Author: Judy Imamudeen

Writing as Play

Writing as Play

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Although I am more traditionally trained to use “centers” in my classroom, I find that if I consider them more like provocations, and less like a “center”, I have more students willing to engage in writing. So I am always trying to sneak writing into “play” time. In my latest unit about how “Transportation systems help people stay connected and are used for different purposes”, I have put in 2 different writing stations, in which they can engage in pretend play. One has been the “Travel Agent” role play area and now I have introduced the “Postcard” writing area so that students can write pretend postcards to their friends and families after their pretend travels.

I love seeing them create little tickets, discussing whether it is for a train or an airplane, a bus or a boat. We also discussed how we need money to travel, and some students enjoy “printing” money as well, using it to buy their tickets. It’s been interesting to see them tune into different examples of money, and  a few students are quite sophisticated enough to pick up nuances in the different kinds of patterns, shapes and colors.  Although I don’t have any pictures of the money, the till is behind the counter there. I added some examples of real tickets from different kinds of transportation, some travel brochures and a passenger list of all the students which has encouraged them in making these tickets.

In the postcard area, I placed in there pencils, scissors, colored pencils and magazines, along with a model of a postcard and some exemplars. I have noticed that they prefer drawing pictures on the front of the postcard, rather than cutting out pictures.  I appreciate all the color and details they put into these pictures. It’s going to be great to see how it evolves but already it is becoming a hub for many students during playtime.

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Using “5 Stars” for Emergent Writing

Using “5 Stars” for Emergent Writing

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5starpicsAs many of us know, writing begins with pictures for little ones. Furthermore,research has shown that more elaborate drawings translate into better writing for the long-term.  The theory goes that more details in drawings will produce more details in their actual writing later on, when the students have the skills to be proficient.

So I found this rubric years ago and really loved it.  I believe that when children know of what is expected, they rise to the occasion. That is especially true of little children who are eager to show how “big” they are. Rubrics and checklists are vital for providing feedback and I strive to use them in everything, from behavior to literacy. Since children love stickers, I find that using “5 Stars” to indicate high quality work is an effective way to get them to consider their effort. However, this sheet just really wasn’t enough to stimulate quality pictures.

So I made a display with pictures that would be indicative of each level of effort. As a result of having these examples, students are often going up to the display and comparing their work, as well as providing feedback to each other at the tables. It’s great to hear their conversations, and of course to see them develop as “writers”.

IMG_1034

Of course, one of the dangers of using rubrics like this is that once they meet expectations, how to more them beyond and into real writing. The transition between getting them to start writing “words” or captions into sentences seems like such a big jump sometimes for 4-5 year olds. But it’s the next step in my quest for encouraging the development of writing.

Using "5 Stars" for Emergent Writing

Using "5 Stars" for Emergent Writing

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5starpicsAs many of us know, writing begins with pictures for little ones. Furthermore,research has shown that more elaborate drawings translate into better writing for the long-term.  The theory goes that more details in drawings will produce more details in their actual writing later on, when the students have the skills to be proficient.

So I found this rubric years ago and really loved it.  I believe that when children know of what is expected, they rise to the occasion. That is especially true of little children who are eager to show how “big” they are. Rubrics and checklists are vital for providing feedback and I strive to use them in everything, from behavior to literacy. Since children love stickers, I find that using “5 Stars” to indicate high quality work is an effective way to get them to consider their effort. However, this sheet just really wasn’t enough to stimulate quality pictures.

So I made a display with pictures that would be indicative of each level of effort. As a result of having these examples, students are often going up to the display and comparing their work, as well as providing feedback to each other at the tables. It’s great to hear their conversations, and of course to see them develop as “writers”.

IMG_1034

Of course, one of the dangers of using rubrics like this is that once they meet expectations, how to more them beyond and into real writing. The transition between getting them to start writing “words” or captions into sentences seems like such a big jump sometimes for 4-5 year olds. But it’s the next step in my quest for encouraging the development of writing.

