Another enjoyable day in Peter Pan class. The day started well with Owen providing a drawing for "Show and Tell" and Sean showed us his twig. His description and usage of a twig shows that he has an unusual mind. As interesting as Sean talk was, it was almost as interesting to watch Teacher Nico's reactions.
For Cherry's mum and dad who where a bit worried about Cherry's ability to make friends. It would seem that Cherry and Vivian Pan have now become very good friends. I think this has helped Cherry a lot.
I try to let the children play by themselves, as I want them to be more independent and encourage their imagination and problem solving skills. However, often they want the teacher to be part of their game and today I had to play "Hide and Seek" with Emily, Sharon and Sophia, which was difficult in our small classroom. The girls like it immensely and many others joined in and helped. This is an indication of class-time which is often hurried and demanding, I hope you understand if things don't always run smoothly because of this.
The boys are very interested in popular culture. They know all the latest cartoons and all the names and words that go with that. They use this a lot in their play and as they are starting to write more, they use these words in their writing, which is great for their literacy. Nado, who knows how to spell his spelling words, but has troubles with other words, knows how to spell "dinosaur" and can help Elijah spell it.
Art class was interesting this afternoon. We did not get things finished, but setting up for the art class meant I was able to use some numeracy skills (20 children, two pieces of paper, how do I cut it so everyone gets a piece of equal size), spacial skills to understand how the lines and cuts make the lantern, and small motor skills as drawing the lines and cutting them take a lot of effort for their little hands and fingers. A lot of students learned how to use a ruler.
Another great day. I don't always mention all the children, although I do notice all the children. I point out these situations as examples of our day. If you would like more specific comments about your children, let me know.
Showing posts with label Tainan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tainan. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Another Transformer Day after the outside drawing day
Yesterday afternoon, we took the children outside to draw in the playground. I have wanted to do this since I have arrived at Fu Da, but circumstances have always made it impossible. I am glad we did it though as the results we spectacular. I will make a webpage for every student to post their artwork.
Hayden's mum would be the first to admit that Hayden doesn't like to write, but his English is good and he comes up with some funny things. For example, yesterday we had five people bring show and tell things and only one person brought something other than a Transformer toy. When the third child pulled out their transformer toy Hayden said, "It must be Transformer day today." It seems like the children's fascination with Transformer toys has no bounds and the only limits are the manufacturers' imagination and production abilities and your tolerance of these toys.
Today only Vivian Sh brought a Transformer toy. A stunning five robots make one big robot design that had the students entertained. Richard and Benson brought a collection of different toys and Sharon brought a card collection that was the same style as Vivian Pan's from the day before. Sharon has fitted in well with the other girls.
In our Spelling book class, Hayden and Allan continued to show how much they know, as do other students. I point out Hayden and Allan because they both like to talk and for both of them they have other areas where they are not as strong. Hayden doesn't like to write, as I have said before, and Allan has a speech impediment, but that doesn't stop him wanting to talk. Having taught Allan's sister, Janine, and knowing Allan's brother, Ben, I am surprised that he is willing to show his abilities more readily than his siblings. Owen took a long time to color one of the activities today, but showed he understood what to do when he completed everything in quick time.
The reading test illustrated what I was talking about in my last post regarding Vygotsky. Some students do the reading test easily, some have difficulty, but Vivian Pan and Benson showed that they are trying hard to learn this skill and with a bit of scaffolding are able to do a very good job. Sophia showed that she is also learning. She has troubles now, but she tries hard to read and will be better soon.
I've also talked previously about teachable moments and another one came along this afternoon when Sean came up to me. He came to me to explain that the piece of plastic that was hard to break. He had tried to cut it with scissors. I explained to him that it wasn’t easy to break and that it was very durable. To test his new word, he talked about other things that were durable. When he was satisfied with this he asked about the antonym. I explained that paper was easy to break and it was fragile. When he tested this new word with some examples, he was then happy that he had learned what he needed to learn and moved on.
The outdoor drawing class has given me an inspiration to take this further, so after we finishing drawing the kindergarten, we may take our eyes outside and find something in our community to draw. Part of my inspiration for going outside is an article I read about a teacher doing a similar thing, and when I find it I will share it with you.
