Please Help I'm Despairing!

[Guest]

I have to teach mixed rec and yr 1 at interview and am finding the planning tricky- please can someone help, I think I'm just getting too bogged down!

 

I am going to set up play activities based on a book but they all link into the FS and not really strictly into y1 NC objectives... Is this okay...?

 

Gulp, I'm really nervous and don't know what the expectations are,

[mundia]

Hi ther Mharhi.

 

First of all, take a step back, and take a deep breath.

 

Is this interview in the school you currently work in, or a new setting? Are you going to be doing the lesson for the class you will be teaching if you get the job? How many rec/year1 will there be.

 

I read you other request for help with 'Cloudlands', unfortunately I dont know the book, was there a reason for choosing it?

 

How are you thinking of planning your session, ie are you going to start with a whole calss activity, then put the children into groups. How are you going to organise the groups?

 

My first thought, is that if you dont know the children, then try not to be too ambitious. I agree with what you would like to do, but organsing group activities isnt easy with children you dont know and with the added bonus of interview nerves to deal with. Will you have any support for the lesson?

 

Since you are being interviewed at the end of the year, I would expect there to be some reference to the NC, at least for the benefit of the year1s.

Can you access the literacy framweork? I would think that the school want to see how you plan taking into accounts 2 phases. If you want to tell us the ELGs you wanted to work with, Im sure between us we can find the appropriate Nc objectives that match.

 

In terms of second guessing what they want, my only advice there is DONT.

I used to do this at interview and tie myself up in knots. Once I started to just be myself, I started to get job offers. You will apear much more confident being yourslef than trying to be something that you think they want you to be.

 

Hope that makes sense. and good luck, when is it by the way?

 

[Susan]

Oh dear Mharhi.

I can't offer you much different to Mundia but you were so confident in your requests about planning for mixed age groups, Don't despair!

Get back to us and we will try to help again!

[hali]

sound advise from mundia...good luck

[Sue R]

Yes, very good luck!

 

Sue

[Guest]

Good Luck Mharhi, great advise from Mundia just be yourself, enjoy (the best you can), be playful and you will be running with these children because they will enjoy what ever you will be teaching these children that are mixed ages, have different stages in their unique development, also having different concentration skills, listenining skills...............................................

 

julia

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies, i am feeling a bit better now, it is for an interview at a school where they are very interested in the Reggio Emilia approach and eliciting and exploring children's own ideas in different ways... I was hoping to allow them to explore their ideas through role play (acting the story) drawing, moulding, maybe also use cornflour gloop on mirrors... trying to bring in the '100 languages' approach.. (?) I have just been part in an early years creativity project which the school are interested in.

 

I am in fact teaching in the school already part time and did something like this this afternoon- it went quite well- I had half doing drawings and the other half in two groups, one group playing with big wooden blocks under one of those blue hanging mosquito net things to go over a bed (hanging from the ceiling) The other group with the dough.

I allowed some free flow after first choosing the groups myself. I didn't tell them what to do a such but asked them to close their eyes after the story and think of a picture, (it was so hot and sticky today through that one little boy fell asleep!) then I asked them to explore what they were thinking using the things they had.

 

Interesting pictures- clouds with electric wiring, people crying cos it's a rain cloud and they can's go out, many drew themselves in the cloud. In the cloud role play they made and great big 'surfer' with many seats to 'ride the clouds'! In the dough they mixed it to make different coloured clouds...although this was a bit flung together and could maybe be improved with small world people.

 

I suppose one of the things about using their imagination, though, is 'less is more' Hmmm. It's the balance I guess.

 

Now they've read the story I might start the session with one of them coming to the front and telling it just through the pictures. I suppose that might address one of the Y1 literacy objectives about retelling (?) then do the same activies but better- maybe pastels or chalks, maybe big collaborative pictures instead of individual..

[mundia]

Sounds like you have it pretty much covered then. Go for it, and good luck.

[Sue R]

Sounds really good !!

 

Amazing, actually

 

Sue

[Guest]

Your a girl after my own heart how wonderful to hear this Reggio Emilia..........................GO FOR IT Mharhi, i have been following this Experience for many years now in my kindergarten, before i use to be very quiet about what we were doing........no one really understanding this way of being "child centered" not just lovely labelling!!!!?????

 

NOW its different i love being confident, have self esteem, believe in what i am doing, have a very stimulating, happy child centered environment ooopppss sounds like iam a 3-4 year old!!

 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go this way your children will learn soooooooo much, and so will you, like i do every day with my children

 

Have you been to the Reggio Emilia Exhibition that is travelling around in England?

 

 

sooo sorry to babble on and on its this "Reggio" word really excites me shame Government funding, OFSTED, Education minister etc doesnt!!!

 

GOOD LUCK

 

julia

[Guest]

Julia thanks, and others for your messages. You are great

Strange it seems to be this feeling like you have to keep such ways of teaching somehow quiet, I know exactly what you mean, I went to a lovely nursery teaching in this way and they were so worried about Ofsted, they felt so much like they had to really argue their case...but they have been part of the same research project.. I just got a wee bit worried about this whole issue at school recently about the Y1s.. that they need to be doing the NC... but when they work in this way they are doing so much...

 

Sometimes I feel I can't put it in words properly, it just seems more natural to them..

 

but any more ideas will be great... I found that the little one with CP loves sensory experiences which for me is good enough grounds as any for her to have cornflour gloop to play with and have fun with as her 'SEN provision'

[Guest]

PS Cloudland info - i love this book! And it is a show too!

