Berikut merupakan petua-petua dan ciri-ciri yang ada pada pelajar cemerlang, dari Dr Fadzilah Kamsah. Pelajar cemerlang akan:
1. Menggunakan kedua-dua belah otak kanan & kiri. Ini dapat dilakukan dengan membuat aktiviti merangsang kedua-dua belah otak tersebut.
2. Merangsang kesemua deria dalam pembelajaran. Kajian menunjukkan bahawa:
1. kita ingat 10 % apayang dibaca
2. kita ingat 20% apa yang didengar
3. kita ingat 50 % apa yang didengar & dilihat
4. kita ingat 70% apa yang dicakapkan
5. kita ingat 90% setelah dipraktikkan
3. Belajar secara aktif dengan pen/pensil ditangan.
4. Belajar 3 jam sehari atau 20 jam seminggu (tidak termasuk kerja rumah).
...Tahu memberi ganjaran kepada diri sendiri selepas belajar seperti membaca surat khabar, melawat rakan dan sebagainya....
5. Belajar dalam persekitaran kondusif.
1. pastikan cahaya adalah terang
2. kurangkan gangguan bunyi
3. tampal poster yang mengandungi slogan yang menaikkan semangat belajar
4. tampal gambar-gambar yang menenangkan fikiran
5. kerusi dan meja menghadap kiblat
6. jangan lupa untuk senyum
6. Tidak ponteng kelas. Kalau tertinggal kelas, salin nota dari rakan.
7. Mengulang kaji menggunakan kaedah 'output learning' iaitu belajar untuk melatih otak menggunakan maklumat yang terkumpul. Ini dapat dilakukan dengan membaca buku/nota, ingat kembali, lakar/tulis, sebut apa yang difahami, dan jawab soalan.
8. Tahu teknik merangsang memori:
1. memasukkan maklumat dalam memori (registration)
2. menyimpan maklumat dalam sel memori (retention)
3. mengingat kembali (recall)
4. menggunakan maklumat untuk menjawab soalan atau kegunaan lain (application)
9. Sentiasa awal dan mendahului:
1. persediaan awal akan memberikan permulaan yang baik dan memberi tanggapan yang positif pada guru.
2. pelajar yang mendapat A pada ujian lazimnya akan dapat mengekalkan kejayaannya.
3. belajar awal ketika tiada tekanan adalah tidak membosankan.
4. untuk sentiasa awal dan mendahului, bacalah dahulu sekali atau 2 kali sebelum guru mengajar.
10. Berbuat baik dengan guru. Setiasa hormati dan sayangi guru.
11. Mempunyai teknik membaca yang betul:
1. duduk dengan tegak & bernafas dengan betul
2. memberikan tumpuan sepanuhnya
3. menggunakan jari telunjuk untuk membaca
4. menyesuaikan kelajuan membaca dengan kesukaran bahan bacaan
12. Sentiasa mengawasi pencuri waktu belajar iaitu angan-angan kosong, bertangguh & malas.
13. Membaca doa penerang hati setiap kali selepas sembahyang, sebelum mengulangkaji, dan sebelum menghadapi peperiksaan.
14. Tidak membuang masa dengan belajar ketika letih.
15. Mengadakan rehat sebentar setiap 20 minit mengulangkaji.
16. Belajar mengikut waktu yang sesuai dengan diri (study according to your biological clock). Bagaimanapun, perlu tahu waktu-waktu yang sesuai untuk belajar iaitu sebelum tidur, selepas bangun tidur, selepas mandi air panas, selepas baca al-quran/zikir selepas riadah dan selepas berdoa.
