Month: April 2024

Kindergarten is a child’s first experience in a structured educational environment. High-quality kindergartens teach children to learn through play and inquiry.

Kids learn literacy skills, including recognizing upper- and lowercase letters and matching them to their sounds. They also work with numbers and basic shapes. Kids often use their fine motor skills to create art.

Academics

In kindergarten, children learn in a more structured classroom environment with a set curriculum. Students are regularly screened for literacy and math, and teachers work with content specialists to provide additional support as needed.

Kindergarteners will also start learning letters and their sounds, and they will begin to learn about the world around them. Science and social studies instruction is often hands-on, and kids may plant a garden or learn about animal habitats.

In some states, kids are required to attend a year of pre-primary education before they can enter kindergarten. This is sometimes referred to as reception or transition. It’s an important step to ensure that kids are ready for kindergarten. In fact, it’s become more common for parents to “redshirt” their children, delaying kindergarten for an extra year so they can be better prepared.

Socialization

Children get most of their socialization at home from interactions with family members, but kindergarten gives them the opportunity to meet and interact with other kids on a regular basis. Parents can help prepare their kids for what they will experience in a classroom setting by playing games with them that teach about sharing, taking turns and reading body language.

Kindergartners must learn to communicate their needs with their teachers and with other students in their class. This means they must be able to tell someone they need to use the bathroom or that they are hungry, for example. It also means they must learn how to resolve conflicts with their peers. Playing a game where they are given a scenario and asked how they would resolve it can help give them practice in this area.

Often, a child’s separation anxiety will dissipate once they become comfortable with their new school environment. They may cry or cling to their parent at drop off time, but they will soon become accustomed to the routine and begin to develop friendships with other students.

Personality Development

Personality development has become a vital aspect of children’s life. The word ‘personality’ consists of much more than temperament; it also includes the child’s developing self-concept, motivations to achieve or socialize, values and goals, coping styles, sense of responsibility and conscientiousness.

Children can learn about their own strengths and weaknesses, gain confidence in expressing themselves in front of others, and improve their public speaking skills through personality development activities. These lessons can help them overcome shyness, develop good etiquette and social behaviour and be more compassionate towards others.

It is also important that kids learn how to interact and cooperate with their peers, and participate in group activities. This can be done through a variety of methods, including public speaking, debates, and creative writing. These activities encourage teamwork, problem solving and a positive outlook on life. Lastly, teaching them to respect people is very important. It will help them build strong and long lasting relationships in the future.

Independence

Kindergarten is the first time students will experience a classroom environment outside of their home. This means they will be spending seven hours a day with 20+ other children under the direction of adults who are not their parents. This can be challenging for young children who are used to receiving help with tasks like dressing, putting on shoes or eating.

Despite this, there are many independence activities available for children to practice that can prepare them for their first year of school. Developing independent skills is important for every child, and research shows that it builds self-confidence, resilience, problem-solving abilities and more.

Kids can learn how to dress themselves with the help of a parent, and they can also begin to do things like pour their own cereal or eat with appropriately sized utensils. This can be a great way for students to feel empowered to try new things in a safe environment. It will also build a sense of responsibility and perseverance, which is well worth the milk spills and mismatched clothes!

Students who struggle with reading need intensive intervention. This can be provided within core instruction, a separate reading block or as part of RTI/MTSS.

Explicit, teacher-led instruction with clear explanations, demonstration and modeling of new skills, ample practice opportunities and guided application using aligned student materials help students achieve success in reading. In addition, teachers should provide positive reinforcement for effort and accomplishment.

Phonics

Phonics is a “way of teaching the code-based portion of reading and spelling that stresses sound-symbol correspondences.” It can be used to teach children to decode words by identifying sounds in written text (see Grapheme–Phoneme Model).

The systematic synthetic phonics approach significantly improves kindergarten and first-grade children’s word recognition and spelling skills. It also benefits low socioeconomic status (SES) children who are not disabled.

