ABC's child

ABC of children

Here is the note from my friend. Thank you for the one who creates it.
A for Accept your child, unconditionally
B for Believe in your child, trust in his or her ability
C for Communicate with your child, share ideas
D for Discuss things with your child
E for Enjoy your child. When parent enjoy their with their children,
children enjoys their parent.
F for Find things of interest to do together
G for Give your child responsibility which can be handled. This can lead to a feeling of accomplishment
H for Help your child with words of encouragement
I for impress upon your child the vision of what is all around,
talk about the things you see, hear, taste, feel and smell
J for join your child in fun activities
K for keep from over-identifying with your child,
don't try to live our life again through your child
L for listen to your child, he or she needs someone to share thoughts and ideas
M for model behavior you want to see in your child
N for name things for your child, labels are important
O for observe the way your child goes about task, provide help when needed
P for pace your child, help them to do one thing at a time and do it well
Q for question words, ask about stories or everyday things that happen
R for read to your child everyday
S for spend time with your child
T for take your child to the library on a regular basis
U for understand that learning isn't always easy,
sometimes we all fail, we can learn from our mistakes
V for value your child's school and teachers,
your attitude will often be mirrored in your child
W for write with your child encourage the child to write,
even scribbles are important
X for an unknown quantity what else would you like to add to this list:-)
Y for you are your child's most important teacher
Z for zip all it up with LOVE, love gives zest to life

Congratulation for you and your child.

Why is Assessment for Learning important??

Two months ago I have attended assessment workshop, in one of the session I had to read a journal and tried to make summary. Here is the summary for us. The tittle of the journal is Classroom Assessment for Learning. It was written by Stephen Chappuis and Richard J. Stiggins on September 2002.

The journal gives us information about assessment that we can apply in the recent days. Assessment should involve students in the process and focused on increasing learning. These condition can motivate students. Traditional paradigm believes that increasing anxiety of students will increase learning and comparison will motivate students. The fact, it doesn't work effectively because the result of anxiety and comparing can make the students under pressure. So that, this journal tried to explain about assessment for learning.

Assessment for learning is an instructional tool to promote learning. It occur during learning process and teaching. It focus on the ongoing improvement of learning for all students, day to day classroom assessment activities. The purpose are to involve students directly and deeply in their knowledge, increasing their confidence and motivation to learn by emphasizing progress and achievement.

There are some information that can we use to assess the students.
1. Pre-test
2. analyze students who need more practice
3. revise instruction
4. reflect on the effectiveness teaching
5. discuss with students about their strength and areas that need improvement
6. Facilitate peer tutoring

Students involvement
Since assessment for learning needs students involve is not the same meaning as students can control decisions regarding what will be learned or tested. The right thing is students use information to manage their own learning. The purpose is they can understand how to learn best, know the position according the target, and plan next step in learning. We can support students involvement by (1) finding out the attributes of good performance, (2) using scoring guides to evaluate real work, (3) revising anonymous work samples, (4) creating practice test based on their understanding of learning targets, (5) communicating with others about their growth .

This is first part that can we learn from this journal. There is feedback and the skill of self assessment that can we learn from this journal, but I will continue it in the next entry. I hope this summary can help us to know how far students involve in their learning.

Parent, Student, and Teacher

Today is the first time for me have three way conference. This is the time for parent to communicate with teachers in front of their child to know what child has done and learn during the semester. In this meeting, teachers communicate the progress of child and parent shares their expectation to their child. The child have time to reflect what they have done during the lesson. The meeting is held to support the development of child because parent and teachers have the same paradigm to support child.

there are a lot of expectation that parent share, here some of them :
1. Become confidant. Teacher and parent make a commitment to improve child confidant so that the child is more confidant to speak in front of new people.
2. Can speak English well (improving language area). Teacher and parent have a commitment to encourage the child so that the child can communicate well in mother tongue and start to improve foreign language.
3. Can be concentration . Some of the children have little problem with concentration. Teacher and parent decided to apply the differentiation of learning according learning style of child.
4. Have good self esteem. some of the children have to improving their self esteem so that they can stand on their own. Teacher and parent have to help children to express their feelings and help them to respect their self and others in balance.

By this meeting teachers and parent are hoped to work together so that the children can improve their knowledge, skills, and attitude.

First Week in Youngest Class

This Wednesday was the first day for Pre-K student to join class. There were kind of new things they brought. That day my class had new family, 3 little children. For 5 prior students, they could enjoy the class and followed the activity enjoyably. They came forward to share their activity during holiday. The youngest student kept turn around the class. Okey, that was the 'bonus' for me.

For this situation, I can see that children can study because of the habit. The students that have joined for 6 month of course different from the children who joined only for 3 days. It challenge me to adapt with new situation again.

I remembered my first experience become new teacher in pre-school 6 months ago. I had to observe my new responsibility as co-teacher, to handle class, to understand my little student FOR THE FIRST. I feel difficulties to cover all my task. I feel I can't be the part of the children. It was very difficult. I feel comfortable after 5 months. I think it was the long time to feel comfortable but I did it.

Now, I have to flexible to adapt with new situation again. I have to face with new students who have a lot of way to get what they want. I think I have to very-very flexible because I will have this situation every months in my class.

These are kind of my students' way to get what they want :
1. hold everything that can they hold to stay
2. cry and run as they can
3. don't want to sit on mat
4. run around the class
5. play on playing area
6. lay down on the mat
7. look for their attaches
8. go to toilet

They need time to know class rule and it can be happen if the teacher have right way to introduce class rule for youngest children.