17. Mengulang kaji secepat mungkin. Ulang kaji ringkas selepas belajar (kita akan lupa 80% selepas belajar).
18. Mengulang kaji secara bersendirian atau berkumpulan.
19. Tahu mengulang kaji adalah aktiviti pembelajaran terpenting sebelum peperiksaan.
20. Mengulang kaji pelajaran berulang-ulang kali.
21. Mengulang kaji apabila mulai terlupa.
22. Tahu petua mengulang kaji
1. cari tempat yang tenang dan serasi dengan jiwa kita
2. siapkan semua 'bekalan' dengan sempurna
3. duduk tegak dikerusi yang selesa
4. baca doa penerang hati
5. baca buku atau nota mengikut teknik membaca yang betul
6. fikir dan ingat kembali isi utama
7. catat/lakar
8. semak semula ketepatan maklumat
9. ulang sebut atau ceritakan pada orang lain
10. buat rumusan
11. jawab soalan
12. tampal maklumat yang rumit di dinding
13. baca doa tanda kesyukuran selepas belajar
23. Tahu memberi ganjaran kepada diri sendiri selepas beajar seperti membaca surat khabar, melawat rakan dan sebagainya.
24. Tahu petua-petua agar tidak lupa:
1. jangan makan kepala ikan
2. jangan makan organ dalaman
3. jangan minum semasa makan
4. jangan minum atau makan makanan yang tercemar oleh semut
5. jangan melihat kemaluan
6. jangan melihat buih
7. jangan membaca nama pada batu nisan
8. banyakkan makan makanan yang mengandungi soya seperti tempe, tauhu dan lain-lain
9. banyakkan makan kismis, kurma dan madu
10. banyakkan makan kekacang
11. pakai minyak wangi ketika belajar atau menghadapi peperiksaan
12. jangan makan sehingga terlalu kenyang
13. jangan kencing berdiri
25. Tahu kemahiran mengingat:
1. tampal nota-nota penting di dinding
2. tukar perkataan, ayat atau definisi dalam bentuk gambar atau rajah
3. gunakan kaedah akronim
4. reka cerita atau ayat mengenai konsep yang perlu diingat
5. pecahkan maklumat kepada kumpulan kecil
26. Cekap mengatur jadual belajar:
1. mempunyai jadual belajar
2. patuh kepada jadual
3. buat jadual yang boleh diikuti
27. Tidak menangguh belajar pada saat akhir dan tidak menumpukan peperiksaan sebagai dorongan untuk belajar.
28. Cari maklumat mengenai subjek yang tidak diketahui. Sediakan perkara-perkara yang tidak diketahui dan dapatkan penyelesaian dari orang yang lebih arif.
29. Membina kepelbagaian dalam pembelajaran. Sebagai contoh, satu hari dipelbagaikan cara dan topik untuk belajar.
30. Menggunakan masa terluang untuk mengulang kaji atau mencuri masa.
31. Membawa nota ke mana-mana sahaja (kecuali ke tandas).
32. Pelbagaikan tempat belajar.
33. Menyedari guru-guru adalah sumber ilmu yang baik. Tanya guru apabila tidak faham
34. Menjadikan nota-nota menarik seperti membuat corak, menggariskan isi penting dan sebagainya.
35. Ciri-ciri pelajar cemerlang:
1. taat kepada Allah
2. mendirikan sembahyang
3. menghormati kedua ibu bapa dan sentiasa mendoakan mereka
4. hormati & sayangi guru
5. bersungguh-sungguh dalam melakukan kerja untuk mencapai kecemerlangan.
6. suka pada setiap mata pelajaran yang dipelajari
7. membantu rakan yang memerlukan
8. berdoa dan bersyukur kepada Allah
9. sentiasa bertawakal
10. mahir dalam setiap mata pelajaran
Kita juga perlu ingat pelajar yang cemerlang, adalah juga cemerlang pada akhlak dan tingkah lakunya dan seimbang dalam kehidupannya. Kecemerlangan pelajar bukan semata-mata dilihat pada nilai akademiknya sahaja. Semoga bermanfaat. :)
Baca lagi tulisan seperti ini dalam Students
Showing posts with label Ilmu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ilmu. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Teaching your Child the Alphabet by Using Coloring Pages
by TheNanny612 on September 15, 2007
When I began teaching my children the Alphabet as Toddlers I found that using Alphabet Coloring Pages was one of the most effective way to teach the Letters of the Alphabet to my children. I already knew that they loved to color, so why not teach them the letters in a way that I know will hold their focus more than 2 minutes. So, I started printing off alphabet coloring pages from the internet and I was off to start teaching my children the alphabet.