To help struggling readers, teachers should provide phonics instruction and practice using structural cues (“What looks right?”), sound cues (“What do you think the word might mean?”) and visual cues (“What letters are in this word?”). Vowels are especially challenging for students to learn because many vowels sound similar. This is why it is important to teach them that short and long vowel sounds are different from each other. This can be taught through a variety of activities and strategies that are part of the Exact Path program. The individualized reading intervention uses these activities and many more to support struggling readers through the process of becoming fluent readers.

Handwriting

Developing an automated personal handwriting script is a contributing factor to writing success (Daffern, Mackenzie & Hemmings, 2017). The kinaesthetic action of forming letters by hand helps students to better recognise and memorise letter shapes and forms. Having good handwriting skills allows students to write for longer periods of time and provides a consistent format to help with spelling (Cahill, 2009; Schlagal, 2014).

Research shows that explicit handwriting instruction can significantly impact on literacy outcomes. A recent study found that a handwriting intervention which combined a systematic sequence of teaching letter formations, a focus on the formation of correct motor patterns and repeated practice resulted in statistically significant gains in students’ letter recognition and spelling knowledge, as well as their nonsense word reading fluency. Students should practise each of their handwriting letters using a range of methods including tracing, dots to show starting points and direction, air writing and using mnemonics to recall correct formation (Jones & Christensen, 1999). In addition to formal handwriting lessons, daily writing tasks such as signing in/out, writing lunch orders and include headings on assignments can reinforce strong formation.

Reading Comprehension

Comprehension is the ability to understand what has been read. It involves reading and thinking at the same time and requires that a person have a good vocabulary and be able to make inferences. It also requires that the reader connect what they are reading to what they already know.

When teaching comprehension strategies, it is important to provide students with high-quality instructional materials and activities. This includes using a research-based reading approach, providing a variety of instructional techniques (modeling, guided and independent practice, text-based questions, graphic organizers, vocabulary instruction, close reading) and having a strong support system for the teacher.

Comprehension interventions are typically short, one to three terms of a school year, and can be done by teachers in class settings or by teaching assistants with small groups. The intervention should be based on student needs as determined by a universal screener or diagnostic assessment. A typical screening assessment is a standardized test such as the NWEA/MAP or iReady.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is a key component of reading comprehension. Research has shown that students with high vocabulary scores are better able to understand text.

Children acquire some vocabulary incidentally through immersion in mature speech and linguistically rich texts, but direct instruction of specific words is essential to building high utility vocabulary. This instruction must be deliberate and systematic and include teaching word parts (i.e., prefixes and suffixes) as well as meanings and usage.

During vocabulary instruction, it is important to differentiate between social and academic vocabulary. Social vocabulary includes words used in daily activities like following basic directions and interacting with peers. Academic vocabulary refers to the words that are used in learning content such as science and social studies concepts, math terms and phonics patterns.

Children learn best when they are encouraged to pursue their interests. They also need to build confidence and self-esteem. This can be achieved through daily routines and positive interactions.

Education is a fundamental right of every child, regardless of their gender, location, or economic status. However, many obstacles stand in the way of children exercising this right: conflict, natural disasters, disease, poverty, geographical isolation, and lack of access to quality education.

Learning to think for themselves

The ability to think for yourself is a vital skill that can help kids feel confident and motivated. It also helps them be resilient, a key factor in success at school and in life. It also enables children to cooperate with others, cope with frustration and resolve conflicts. However, children must be provided with the appropriate challenges to develop this capability.

This requires children to be open to new ideas and willing to question them. They need to know how to interrogate information, including online sources. It is also important to teach them that it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as they learn from them.

This is why it’s important to support your child’s decision-making skills, such as by allowing them to choose what they wear or what afterschool activities they want to participate in. This will give them confidence that they can make good choices and build their self-esteem. You can also encourage them to take on projects that require teamwork or collaboration, fostering a sense of responsibility and empathy for their community.

Learning to cooperate with others

Cooperating with others is an essential life skill that should be taught from a very early age. Whether it is playing a game, working on a project, or just having friends over, children need to know how to work together and care for each other. This is especially important for only children, who may not have siblings at home to help them develop these skills.

Children learn character mainly through imitation, so they need to see adults and peers cooperating with one another in a respectful and friendly way. This can be done by encouraging open communication and by teaching kids how to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and ideas with each other.

