My Reflection on 'Living Avivaloca' Blog

Some of the aspects of Aviva's blog which have inspired me are similar to Lauren's blog, which I have shared in my previous post in detail. This is why, I will share them briefly here. From Aviva's blog, I learned how playing in snow can lead to valuable learning. Sledding, shoveling and making piles of snow are great activities for developing motor skills, as well as oral language. By comparing the height of piles, students can learn about quantity and measurement. Using sidewalk chalks, students can get creative and they may create a spontaneous and collaborative art work. This kind of activity will be useful for learning about visual arts (lines, patterns, textures, etc.). Active exploration and discovery learning are very beneficial for primary children. I learned in the course that kindergartners learn through discovery, play, inquiry, investigation, exploration, etc. Also according to Piaget, children learn best through doing and actively exploring. By exploring their environment, children are are able to develop mental schemas, which grow (through accommodation and assimilation) as they discover and learn more.

Another useful strategy which I learned from Aviva's blog is allowing students to do certain actions in class like sitting on chair instead of ground, eating their lunch at the beginning of the day, coloring, etc. to self-regulate or calm themselves down or to transition easily from one activity to another. As I learned in the course, kindergartners are learning to express their feelings with actions and words and they are also learning to distinguish between acceptable and non acceptable behavior. So I think, by giving students various opportunities of self regulation, they can learn to express their emotions and calm themselves down in an acceptable manner. Different self regulation techniques could be coloring, drawing what they are feeling, sitting in a quiet place, reading, breathing exercises,eating and other self regulatory techniques as shown in the figure below. This practice will.also help the students to realize what their needs are which might be impacting their learning. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, it is important that their physiological needs (hunger, rest) are addressed so that they can get motivated to learn, solve problems and participate in class activities. As a primary teache in future, I will also allow my students to self regulate when needed in their desired way. But at the same time, I will ensure that the self regulation needs are genuine and these self regulation techniques do not cause chaos and do not interrupt the learning in the classroom. 

                                Some of the self regulation techniques which will be allowed

                                                    in my future classroom

To conclude my blog posts on reflection of primary teacher blogs, these blogs themselves containing detailed observation, photos and videos of students' engaged in play and exploration demonstrate effective observation, assessment and teachers' reflective practice. Especially when there are no worksheets involved and the focus is more on the process of learning rather than the product of learning, blogging can really help teachers to document their teaching strategies and students' outcome and to reflect on what worked well and what did not, why it did not work and how they can change it in the future.

My Reflections on "This Kindergarten Life" Blog

From these beautifully written, nature-inspired and reflective posts, I learned great examples of intentional play, inquiry based learning, collaborative learning and reflective practice.

Lauren (author of this blog) utilized her kids' love to play in puddles as a learning opportunity for her children. While playing in puddle wearing their puddle boots, children were able to explore many science and math concepts. Their curious minds had questions like "how deep is the puddle", how many scoops can I fit in the wheelbarrow", "how chalk reacts to getting wet" and which objects float and which objects sink in the puddle?" This is a wonderful example for an inquiry-based learning. As students play together and learn from each other, it is a great example of collaborative learning as well. I loved how Lauren co-constructed learning with her students through intentional interactions with her students. Through this opportunity of play, students had some genuine learning of science and math concepts covered in the curriculum.

From this kindergarten life blog, I learned that the simple things in the local natural world like water, snow, puddle, stream, rocks, etc. can lead to opportunities for genuine exploration and learning for the children. As I learned in the course, children in the kindergarten are very active, need and enjoy social contact to develop a sense of themselves, are eager to learn and they learn through interacting with the environment. This kind of learning opportunity (as demonstrated in the Lauren's blog post) allows the children to run around in an open space, playing with each other, interacting with nature and inquiring based on their curiosities. 

This kind of intentional outdoor play is beneficial for students with various learning styles and intelligences like visual, kinesthetic, interpersonal and naturalistic learners. Through these opportunities, these kinds of learners will be able to think, learn and perform according to their potential. According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, through adults' guidance whether it is in the form of intentional questions or scaffolding based on their prior knowledge (while students are involved in play), students can be pushed from their current zone of cognitive development to their zone of proximal development. Also according to Erikson’s theory, in their fourth Psychological Stage (between ages 5 and 11), children develop self confidence by interacting with their peers and through encouragement and praise by parents and teachers. So the collaborative learning (while playing outside) with their peers also helps in developing self esteem and confidence for the primary children.