My young Preschoolers-To-Be had no idea that they were going to begin a Lesson. For all they knew they were going to have fun coloring…. and they were right.
While my kids were coloring I would talk to them about the letters they were coloring. Here are a few examples of some things I would talk about with my children while they were coloring:
• The Letter "S" sounds like ssssss…..?
• What food begins with the letter "A"?
• Can you point to an object in the living room that starts with the Letter you are coloring?
Those are just a few examples…. I am sure you can probably come up with a few more yourself.
Here are some of my kids’ favorite Alphabet Coloring Pages when they were learning the Alphabet:
• Learning Planet.com - Nice Collection of Printable Alphabet Coloring Pages
• Sesame Workshop - My Children absolutely loved these Alphabet Coloring Pages. The coloring pages have their favorite Sesame Street Characters.
• Coloring Castle.com - Simple bubble letter alphabet coloring pages. They have quite a few choices of different alphabet bubble letters.
• Preschool Coloring Book - Excellent Alphabet Coloring Pages. Preschool Coloring Book has so many choices of alphabet coloring pages to choose from. They have Plain Letters, Block Letters, Letters with Animals, Fruit & Vegetable Letters
• Jazzles.com - Very cute collection of alphabet coloring pages.
• Alphabet Soup - An Excellent collection of alphabet coloring pages.
• Animated Animals Coloring Book - Florida’s Animated Alphabet is designed to introduce young children to Florida’s wide variety of native wildlife and the interesting natural history and behavior of its wild creatures.
• Halloween Alphabet Coloring Pages - Since Halloween is next month I had to add this amazing collection of Alphabet Halloween Pages.
Preparing Your Child To Start Preschool
by TheNanny612 on August 27, 2007
No parent is ever ready for the day that their child goes off to preschool. But that doesn’t mean that your preschooler can’t be ready. Even if you’re nervous about the separation, you should do your best to make sure that your child is prepared to head off to preschool when the time is right. You want to do well as a parent and part of this means giving your child the tools to go off on his own, even if it’s just for a few hours at preschool. And by preparing your child both educationally and emotionally for the preschool experience, you’ll help to quell your own fears about the situation.
Here are some of the things that you need to do when preparing your child to start preschool:
• Get your child used to following directions by using them regularly in your home. Use simple one-step directions first (such as “brush your teeth”). Then incorporate a second step (such as “brush your teeth and then get in bed”). Over time, your preschooler will get used to following directions and this will make doing so in preschool easier.
• Involve your child in a play group or other social activity. Your preschooler is going to need to learn to share items, take turns and otherwise interact with children so make sure that you’ve given him the skills to do so.
• Know where your child should be academically. Your preschooler doesn’t have to be right on track or ahead of the game, but you should have some basic child development knowledge of where other kids of the same age are going to be. This varies depending on the age that your child enters preschool but can be figured out by checking out basic parenting books on development. Help your child reach an average academic place before sending him off to preschool so that he doesn’t start at a disadvantage.
• Point out the ways in which your child is growing up and make it a point to say that preschool is a big kid thing. This way, your child will be proud and excited about preschool, not scared.
• Purchase some special preschool items that your child gets to use only when going to preschool. A backpack, lunchbox, set of crayons … these small things that are for school only can help with the transition to preschool.
• Use a schedule at home since your child will be on a schedule in preschool. Have a playtime, a nap time, a video time, and an outside time that are basically the same every day. The routine itself may be different in preschool but the process of getting used to a routine won’t be new.
