“Motivation, engagement and inspiration a job well done ”

1. “Motivation, engagement and inspirationa job well done”

2. Ninth district Douglas county head start observation 3833 Longview Dr., Douglasville, GA 30134 Classroom 7: Ms. “P” & Ms. “V” 770-949-3717 • I observed the 3’s and early 4 year olds. There were 7 students in total but in the 3 days I was there, we never had full enrollment. This was a diverse classroom consisting of African American , Hispanic and Caucasian children. Head Start is an income-based program in which: • Head Start program's mission is to improve the lives of low-income children by providing quality comprehensive child development services that are family focused, including education, health, nutrition and mental health. • Our mission is accomplished by involving parents in the total operation and administration of the program and supporting the growth of children, families and staff through encouragement, nurturing, education and empowerment. http://www.headstart.seta.net/ • I did indeed observe classroom 7 strive to carry out this mission.

3. Learning takes place • I observed at least 8 different domains of learning in this classroom: • Mathematics • Science • Literacy • Language Development • Social/Emotional • Physical Health and Development • Approaches to Learning • Creative Arts • http://www.pochs.org/classes.htm

4. Children who are motivated and engaged are inspired to learn which comes in part from proper classroom management: this is the foundation… • My desire was to watch how the classroom was managed and taught so that I could capitalize on these ideas, learn from them and incorporate them into my classroom. I also liked viewing the children from all walks of life, which we term in the education world as “diversity”. • I was welcomed into the classroom number seven, with open arms from the teachers but reluctance on the students’ behalf, to volunteer so I was directly involved and engaged with the students. • The classroom management was wonderful! • Now let’s take a look inside…

5. What did I see? • When I walked in, the aesthetics of the classroom were warm and inviting with great organization such as: the children’s work was displayed throughout the classroom, which as we know builds positive self-regulation through self-confidence and self-esteem; they were proud of themselves and often took me by the hand to show me their accomplishments in which I responded, “This is beautiful and you should be so proud of yourself; I can’t wait to see more!” moreover, everything was at the children’s eye level like where they hang their coats or keep the extra change of clothes in their cubbies; I also observed a helper’s chart and the washing your hands chart at the sinks which were also eye level; these are wonderful teaching tools and also enforces self-regulation and scaffolding opportunities; the carpet was clean and colorful and the children had assigned carpet squares so rather it be large group or small group, they knew exactly where to go which eliminates confusion; there were also classroom rules displayed which teachers often recited and pointed to throughout the day so I saw them use visual support to help them teach there class and spark class discussions; lastly, centers were clean, organized and labeled.

6. What’s next? • All activities done seemed in the context of ongoing child-selected play activities in this classroom which used developmentally appropriate practices. The children were given lots of choices. These strategies were effective in increasing the level of active engagement between teachers and children and children and children. Although the children had lots of choices, they did not appear to be overwhelmed-just excited! I believe this is due partially through proper classroom management. • Students will engage with tasks they find interesting, challenging and important. There was lots of physical movement which included: dancing to songs, playing outside where I noticed interaction between teachers and students but more with students and students; there was also a great amount of movement in transitional times but the classroom still stayed orderly and safe. One contribution to this, I feel, was that the teachers were consistently interacting with the students by moving around the classroom and being watchful. This too, shows me that classroom management was well thought out and implemented. Sometimes, the teachers interacted with the students as a group; and sometimes the teachers interacted with an individual student. This is also important in motivation.

7. And… • The children also liked pretend play where they dressed up or cooked in the house area. The children enjoyed the teachers coming over to interact with them and eat what they prepared. I noticed at this time the teachers may take notes on something they observed about the child (note: formative assessment). The teachers also asked many questions in which the students were glad to answer which promotes students to become self-motivated and sets yet another premise for scaffolding.

