Hi Carol, and everyone,
what Julie wrote about morning circle time using calendars was really well put, and the article she linked is a short, simple power-pack of child development and developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)! Thanks for posting it Julie, what an awesome resource.
I really think the article sums calendar up without needing to add anything- but I like thinking about preschool patterns and bringing teaching intention to the forefront of lesson planning, so allow me to think out loud about calendar, DAP, and preschool patterns or routines.
I think "morning circle" and "calendar time" have become cornerstones in our preschools just because many of us grew up with the pattern, we accept them as "the way preschool works." Most of the time, these practices may not cause any great disruption. However, add a few children with shorter attention spans, bring a rigid calendar routine into the youngest classrooms, or diverse classrooms with special needs, dual language learners, etc, and the struggle becomes apparent. The end result can be ugly: Children complaining school is boring, burned out teachers, dual language learners lagging in multiple domains, and frustrated, stressed parents who feel helpless to make their kids behave, and can't understand why their bright child is constantly acting out at school.
I hate using fear as a motivator, and that preschool classroom I just described, what a mess! No, calendar time is not the path to raising dropouts. Many Preschool classrooms have wonderful,"old school" calendar times that are educational, warm and fun. The old school way can help some children learn adult expectations, extend their ability to sit still and raise their hands before talking; it is a great way to teach "school behavior." Still, it doesn't "teach" what many teachers thin; it does not fuel the development of sense of time, or understanding of days, weeks, months and years in a effective way.
Again, I return to the idea of intent: what do you want to teach? How can you make the lesson accessible to each particular student? Is the lesson developmentally appropriate for your particular students?
Because it is so easy to put calendar into our short, preschool day, and feel like we've accomplished our "school" part of the day, I advocate scraping the calendar before kindergarten!
Children do need daily routines, and visual reminders; they do need to learn how to sit in a circle and take turns talking, but they need these "lessons" in a developmentally appropriate frame.
Dual language learners often "practice" English by repeating what they have just heard out loud- that's great! If your students are "echoing" you in circle time, they do it to process. Instead of making a blanket rule: "we don't talk when teachers are talking" modify your presentation to allow them time to process!
Some children "hear" better when they are allowed to fidget, and telling some children to make eye contact with you can actually impede their ability to understand what you are telling them.
Many teachers believe adapting their circle time to be more inclusive means "bright" students don't get the accelerated content they need to thrive- the reality is ALL students benefit from inclusive, dynamic, developmentally appropriate practices!
Instead of checking Pinterest for a great project, grab your curriculum guide, or a developmental text book, and reflect back on what happened last week. Did they love dinosaurs? - maybe you can expand dinosaur learning to support your teaching upcoming teaching goals? Our days are so short and busy, feel free to shorten up morning meeting time, especially if it's a struggle!
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Margro Purple
Rockville MD
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2019 09:30 PM
From: Mary Johnson
Subject: Calendar and Weather Chart at group gatherings in preschool
Sadly, I still hear of many including this practice in their early childhood classrooms.
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Mary Johnson
Teacher
Hobson School
Wheaton IL
Original Message:
Sent: 03-30-2019 11:04 AM
From: Carol Murray
Subject: Calendar and Weather Chart at group gatherings in preschool
I am interested in learning more about why preschool teachers are doing calendar activities and weather charting every day as a primary ritual for gatherings with children ages 3, 4, and 5. I am interested to learn, do preschool teachers find calendar and weather charing meaningful and relevant to young children? If not, what are your priorities and primary experiences for children at gathering times? Thank you for your help in thinking about goals and experiences at group gatherings for children ages 3-5.
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Carol Murray
Bard Nursery School
Red Hook NY
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