This journal report is intended to inform the supervisor about what we found out from observing classes (levels 4 and 5) from May 22 to May 31, 2013. After spending some time in the classes, we found out that the children’s education center has a particular routine that both classes follow. These include play time, snack time (9-10 a.m), cleaning time, meeting time, outdoor activities which depend on the prevailing weather, and lunch time. Moreover, each class has two teachers who deal with the students based on their age.
- Play Time
Play time is evidently an exciting experience to virtually all learners in the school. When the time arrives, the young students move out of their classes and head straight to the play field with zest and pomp. It is noteworthy, however, that not all students arrive at the field at the same time. Some groups arrive earlier than others. In fact, up to 10 minutes into the play time, some students are still streaming in to the field to join the rest.
At this time, students have ample time to engage in an array of games. These include rope skipping, hide-and-seek, swinging, merry-go-rounds, running, jumping or simply building structures. It is worth noting that clearly, the learners are allowed to get creative with their games.
As the children play, there are at least two teachers watching and monitoring them. The teachers keep walking through the field, observing the children’s behavior. Whenever they see a student misbehaving, they correct them. They also talk to those children who are not engaging in any games, apparently to see what could be wrong with them. Occasionally, a child runs towards one of the teachers, perhaps to seek guidance or ask something.
While allowing learners to engage in their games freely and independently is a good thing, it is recommended that the teachers have a specific schedule for the students to guide them through the games time. For example, the teachers could divide the students into a certain number of groups whereby each team engages in a specific game. After sometime, the groups could exchange so that at the end of the games outing, each student has played more than one game. This will prevent situations where some children do not have a chance to get fully involved in the games (ELECT, 2007). This is because playing is an essential part of child development both at home and in school. According to UBNF (2007), inclusive play to enhance learning requires “support for involvement in various types of play — exploratory, heuristic, imaginative, language and literate, constructive and physical; access to a wide variety of materials and equipment; adventuresome, playful and persistent role models who actively engage children in processes of playful exploration, investigation, and problem solving”.
- Snack Time between 9.00 and 10.00 a.m
It is clear that the school management has put in place remarkable measures to ensure that the children are healthy. This is evident from the diversity of snacks that the children are afforded during the snack time. The school serves oatmeal, fruits and sausages among other types of snacks. Looking at the snack types and portions, it is easy to deduce that they are carefully designed to ensure that the learners’ health is taken care of. Each pupil receives a specific number of meal pieces. This can be interpreted to reflect equality since no one student appears to get special treatment than the others. At all times, there are at least two teachers helping, watching over and interacting with the children as they are served and take their snacks.
Recommendation for Improvement
The feeding program at the school can be improved by executing several changes. To start with, the management should consider increasing the diversity of the snacks served. For example, the children can be given different snacks on different days of the week. If they are given oatmeal and a banana on Monday, for example, they can get oatmeal and an orange or pawpaw on Tuesday. In so doing and with a view to avoiding undesirable effects such as weight gain and related conditions, the school management should engage qualified nutritionists and dieticians for guidance in planning for the meals. This will bolster the health of the learners and possibly their learning outcomes.
- Cleaning Time
There are obvious efforts to engage all the children in cleaning activities. The children are involved in cleaning activities such as sweeping the classes and the compound, simple laundry and taking showers on their own. Here, teachers assist the children in these activities. It is clear that teachers are always ready to assist the younger students and those who may have difficulties with personal and other cleaning activities. The teachers seem to be driven by the desire to enlighten the children on the need for personal hygiene and cleanliness. From these cleaning activities, the children learn to be responsible people now and in the future. However, it was clear that some children disliked the cleaning activities. Some actually cried and tried to run away from the chores.
It is worth noting that the school management and the teachers are determined to help the children appreciate the importance of personal cleanliness and keeping their environment hygienic. Nonetheless, the education center could possibly realize remarkable improvements if it embraced practices that consider different abilities of different students. As UBNF (2007) notes, “When inclusiveness and equity are practiced children come to appreciate their physical characteristics and their gendered, racialized, and cultural identities”. Sometimes, the backgrounds of children may not encourage activities where the child is expected to perform certain tasks such as cleaning on their own. It is imperative to specially help such children to appreciate the importance of being an independent individual as they grow. Children need to be encouraged and helped to explore their abilities in all aspects of learning, including personal care and cleanliness, as well as responsibility. The learning center should consider adopting more vibrant and inclusive practices in line with the tenets of the Ontario’s early childhood education curriculum (ELECT, 2007).