And of course, the most important thing about preparing your child to start preschool is that you have to prepare yourself. Even parents who are eager to return to work feel a twinge of regret when it’s time to send kids to preschool. It’s a change that breeds fear. But if you are overly anxious about it, your child will pick up on that and the transition to preschool will be more difficult. Trust that you’ve prepared your child for preschool and rest easy in that knowledge.
Lap Books – A Great Tool to Teach Your Child Preschool at Home
by TheNanny612 on August 9, 2007
LapBooks are a terrific part of a good home preschool program. Lapbooks combine all of the work done in a single subject area to really pull it together for your child. They can be reviewed at later dates to make sure that learning is cumulatively building itself. But more than this, they give your preschooler (and older kids as well) something to look at where they can see their progress. This can be a great source of pride which allows children to be more successful in their learning over the long run. And they’re fun for you to put together with your child; they basically take the joy of scrapbooking and apply it to education.
Lapbooks are something that you can make yourself with your child. They use a file folder system which makes organization easy but you can add your own touches to this system to make the lapbooks more personalized. As you’re putting the lapbooks together with your child, you’ll be reviewing the subject matter that she’s already learned which helps to reinforce that learning. And every time that your child takes out the lapbooks to show them off, she’ll be re-learning that material again.
And she will definitely want to show off her lapbooks. Children of all ages, and especially preschool children, love to be proud of themselves. They like showing off their independence and their knowledge to others who are supportive of their developmental growth. So whenever favorite aunts and uncles, family friends and grandparents come to visit, you can pull out the lapbooks so your child can show off all that she knows. She’ll be proud of herself which will encourage her to continue on with her studies, learning more so that she’ll have more to share. And as you watch her sharing all that she’s learned, you’ll be proud of her … and maybe even a little bit proud of yourself for all of the education that you’ve already given to her.
Besides being a terrific tool for compiling your child’s work and encouraging her to continue it, the lapbooks are a great activity that you can share with your child. They’re a part of the learning process that is truly just fun to do. You and your child can work together in scrapbook style to get everything put together. And when your child looks back on what her home school education was like, she’ll probably remember these times as fun. Add to them by creating a ritual like listening to music, making and eating pop corn together or going shopping for stickers to add to the lapbooks. These little touches will make creating the lapbooks a shared experience that you’ll both look forward to … and then look back on fondly!
Preschool Printable Worksheets
by TheNanny612 on August 13, 2007
Preschool printable worksheets are practically a staple of the home school education. And even those parents who aren’t homeschooling their kids find that these printable worksheets are good for preschoolers to pass the time while learning new and important skills. They’re great for parents because they’re cheap to locate and easy to print out so kids can have as many as they want to work on. And kids usually want a lot of them because they think it’s just something fun to do.
Here are some things that you might want to look for when seeking out preschool printable worksheets that will be good for your child:
• Look for worksheets that are age-based. This helps you to identify the preschool printable worksheets that are right for your child at any given time and gives you an idea of how your child is doing in terms of his or her development. It also lets you easily identify the next set of printable worksheets that will be good for your child after the ones that are currently being used.
• Explore a variety of different subjects. There are preschool printable worksheets for math and science, reading and writing and a number of other different subjects. Mix them up so your child gets a well-rounded education.
• Keep an eye out for color! Sure, it costs a little bit more money to print out color worksheets but your preschooler will be more drawn to these. You can mix them in with black-and-white printable worksheets to save on cost. When your preschooler is working on the black-and-white ones, encourage the use of colored pencils and crayons to liven up the page and keep her interested in the work.
• Find worksheets that have easy-to-understand directions. As your preschooler gets older, you’ll want to encourage her to read some of the directions for herself so find worksheets that are designed with this goal in mind. Often, these include pictures with the directions to make it easier for your child to identify what she’s supposed to be doing.
• Use themed worksheets around different holidays and events. You can find preschool printable worksheets for various holidays as well as for general seasons (like summer). These help to inspire your child to integrate learning and the rest of life.
