Through the lenses that are mine…

After doing a small (very small) amount of reading on creating blogs I jumped in head first.

Now that I have gone back and looked at my writing I have realised two things, that I did not plan enough and that I need to consider what others want to read about.

By considering what I have to offer as an educator, the challenge is what do people want to read about?

My main strengths are:

• using games to engage and educate young children
• incorporating photography into a classroom setting
• holistic teaching – a happy child = more successful learning

There are many others of course, but to list what makes me stand out from many other amazing teachers are these. So here comes the offer… let me know what you would like to read about and in turn I will ask the same

This is a brave new world!

The first thing I would like to mention in this post is that singing makes you feel good. Now you must admit that it’s great singing in the car on the way to work or humming a tune long after you’re out of the car! Well, all we need to do is apply this concept in the classroom to suit the age level and interests of the kids.

This morning a worker who was fixing the doors in the classroom laughed loudly when he heard me using an opera voice to say good morning to the Preps! It sure was fun (although I think I need to touch up on my opera voice!) He commented that it made his morning, so if it made his I think it’s a great way to start the day – with a laugh!

I also find this idea encourages children to be confident and creative. It just surprises me every day which child comes up with the best character voice. Yesterday one of my ESL students said the best “Howdy Partner” out of the ‘cowboys’ in the morning.

I also find when the Preps are restless or chatty; standing up, dancing and singing is a great way to release the energy and then refocus. We probably sing at least three times a day. The children comment that this is one of their favourite things to do.

Reading can easily be integrated with song. See the Phonics Zone website. http://www.lcfclubs.com/englishzone/phonicszone/CourseFront-ENS.asp

The Preps just love singing ‘The Skeleton Song’ and ‘Bumble Bee’. The words flash up on the screen as each word appears. It’s simply karaoke for kids!

Last year in Grade 5 we often sang Top 40 hits in class as a reward at the end of a solid working session. I’d have to carefully monitor the lyrics of course, but these singing sessions often ended in lessons analysing the song lyrics and discussing social stereotypes, metaphors etc.

The use of dancing and simple movements like cross crawl in Prep is really important for Left/Right brain development too.

I think that ultimately happy kids will result in better learning outcomes. So why not consider using song in the classroom today?

Check out…

SOme links to songs for juniors http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/teaching-kids/using-traditional-songs

The benefits of song http://www.ourbigearth.com/2009/03/26/kids-in-the-arts-growing-children-with-song/

Nursery Rhymes Online

http://www.nurseryrhymesonline.com/how_nursery_rhyme_activities_encourage_proper_brain_development-4063.php

P.S.

Let me know if you have any other good singing resources, particularly suited for children’s viewing rather than teacher resources.

Happy Singing!

I am always looking for new ideas and ways to incorporate technology into the Prep classroom as technology is such a powerful and motivating tool if used carefully.

Currently we have a listening post, where children can listen to a recorded story or music.  They really love being able to shut out the world and simply listen.

The main form of technology we use is the Interactive whiteboard.  I often plan lesson introductions using online resources or use the Promethean software which is an engaging way to tune the children into the learning focus.   The children often play interactive games on the IWB and navigate their way around our school’s website – www.ischool.net.au which has a wealth of resources that we have collated.

Soon I am going to set up the digital microscope to the IWB during Investigations (part of our developmental curriculum program) and let the kids hunt for ‘treasures’ outside to look at closely.  That will be great fun!

We often view photographs after our lessons to assist with reflection and the children talk about what they were doing or what they discovered.

Interactive whiteboards are extremely useful in junior classrooms as the children can manipulate, draw and create with the aid of a pen or wand.  I find using it to model handwriting is really helpful and the children can’t wait to have a turn!  There is a video and photo feature which is good to capture a child’s writing technique to show to parents.

If you use technology in other ways in a junior classroom, I would be interested in your comments as love hearing of new ways to include ICT in my planning!