That's enough for today and for tomorrow, TGIF.
Glen.
Hayden's mum would be the first to admit that Hayden doesn't like to write, but his English is good and he comes up with some funny things. For example, yesterday we had five people bring show and tell things and only one person brought something other than a Transformer toy. When the third child pulled out their transformer toy Hayden said, "It must be Transformer day today." It seems like the children's fascination with Transformer toys has no bounds and the only limits are the manufacturers' imagination and production abilities and your tolerance of these toys.
Today only Vivian Sh brought a Transformer toy. A stunning five robots make one big robot design that had the students entertained. Richard and Benson brought a collection of different toys and Sharon brought a card collection that was the same style as Vivian Pan's from the day before. Sharon has fitted in well with the other girls.
In our Spelling book class, Hayden and Allan continued to show how much they know, as do other students. I point out Hayden and Allan because they both like to talk and for both of them they have other areas where they are not as strong. Hayden doesn't like to write, as I have said before, and Allan has a speech impediment, but that doesn't stop him wanting to talk. Having taught Allan's sister, Janine, and knowing Allan's brother, Ben, I am surprised that he is willing to show his abilities more readily than his siblings. Owen took a long time to color one of the activities today, but showed he understood what to do when he completed everything in quick time.
The reading test illustrated what I was talking about in my last post regarding Vygotsky. Some students do the reading test easily, some have difficulty, but Vivian Pan and Benson showed that they are trying hard to learn this skill and with a bit of scaffolding are able to do a very good job. Sophia showed that she is also learning. She has troubles now, but she tries hard to read and will be better soon.
I've also talked previously about teachable moments and another one came along this afternoon when Sean came up to me. He came to me to explain that the piece of plastic that was hard to break. He had tried to cut it with scissors. I explained to him that it wasn’t easy to break and that it was very durable. To test his new word, he talked about other things that were durable. When he was satisfied with this he asked about the antonym. I explained that paper was easy to break and it was fragile. When he tested this new word with some examples, he was then happy that he had learned what he needed to learn and moved on.
The outdoor drawing class has given me an inspiration to take this further, so after we finishing drawing the kindergarten, we may take our eyes outside and find something in our community to draw. Part of my inspiration for going outside is an article I read about a teacher doing a similar thing, and when I find it I will share it with you.
That's enough for today and for tomorrow, TGIF.
Glen.
Monday, 31 August 2009
One Week One Post
I'm still a little busy, so today's post will be short.
First, in response to everyone I was able to talk to, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Your input is essential in making the class the best that it can be. Most of you asked what can be done at home to improve our students learning. Most studies regarding bilingualism (which in this case means assuming Chinese and Taiwanese are your child's first languages) state that children need to have a good level of competence in both languages. This means that at home you should help your child using Chinese. Make sure their Chinese/Taiwanese is good and help them learn things in Chinese/Taiwanese. We will do English at school and the things that they learn can be transferred between languages (even if they don't know the appropriate word).
It is good to welcome back Elijah (back to Peter Pan Class) and Sharon (back to my class) who have been away for the beginning of our school year. They both seem happy to be back, although I think Sharon, and her mum, where a little scared by Sean enthusiastic greeting. I've never taught Elijah before, but he seems to understand what to do and he draws very well.
The music teacher was late this morning, so we had our own music class for a while which was fun. We also read "The Cat in the Hat" which seemed to be fun for everyone. Including storytime was in response to feedback from those of you who were worried about reading. Exposure to literature helps children read.
We had fun in the pool this afternoon. Johnny is a great swimmer, Oscar is and excellent diver (picking up the most tiles every time), and Richard, Vivian Sh and Sophia enjoyed playing in the water.
In science class, we planted some seeds, so we will watch them grow over the next couple of days. Will try to post photos soon.
Glen.
First, in response to everyone I was able to talk to, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Your input is essential in making the class the best that it can be. Most of you asked what can be done at home to improve our students learning. Most studies regarding bilingualism (which in this case means assuming Chinese and Taiwanese are your child's first languages) state that children need to have a good level of competence in both languages. This means that at home you should help your child using Chinese. Make sure their Chinese/Taiwanese is good and help them learn things in Chinese/Taiwanese. We will do English at school and the things that they learn can be transferred between languages (even if they don't know the appropriate word).
