A few weeks back I had a job interview with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for a position of Designated Early Childhood Educator in the kindergarten classroom.
I got the job!!
Basically it is my dream job and I feel so blessed to be given it so early in my career. I am so excited to start. The last week of August is my start date and so have some time to prepare myself. Just as I prepared for my year teaching in Nicaragua, I will be reading what I can that is relevant to the work I will be doing.
Here are a few quotes I read today from Inquiry into Math, Science, and Technology for Teaching Young Children by Arleen Pratt Prairie:
"Sensory learning contributes to exploratory learning, the first step of inquiry." pg. 74
"For children four to six years of age, several ears of corn are placed in a tray on the discovery table. In addition, magnifiers, measuring cups, a mortal and pestle, and a large rectangle dish lined with white paper are available. These tools invite exploration, such as investigating the husk, the corn, the silk, and the cob. Children shell the corn into the dish and look at the results. To extend these experiences the shelled corn could be examined in the magnifier or measured. Also, the shelled corn can be cut with a paring knife (teacher does this). And corn could be ground with a mortal and pestle. No doubt children will be touching, listening, smelling, shelling, and grinding--even tasting the corn." pg. 83
And the quotes that hit home, while reflecting on the pedagogy of the Reggio Emilia Approach:
"Unfortunately children researching their own questions are usually not taken seriously in the social context. Often the adult takes it upon himself to answer the child's questions with information the adult knows. The result is filling up the child with information. This information given is treated as social knowledge, not physical or logicomathematical knowledge as it truly is (Kamii & DeVries, 1993). The child accepts this information from the adult without question and thus the child believes that the adult is the "container" of knowledge. In believing that all learning stems from the adult, the child abandons his reliance on his own emerging thought processes. This kind of thinking may lead to the lack of autonomous learning (Kamii, 1982)." pg 95
"The teacher's role is to ask good, open ended questions that stimulate children's thinking and provoke discussion... so that children consider the matter at hand with all their attention and interests. In these conversations the teacher does not fish for right answers or impart information. This is clearly a departure from the traditional idea of the teacher's role. (pg 70 of Bringing Reggio Home)" pg 95
And one idea I will be contributing to the ECE/Teacher team environment.
I got the job!!
Basically it is my dream job and I feel so blessed to be given it so early in my career. I am so excited to start. The last week of August is my start date and so have some time to prepare myself. Just as I prepared for my year teaching in Nicaragua, I will be reading what I can that is relevant to the work I will be doing.
Here are a few quotes I read today from Inquiry into Math, Science, and Technology for Teaching Young Children by Arleen Pratt Prairie:
"Sensory learning contributes to exploratory learning, the first step of inquiry." pg. 74
"For children four to six years of age, several ears of corn are placed in a tray on the discovery table. In addition, magnifiers, measuring cups, a mortal and pestle, and a large rectangle dish lined with white paper are available. These tools invite exploration, such as investigating the husk, the corn, the silk, and the cob. Children shell the corn into the dish and look at the results. To extend these experiences the shelled corn could be examined in the magnifier or measured. Also, the shelled corn can be cut with a paring knife (teacher does this). And corn could be ground with a mortal and pestle. No doubt children will be touching, listening, smelling, shelling, and grinding--even tasting the corn." pg. 83
And the quotes that hit home, while reflecting on the pedagogy of the Reggio Emilia Approach:
"Unfortunately children researching their own questions are usually not taken seriously in the social context. Often the adult takes it upon himself to answer the child's questions with information the adult knows. The result is filling up the child with information. This information given is treated as social knowledge, not physical or logicomathematical knowledge as it truly is (Kamii & DeVries, 1993). The child accepts this information from the adult without question and thus the child believes that the adult is the "container" of knowledge. In believing that all learning stems from the adult, the child abandons his reliance on his own emerging thought processes. This kind of thinking may lead to the lack of autonomous learning (Kamii, 1982)." pg 95
"The teacher's role is to ask good, open ended questions that stimulate children's thinking and provoke discussion... so that children consider the matter at hand with all their attention and interests. In these conversations the teacher does not fish for right answers or impart information. This is clearly a departure from the traditional idea of the teacher's role. (pg 70 of Bringing Reggio Home)" pg 95
And one idea I will be contributing to the ECE/Teacher team environment.
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