“What If” Journals

“What If” Journals

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As I reflect on what is precious and wonderful about teaching little ones, listening to their stories and observing their imagination is high on my list of delights. At some point, children learn that it’s not okay to ask questions or be silly, trading it with what is “right” and “smart”. I abhor that notion and strive to cultivate an atmosphere of curiosity and creativity in my classroom. So, I got this idea to create a “writing” practice in the classroom that nurtures their thinking and wondering. I call it the What If Journal. Every entry begins with “What if….” and then students draw or write in response to the idea. Since we’ve lately been focusing on transportation, the questions have been…

  • What if buses had wings?
  • What if we only rode horses to school?
  • What if wheels were square?
  • What if there were no traffic lights or stop signs?
  • What if you got to design your own flying machine
  • What if trains went under water?
  • What if you had a propeller on your head?
  • What if you had no eyes? How could you know where you were going?
  • What if cars could talk?
  • What if airplanes flew backwards?

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These are some examples, but you can see how some are “serious” thinking questions, where as some are more “silly”. Naturally students begin to start asking the What If –not only for our writing prompts but I hear it in their play: “What if we used the white boards as pretend X-ray machines?”  “What if we built a bridge here so people can see the park when they are going over?”  “What if we use this to make a boat?” When it moves beyond the page, I feel proud and excited that they are eager to share their ideas. They value their imagination and that of their friends, making it a great environment for inquiry. And, of course, they look forward to the What If Journals, enthusiastic to write and share their drawings.

"What If" Journals

"What If" Journals

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As I reflect on what is precious and wonderful about teaching little ones, listening to their stories and observing their imagination is high on my list of delights. At some point, children learn that it’s not okay to ask questions or be silly, trading it with what is “right” and “smart”. I abhor that notion and strive to cultivate an atmosphere of curiosity and creativity in my classroom. So, I got this idea to create a “writing” practice in the classroom that nurtures their thinking and wondering. I call it the What If Journal. Every entry begins with “What if….” and then students draw or write in response to the idea. Since we’ve lately been focusing on transportation, the questions have been…

  • What if buses had wings?
  • What if we only rode horses to school?
  • What if wheels were square?
  • What if there were no traffic lights or stop signs?
  • What if you got to design your own flying machine
  • What if trains went under water?
  • What if you had a propeller on your head?
  • What if you had no eyes? How could you know where you were going?
  • What if cars could talk?
  • What if airplanes flew backwards?

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

These are some examples, but you can see how some are “serious” thinking questions, where as some are more “silly”. Naturally students begin to start asking the What If –not only for our writing prompts but I hear it in their play: “What if we used the white boards as pretend X-ray machines?”  “What if we built a bridge here so people can see the park when they are going over?”  “What if we use this to make a boat?” When it moves beyond the page, I feel proud and excited that they are eager to share their ideas. They value their imagination and that of their friends, making it a great environment for inquiry. And, of course, they look forward to the What If Journals, enthusiastic to write and share their drawings.

Sing, Smile, and give “The Look”

Sing, Smile, and give “The Look”

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I was recently asked what behavioral management strategies I use in my classroom which would be helpful for a new classroom teacher. Of course there are the typical things that most teachers use like sticker charts, behavior management boards, and student of the week or some other way to acknowledge positive behavior in class.  But the things that I use which are the bread and butter of my classroom is song and consistently focusing on what I want.

I have a song for everything–for sitting on the carpet, for cleaning up, for writing, for lining up, for reading, for washing hands, for EVERYTHING! Really I do.  Most early childhood teachers wouldn’t survive without a few songs or finger plays in their bag of tricks because it is the easiest way to get the group focused.

