.
I have also come to realize how difficult it is to assess kindergarteners. You cannot always rely on worksheets, and have to try to do more hands on activities with them. But how do you assess this? I have been recommended to use more one on one assessment strategies with them so that I can know where they are standing and what they know. The only downside of this is that it is very time-consuming but this is when you can make use out of centers and call out students one by one.
All I can say for now is that many people believe that Kindergarten is an easy grade to teach or that K’s do not do anything. But this is not true at all. Yes, the content is simple but teaching K is a challenge on its own.

When I started my inquiry project, I was primarily focusing on English Language Learners (ELL’s) and ways to help them or encourage them without ignoring the needs of other students. However, as I am spending more time in the classroom, I am noticing that ELL’s are not the only students who may require that extra attention; many students who are not ELL’s or do not have any behavior issues or any sort of learning disabilities still need that extra help or push.
Like I stated at the beginning of my inquiry, as teachers, we want to help out all of our students, but sometimes this can be challenging. So what to do? Well, the small things that I have picked up on are that first of all use appropriate language suitable for the age of your students. Go over steps/ instructions- make the students repeat instructions after you have asked them what to do. For the students who are really struggling, maybe try to get them to do half of the work for starters so that they can understand the concepts and gain that confidence. During work time or during centers, pull them aside and work with them one on one. After you have gone over instructions, pull out the few students who are struggling and have them sit with you; this way they will know you are close to them when they are completing their work and if they need help, you can assist them right away. Also, always give feedback, especially on good behavior or good work being done. This will encourage and motivate the student.