Piagets Constructivist Theory.

Piaget's Constructivist Theory tells us that humans generate knowledge by experience and interaction. Therefore, children learn more with doing something on their own rather then being told what to do. Teachers learn about facilitators and how to be one. A facilitator is when a teacher is teaching but she is passive and the students who are learning are active because they are taking the information and working because they understand the material.

Ounce Sub Scale

This is a scale to help you identify your child's current temperament. Hos this works is there is a two part questionnaire. Where one part you state your general impressions and in the second part you are asked specific questions about your child. After completing both parts you see the results of your child and you can compare them to other children of the same age. Their is a high and low on the temperament scale. Also there are sub scales that show you exactly where your child's high or low is at. You can click on the scale or sub scales to learn general strategies that work best. The FORECAST link on the screen gives you specific temperament related issues that are more likely to occur often, occasionally,once-twice, and not at all. All this Information on this topic can be found on The ounce sub scale website.

Reggio Emilia Approach

The Reggio Approach was developed for municipal Child-care and education programs serving children below age six. This approach has formed a strong child-directed curriculum model. Teachers follow the children's interests instead of focusing on curriculum. Parents are expected to get involved with schools. In these classrooms there are two teacher per classroom with 12 children in the infant classrooms 18 in the toddler classrooms ad 24 children in pre-primary classes, one teacher that istrained in the arts. in this school there is no principal and they include the concept of teachers as learners. This approach is often know as the child's third teacher. Inside these schools they decorate with indoor plants and vines. Key features of Reggio Emilia's early childhood program are the role of the environment as teacher, children's multiple symbolic languages, documentation as assessment and advocacy, long-term projects, the teacher as a researcher, and home-school relationships.

Standards For Teaching

Teachers do not make lesson plans on what they want to teach the children. Teachers have to follow Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards to teach children. children must meet these levels so they are on track with the material in the classrooms and can develop better and then move on to higher grade levels. Early Childhood teachers are the basic construction of students from these standards the children get the basic needs and concepts they will use throughout their whole life.

Parents, Families, and Children: A Multicultural Perspective

There are six different types of families like single, bisexual, foster, nuclear, extended, and adoptive families. Most single parents families the children have poor school achievement and classroom conduct. the children's book "Close Your Eyes" is about a single family even though they are not humans. In  this book, a mother and son tiger talk about dreams. the mother is very encouraging of the son by letting him know that no matter where his is in his dreams his mother will always be there for him in time of need. Non-Traditional families and traditional families love the children they have no matter the circumstances they are in. As a teacher you have to put your beliefs and values aside and open up to hear what other people have to say about their beliefs and values. Everyday before a teacher walks into his or her classroom, they should leave their beliefs at the doorway and walk in the classroom with an open mind, like the mother is letting her child in the book. Teachers will have all kinds of children in their classroom and you cannot discriminate between any of them.

Metting Up With Parents

Grades let teachers know if a student is understanding the material and how well they understand the material. Parent conferences are used to discuss students progress throughout the school year. to come up with new goals, what the parent would like the teacher to focus more on helping their child, and to discuss what the child has strengths and weaknesses in. All these concepts reflect the child and how they are progressing in the classroom. Communication between parents, students and teachers are very important in a child's development and learning process. the more a teacher knows abut the child and the family the more the teacher can help the child if they are struggling in the classroom. Studies have shown that parents like when teachers visit homes because the parents see that the teacher is willing to go out of their way to better understand the child.

Special Needs for Special Kids

As a teacher you may think going into a classroom for the first time will be easy. their is always that one child that gives you a problem. you yell at them and send them to the principles office because you can not control them and their behavior. did you every spot and think that this child my have a disability? Special Education is a good objective for children who learn at a slower pace then regular children. As a teacher having a background in special education is greatly needed.Children might be having problems in a school classroom because of a disability they are trying to work with. Every child is different and they all have needs in different way. For the teacher to get the child the right help with their disability the classroom can be a lot easier to maintain.

Trust Vs. Mistrust

Theorist Erikson made the theory of trust vs. mistrust because he found out children need to be able to trust caregivers. Without trust from their care giver they will learn to mistrust everything in life.

Erikson wants to resolve this emotional conflict in a positive direction. Parents and teachers play a part in this role to help pursue the positive emotional states. Infants must have trust from caregivers to view the world as safe and predictable. Children want to be able to have trust in caregivers then move on to other beings. Mistrust comes from children who were either abused or neglected. The children with mistrust will not resolve this emotional states in a positive manner.

Playful Education

Children like to learn in a playful environment. While children are learning teachers should make a fun activity for children to remember what they are learning. Lets take spelling for instance, teachers can have children play with shaving cream and spell the spelling words in the shaving cream. This is a fun way to get children involved and an easy way to have children remember. Games in any subject are a good way to get children to remember information for a test.

Blueprints of Success.

Children learn at different paces. To help children learn it is important to get at the child's level. You need to want the child to succeed. Having a safe, caring community in your classroom is a huge advantage as a teacher. Your students will not have to worry about anything happening in the classroom because they have trust in their teacher. Once a student masters a simple task its the teachers job to enhance the learning skills further encouraging to seek more in depth knowledge. Positive feedback to children will stimulate them to want to learn more. With a comfortable learning environment children will feel less pressure and will want to ask questions. Having the class structured but not intense will show a comfortable low stressed learning environment.

Ready, Set, Play.

The power of recess is huge. During this time, children can be themselves with little stimulation to be creative. During recess they are still learning social skills such as getting along with others and avoiding conflict. While children play, they are clearing their minds of all pressures of learning. With a clear mind after recess children can begin to focus again on learning. Special Education teachers can use recess as a tool to observe troubled students due to the fact the children are in their natural element. Another added bonus to recess can keep children physically and mentally healthy.

What's that look in a classroom?

Is that a look of understanding or a look of being lost? Children who understand material will want attention by raising their hand to share information, sit tall in their chair, and waving their hand waiting to be called on. Sometimes call out in class because they are so excited about knowing the answer. Children that may not understand or are confused in material will lag behind. Students may try to hide behind others. They may not answer questions freely, are quiet, and afraid to ask questions. A lot of these students seem unprepared. As a teacher there are different ways of engaging children in learning. These ways are visual (watching/looking), auditory (verbal), kinesthetic (involved/active), and tactile (doing/handling). It is the job of a good teacher to choose the proper technique to engage children in learning. An example of reaching troubled students would be after verbal lecture, break the students into smaller groups to work on hands on activities to further grasp material being taught. This will allow the teacher to work in smaller groups and check to make sure the children understand the material.