Examples of Songs For Transitions and  Focusing Attention

And the second thing I do is to keep laser sharp focus on students doing the right thing. Even when it seems that the children are absolutely nutty, there is always one if not more that are doing what you want. Many teachers, especially new ones, are so keen to try to stop bad behavior that they can really miss out on the  students who are doing what you want them to do.  When you are “praizy” (praise-crazy), you have more kids who fall into line because EVERYONE–young and old– loves to be admired and appreciated. Here’s an example of what I sound like during whole group instruction:

“Wow, look at Basmala!  Do you see how she is sitting on her bottom with her legs criss-crossed?  She is looking at me, eyes focused and ready to learn. Look, she even has a smile on her face. Oh, my beautiful friend, Basmala, thank you so much for being ready to learn. Who else is ready to learn like Basmala?….Ah yes, Sema is ready now. Thank you, Sema!  Oh and look at Shayma. Thank you, Shayma. Oh great, Ahmed is ready now. Thank you Ahmed. ” This little round of genuine praise does wonders to get everyone on task, meanwhile my energy has remained positive and light. No frustration, no anger. I am smiling, the children are smiling. The group is focused now. You just have to practice on focusing on the good stuff that happens, remain calm, and be “praizy”. 

Easy, right?

Oh wait, I hear you say–what about that one kid who won’t fall into line, who is still talking or walking around the room?

You have options: ignore him/her if they are not are not being loud or disruptive; continue teaching but go over and quietly lead them to a chair or area that is outside the group but still giving a chance to participate; or give them “THE LOOK”. Every teacher must have this skill. Most teachers consider it a look of death, a stern ugly stare that puts the fear into a child, signaling that you mean serious business. However, for myself, this look has evolved into something more meaningful.

I believe that most students who are the “trouble makers” in class just really need attention, and negative attention is still attention. True?-yes! So, my look is no longer the kind in which fire shoots out of my eyes, but more of a piercing stare that I aim at their heart. It’s a stare which means “I SEE WHO YOU REALLY ARE!” –a genius, a poet, an athlete, an artist, a comedian, etc… In my mind, I repeat to myself “I love who you really are. I love who you really are. I love who you really are.” And within seconds, when my look penetrates them,  they begin to feel safe & accepted, and like magic they fall into line and I give them a silent smile. So much better than yelling or giving a lecture or putting them in time out or calling their parent, or what ever typical negative response they could get from you!! And the best part is that you don’t lose the focus of the group.

I recognize that as an early childhood teacher I help form a child’s first understanding of themselves as a learner, and I play a pivotal role in building their confidence and self-esteem. So I work hard to remain open and compassionate to all the silly and upsetting behavior that a child may engage in. Therefore,  the most important thing, I think, is to keep students aware and focused on how wonderful they are becoming, and to let them know that I accept them no matter what.

I hope this brief sharing has benefited you. May your classrooms be full of peace. -Judy

Sing, Smile, and give "The Look"

Sing, Smile, and give "The Look"

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I was recently asked what behavioral management strategies I use in my classroom which would be helpful for a new classroom teacher. Of course there are the typical things that most teachers use like sticker charts, behavior management boards, and student of the week or some other way to acknowledge positive behavior in class.  But the things that I use which are the bread and butter of my classroom is song and consistently focusing on what I want.

I have a song for everything–for sitting on the carpet, for cleaning up, for writing, for lining up, for reading, for washing hands, for EVERYTHING! Really I do.  Most early childhood teachers wouldn’t survive without a few songs or finger plays in their bag of tricks because it is the easiest way to get the group focused.

Examples of Songs For Transitions and  Focusing Attention

And the second thing I do is to keep laser sharp focus on students doing the right thing. Even when it seems that the children are absolutely nutty, there is always one if not more that are doing what you want. Many teachers, especially new ones, are so keen to try to stop bad behavior that they can really miss out on the  students who are doing what you want them to do.  When you are “praizy” (praise-crazy), you have more kids who fall into line because EVERYONE–young and old– loves to be admired and appreciated. Here’s an example of what I sound like during whole group instruction:

“Wow, look at Basmala!  Do you see how she is sitting on her bottom with her legs criss-crossed?  She is looking at me, eyes focused and ready to learn. Look, she even has a smile on her face. Oh, my beautiful friend, Basmala, thank you so much for being ready to learn. Who else is ready to learn like Basmala?….Ah yes, Sema is ready now. Thank you, Sema!  Oh and look at Shayma. Thank you, Shayma. Oh great, Ahmed is ready now. Thank you Ahmed. ” This little round of genuine praise does wonders to get everyone on task, meanwhile my energy has remained positive and light. No frustration, no anger. I am smiling, the children are smiling. The group is focused now. You just have to practice on focusing on the good stuff that happens, remain calm, and be “praizy”. 

