Today I spent time exploring Between the Lions (part of PBS Kids), and PBS Learning Media. I am very excited about all the digital resources that are available for free through these sites.
Between the Lions contains many online stories, video clips about letters and spelling patterns, and learning games. There is a teacher resource section which contains lesson plans, recommended books to go with each digital story, and home connection resources.
PBS Learning Media has a large library of digital resources. There are many short videos about science topics suitable for kindergartners. I envision showing students some of these videos during our "All-About" writing unit.
Last year I did not use my classroom projector as much as I would have liked to, mostly because I spent the majority of my time learning a new grade level and curriculum, so I didn't give myself much time for finding and bookmarking online resources to use in the classroom. I am happy I explored these sites today and look forward to using this media in my classroom.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Creativity
Today I read Several Ways We Can Help Students Develop Their Creativity by Larry Ferlazzo. The title of this article drew me to it because even as a kindergarten teacher there are many times when I feel as though I could be stifling a child's creativity. This article helped me understand why I feel this way, opened my eyes to small changes I can make to foster creativity, and validated some of my teaching practices that encourage creativity.
I believe that strong classroom management is key to creating a safe, calm classroom environment. However, I often struggle with what to do when a child blurts out an idea. If I respond to that child, I am sending the rest of the children a message that this child received my attention even though he/she didn't raise his/her hand. Other children will then think they are allowed to do the same. This is when expectations become unclear and inconsistent. So my point here is, how do I celebrate these creative ideas without creating a gray area of expectations? Ashley Merryman, one of the researchers who wrote a response in this article, says that teachers should "respond to a child's off-beat comment rather than ignore it." I agree that it is so important to acknowledge and respond to children's comments, but while also maintaining the classroom expectations. What I try to do in situations like these is respond to the child privately after the group lesson/discussion (although I definitely have room to improve in this area). I also remind the child to raise his/her hand in that moment and then try to call on that child when he/she is doing so, although sometimes the child has lost the idea at that point.
This article validated my belief that free exploration time in a kindergarten classroom is important for encouraging and developing a child's creativity. According to one of the researchers who was cited in the article, Jonah Leher, "they learn how to be creative by creating things, by flexing their own imaginations." Free Exploration gives children the time to do these things. It is amazing what children can do with blocks, or a piece of paper and tape, when they are given the time to explore these materials freely and creatively. There were times last school year when I would leave free exploration out of the schedule due to other things that needed to be done, but this article reminded me that children need the time to create things and use their imaginations. Free exploration is the perfect opportunity for them to do that.
I believe that strong classroom management is key to creating a safe, calm classroom environment. However, I often struggle with what to do when a child blurts out an idea. If I respond to that child, I am sending the rest of the children a message that this child received my attention even though he/she didn't raise his/her hand. Other children will then think they are allowed to do the same. This is when expectations become unclear and inconsistent. So my point here is, how do I celebrate these creative ideas without creating a gray area of expectations? Ashley Merryman, one of the researchers who wrote a response in this article, says that teachers should "respond to a child's off-beat comment rather than ignore it." I agree that it is so important to acknowledge and respond to children's comments, but while also maintaining the classroom expectations. What I try to do in situations like these is respond to the child privately after the group lesson/discussion (although I definitely have room to improve in this area). I also remind the child to raise his/her hand in that moment and then try to call on that child when he/she is doing so, although sometimes the child has lost the idea at that point.
This article validated my belief that free exploration time in a kindergarten classroom is important for encouraging and developing a child's creativity. According to one of the researchers who was cited in the article, Jonah Leher, "they learn how to be creative by creating things, by flexing their own imaginations." Free Exploration gives children the time to do these things. It is amazing what children can do with blocks, or a piece of paper and tape, when they are given the time to explore these materials freely and creatively. There were times last school year when I would leave free exploration out of the schedule due to other things that needed to be done, but this article reminded me that children need the time to create things and use their imaginations. Free exploration is the perfect opportunity for them to do that.
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