Megan Bucher
Reflection of field experience
5-5-09
Working with preschool students is not an easy task. It takes a lot of patience, an open mind, and creative thinking to make a preschool classroom work efficiently. Even when observing students, one has to pay close attention to the details of what the children do and say and how their thought process works.
The biggest thing that can be learned from observing preschoolers is they have short attention spans and lots of energy. Teachers of that age group have a lot of different ways to teach lessons, give assessments, and follow standards in a way that disguises them as routine or fun activities. Preschoolers have many stories and creative ideas to share and it is good to let them share their thoughts so they feel important and valued.
Repetition and routine are key factors with young children. Every day they do activities in the same order and they often repeat things during that time, such as the date and the Pledge of Allegiance. If things were different every day, children would not learn as well and they would not have a sense of order or rules.
In order for preschoolers to understand a new concept, it should be taught in different ways. This way they can see the different ways it can be used and it will cover the different types of learners. For example, if the students were learning a new letter of the alphabet, she would read them a story about it, show them what it looked like, and then do an activity that involved them writing it and drawing or coloring objects that started with that letter. Sometimes there are songs that correspond with lessons and the students loved that. Anything that involved music and movement was a big plus.
Even though this preschool was located in the basement of a church, there were benefits to having it there. There was a play room upstairs that had small jungle gyms, jump ropes, and large balls, as well as plenty of room to run and play. There was also a playground outside with a swing set and room in the parking lot to ride Big Wheels. The classroom itself was also a good size and it had a separate room attached that housed toys and the art easels. The classroom was set up in two sections: the first half of the room had tables used for art activities and some assessments. The further half had carpet where they did the majority of their lessons and movement activities. The teacher said there would be things she would change if she had a choice, but was grateful for the space she had.
The class size was fourteen and that seemed like a great number for a preschool class. Any more than that and it would be louder, harder to control, and there would be more distractions and less room for activities. Any fewer and it would seem too empty and quiet. Children need to be around others their age so they can learn from each other, observe one another, and think together. Children’s imaginations go a lot further when they have other children to share ideas and give their inputs. It is human nature to want to be around other people and that should start at an early age so they can have a better understanding of how different people can be and what things can be accomplished with more people and ideas. The “two heads are better than one” concept comes to mind.
Preschoolers overall are a good age group to observe because there is so much going on at that age. Some of them are around others their age for the first time, they are learning the building blocks of the rest of their knowledge, and they are fun to be around because of their energy and ideas. Teachers of this age group have to have a good understanding of preschoolers-where they come from and where they are going. Where they come from is probably the hardest obstacle to overcome because children come from such different backgrounds and it is hard to figure out how much they know already. They are also very spread out in what they know and do not know already by the time they are ready for preschool and that makes it more of a challenge.
It takes a special kind of person to be a preschool teacher. Those people have to understand children from different walks of life, appreciate what they have to say, and be full of ideas. Early intervention is a vital key to achievement these days and there needs to be outstanding people to help start those children on their path to success.