It is good to welcome back Elijah (back to Peter Pan Class) and Sharon (back to my class) who have been away for the beginning of our school year. They both seem happy to be back, although I think Sharon, and her mum, where a little scared by Sean enthusiastic greeting. I've never taught Elijah before, but he seems to understand what to do and he draws very well.
The music teacher was late this morning, so we had our own music class for a while which was fun. We also read "The Cat in the Hat" which seemed to be fun for everyone. Including storytime was in response to feedback from those of you who were worried about reading. Exposure to literature helps children read.
We had fun in the pool this afternoon. Johnny is a great swimmer, Oscar is and excellent diver (picking up the most tiles every time), and Richard, Vivian Sh and Sophia enjoyed playing in the water.
In science class, we planted some seeds, so we will watch them grow over the next couple of days. Will try to post photos soon.
Glen.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Math and Writing
These are the two issue I want to talk about today. We had a bit of trouble in both classes, and I want to talk a little about both of these. Math is always an interesting subject to teach. The MPM book is organized in such a way that sometimes the children just understand, and sometimes that understanding takes time.
Today I found that a number of students had trouble with today's MPM lesson. Not everyone understood the method to arrive at the answers, but most students had the dedication to work towards the answers. Two students, Nado and Tiffany had more trouble than the others. It is not so much that they don't understand, they actually picked up the concepts required quite quickly. However, both of these students required someone to show them what to do, even after it was explained to the class. And both of them had trouble writing numbers, it is obviously unfamiliar to them. During the year they will have a lot of practice writing numbers, but the MPM book assumes that they are already proficient at this.
This brings out another point I wish to discuss briefly. It is possible for children to "study" too much outside of class, doing extra worksheets and classes focused on academic achievement. However, practicing some basic skills may be helpful for some. For those that have trouble writing numbers or the alphabet, practicing these things is fine. Allowing and encouraging the students to read for pleasure is also a good idea.
While we were waiting for the children to finish their MPM books, many other students had time to play with toys. This helps them learn so much in so many ways. Everyone gets to practice their English in a fun setting, and they also learn how to share and interact. Owen and Sean spent a lot of time and energy building a beautiful wall. Richard, Benson and Yoyo built some fantastic robots. Cherry, Vivian, Nana and Emily were playing some birthday game, although Emily hurt her leg. It sounded like everyone had a birthday today. Vivian and Gary from Snow White class played well together.
We read the story of "The Gingerbread Man" and everyone enjoyed that. It is a very active story and almost everyone joined in. I worry a little about Nado, as he has very strong reactions to things. He finds it difficult to concentrate and likes to throw the book down. He is young and will need some time to adjust to big class. Teacher Jojo and I are helping as much as we can.
The writing book is proving much more difficult that I had imagined. Last year in the early morning class, I was doing writing exercises with Goofy Class. Emily and Sean joined us for these classes and they often wrote good stories. However, the writing book is proving difficult for everyone. It is not that they are unable to make sentences. Today, we had to write six words for homework. As I wrote the words on the board, I asked the students to try and use the words in a sentence. A lot of the children had a lot of fun making crazy sentences, as well as quite normal sentences. However, when the writing book requires them to write a sentence, they find it difficult. It may be because the book is based on grammar and the children learn English as a first language, which does not require the understanding of grammar, or phonics, though learning English as a second language is enhanced by such methods. It is not beyond them, but it is difficult to grasp. It is not as natural as the way they learn language now. We will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
Glen.
Today I found that a number of students had trouble with today's MPM lesson. Not everyone understood the method to arrive at the answers, but most students had the dedication to work towards the answers. Two students, Nado and Tiffany had more trouble than the others. It is not so much that they don't understand, they actually picked up the concepts required quite quickly. However, both of these students required someone to show them what to do, even after it was explained to the class. And both of them had trouble writing numbers, it is obviously unfamiliar to them. During the year they will have a lot of practice writing numbers, but the MPM book assumes that they are already proficient at this.