Teachers also teach children how to cooperate with their peers by setting up activities that encourage teamwork, such as board games and group puzzles. They also teach children how to share and take turns, which is an essential aspect of cooperation. They also encourage children to express themselves, listen respectfully, and resolve conflicts peacefully.

Learning about different cultures

From an early age, children are absorbing culture and customs through their everyday experiences. Parents can enlighten their kids about different cultures by watching foreign movies, listening to cultural music and taking them to museums. They can also use world map puzzles to discuss countries and their backgrounds with their kids, fostering acceptance and openness towards new languages and cultures.

Children’s emotions and behaviour are influenced by their own culture, as well as the cultures of their families and community. This is why it’s so important to have culturally responsive teachers and caregivers.

Exposing children to diversity in their environment helps them understand that differences are normal, and teaches them to value people’s differences. This can be done by reading books about diverse characters, visiting places that are culturally sensitive and using games, handheld animals and dolls to teach children about the world.

Learning to interact with others

Interacting with other children is important for a child’s social development. This helps them develop empathy, which is key for understanding the responses of others. They also learn to see the world from another person’s perspective. For instance, two kids playing pretend may have wildly different stories. One kid may be battling dragons on the top of the world while the other is running around a car wash.

They also build social skills and learn to respect each other. These skills help them interact with adults and peers both at school and when accessing out of school activities like sports teams or Scouts.

In addition, children will learn to use their large motor skills to run, jump, climb, throw, catch, and explore with their hands (small motor). They will also develop a sense of self-worth as they interact with others at school and during out-of-school activities. This is a skill that will carry over into their adult lives.

With school back in session, students and teachers alike need supplies. You can help by donating classroom essentials, money to a school emergency fund or your time.

Districts that have made significant academic gains among struggling students typically provide them with extra instructional time each day to maximize teacher expertise in content instruction.

Education Support Professionals

Education support professionals keep schools running and students safe, healthy and ready to learn. They include paraeducators, secretaries, custodial staff, food service workers, bus drivers and other school employees vital to student and teacher success. They’re the backbone of our preK-12 public education system.

They help teachers with instruction, assist students with disabilities and perform myriad administrative duties. They also serve on district-wide and individual community school steering committees, bodies that do the work of establishing structures for two-way communication and involvement between schools and the people and communities they serve.

MSEA is fighting for ESP members across the state to have decent wages and good working conditions, a voice in decisions that affect them and their families, and protection against layoffs and privatization. They’re the reason kids get extra help when they need it, the bell rings on time and buses arrive to take them to class. It’s hard to imagine our schools without them.

Job Duties

Education support professionals play a key role in keeping schools running smoothly. They perform a variety of duties in areas including clerical services, custodial and maintenance services, food service, health and student services, transportation and skilled trades.

Education supports also work with students to create educational plans and assist instructors in classroom observations, providing feedback to improve teaching techniques. They are the backbone of our school system and deserve respect for their tireless efforts to help children learn and thrive.

Whether they’re picking up kids for early morning bus rides, providing the comforts of home in school counseling centers, or bandaging a scraped knee, ESPs do it all for our nation’s youth. MEA is fighting to ensure they get the respect and pay they deserve – plus money-saving benefits like medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, retirement savings options and more. Learn how you can help support ESPs in your community by joining MEA today.

Education Support Job Description

An education support professional is a school employee that performs a variety of tasks to help students and teachers in the classroom. Colleges, universities and schools of all types hire education support professionals for full-time work during school hours. They receive several weeks off for holidays and report to the principal or dean of students.

A teacher’s aide works under the supervision of a certified teacher or instructor to give extra attention and instruction to individual students. Greets students and parents in the morning, prepares resources and undertakes logistical and operational tasks such as cleaning and food preparation and storage. Enforces school and class rules to encourage positive behavior.

An occupational therapy assistant assists with daily living activities for an assigned student who has physical or medical disabilities. May assist with bathing, dressing and toileting; change soiled clothes, sanitary napkins, colostomy bags or tube feedings; administer medication; teach hygiene; and monitor and interact with students to promote positive self-image.