8. What else takes place in the classroom? • The teachers had positive demeanors, maintained good eye contact with the students, were courteous and gave nice calming touches on the students’ shoulders and/or backs. This in turn motivated the students to reciprocate this between each other and be very affectionate with their teachers. While this may be considered an extrinsic form of learning because of the reward of receiving affection and attention reciprocated with the good behavior, my observation was in fact that this reward system had intrinsic results because I saw it as a building tool which enhances better individuals. They gave the teachers hugs, (and me [smiling]), and told their teachers they loved them often. The same was reciprocated from the teachers. This truly warmed my heart because I could see how the children thrived from being loved and accepted. I will incorporate this into my classroom. Therefore, this motivated intrinsic learning more than extrinsic in my opinion because the students were not offered outside treats of any sort but were just motivated and excited to learn because of what has already been built up in them as individuals and accomplished. • Large group which was a great time of engagement because the teacher used situation card scenarios about feelings and asked the children what was going on in the pictures and what would they do if they were in that situation. This learning time featured the “calm down” song which taught the children how to deal with different feelings especially angry ones. Furthermore, the teachers used the co-teaching method. One day one teacher would be on the carpet and the next day the other. I thought this was good because it showed the children how we can work together by taking turns; both teachers were able to interact with the children on different levels. For instance, one teacher was humorous and animated so she was great with story time; while the other teacher was calm natured and worked well with the scenario cards. The children were receptive to both and governed themselves accordingly. Also, this method cuts down on “burnout” for the teachers.

9. Large group Social/Emotional; Physical Health & Development; Language Development; and Approaches to Learning

10. There will be bumps… • On the other hand, no classroom is without its bumps which is fine and to be expected; but I think proper classroom management will keep these incidences to a minimum. So during large group, little Timmy was upset and became aggressive with those around him which included his peers and one of his teachers on the carpet. He was kicking and hitting so one teacher restrained him while the other teacher continued with engaging the students; and wouldn’t you know it, I heard her saying, “Calm, calm” and then she sang the “calm down” song…priceless! Oh, but the cherry on top of the best sundae in the world was that the children started saying, “Calm down Timmy, you’re being rude!” Then they sang the “calm down” song. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry so I maintained my enthusiasm! Now, we’re off to work time where we have another incident in which Ms. P used an effective mediation process which consisted of the “five problem-solving step/process” which help the students become good problem solvers. She: • 1. Realized the problem existed • 2. Took the time to understand the nature of the problem • 3. Compiled relevant information • 4. Formulated and carried out a solution • 5. Lastly evaluated the solution • For instance, when one student got angry with another, he screamed, “I’m not your friend!” I saw the teacher quickly but calmly respond as a mediator. She said, “We’re all friends in here but why don’t you tell me why you’re upset.” The child expressed himself and then she turned to the other child and asked her what happened then followed through by asking both children if they heard each other and how would that make each child feel. They worked it out and were redirected to other areas of choice. In this, respect was a two-way street, I believe, because the teachers respected the children; she did not scream at them but listened to them therefore they listened to each other which I found amazing for this age group because some adults do not even exercise this level of competency! I feel that teacher responsiveness was the core of that classroom running efficiently. This approach fosters skills, attitudes, values and knowledge which are important for life-long learning. If the students feel valued, then they are more likely to be motivated to participate in class which makes learning fun; and with respect established, meaningful relationships can be formed and the child will be excited to come to school and visit with his/or her friends and teachers which is what I observed.

11. Also… • So I noticed something else that seemed to make a huge difference in the classroom which is parental involvement. I think it is critical for teachers to try and involve parents in order to help them create and sustain the students’ motivation. For example, when some of the parents brought their children in, they washed their hands just like their children and one parent opened up the paint table while another filled up the water table. The children were so excited to see their parents helping and wanted to help their parents. • Some parents were bringing in work from home that the children did; while some parents were checking out books from the library corner in the classroom which I think is another great scaffolding technique as well as a preface to self-regulation, to read to children at home. • The families were from different socioeconomic backgrounds but were respected by the teachers and showed no inequality. Furthermore, in saying this, educators should always remember that everyone has different learning styles and ways of being motivated; and this was prevalent in this classroom.

12. Just a little more… • Another scenario in motivation in which I observed was I felt the students were doing so well because they knew what was expected of them: When they came in, they washed their hands, acknowledged their teachers and each other, and went to an area of choice quietly until it was time to set up the table for breakfast. This brings my attention to the “family-style” dining, in which we, as teachers, sit with our students to oversee and socially interact. There was a teacher at each table and I was at table two.

13. Results: • In conclusion, I feel motivation; engagement and energy go hand-in-hand. The higher the motivation, the better the engagement of the children and the greater the opportunity for learning to take place. So where there is motivation and engagement, there is a high level of energy and a better chance of learning and obtaining. The students were treated fairly and just and the teachers were approachable and supportive. If I had a little one, I would want him to be in this class where learning takes place. Well done classroom seven!

14. References: • 13th Edition Psychology Applied to Teaching Jack Snowman Rick McCown, 2012, 2009 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning • Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children & Families I:\ACF OPRE Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES).htm • www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html • http:www.pochs.org/classes.htm