EMerce*d in Learning

Thursday Thoughts This is where we will collaborate on classroom issues. "I know this is normally about classroom issues, but with the 4th of July coming up I have one about family time.  How can I keep my discipline consistent around family?  My family is more of a swat on the butt kinda family and I am trying to work on teaching social skills instead."  -Andrea P., Norfolk Wowza!  I think this is something everyone has faced in one way or another when it comes to family.  As we grow into our own nuclear families it can become difficult to stand on values that differ from the nuclear family in which you were raised.  Often times when your "elders" see you doing something differently then they did while helping raise you they see it as an attack on what they did.  Instead the emphasis should be placed on what works for your child. Try some of these: For little Johnny working on a solution helps the situation more than a spanking. We are being consistent

 Wednesday Words We will look at the words that define us.   If you have spent much time teaching young children you have heard of impulse control, but what is it?    First let's look at the brain: source The main part of the brain that is in control during the act of stopping to think actions through is the frontal lobe.  As stated in an article by the Livestrong Foundation, found here , Higher-level thinking is supported by the frontal lobes. Activity in these lobes allows us to reason, make judgments, make plans for the near and far future, make choices, take action, solve problems and generally control our living environment. Without fully functioning frontal lobes, you may have intelligence, but you wouldn’t be able to put it to use. The quote mentions "fully functioning" frontal lobes. When do they become "fully functioning?"  I'm glad you asked..... around the mid-twenties.  Although, I'm sure many of us have met those roug

Time-Out Tuesday Each Tuesday we will take time out of the classroom to learn about each other. A few years ago I began a journey to become more financially secure. I had finished my Master's about a year prior and thought it was time to start hitting the college debt hard.  What was shocking was how much debt we had. In September 2010 we had a grand total in outstanding debt of 78,532.95.  During our payoff we accumulated a little more debt with the purchase of a car and my husband's student loans.  This seems drastic for a couple who were still in their twenties, unfortunately it was "normal." A few friends had begun speaking about this guy, Dave Ramsey.  I decided to buy his book and see what the hoopla was all about.  After reading The Total Money Makeover my life was changed!  Luckily the awesome hubby did what he usually does when I get a wild idea- supports me without question. Source We tightened our budget down to the bare essentials and I began

Mindful Monday This is where each Monday we are mindful of our pedagogy, slowly adjusting our lessons to match our theories. There are some things that are universal among early childhood classrooms.  One of those elements is circle time.  While there is no real hard and fast rules for conducting circle time, there are several guidelines that could be helpful.   1. The first thing to think about is how long should your circle time be.  If you are teaching infants or toddlers your circle time will look quite different from a preschool or kindergarten circle time.  For the youngest children you want to let them come and go as they want.  You may only be reading a book or singing a song for your circle time at this age.  If they lose interest that is ok!  As they age you can add a little time to your circle time.  Three's should be able to make it through a book, a song, and a game. Remember to include LOTS of movement, including moving around the room!  By preschool and kin

Fill it up Friday Each Friday we will look at an article to fill up on the whys of teaching. This is one of my favorite books EVER.  Seriously!  If you haven't heard of it yet please, please, please check it out! Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I frequently read books on child behavior, especially difficult behaviors.  I've noticed that the better I managed my classroom the more the children are able to learn, so I focus on behavior first.  The authors do an amazing job looking at various factors that influences a child's behavior and what we as adults can do to help mitigate those factors. The authors break the book up into manageable pieces that reference the different aspects that influence behavior and how to work around with them such as the social context, physical space, and the inclusive setting. By far my favorite part of the book is the inclusion of the functional assessment behavior chart.  This is also known as the ABC chart.  I love usi

Thursday Thoughts This is where we will collaborate on classroom issues.   "I'm doing a presentation about the connection between classroom engagement and behavior management when dealing with my students here in China (age 1-6). What are some strategies or resources you would recommend?" -Tre T. (Shenzhen, China)   Obviously I will be attacking this from an American cultural perspective since I am an American living in the states. That being said there are many developmental factors that are relatively stable. The next tough thing to tackle in your question is the age range.  Whew!  Ages 1 to 6 really encompasses a huge developmental range so we will break it up as we look at engagement and behavior management.    Infants and Toddlers When it comes to this age group I always get a mental image of herding cats.  Ever tried to do that?  It is tough ! You want them to have the freedom to leave the activity when their attention wanders.  They have extremely s