• Consider creating your own printable worksheets. You can modify existing printable worksheets on your computer to make them more interesting for your child. For example, change the names in stories to your child’s name on reading worksheets. These little changes can really personalize her preschool education and make it more relevant to her.
Of course, preschool printable worksheets aren’t the only thing you’ll want your child to work off of when doing learning at home. If you can find a Preschool Program that incorporates worksheet use into a bigger curriculum that has related projects and other activities, you’ll really complete your child’s preschool learning. But you should definitely make use of the printable worksheets that are out there to help your child learn new concepts and practice various skills.
by TheNanny612 on September 15, 2007
When I began teaching my children the Alphabet as Toddlers I found that using Alphabet Coloring Pages was one of the most effective way to teach the Letters of the Alphabet to my children. I already knew that they loved to color, so why not teach them the letters in a way that I know will hold their focus more than 2 minutes. So, I started printing off alphabet coloring pages from the internet and I was off to start teaching my children the alphabet.
My young Preschoolers-To-Be had no idea that they were going to begin a Lesson. For all they knew they were going to have fun coloring…. and they were right.
While my kids were coloring I would talk to them about the letters they were coloring. Here are a few examples of some things I would talk about with my children while they were coloring:
• The Letter "S" sounds like ssssss…..?
• What food begins with the letter "A"?
• Can you point to an object in the living room that starts with the Letter you are coloring?
Those are just a few examples…. I am sure you can probably come up with a few more yourself.
Here are some of my kids’ favorite Alphabet Coloring Pages when they were learning the Alphabet:
• Learning Planet.com - Nice Collection of Printable Alphabet Coloring Pages
• Sesame Workshop - My Children absolutely loved these Alphabet Coloring Pages. The coloring pages have their favorite Sesame Street Characters.
• Coloring Castle.com - Simple bubble letter alphabet coloring pages. They have quite a few choices of different alphabet bubble letters.
• Preschool Coloring Book - Excellent Alphabet Coloring Pages. Preschool Coloring Book has so many choices of alphabet coloring pages to choose from. They have Plain Letters, Block Letters, Letters with Animals, Fruit & Vegetable Letters
• Jazzles.com - Very cute collection of alphabet coloring pages.
• Alphabet Soup - An Excellent collection of alphabet coloring pages.
• Animated Animals Coloring Book - Florida’s Animated Alphabet is designed to introduce young children to Florida’s wide variety of native wildlife and the interesting natural history and behavior of its wild creatures.
• Halloween Alphabet Coloring Pages - Since Halloween is next month I had to add this amazing collection of Alphabet Halloween Pages.
Preparing Your Child To Start Preschool
by TheNanny612 on August 27, 2007
No parent is ever ready for the day that their child goes off to preschool. But that doesn’t mean that your preschooler can’t be ready. Even if you’re nervous about the separation, you should do your best to make sure that your child is prepared to head off to preschool when the time is right. You want to do well as a parent and part of this means giving your child the tools to go off on his own, even if it’s just for a few hours at preschool. And by preparing your child both educationally and emotionally for the preschool experience, you’ll help to quell your own fears about the situation.
Here are some of the things that you need to do when preparing your child to start preschool:
• Get your child used to following directions by using them regularly in your home. Use simple one-step directions first (such as “brush your teeth”). Then incorporate a second step (such as “brush your teeth and then get in bed”). Over time, your preschooler will get used to following directions and this will make doing so in preschool easier.
• Involve your child in a play group or other social activity. Your preschooler is going to need to learn to share items, take turns and otherwise interact with children so make sure that you’ve given him the skills to do so.
• Know where your child should be academically. Your preschooler doesn’t have to be right on track or ahead of the game, but you should have some basic child development knowledge of where other kids of the same age are going to be. This varies depending on the age that your child enters preschool but can be figured out by checking out basic parenting books on development. Help your child reach an average academic place before sending him off to preschool so that he doesn’t start at a disadvantage.