Easy, right?

Oh wait, I hear you say–what about that one kid who won’t fall into line, who is still talking or walking around the room?

You have options: ignore him/her if they are not are not being loud or disruptive; continue teaching but go over and quietly lead them to a chair or area that is outside the group but still giving a chance to participate; or give them “THE LOOK”. Every teacher must have this skill. Most teachers consider it a look of death, a stern ugly stare that puts the fear into a child, signaling that you mean serious business. However, for myself, this look has evolved into something more meaningful.

I believe that most students who are the “trouble makers” in class just really need attention, and negative attention is still attention. True?-yes! So, my look is no longer the kind in which fire shoots out of my eyes, but more of a piercing stare that I aim at their heart. It’s a stare which means “I SEE WHO YOU REALLY ARE!” –a genius, a poet, an athlete, an artist, a comedian, etc… In my mind, I repeat to myself “I love who you really are. I love who you really are. I love who you really are.” And within seconds, when my look penetrates them,  they begin to feel safe & accepted, and like magic they fall into line and I give them a silent smile. So much better than yelling or giving a lecture or putting them in time out or calling their parent, or what ever typical negative response they could get from you!! And the best part is that you don’t lose the focus of the group.

I recognize that as an early childhood teacher I help form a child’s first understanding of themselves as a learner, and I play a pivotal role in building their confidence and self-esteem. So I work hard to remain open and compassionate to all the silly and upsetting behavior that a child may engage in. Therefore,  the most important thing, I think, is to keep students aware and focused on how wonderful they are becoming, and to let them know that I accept them no matter what.

I hope this brief sharing has benefited you. May your classrooms be full of peace. -Judy

Teaching Creativity

Teaching Creativity

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Since I have been teaching in the UAE, I have noticed a stark difference between American (ergo western children,in general) and my Arabic children when it comes to creativity. I might easily shrug it off to teaching ESL, but I co-teach so I get to observe their behaviors during Arabic and Islamic Studies.   Indeed, the children here spend more time running feral in play than plopped down in front of cartoons and computers, but that certainly wouldn’t account for the muted expression of curiosity or creativity, in fact, it would have made me think just the reverse since they have so much free play. Thus, it makes me beg the question: are we born naturally inquisitive and creative or are those attributes acquired through our culture?

Image
When given a box of legos (bricks), students rely on pictures of examples of things they can make before attempting to design something.

Many of us Western teachers have observed similar behavior in other grade levels. And, at home, when we might have been plagued with the endless amount of energy of questions and tangents of imagination our students would go on, we are absolutely desperate to get students to think for themselves, let a lone outside the box. I don’t mean for this observation to reflect poorly on our students, because they are bright and able, but perfection and high marks are what is really valued in this culture.  Whether a student writes a lovely poem or paints a beautiful painting is not as appreciated as an A on a paper. So I have to think that this is a cultural influence.

Since the Abu Dhabi Education Council is wanting to reform their schools to more western style approaches to learning, they are trying to shift from the more traditional methods into ones that will sponsor innovation and technology through critical thinking. Increasing inquisitiveness and creativity seem paramount to this task, so we have felt at a loss at how to systematically teach it.

Enter Harvard Project Zero! Through research done, they have created something called “Visible Thinking”, which they noticed that ” Often, we found, children (and adults) think in shallow ways not for lack of ability to think more deeply but because they simply do not notice the opportunity or do not care. To put it all together, we say that really good thinking involves abilities, attitudes, and alertness, all three at once. Technically this is called a dispositional view of thinking. Visible Thinking is designed to foster all three.”  (Visible Thinking)

I have been implementing many of their core routines and it has been interesting to actually gain insight into their perspectives and ideas.  Naturally, since I teach in a bilingual classroom, most of the responses are in their home language of Arabic, but my counterpart will translate their ideas to me.  It has been very helpful in cultivating a culture of deeper thinking, respect for different points of view, and looking closer at things. The easiest routine for my ELLs has been  I SEE, I THINK, I WONDER  .   I also really find Creativity Hunt to be another really interesting one that has a high level of engagement.