This brings out another point I wish to discuss briefly. It is possible for children to "study" too much outside of class, doing extra worksheets and classes focused on academic achievement. However, practicing some basic skills may be helpful for some. For those that have trouble writing numbers or the alphabet, practicing these things is fine. Allowing and encouraging the students to read for pleasure is also a good idea.
While we were waiting for the children to finish their MPM books, many other students had time to play with toys. This helps them learn so much in so many ways. Everyone gets to practice their English in a fun setting, and they also learn how to share and interact. Owen and Sean spent a lot of time and energy building a beautiful wall. Richard, Benson and Yoyo built some fantastic robots. Cherry, Vivian, Nana and Emily were playing some birthday game, although Emily hurt her leg. It sounded like everyone had a birthday today. Vivian and Gary from Snow White class played well together.
We read the story of "The Gingerbread Man" and everyone enjoyed that. It is a very active story and almost everyone joined in. I worry a little about Nado, as he has very strong reactions to things. He finds it difficult to concentrate and likes to throw the book down. He is young and will need some time to adjust to big class. Teacher Jojo and I are helping as much as we can.
The writing book is proving much more difficult that I had imagined. Last year in the early morning class, I was doing writing exercises with Goofy Class. Emily and Sean joined us for these classes and they often wrote good stories. However, the writing book is proving difficult for everyone. It is not that they are unable to make sentences. Today, we had to write six words for homework. As I wrote the words on the board, I asked the students to try and use the words in a sentence. A lot of the children had a lot of fun making crazy sentences, as well as quite normal sentences. However, when the writing book requires them to write a sentence, they find it difficult. It may be because the book is based on grammar and the children learn English as a first language, which does not require the understanding of grammar, or phonics, though learning English as a second language is enhanced by such methods. It is not beyond them, but it is difficult to grasp. It is not as natural as the way they learn language now. We will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
Glen.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
A Night to Remember
After another very good day, the boys went to Tainan Cultural Center to perform for the fundraiser for the victims of Typhoon Morakot. Unfortunately I had to work and I didn't arrive until after the performance. I heard they did very well. I got there in time to see the teachers sing. It was a good night, and Apple Line was able to raise $5 million. Congratulations to you all for helping.
During the day, the boys spent some of their time practicing for the performance. It was good to see them involved in something worthwhile. The other children had an opportunity to do something extra. After they had finished their work, we let them play with toys. I remembered that I had some old balloons, so I pulled them out. At first we didn't have enough balloons so that every child could have a balloon, and this caused some problems. Nana was upset that she didn't have a balloon. Then I found some more balloons, and the children enjoyed themselves playing with the balloons and testing their body and the ways to move. However, after a while I assume they got bored, because Nana suggested they play a game. All the other girls followed her. It made me think about what I said yesterday about Gardner's Multiple intelligence and made me think that Nana showed a high level of interpersonal intelligence, and maybe more students in this class lean this way.
After lunch we finished more work and went outside. I bought new balloons because the ones that I had first given them were old. One of the balloons had a small hole and was becoming smaller, and Sophia didn't want it any more. As we had a lot of water lying around after the typhoon, I showed the children how to find the hole by putting the balloon under the water. This is an example of a teachable moment. Sometimes when the children are playing, there will be an opportunity to use their play to teach them something. Teacher Jojo was able to take photos of this moment and we will post them next week. Teacher Jojo and I agree that these moments are great in helping the children learn, and we will be encouraging and helping the students to explore their world, after we have finished our textbooks, of course.
During the day, the boys spent some of their time practicing for the performance. It was good to see them involved in something worthwhile. The other children had an opportunity to do something extra. After they had finished their work, we let them play with toys. I remembered that I had some old balloons, so I pulled them out. At first we didn't have enough balloons so that every child could have a balloon, and this caused some problems. Nana was upset that she didn't have a balloon. Then I found some more balloons, and the children enjoyed themselves playing with the balloons and testing their body and the ways to move. However, after a while I assume they got bored, because Nana suggested they play a game. All the other girls followed her. It made me think about what I said yesterday about Gardner's Multiple intelligence and made me think that Nana showed a high level of interpersonal intelligence, and maybe more students in this class lean this way.