Another example from Lauren's blog of an inquiry play based learning is children collaboratively constructing towers using all kinds of blocks including the curved blocks and rocks. Through this process, children are able to explore concepts of symmetry, balance, pattern recognition, measurement, etc. This learning opportunity is again very good for kinesthetic and visual learners. Also, through the collaborative learning process, children in all the stages of development in numeracy and literacy can benefit and learn from each other. 

From Lauren’s blog, I also learned that taking pictures of both the process of investigation of students and the product (constructed towers and sculptures) and recording observations using captioned pictures are great ways of keeping track of students’ learning and assessment (which are the guiding principles for any kindergarten classroom). 

One of the things which I have learned from Lauren's blog which I plan to implement in future as a teacher is having a learning center with all kinds of blocks in my class as shown in the figure below. I think block construction can be used to teach a lot of curriculum expectations while the students are engaged in intentional play, inquiry based learning and collaborative learning.

Block Center in my Future Classes Will Look Like This!

 I also plan to take my students outside to play in rain, puddles and snow etc. provided they are properly geared as it can provide some genuine opportunities for inquiry and play based learning as shown in the figure below. The students can use the tools like shovel, bucket, wheelbarrow, sleds, sidewalk chalk etc. The only concern for me as a beginner teacher in letting my kids play outside in puddles, rain or snow are safety issues. I will be concerned about students tripping and hurting themselves. For that I think it will help me to get first aid training and knowledge of dealing with any accidents.Having a partner teacher will also be helpful. I will probably get a consent form signed by the parents as well. As Lauren mentioned in her blog post, I will not force my students to get out in the rain, puddles or snow, who are not comfortable to do so. 

                                                      My Future Students engaged in outdoor play
                                                      will look like this!  

For keeping track of students' learning and assessment especially when worksheets are not involved, I plan to take both written observations and captioned pictures of student engaged in learning. I will have to get consent from students' parents before I take any pictures or videos of them. I also learned that blogging and journalling are great ways for reflecting, sharing and seeking guidance from other teachers, which are essential for professional growth.

Connecting My Learning From the Course to Primary Teacher's Blogs

The two primary teacher's blogs, I have selected are as follows:
1) This Kindergarten Life  (By Lauren Fynes)
(http://www.thiskindylife.blogspot.ca/2015/12/what-puddle-taught-us.html?m=1) 
2) Living Avivaloca  (By Aviva)
(adunsiger.com)

Both of these blogs contain magnificent examples of intentional play and inquiry based learning in the kindergarten classrooms. These blogs themselves are an excellent manifestation of teachers' detailed observations, elaborate documentation and consistent reflective practice. I have attached collages of these two blogs with key posts (from these blogs) below: 

In my following blog posts, I will share what I have learned from the above-mentioned blogs. I will connect these blogs with my learning from the Primary Teacher Education course. I will also reflect on their implications for my future primary classroom.

Reflections of a Primary Teacher/ Homeschooler

I started my teaching career as a high school teacher but after becoming a parent, I became interested in seeking primary teacher education. I got fascinated by the miraculous process through which an infant gradually develops physically, intellectually and emotionally into a toddler and then into a preschooler. He/She then acquires more independence and skills to become a kindergartner and then into a school-aged child.

In the beginning, an infant can just babble but then he/she listens to his parents/caregivers and learns to speak gradually. He/she keeps on learning more and more words and starts to form sentences. Then as a preschooler and as a school-aged child, a child learns to read, write, count and he/she starts to communicate in a variety of ways with his/her peers and the adults around him/her.

I find the whole process so striking that I want to learn more about it in order to facilitate it not only for my own children but also for others. This is why I decided to take a Primary Education ABQ course. So far, in this course, I have learned about the characteristics and attributes of a primary learner, various learning styles and learning theories, role of a primary teacher and a variety of teaching strategies.

In this blog, I will be sharing my reflections as a primary teacher connecting them with the content of this course.

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