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/critic/revi...1058567,00.html

[Guest]

Hi Mharhi here in Hampshire quite a few schools are seemingly going down this approach where abouts are you based if thats ok to ask?

 

There is a terrific school in Alfresford, one of the girls on our Reggio Research group is a teacher there, if my children were still small i would of been "upping sticks" and moving that way to get them into that school so that they could of gone there and learnt great foundations for "life" skills!!!!

 

have you visited their exhibition?

 

Have you played with over head projector, this is fantastic, the children love collecting different items, fabrics, natural things, coloured cellophane, chains, magnetic letters, numbers and shapes, construction bricks, small scale toys, sponges etc great for looking at things differently and their shadows........

 

Julia

[Guest]

:wacko: reealllyyy apologise for grammar, spellings its been a long day getting ready for our MP who is visiting, newspaper, plus reception class teachers who are visiting tomorrow not only visiting to see how "differently" we run but also to hand over a file with many questions in to take up to the House of Commons compiled by many of our dedicated bunch of professionals here???!!!

 

BIG THANKS again to Tracey and now iam off to bed.........................................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

julia

[JacquieL]

I am interested in the comment about year ones and the 'child-centred approach.'

I have had 2 year ones new to our school placed in my Reception class ( mixed R/Y1) one children were on School Action and one just Statemented, both with behaviour and learning problems.

I was led to fear the worst when I was warned of their coming . They have settled in and I am having very few problems with them as far as behaviour is concerned, in my informal and choice driven learning environment. They are both well behind Y1 peers in their learning but are keen to do the more 'formal' bits which are appropriate to them. One of them told me I was really special because my class was fun and he wanted to come to school now!! One of them made a wonderful farm model for a town we were making and was really proud of himself. We gave him a photo of hom making it. Then they had to try to make stand-up people to go with their models. He was really inventive and his was one of the best. He is Statemented for learning difficulties!

This makes me wonder about expectations asnd destroying children's self-esteem because too much can be expected too soon.

[Guest]

Well said JacquieL it does make you wonder that too much is put onto these children, sometimes it is easier to label !!...............we have had children with Speach and Language difficulties and under the Speach and Language unit, these children have joined our family from other structured groups, within 1 month these children have been signed off!!!??? not saying that these groups are not supporting these children, but saying that the approach we follow certainly says "something"!!!!

 

" out of the mouth of babes" this child sums up your approach and is sooooo excited that you believe in all that they do!!

 

BRILLIANT just per'fect

 

julia

[Sue R]

Jacquie,

What you say really strikes a chord. My son was described as being well behind his peers at age 7, as well as sometimes disruptive in class, causing my husband and I many anxious moments. Yet whenever major projects came along, it was always our lad who was referred to when making and putting together. We were grateful at the time for opportunities to boost his self-esteem. Now he is forging a career for himself in Technical Theatre and doing well. Seems to underline that aspect of education rather well, I think.

 

Sue

[Guest]

This is all food for thought to me as regards the y1 child with cerebral palsy in my class, also we have a reception child who although 5 is nearly 2 years behind in his development. The former child has a full time LSA and I am going to use her in the group with cornflour gloop as the child loves anything sensory. I am going to place the other child with the playdough group as he also has on his IEP to target fine motor skills with eg moulding and rolling.

 

Both children could benefit from developing their speech through collaborative play. All these things will go into my plan for differentiation, and I will say that that each activity is open ended to allow each child to participate at their own level, they will be extended by questioning and I have briefed the LSA to use open ended questions...

 

 

What do others think? I know I am definately not going to have some set up where the Y1s have to do some kind of written eg. sequencing and the rec 'get to play'!

 

Julia I am in Bath, I went to observe at a nursery also in Bath last which is working in this way and it was really inspiring.

 

have you looked at the Sightlines Initiative Website? There is a little bit there about the project we have been involved in.

[Guest]

Oh also yes the OHP is great and we used it with a huge sheet 'screen' hanging in the middle of the room. The children explored drawing on acetates and making backdrops to act out stories.

[Susan]

Sounds wonderful and you really ought to change the title of this topic now, Mharhi.

It sounds as if you're going to be really well organised.

Good luck with the big event.

 

Mharhi, when this is over can you share with us some practical ideas please about how you work and your planning etc?

I'm sure it would be intersting. I'm convinced Reggio really isn't that far removed from how we used to work and certainly aan attainable approach but I've not seen it implemented in schools although our feeder nursery has tried to adopt many of the principles and also of schema.

 

However, interview first so don't you dare post anything in response to this request yet!!!

[Guest]

Mhairai

Just wondering when your interview is?

Good luck!!!

[Guest]

It is tomorrow afternoon! Thanks for your comments- I feel so much more confident now! It is good because I have all of lunch time to set up. I'll write back after it is all over. Looks like the weather is going to be nice so I can set up inside as well as out.

[mundia]

Go for it Mharhi, Ill be thinking of you.

[Beau]

Good luck Mharhi!!

[Susan]

Good luck, fingers crossed for you.

[Sue R]

Yes, good luck!

 

Sue

[hali]

Good luck from me toooooo

[Guest]

Mharhi hope all went well today great weather, great ideas, great teacher who needs luck you have everything what a breath of fresh air to all those children i bet they too had a great day..........well done

 

julia

p.s my husbands family come from and live in Bath what a beautiful place

[Susan]

How did it go, hope your silence isn't bad news?

Thinking of you anyway, Mharhi.