Education Support Employment

Education support staff are employed in a variety of positions at schools, colleges and universities. The charity Education Support champions good mental health and wellbeing for teachers, lecturers and all education support staff. It provides telephone counselling, financial assistance and fact sheets of information useful to staff. Its roots date back to 1877 when it began as a benevolent fund for teachers. It merged with sister charities Teacher Support Network, Recourse and Worklife Support Partnership in 2015 to become Education Support.

There is little on the job training for education support workers, who typically come to their roles with previous experience. New employees may be given a grace period, lasting no more than two weeks, to observe classrooms and other school staff before beginning their daily tasks. School staff are entitled to a number of weeks off throughout the year for school and federal holidays. They are paid twice a month. They are employed at-will and can request professional leave with prior approval from their immediate supervisor.

School articles are informative and share research findings while fostering discussion on current trends in education. They are often written by teachers, researchers or educational professionals.

Schools are the place where children learn, socialize and develop as people. They also assist with social change. Students are around hundreds of other kids their age and this teaches them how to interact with people of different backgrounds.

1. Learning

Students learn best when they have opportunities to do so in ways that engage them. They love learning about topics that are relevant to their lives, and when instruction helps them understand content by linking it to skills they already have, like cooking, sports, art or science.

Many schools that offer good educational outcomes have a variety of ways to increase student-learning time and opportunities. These include looping, where teachers stay with a group of students for more than one year, and advisory classes, where students have the opportunity to build lasting relationships with teachers. They also use pedagogies that practice cultural competence and invite students’ experiences into the classroom, such as by listening to them respectfully and giving them credit for their knowledge.

School administrators, teachers and staff should seek out new ways to improve learning. This may include re-arranging the classroom, going outside for field trips or even hosting workshops in film and art.

2. Socializing

Socializing at school provides kids with opportunities to develop their social skills and interact with others. When children engage in positive socialization, they are more likely to feel confident and have a greater sense of self-worth, which is important for their mental health.

Socialization at school also helps children learn to recognize and respect other cultures and backgrounds. This can help reduce their egocentrism, which is common in young kids. Taking them to an early childcare Greenville NC can further enhance their socialization by exposing them to diverse people and experiences.

Teachers also play an important role in the socialization of their students. They present a curriculum that assumes certain knowledge and skills that they think all students should have. They are also involved in enforcing rules, which is another form of socialization.

3. Meeting New People

School is an ideal place to meet new people. Many students will be in the same situation as you, so they will be more than happy to meet someone new. Try talking to people around you, especially those that have the same interest as you.

If you are a student at university, you can also attend Frosh Week or orientation events to meet other freshmen. There are usually a lot of other students that you will see over the course of the week, giving you more time to talk and get to know them.

Other opportunities to meet new people are clubs, sports teams and even on-campus jobs. Try to connect with people who share similar interests and make friends that you can look back on years later.

4. Developing Hobbies and Interests

Hobbies are a great way to reduce stress for students. They help them take a break from the pressure of academics and peer pressure, while allowing them to tap into their inner passions.

Hobbies also encourage creativity. Whether it be painting or playing music, hobbies allow kids to express their personalities and develop creative skills. These skills will be essential for their future.

Hobbies can also help students build strong relationships by enabling them to interact with other people who share the same interests. This helps them to learn how to communicate with other people and build trust, Alison Ratner Mayer at Child Therapy Boston explains. In addition, showing interest in others’ hobbies demonstrates empathy and builds rapport, she adds. This is important for a healthy social life.

5. Developing Skills

A diverse set of skills is increasingly valued in the workplace. Schools can help students acquire a range of skills that will serve them well in their professional careers.

Skills development in school includes activities like collaborative learning, peer teaching, and group projects. These activities promote inquisitiveness, team spirit, trustworthiness, and assertiveness in students. They also help develop a student’s ability to tackle issues and situations on their own.

Schools that prioritize skill development also incorporate pedagogies and assessments that foster a mastery-oriented approach to learning. For example, they may offer year-long research projects or a capstone project where students work to address an issue in their community.

Students can also be exposed to open mindsets through debating sessions, visits to a workplace or Q&As with a local business leader.