Supporting my staff and children

Unfortunately, four weeks ago a co-worker in my room resigned and took a new position elsewhere. A casual unqualified teacher has come in to cover this position temporarily, but I am hoping she will become long term. She just seems to have a natural disposition to care and respect our young children, but after a couple of days with us I could sense her feeling stressed. It was a rough introduction for her as we have had four young children start nursery in a very short space of time. R. mentioned that she wanted to have a quick catch up, so we found a quiet space in the day when we could pop out of the room. She aired her concerns with me, and I must admit that I had also been feeling really stressed and that I couldn't give my children the quality time I know they all deserve. But it would be so easy for me to just give in and have a good ol' moan and whine about it ( I know I felt like it). Instead, I took the pro-active approach of 'this is the situation we are in, these are the children and they are here now. What can we as the adults do to control the situation a bit more'. I  acknowledged R's concerns, and valued that she could speak with me so openly. Together we talked through some strategies, which  included changing our planning. Our focus has been 'The impact I have on the world around me'. By acknowledging and responding to our new babies needs, we are showing them that they are valued and that they have an impact on us - while in nursery, we are their world. I also introduced R. to bubbles of care. Whilst she is in the middle of a care routine - feeding, nappies, settling, the other staff are available to interact with the other children. I suggested we try and reinforce a 'baby area', a section of the room where the younger babies can be with an adult, interacting with each other and appropriate equipment - a safe place.
After consultation with the centre manager, I also spoke to the head teacher of nursery two about releasing the 7th member of staff (float position), allowing her to come into nursery one during our busier moments and to help support during lunch time.
Hopefully by putting these techniques into action we are able to create a calmer, more relaxing environment for us all.
This is an example of dimension 23 - demonstrating flexibility and adaptability, and dimension 24 - focusing on teaching and learning. It is all about the children, and by responding to their needs they are learning that they will be heard and respected. It was also an opportunity for me to lead and support other teachers - dimension 25.

Reflection of the December observation video

I know it has taken a while, but after watching it a few times I have reflected on the video of me and the flour exploration that took place last December, 2012.

I think this video was good for me to see, as I do find it uncomfortable to watch myself. I always seem to see all the faults, things I don't like, but I know this activity was right for this group of children. It was following on from a similar activity the previous day with flour on trays at the table, and I thought directly onto the table would be a good idea. I sat down at the children's level as I shared out the flour. By using the one scoop, I was able to model sharing, rather than a separate scoop for each serve. It possibly wasn't obvious to the children, but I like to add those little touches, just in case they are noticed.
I began to model circular movements in the flour, and some children began to imitate, while one child just observed me. As a child patted their flour, I then became the imitator, reinforcing the action they chose to do.  One child in particular seemed more interested in moving her chair, and so I redirected her back to the activity, adapting the activity by encouraging her to manipulate the flour on the floor in a similar way that we used our hands.
Charlotte began to get upset as I walked past her, so I was able to reposition my self to be nearer both her and the child that was moving the chair. I was really pleased with the amount of time she spent at the activity - when she first began with us, Charlotte appeared to not be very comfortable participating in any group activities, let alone a messy activity. So by joining in with flour play shows how far she has developed. She was ready for a sleep, so my colleague was able help by readying her for bed so that I could continue to finish up the activity. As the children removed themselves from the table, I was ready with a face cloth that I could offer, allowing them the opportunity to respond by holding out their hands.
In the background of the video, the vacuum cleaner could be seen. I had made sure all resources needed were ready before we began. After the video had ended, I plugged in the vacuum to clean up the flour and this was the beginning of another great activity. Some children who decided not to explore the flour decided that they would like to help use the vacuum. I believe that children should have the choice whether they want to participate or not, as they are not all interested in the same things. By having this divided into two activities, different interests were catered for, showing that I am able to recognise and support diversity among groups and individuals. It also displays ethical behaviour and responsibility; respecting the rights and choices of the individual children.

Recommendation

17th April 2012

Statement of Recommendation

To whom it may concern
Rebecca Goh undertook an induction and mentoring programme under my guidance as of the 31 May 2010 working in her capacity as a Provisionally Registered Teacher.
Through this period of support, Rebecca has gathered evidence of the progress being made towards meeting the standard for full registration. This is by way of anecdotal observations, examples of work in practice, and reflections. As Rebecca’s mentor, I have conducted formal observations, had both formal and informal discussions in regards to practice and provided feedback on the practice I have observed. Rebecca has during this time been assessed against the criteria specified by the Teachers Council.
During this time Rebecca has been able to develop and adapt professional and effective teaching practices, knowledge and relationships for meeting the needs of the Centre, children and whanau.
I hereby endorse Rebecca for the period of time detailed above.

Regards
Joann Radford
Reg number: 260036

Centre Manager
Natural Steps Ellerslie
75 Ballarat St, Ellerslie
Auckland 1051

Childspace conference, Wellington

On the 23rd of March I was fortunate enough to be able to fly to Wellington to attend the 'Yeah Baby' conference, run by Childspace. I was asked to write an insert for our newsletter to share some of my experiences with our parents.