Overall, I really recommend teachers to take a look at their site because their are so many simple things that you can add to your lessons to increase creative thought and critical thinking–No matter the grade level.  I hope you take some time to check  out some of the material and implement some of the routines in your classroom.

Teacher 3.0

Teacher 3.0

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Teacher 3.0–keeping our practice current and relevant.

You know the difference between something alive and something dead?–Something alive is growing, while something dead is NOT!  With that in mind, it’s really important to continue to develop our understanding of how our student’s learn best and update our teaching practice. For many of us, we need to take a certain number of training courses or attend conferences in order to stay abreast of what is happening and maintain our credentials. But the good news is that nowadays we don’t have to go to bricks and mortar schools or centers in order to learn something new. There are a lot of great online professional development available right in the comfort of your home.

Here is a smattering of some high quality resources and many of them offer certificated courses. Some are for a fee, but most are completely FREE.

Teachers First

What a great resource this is!  Not only does it have frequent professional development that is FREE, if you attend a live online event, you can get a certificate for it. Lovely, isn’t it! Also, it has a ton of lesson plans and activities that are designed for 21st century learning.  Just can’t beat this one!

Intel Teach Elements

I have taken Intel’s professional development and it was easy to implement in my intermediate grade’s classroom. The topics are very much geared toward blending technology in the classroom and is a terrific resource that is absolutely FREE. (Gosh, I just love that word). The e-learning material generally take more than sitting to complete and you might want to have some of your fellow grade-level/subject team members join you–The content’s that fabulous!

Arizona State University’s Learning Forever!

I have taken very low cost courses through ASU for my teaching license, but they  constantly have FREE webinars on topics such as the Common Core and Gifted Education. It doesn’t cost you a thing to join, which makes this very economical.

Other Colleges and Universities with Free Online Courses

I can’t speak directly for these all of these courses but there is an amazing number of colleges and universities that are offering FREE e-learning courses. From MIT to Stanford, the list of reputable universities is substantial, and it covers many topics outside of just education. Many of them will even offer college credit for participating. Very cool, indeed!

SEETA

You have to register (free) in order to attend a web course, but it’s great because the guest presenters are experts and have a range of topics that are offered weekly. Even though this website is from the “South Eastern European Teachers”, the topics are relevant no matter where you teach. It’s great to get a global perspective on best practices, and you are sure to learn something.

Association for School Curriculum and Development 

If you don’t have a membership to this, then sign up today. I can’t recommend this enough. It is covers all sorts of topics about American policy and practice, and reports on the latest research. It’s an invaluable resource. As a member, you have numerous free webinars that you can enjoy, and they also offer more substantial online professional development.

Edublogger

Most educators are interested in blogging, so this link is simply for a very cool how to on using blogs for personal use and in your classroom.

Electronic Open Village

This is a yearly event offered through TESOL CALL-IS. They (TESOL) have in-person conferences in America, which focus on Teaching English as a Second Language, but the Electronic Open Village (EVO) has a “Computer-Assisted Language Learning Interest Section, which exists to define issues and standards in the field of computer-mediated language instruction, promote research and development in the area of computer-based language learning and disseminate information about CALL to ESL/EFL educators worldwide.” What does that mean for you?–some really cool and FREE e-learning that is focused on helping our English Language Learners. Who doesn’t need more help in this area?  And the best part is that it is geared toward obtaining more technology skills as educators. Yep, check another box. It’s pretty terrific!

Please let me know if you found any of these resources useful for you. Also, feel free to add some other quality lo professional development that you know of–we are all here to learn!

A journey of a 1,000 miles

A journey of a 1,000 miles

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I feel like teaching is a journey, never really “arriving” anywhere except for where I am on my path towards excellence. I’m in the midst of my own inquiry, to “Know Thyself”, not only as an educator, but as a person. I’ve enjoyed co-teaching and playing with others in a classroom space and am grateful to have learned how to bridge the cultural gap when it comes to international teaching. …

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