After lunch we finished more work and went outside. I bought new balloons because the ones that I had first given them were old. One of the balloons had a small hole and was becoming smaller, and Sophia didn't want it any more. As we had a lot of water lying around after the typhoon, I showed the children how to find the hole by putting the balloon under the water. This is an example of a teachable moment. Sometimes when the children are playing, there will be an opportunity to use their play to teach them something. Teacher Jojo was able to take photos of this moment and we will post them next week. Teacher Jojo and I agree that these moments are great in helping the children learn, and we will be encouraging and helping the students to explore their world, after we have finished our textbooks, of course.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Thursday August 13 Practice for Tomorrow's Benefit
Today was another good day. I am truly thankful for being blessed with many wonderful students and co-teacher.
Today started well when many students brought things for "Show and Tell."
Nana brought her Finding Nemo sticker, and we got to talk about turtles and clown fish (Johnny was wearing a clown fish shirt).
Richard brought a bag of toys, two action toys, some cards and a sticky ball.
Vivian brought her teddy bear called Vivian and her Mickey Mouse doll. She says she always sleeps with them. These came in useful for a play session where Vivian and Sophia both slept with the dolls. Nana became upset when she couldn't join that game, but they sorted things out in the end.
Johhny showed us his dolphin that he got from his previous school when someone busted his balloon on the fan. He says he also sleeps with his toy.
Yoyo brought some cards for everyone to see, but waited until after "Show and Tell" to show everyone.
The boys had a special dance practice today in preparation for tomorrow night's benefit. They are going to reprise their "Monkey Dance" from the graduation play. It was a favourite of many people. I hope everyone can join tomorrow nights activity and remember to give generously, it's for a worthy cause.
The day ended on a somewhat curious note. Big class is a time of change for many children. Students have many more demands at this level, and sometimes find it difficult to cope. I have seen some students become upset when they are unable to do the things they know are expected of them. But this afternoon I saw a student display a level of empathy that was astounding. During the spelling test, Sophia was not able to spell the words. Sean became very distraught by this and had to be comforted by Teacher Jojo. It reminded me of Gardener's Multiple Intelligences book and the interpersonal intelligence. All that meet Sean are aware of his intelligence, but I have never seen a student display his interpersonal intelligence to such a degree. In fact, many of the children in Peter Pan class display a large amount of empathy for others. It reminds us that we should do our bit on Friday night.
By the way, the spelling test went well. Apart from Sophia, everyone either made just a few mistakes or no mistakes. Well done everyone.
Today started well when many students brought things for "Show and Tell."
Nana brought her Finding Nemo sticker, and we got to talk about turtles and clown fish (Johnny was wearing a clown fish shirt).
Richard brought a bag of toys, two action toys, some cards and a sticky ball.
Vivian brought her teddy bear called Vivian and her Mickey Mouse doll. She says she always sleeps with them. These came in useful for a play session where Vivian and Sophia both slept with the dolls. Nana became upset when she couldn't join that game, but they sorted things out in the end.
Johhny showed us his dolphin that he got from his previous school when someone busted his balloon on the fan. He says he also sleeps with his toy.
Yoyo brought some cards for everyone to see, but waited until after "Show and Tell" to show everyone.
The boys had a special dance practice today in preparation for tomorrow night's benefit. They are going to reprise their "Monkey Dance" from the graduation play. It was a favourite of many people. I hope everyone can join tomorrow nights activity and remember to give generously, it's for a worthy cause.
The day ended on a somewhat curious note. Big class is a time of change for many children. Students have many more demands at this level, and sometimes find it difficult to cope. I have seen some students become upset when they are unable to do the things they know are expected of them. But this afternoon I saw a student display a level of empathy that was astounding. During the spelling test, Sophia was not able to spell the words. Sean became very distraught by this and had to be comforted by Teacher Jojo. It reminded me of Gardener's Multiple Intelligences book and the interpersonal intelligence. All that meet Sean are aware of his intelligence, but I have never seen a student display his interpersonal intelligence to such a degree. In fact, many of the children in Peter Pan class display a large amount of empathy for others. It reminds us that we should do our bit on Friday night.
By the way, the spelling test went well. Apart from Sophia, everyone either made just a few mistakes or no mistakes. Well done everyone.
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