Although I am in a kindergarten classroom, I feel as though my teacher prepares the students for the upcoming test filled years of their lives. I am impressed by how much academic growth I have witnessed in the past couple of months in Ms. Wills classroom. Especially towards the end of the year, students are involved in more rigorous course work. For instance, for their morning routine, instead of just reading site words and tracing letter, students are working on word problems. The teacher differentiated by assigning each student a number that is not difficult or easy for them to work with and answer prompts. For instance, they have to circle a number line for their given digit. Also, they have to draw how many fingers it takes to reach the
…show more content…
Wills tests students weekly/ bi weekly in reading and math. Although these assessments are more laid back, they prepare students to learn how to become good test takers and from such a young age, they are able to see their progress over the years. Students are constantly being assessed performance wise etc. Nonetheless, students in my kindergarten classroom are involved in playing lots of games and activities. Sometimes I wonder if they are learning through these games and activities or if these supplements are hindering their overall learning. To my surprise the article you shared with me stated, “Introduction of formal academic instruction in the preschool years may not be in the best interests of many of our children, and in fact, may be damaging to some of them in the long term. I suggest that early childhood curriculum and teaching methods are likely to be best when they address children’s lively minds so that they are quite frequently fully intellectually engaged”. After reflecting on these words, I realized, there is probably a reason why these games and activities are implemented in Ms. Wills’s classroom. What I appreciate more in this classroom is the blend of both formal and informal instruction. During morning meetings, students actually learn rigorous academic content, such as addition, subtraction, word problem, etc.; however, during stations, they either work with an adult or on their own to explore different activities they
Wills tests students weekly/ bi weekly in reading and math. Although these assessments are more laid back, they prepare students to learn how to become good test takers and from such a young age, they are able to see their progress over the years. Students are constantly being assessed performance wise etc. Nonetheless, students in my kindergarten classroom are involved in playing lots of games and activities. Sometimes I wonder if they are learning through these games and activities or if these supplements are hindering their overall learning. To my surprise the article you shared with me stated, “Introduction of formal academic instruction in the preschool years may not be in the best interests of many of our children, and in fact, may be damaging to some of them in the long term. I suggest that early childhood curriculum and teaching methods are likely to be best when they address children’s lively minds so that they are quite frequently fully intellectually engaged”. After reflecting on these words, I realized, there is probably a reason why these games and activities are implemented in Ms. Wills’s classroom. What I appreciate more in this classroom is the blend of both formal and informal instruction. During morning meetings, students actually learn rigorous academic content, such as addition, subtraction, word problem, etc.; however, during stations, they either work with an adult or on their own to explore different activities they