As well as with the parents, I have the responsibility to share my new knowledge with my team. I was able to participate in three workshops - Rosters and rhythms don't mix

- Aspiring to co-create an authentic Aotearoa-centric bicultural curriculum in infant and toddler educare

- Respectful care is only fair

The first thing I did was to just give a brief run-down of the main ideas I got that would compliment our nursery room - 'care clusters', and 'bubbles of care'. Care clusters is about doing a group of care tasks during the same moment. Eg: checking a nappy, then a meal time, or nappy and then bedtime. By associating more than one routine together, we spend less moments interrupting what the children are busy doing. Bubbles of care is a term that I really connected with. When a carer is with their child during a special moment, such as feeding, they should only be with that child - in their bubble. This means an uninterrupted moment dedicated to the child or group of children with the other adults within the room taking account of everything else that is happening around them . This is a technique that requires real teamwork. It is also something that other staff need to respect when they come into our room. It shows a real respect for the children, that we value our special moments together, and involves them in their care routines - with not to. I felt that one of the easiest ways to incorporate the different ideas from the conference was to add them to our planning - basically planning for the adults rather than the children.

This was a great opportunity for me to encourage others and to participate in professional development (dimension 28), and for me to lead and support other teachers (dimension 25).

*scan copy of planning (note for me)

Documenting planning part 2

Since January 2012, I have taken over the role as room leader in Nursery One. One new aspect I have introduced has been the new format of documenting our planning. Because I have two co-workers who, in the scheme of things, are relatively new to the profession (both are still in training, hopefully beginning their third year soon) and I know this format has worked well with me and others, I thought it could help us as a team to be consistent. I explained how I felt it was really important that children, especially the under twos, need to be provided with lots of opportunities to practise new skills that they are developing, and I always feel really stink when we have a cool activity for them, but the next day it's gone and some will miss out on rehearsing what they have experienced. Allie and Ksenia both agreed, saying that with our part-time children, they sometimes don't even the chance to experience things for the first time. So we were all in agreement that we would allow an activity/ set of resources to be available over a whole week, if not longer.

Now that the form has been in action for a few months, we're all getting the hang of making any notes, observations, ideas, children who participated in, etc directly onto the form. They are very easy to use, and very time efficient as we don't need to wait for some time to type things up formally. Plus, when we have release time, there is a whole stock of notes for us to use for individual and group stories. Our displays on the walls have been able to change as well. Instead of overstocking the wall with learning stories, we are displaying large photos of the children in action. A lot more parents are stopping to just look and comment on what they are seeing. Even the children are approaching the walls, looking at the photos and pointing. I wonder if they are recognising themselves, familiar people, or if they are recognising things that they can recall doing themselves. Either way, it is really reassuring to see the children acknowledging our displays in such a positive way.

By repeating experiences with the children, I am demonstrating knowledge of appropriate teaching objectives (dimension 04), and by being able to easily link the planning documentation to our daily journals and learning stories, I am establishing high expectations which value and promote learning (dimension 08). I am also helping to manage student learning processes through providing opportunities for children to build on their experiences (dimension 09).

Becoming an associate teacher

 

I have become Allie's associate teacher as she continues her studies towards getting her degree. As a role that is new to me, I thought it would be a wise idea to participate in any workshops that are available. The first that I have attended was  "giving constructive feedback". By going to this, I am demonstrating how I lead and support other teachers, dimension #25.

Feedback to students

When teaching, students require feedback. When teaching young children, I provide feedback immediately. This is often something simple such as when a baby looks at me I smile in response, or redirect/ reposition babies when needed. If they are upset, I acknowledge them and then provide what is needed, such as nappy change, a bottle, bed, or even just a cuddle.

When Caris first joined us at Natural Steps, I spent some time with her, helping to settle her in so she knew that she could trust her needs would be met. The only real way she learnt this was by having appropriate responses, or feedback. It is through this feedback that communication has opened up between us, and I now get the most wonderful smiles in the mornings when she arrives.

Use of technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology, or simply put, technology is the creation of something that serves to meet a need.

In my nursery room, we work using Pikler's theories, which have been incorporated into the RIE philosophy. The key word to sum up these ideas is 'Respect'. As a result, the 'technology' used is age and stage appropriate equipment. The children are provided with an environment where they are invited to participate if they choose to do so. When we have an activity at the table (such as painting or play-dough), they are able to independently come and join in. In order to make this possible, we don't have high-chairs. Instead, low chairs that the children can get themselves into and out of are used. We also use bowls placed on sheeting on the floor for gloop or water play. This way, all children are able to come and go as they wish, and are able to observe what is happening.

Not all technology is computer based. For under two's, I feel very strongly that technology should aid the inclusion of all children, and this is what the child sized equipment does.

Now that the centre has Educa up and running, we are able to include video clips onto the website for parents to see their child in action, not just photographs.

There are many different forms of technology, and they all have a different purpose and a different audience. I feel that I am able to use these different forms appropriately, and they help everyone involved.

linking of learning stories

By noticing how Isaac explored his morning tea, we ended up having a couple of fun filled weeks - all based around the flicking of his water and cake. I think it is important not just to notice what children are doing, but to try and work out what they could be thinking as they do it; to look past the mess and see the concepts behind it.
Through noticing Isaac, planning around the idea that he had and then continuing to build on his knowledge and linking learning stories, I am demonstrating Professional Knowledge dimension 3, the characteristics and progress of my students. My colleague and I also worked together to extend the water play by creating gloop. I worked alongside Allie, leading and supporting her. As a result, we were able to use the activity she had set up as our room's blog. This was an example of my professional leadership, leading and supporting other teachers (dimension 25).



Impromptu water play

Created at: 11/10/2011

By: Rebecca Goh

Water play

Slime

Play dough