15th March 2024 (St. Patrick day Celebration)
Our day started with having sweet treat of lucky charms cereal where i had three friends in my table . We talk about who like lucky charms and what are the colors we got in our bowl and enjoyed our snack. Then after finishing with clearing up the table we went to gym and split into three groups where I had three friends. We first started with playdough table where children where not that interested as they often play with it there regular class. They were more interested in music and freeze dance so friends started to leave the table, though I tired to hold them by talking about St. Patrick and how beautiful things they created through dough. It was little hard to hold them foe 6 minutes as they weren’t interested on playdough. Instead of having playdough activities, if we had bring some other game of there interest like blocks and jigsaw , may be they would have played better.
Going into the next stations of Bingo and seeing them enjoy it made me more confident, I was confident to handle my group, guide them or entertain them by playing who will win, who will get another stickers who have same stickers as mine and who wants to give me stickers. Last station was favorite of all they love to dance and play that game too. As previously also we had done the same kind of station things I was confident that I can do it. Lastly I gave them the treat for dismissing and for playing well.
I played the role as guide to guide them what we are doing, where we will go next and how much time we left for game. I think I need to built more skills in communication with educators as well as children as they don’t understand what I mean sometime and also on guidance as sometime they listen to me and sometime they don’t. As a team member, when Ms. Joslyne needed help I should have asked her table’s friends to join me as we were doing open based activities. I should not have only focused on my group, I should have looked after other too.
In future I can plan the activities which children prefer more with there interest and it would be less guidance based activities rather than teacher based activities. I will try to not give them limited time as less transitions help them to engage them with materials and help built more ideas on the particular things.
Karolyn’s Notes Apr 4, 2024
You have given a synopsis of the days activities and hinted at one thing you noticed at the playdough table. You and I had quite a long conversation about this days as I was there to observe. We talked about the BC ELF and what it has to say about time, space and materials. We talked about how we might plan a similar celebration day in the future i.e., Halloween or Thanksgiving. We talked about how we need to consider our role as ECEs to help children find ways to explore materials even if at first they may not seem interested. You stated “It was little hard to hold them foe 6 minutes as they weren’t interested on playdough. Instead of having playdough activities, if we had bring some other game of there interest like blocks and jigsaw , may be they would have played better.” I wonder what you could have said, done, etc. to help children engage in this activity rather than immediately assume the activity or materials are not interesting?
Your reflection on my observation and our conversation is an important part of your reflection here. Also, making meaningful connections to the BC ELF (2019) the ECEBC Code of ethics and other resources we have explored in class is important to consider in this reflection. Without these aspects this is really a journal of what you did with little evidence of your actual learning.