By way of a final culminating activity, reflect on your learning/creating/documenting in our Learning Centers on Tuesday night. Consider a couple of key items drawn from Helm, Beneke, Steinheimer (1998) on documentation, reflection, and learning, particularly "A Window for Self-Reflection", p 30, chapter 8: "Self-Reflections", and from chapter 10, pp 139ff. Write a well-developed essay (2-3 pages) on your process of reflection - what would children learn from your learning center/our learning centers? Email it to Josh_Thompson "at" tamu-commerce.edu by Tuesday, 12/13. THANKS!
For feedback on lessons learned, please participate in a Post-Assessment of DAP in ECE on ProfilerPro.com
Key decisions made about our Learning Center projects: What will the final product look like? Everyone will receive a packet of materials with information on each of the learning centers: Clear written directions, with goals and/or objectives, a materials list (a photo would be nice), and a description of the activity, i.e. what children will do in the center, along with a few suggested mini-lessons, including one around the theme of Giving Thanks.
The culminating event - our Learning Centers Central when we
share our constructed learning centers with one another is yet to be
determined, probably on Tuesday, Dec 6 or 13. We will not invite
children to that event. Each group will present their Learning Center:
 | Print Awareness (Amanda, Andrea, & Tasha) |
| Music (Dawn, Lisa, & Trish) |
| Writing (Chris B & Chris D) |
| Math (Kevin) |
| Art (Beth, Jennifer, & Patti) |
Jordan is collecting surveys on Transitions. Ck in at http://profilerpro.com/ before Saturday, Nov 19.
http://www97.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/ Ck out this resource in the computer lab or elsewhere. Reflect on your survey of this electronic tool. Send me an e-mail describing how you could use one component of this project design to enhance your learning center.
Nov 22 - Work on Learning Centers in your small groups - no regular class meeting
Nov 29 - Bring TExES Preparation materials. Prepare for a practical insight into the certification examination process, presented by Chris R, Hilary, & Susan. Click here for more info http://www.texes.nesinc.com/
Key decisions made about our Learning Center projects:
What will the final product look like? Everyone will receive a packet of materials with information on each of the learning centers: Clear written directions, with goals and/or objectives, a materials list (a photo would be nice), and a description of the activity, i.e. what children will do in the center, along with a few suggested mini-lessons, including one around the theme of Giving Thanks.
The culminating event - our Learning Centers Central when we share our constructed learning centers with one another is yet to be determined, probably on Tuesday, Dec 6 or 13. We will not invite children to that event.
Each group will present their preliminary plans to Josh on Tuesday,
November 8 @ 4.30 Art (Beth, Jennifer, & Patti) & Transitions (Jordan)
5.00 Print Awareness (Amanda, Andrea, & Tasha) 5.30 TExES Competencies
(Chris R, Hilary, & Susan) 6.00 Music (Dawn, Lisa, & Trish) 6.30 Writing
(Chris B & Chris D) & Math (Kevin) 7.00 Art (Beth, Jennifer, & Patti)
Nov 15 - More on Learning Centers (pickup packet of readings on Nov 8).
Nov 22 - Work on Learning Centers in your small groups - no regular class meeting
Nov 29 - Bring TExES Preparation materials.
TUES 10/18: Learning Centers, etc. Continue working within your group to create a meaningful learning center. We will not meet as a class.
Tues 10/25 - meet at the Northeast Texas Children's Museum: http://www.netxcm.org/
Check out these Montessori references: Montessori Methods
What a difference a month makes! You all have set sail on a significant project, one worthy of your time and commitment, something you (hopefully) can take on into your near and dear future in Early Childhood (and older) classrooms. Keep in touch with each other, and with me, and with Chris Beard, instigator of this new direction.
Here are the resources we used on Learning Centers:
www.TexasReading.org Teacher Reading Academies
Kinder Teacher Reading Academy "Effective Learning Centers" .pdf
Check out this tool for planning Early Childhood classrooms: http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/class_setup/
And here are some ideas for planning Learning Centers for Early Childhood classrooms: http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/jthompson/Presentations/Centers.htm
Now for integrating your learning, explanation, and application: Consider where you are working with young children (or not) and evaluate the questions, projects, observations, etc, on p 155 of Kostelnik (2004). Choose one of these assignments and complete a response to the prompt. Share with others in the class, via e-mail, telephone, or F2F before bringing it to class on Tuesday, Oct 4.
http://profilerpro.com/ has found 17 of the nineteen of you all, so I have assigned a Survey Preview. Take time to fill it out before Monday night so we can discuss it on Tuesday.
Our classroom has been changed (many times!). The schedule says Hall of Languages 203, but we have permission to meet in EDS 104. EDS is Education South, the Sowers Building. I'll see you in EDS 104 on Tuesday at 4.30 pm.