Interview
Question 1: Response
Yes we have a curriculum that I am required to adhere to in my teaching. The Orlando Science Centre Preschool follows a curriculum build on the standards of the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in conjunction with the Florida Department of Education (FDE).
Our “Creative Curriculum” is wholly aligned with NAEYC/FDE specification of an effective early childhood curricula for children below age 8. Our curriculum enables us to engage children in both stimulating and enriching play based and learning activities. The young learners are able to pick up social and emotional skills through constant interactions with their peers and teachers, both on group and individual levels. This is indeed in line with the requirement by the NAYC/FDE that children should be kept active and engaged; valued content must be learned through play, investigation, and focused intentional teaching; and the curriculum should be beneficial to children (FDE, 2011). Personally, I am very comfortable with this school curriculum.
Question 2: Response
At Orlando Science Centre Preschool, we pay particular special attention to the outcomes of our assessments of the pre-elementary students. We use them to adjust our curriculum so that it individual learning styles of the student and stimulate progression at a child’s individual pace. Our evaluation process entails assessment of each student’s comprehension of key concepts, as well as mastery of defined academic goals and objectives. Results help us fix problematic areas in the curriculum accordingly.
Question 3: Response
Indeed, the Florida Department of Education standards have had a significant influence on the types and amount of assessment we do in our classrooms. The standards have enabled us to adopt more innovative and creative approaches to assessment so as to enhance child’s interest and motivation (FDE, 2011). The standards discourage too much assessment as they are counterproductive in sense that it does not allow the young learners plenty of time to understand and explore the material they have learned. It has helped me as a teacher to avoid an oppressive assessment workload. Generally, a variety in the types of assessment has enabled me to assess outcomes of a range of different learning outcomes.
Question 4: Response
I have been lucky to be among the few pre-elementary teachers to teach before and after introduction of the standards in this state. Definitely the experience has been different in the two eras. Unlike two decades ago, the state has implemented wide-scale assessments to gauge what children have learned at particular grades in addition to new systems that avail assessment results to parents and the public. Furthermore, the standards have allowed teaching of more complex science fields unlike before when it was thought that children’s abilities were insufficient for such topical areas.
STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET 20
Level Science Centre Setup Materials Supplies & Equipment Activity
Preschool Science centre display real objects for children to touch and explore Magnifying glasses, balance scales, rulers, tweezers Leaves, rocks, water, paper towels, magnets, funnels, water, cups, bottles Children demonstrate use of simple tools & equipment for observing & investigating
Kindergarten Science zone divided into two zones – observation zone & experimental zone Recycled and natural materials – water, Ice, oil Water bottles, sand, containers, wood, plastic Children engaged in physical science i.e. exploring physical properties & creative use of objects
Primary class A hands-on science centre with a collection of nature materials and apparatus Plant & animal pictures, tape measure, weighing scales, water dropper Indoor plants, classroom garden, classroom pets, caterpillars Students learning life science – exploring growth & change of living things
STUDENT SHEET 21
Level Processing Skill Description Setting Activity
Preschool , Observation Children learn under full direction of teacher Teacher-directed Observing, comparing, measuring
Kindergarten Experimental Children work semi-independently with help of teacher Teacher-supported Observing, communicating, comparing
Primary class Execution Students work independent of teacher’s direction Child-directed Observing, Measuring, classifying, Predicting, inferring, communicating, recording data
References:
Florida Department of Education. (2011). Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.fldoe.org/earlylearning/pdf/feldsfyo.pdf.