- Meeting Time
Every day before everything, the students meet with their teachers at the assembly ground. Similarly, at the end of the day in the evening, there is another meeting. During the morning meeting, teachers talk to the children about various issues, including the importance of education, the need to maintain order in the school and abide by all the laid down rules, as well as any other concern that may come up.
All announcements such as changes on the usual routine or co-curricular competitions are made at this time. What is more, the students are engaged in spiritual activities such as singing and praying. The evening assembly is used to make announcements, recap the days’ activities and developments as well as give the children guidelines on any forthcoming activities.
Recommendations for Improvement
Meetings are important because they bring the children and their teachers together and, more importantly, help in building the social aspects in the learning process. The education center can improve on this very importance area by making it more inclusive. To this end, the management could devise a plan whereby during each meeting, at least three different learners are given an opportunity to speak to the others. This will be essential in building important qualities such as confidence, communications skills as well as leadership skills. According to ELECT (2007), affording a child an opportunity to communicate in different forums helps to build their learning and developmental process. The teachers should be careful that they encourage all the students to come up and speak when given an opportunity to do so. This will not only offer equal opportunities to the learners, but also afford the an opportunity to hone their leadership and communication skills.
- Outdoor Activities
Outdoor activities in the education center in the school depend on the prevailing weather. During extreme weather, the children remain indoors and skip outdoor activities. It is however noteworthy that in the event that the outdoor weather is intolerable, teachers engage the children in indoor activities such as singing, construction of structures and drawing among many other things.
When the weather is favorable, the children go out and engage in outdoor activities such as games. During outdoor activities, children engage in many things, including ball games, molding and other forms of co-curricular activities. It is clear that each child is free to explore their environment during the outdoor activities. This is in line with the principles of a good learning environment in which children should “experience open and flexible environment where exploration and play are encouraged and purposefully planned” (UBNF, 2007).
Outdoor activities are an important part of child development and learning. As such, it is important that the school management put in place better practices to ensure that the children benefit optimally from these activities. To this end, it is recommended that the school administration design a variety of activities that the children can engage in outside the classroom. Such activities should be tailored to help the children explore their capabilities and talents, as well as relax and have fun. As ELECT (2007) and White House (2013) note, children should be allowed to engage in activities that offer them an opportunity to exploit their abilities and discover their abilities. Such activities are also important in enhancing the interaction of children with their peers as well as the adults and teachers. If this is done appropriately, the children will be able to optimize their time in school and enhance their developmental process.
In addition, it is recommended that the school management creates a safe environment where the students are free from any physical or mental harm. This is important in boosting the outcomes of the children as they learn and engage in academic and co-curricular activities. This aspect is underscored by UBNF (2007) and White House (2013), stating that educational stakeholders should afford the children a safe environment for optimal physical, mental, social and spiritual development.
- Lunch Time
During lunch time, all children get out of their classes and head to the dining area. The school serves various food types. Clearly, the management has put measures to afford the children healthy meals for good health. Teachers accompany the children as they go to take their lunch. It is clear that teachers are always close to the children. It is also notable from the way the children and teachers interact, that there is a cordial child-teacher relationship. This is very healthy and is evident in virtually all sessions where the young learners are relating with the mentors.
It is remarkable that the school provides healthy meals to the children. However, the children’s education center can improve the diet by diversifying the menu that is available to the children. This can be achieved by engaging qualified dieticians. This will afford the children a wide range of choices. Importantly, the children should be allowed to explore their tastes by choosing the meals and the states that they prefer. This important because it will allow the children to learn to identify and choose options from a range of options. This is crucial in the developmental process of the school-children.
- Other Activities
The children’s learning center organizes competitions and symposiums for the children. During such competitions which include games such as football and drawings, the best team or individual is rewarded. The rewards range from books to drawing kits and edibles. The school also takes the children on nature tours and other types of academic and non-academic trips. The children also always excited. Moreover, parents are allowed to visit the school and discuss their children’s’ progress with the teachers.
It is recommended that the management puts in place specific days on which parents can visit the school to discuss the progress of their children. This will prevent inconveniences associated with unplanned visits. The planned visits will also go a long way in giving the parents ample time to discuss their children’s academic and developmental progress with the teachers. It is further proposed that the school management draws a clear plan on taking children on constructive trips. Such trips are central to the development of the young learners because they grant them an opportunity to explore the world beyond their school and homes.
References
ELECT. (2007).A Framework for Ontario Early Childhood Settings. Retrieved 27 June, 2013
UBNF. (2007). Early Learning and Child Care: English Curriculum Framework for New
Brunswick. Retrieved 27 June, 2013 from http://www.unbf.ca/education/ecc/childcareCurriculum/Framework.pdf
White House. (2013). Early Learning. Retrieved 27 June, 2013 from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/early-childhood