• Point out the ways in which your child is growing up and make it a point to say that preschool is a big kid thing. This way, your child will be proud and excited about preschool, not scared.
• Purchase some special preschool items that your child gets to use only when going to preschool. A backpack, lunchbox, set of crayons … these small things that are for school only can help with the transition to preschool.
• Use a schedule at home since your child will be on a schedule in preschool. Have a playtime, a nap time, a video time, and an outside time that are basically the same every day. The routine itself may be different in preschool but the process of getting used to a routine won’t be new.
And of course, the most important thing about preparing your child to start preschool is that you have to prepare yourself. Even parents who are eager to return to work feel a twinge of regret when it’s time to send kids to preschool. It’s a change that breeds fear. But if you are overly anxious about it, your child will pick up on that and the transition to preschool will be more difficult. Trust that you’ve prepared your child for preschool and rest easy in that knowledge.
Lap Books – A Great Tool to Teach Your Child Preschool at Home
by TheNanny612 on August 9, 2007
LapBooks are a terrific part of a good home preschool program. Lapbooks combine all of the work done in a single subject area to really pull it together for your child. They can be reviewed at later dates to make sure that learning is cumulatively building itself. But more than this, they give your preschooler (and older kids as well) something to look at where they can see their progress. This can be a great source of pride which allows children to be more successful in their learning over the long run. And they’re fun for you to put together with your child; they basically take the joy of scrapbooking and apply it to education.
Lapbooks are something that you can make yourself with your child. They use a file folder system which makes organization easy but you can add your own touches to this system to make the lapbooks more personalized. As you’re putting the lapbooks together with your child, you’ll be reviewing the subject matter that she’s already learned which helps to reinforce that learning. And every time that your child takes out the lapbooks to show them off, she’ll be re-learning that material again.
And she will definitely want to show off her lapbooks. Children of all ages, and especially preschool children, love to be proud of themselves. They like showing off their independence and their knowledge to others who are supportive of their developmental growth. So whenever favorite aunts and uncles, family friends and grandparents come to visit, you can pull out the lapbooks so your child can show off all that she knows. She’ll be proud of herself which will encourage her to continue on with her studies, learning more so that she’ll have more to share. And as you watch her sharing all that she’s learned, you’ll be proud of her … and maybe even a little bit proud of yourself for all of the education that you’ve already given to her.
Besides being a terrific tool for compiling your child’s work and encouraging her to continue it, the lapbooks are a great activity that you can share with your child. They’re a part of the learning process that is truly just fun to do. You and your child can work together in scrapbook style to get everything put together. And when your child looks back on what her home school education was like, she’ll probably remember these times as fun. Add to them by creating a ritual like listening to music, making and eating pop corn together or going shopping for stickers to add to the lapbooks. These little touches will make creating the lapbooks a shared experience that you’ll both look forward to … and then look back on fondly!
Preschool Printable Worksheets
by TheNanny612 on August 13, 2007
Preschool printable worksheets are practically a staple of the home school education. And even those parents who aren’t homeschooling their kids find that these printable worksheets are good for preschoolers to pass the time while learning new and important skills. They’re great for parents because they’re cheap to locate and easy to print out so kids can have as many as they want to work on. And kids usually want a lot of them because they think it’s just something fun to do.
Here are some things that you might want to look for when seeking out preschool printable worksheets that will be good for your child:
• Look for worksheets that are age-based. This helps you to identify the preschool printable worksheets that are right for your child at any given time and gives you an idea of how your child is doing in terms of his or her development. It also lets you easily identify the next set of printable worksheets that will be good for your child after the ones that are currently being used.
• Explore a variety of different subjects. There are preschool printable worksheets for math and science, reading and writing and a number of other different subjects. Mix them up so your child gets a well-rounded education.
• Keep an eye out for color! Sure, it costs a little bit more money to print out color worksheets but your preschooler will be more drawn to these. You can mix them in with black-and-white printable worksheets to save on cost. When your preschooler is working on the black-and-white ones, encourage the use of colored pencils and crayons to liven up the page and keep her interested in the work.
