FOSTERING EARLY LEARNING

There are many different methods of innovative and aspiring approaches to learning.  I interviewed at a job where they use nature to teach the children.  When I was interviewing during the winter, they were preparing the classroom for a rain forest.  They had already begun designing the walls for the rain forest and it was beautiful.  The owner explained that they are not a traditional school and that they use nature as well as music to teach the children. I also observed a classroom where the teacher had songs about language and would play the songs.  I noticed the students singing along to the songs which meant they had heard them several times.  At the end of the songs, she would write on the board questions about English Language Arts.  She also would allow students to take turns asking questions of their classmates.  This encouraged the students to think more and also gave them aspirations in leading the class the next day.  As the students began answering the questions, I could tell they were paying a lot of attention to what was being said in the songs.  Some of the things I missed in the song, the students caught.  It was very enlightening.

In the resources for this week, I went onto the site edutopia.com.   The site gives tons of information about innovative teaching methods.  One of the methods which I thought was interesting was the one about gaming.  It lists several reasons and methods for making games educational.  When deciding to choose games for the classroom, you must choose those which serve multiple purposes including the following:

“Powerful games in the classroom often include from www.edutopia.org:

• Multiple levels or challenges
• A compelling or intriguing storyline
• A personalized, unique experience for each learner
• Rewards such as unlocking certain capabilities based upon achievements
• Additional rewards and feedback from the teacher or classroom”.
  This article also gives information on how to reward students for winning games.  It goes from crazy costume boxes to crazy prize boxes.  There is so much information here on how students can not only have fun but have fun learning.  Even the reward system gives students merit points for encouraging classmates and for lending a helping hand in the classroom.  So many of these things will better enhance the classroom.  In this day, I believe you have to be creative to get the students’ attention.  They have become so accustomed to game systems and cellphones and other technology that it is difficult to keep their attention very long in the classroom. 
  
  
• I am interested in learning of any of my classmates have been in a classroom where there were more innovative methods of teaching.
• What struck your attention when you saw these innovative methods being done?
• Did you feel that the students were losing the method of teaching in the innovation?
• Was it a rewarding experience?
• Did you feel the students were grasping the teaching part of the innovation?
  
  
• Edutopia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org
  
  

The Effects of Trauma In Early Childhood

“Infants, toddlers and preschoolers are a high risk group for exposure to trauma. Young children are also vulnerable to experiencing adverse outcomes as they are undergoing a rapid developmental period, have limited coping skills and are strongly dependent on their primary caregiver to protect them physically and emotionally” (De Young, Kenardy, & Cobham, 2011). There are so many things that can cause children problems in early childhood. Some of these things include, but are not limited to, stress, trauma, health issues, and poverty. I will focus on only two of these, that is, trauma and health issues. These two things can present huge problems for students and, if they are not resilient, can cause them lasting issues into adulthood. Trauma can be caused by many things from child abuse, witnessing child abuse, parents who have PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), and even child trafficking, just to name a few. “Clinicians and researchers have confirmed that children can experience the full range of traumatic stress reactions seen in adults, and many youth meet criteria for DSM-IV diagnoses of either acute stress disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (Garro, Brandwein, & Rittenhouse, 2011). These types of trauma come from things that have happened to the parents, but what about the things that happen to the children? What happens when the ones who are supposed to protect the children are the abusers? According to Mr. Moreno, “violence against young children is often hidden from view when it takes place in the home and the family” (Moreno, 2011). How do we decipher whether a child is being abused? Students must feel comfortable enough with educators to confide in them when something is wrong in their lives. We often have to be the pillars these children need to survive. It is not easy to confess that mommy or daddy is hurting them. In a discussion with other colleagues it was difficult to speak of students who may have been abused by their parents. Students must have the utmost trust in you as an educator to entrust those truths to you. I did learn that as an educator you must report any information received about abuse. Also, if someone approaches you at church and reveal to you that there is something going on in the home and you do not report it, you can be charged, especially if the child reports that he/she revealed this information to you. We must be very careful to always make the child the most important factor. This is an excerpt from a The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, " Children may blame themselves or their parents for not preventing a frightening event or for not being able to change its outcome" (NCTSN.org, 2014) . De Young, A. C., Kenardy, J. A., & Cobham, V. E. (2011). Trauma in Early Childhood: A Neglected Population. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 14(3), 231-250. Garro, A., Brandwein, D., Calafiore, T., & Rittenhouse, N. (2011). Understanding and Addressing Early Childhood Trauma Communique, 40(3), 1. http://nctsn.org/content/how-early-childhood-trauma-unique

Hello Colleagues, my name is Seletha Tucker. I live in Memphis, Tennessee with my husband of 24 years. We have  two great kids, Andrea and AJ.  Before becoming an educator, I worked as a medical transcriptionist for over 20 years. I was very good at this but it was fulfilling. After deciding to return to school and to pursue becoming a teacher, my life has not been the same.  I have returned to my first love, teaching, and enjoy teaching middle school students.

I also love to writing and am looking forward to adding to my children's books.  I have already published two children's books entitled, A Hat For Melinda, Fighting Leukemia Together and Stephen's Presentation, Learning About Sickle Cell.

I have been very  busy this summer.  Besides returning by to school, I was a part of recording a live CD with a mass choir. It was a lot of work but the it was worth it overall.  I also took a trip with a friend of mine to Birmingham.  We had a very relaxing time and after which we headed to the mall for a spa treatment and shopping.

In my spare time, I love shopping for me and anyone else who would allow me to help them choose clothes that compliment their bodies.

GREETING

Hello Fellow colleagues

This is my blog and I am so fortunate to be in this class and I am definitely looking forward to learning more about each of you as well as learning in the classroom.  God bless.