• Find worksheets that have easy-to-understand directions. As your preschooler gets older, you’ll want to encourage her to read some of the directions for herself so find worksheets that are designed with this goal in mind. Often, these include pictures with the directions to make it easier for your child to identify what she’s supposed to be doing.
• Use themed worksheets around different holidays and events. You can find preschool printable worksheets for various holidays as well as for general seasons (like summer). These help to inspire your child to integrate learning and the rest of life.
• Consider creating your own printable worksheets. You can modify existing printable worksheets on your computer to make them more interesting for your child. For example, change the names in stories to your child’s name on reading worksheets. These little changes can really personalize her preschool education and make it more relevant to her.
Of course, preschool printable worksheets aren’t the only thing you’ll want your child to work off of when doing learning at home. If you can find a Preschool Program that incorporates worksheet use into a bigger curriculum that has related projects and other activities, you’ll really complete your child’s preschool learning. But you should definitely make use of the printable worksheets that are out there to help your child learn new concepts and practice various skills.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Early Childcare/ learning
“Spring is here said the bumblebee.
How do you know said the old oak tree.
I just saw a daffodil-
Sitting on a windy hill, a windy hill.
I just saw a daffodil!”
-One of my favorite early childhood springtime songs
Blooming trees, robins building nests, budding flowers, puddles, and mud pies… spring is here!
And there is no better time to start thinking about and preparing for outdoor playtime experiences for young children. Unfortunately, the necessity and importance of outdoor play is sometimes overlooked when working with young children. As early childhood educators, we know that the outdoor environment provides many opportunities for young children to grow, explore, observe, and learn.
Consider the following examples:
Infants are learning about the world through their senses. Taking infants for walks outside will give them the opportunity to smell, touch, see, and hear the world around them.
Toddlers are learning to use their large muscles—they are very active and need opportunities to run, jump, and climb. Taking toddlers outside will give them the space and time to use large muscles appropriately. At the same time, toddlers are experiencing an explosion of language development. Using the outdoor environment to label everyday objects in a toddler’s world will support language development.
Preschoolers are learning to play more cooperatively and at the same time, developing their ability to participate in imaginative and complex play scenarios. The outdoor environment can support and facilitate children’s imagination and group play. When teachers provide props (such as gardening supplies, tents, dress up clothes, etc) and time outdoors, we can spark children’s imagination and allow them to develop and elaborate their play. Also, by being available to help children learn how to negotiate and problem solve through these play scenarios, we can give them a foundation of social skills to last a lifetime.
School-age children exhibit developmental traits that allow them to participate in games with rules, demonstrate coordination and refined control of movement, and enjoy competitive activities. Outdoor games create and important opportunity for school-age children to practice their social, emotional, physical, and intellectual skills. When school-age children are provided outdoor space and time to play games freely (without adults controlling and mediating), they will learn to negotiate, problems solve, and get along with their peers.
These are just a few examples of how children learn through outdoor play experiences. With a little creativity and a few basic supplies, we have the ability to provide these outdoor experiences for children.
So, as spring is here, I ask that all early childhood educators take a PLEDGE to make time for children’s outdoor play experiences.
How do you know said the old oak tree.
I just saw a daffodil-
Sitting on a windy hill, a windy hill.
I just saw a daffodil!”
-One of my favorite early childhood springtime songs
Blooming trees, robins building nests, budding flowers, puddles, and mud pies… spring is here!
And there is no better time to start thinking about and preparing for outdoor playtime experiences for young children. Unfortunately, the necessity and importance of outdoor play is sometimes overlooked when working with young children. As early childhood educators, we know that the outdoor environment provides many opportunities for young children to grow, explore, observe, and learn.
Consider the following examples:
Infants are learning about the world through their senses. Taking infants for walks outside will give them the opportunity to smell, touch, see, and hear the world around them.
Toddlers are learning to use their large muscles—they are very active and need opportunities to run, jump, and climb. Taking toddlers outside will give them the space and time to use large muscles appropriately. At the same time, toddlers are experiencing an explosion of language development. Using the outdoor environment to label everyday objects in a toddler’s world will support language development.
Preschoolers are learning to play more cooperatively and at the same time, developing their ability to participate in imaginative and complex play scenarios. The outdoor environment can support and facilitate children’s imagination and group play. When teachers provide props (such as gardening supplies, tents, dress up clothes, etc) and time outdoors, we can spark children’s imagination and allow them to develop and elaborate their play. Also, by being available to help children learn how to negotiate and problem solve through these play scenarios, we can give them a foundation of social skills to last a lifetime.
School-age children exhibit developmental traits that allow them to participate in games with rules, demonstrate coordination and refined control of movement, and enjoy competitive activities. Outdoor games create and important opportunity for school-age children to practice their social, emotional, physical, and intellectual skills. When school-age children are provided outdoor space and time to play games freely (without adults controlling and mediating), they will learn to negotiate, problems solve, and get along with their peers.
These are just a few examples of how children learn through outdoor play experiences. With a little creativity and a few basic supplies, we have the ability to provide these outdoor experiences for children.
So, as spring is here, I ask that all early childhood educators take a PLEDGE to make time for children’s outdoor play experiences.
Early learning articles
All I really need to know I learned in Early Childhood...
Posted Friday, February 26, 2010 by Jennifer Anderl
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When I was in high school, my favorite author was Robert Fulghum. His books were made up of real-life vignettes full of universal truths that held mass appeal. At the time, I aspired to be a writer and while a novel, complete with an intricate plotline and well-developed characters, seemed too large of a task – short, humorous, and meaningful snippets were right up my alley. I
never did become a writer, at least not a published one, but one of Fulghum’s most famous e
ssays (and the title of one of his books) remains relevant to me and anyone who works in the
field of early childhood. It has been reprinted in numerous magazines, appears on a multitude
of websites, and was made into posters which hang in countless kindergarten classrooms.
And while I am sure most of us who work with young children have seen or heard of this essay,
I felt it would be fitting to repeat it here, as its basic tenets align so well with what we all do
and teach, each and every day…
All I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain,
but there in the sand pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and
dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the
plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam
cup – they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the
biggest word of all – LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and
basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and
apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds
true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all – the
whole world – had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then l
ay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy
to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out in the world,
it is best to hold hands and stick together.
[Source: Fulghum, R. (1988). Credo. In All I really need to know I learned in
kindergarten: uncommon thoughts on common things (pp. 1-3). New York: Villard Books.]
Now, turn off the computer and share yourself with others. Be fair to those around you
and apologize if you’re not. Play. Allow yourself some quiet time. Hold hands with the
ones you love. And while you’re at it, have some milk and cookies and LOOK for the
wonder in your life, because it is there – we’re just usually too busy to see it.
never did become a writer, at least not a published one, but one of Fulghum’s most famous e
ssays (and the title of one of his books) remains relevant to me and anyone who works in the
field of early childhood. It has been reprinted in numerous magazines, appears on a multitude
of websites, and was made into posters which hang in countless kindergarten classrooms.
And while I am sure most of us who work with young children have seen or heard of this essay,
I felt it would be fitting to repeat it here, as its basic tenets align so well with what we all do
and teach, each and every day…
All I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain,
but there in the sand pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and
dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the
plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam
cup – they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the
biggest word of all – LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and
basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and
apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds
true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all – the
whole world – had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then l
ay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy
to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out in the world,
it is best to hold hands and stick together.
[Source: Fulghum, R. (1988). Credo. In All I really need to know I learned in
kindergarten: uncommon thoughts on common things (pp. 1-3). New York: Villard Books.]
Now, turn off the computer and share yourself with others. Be fair to those around you
and apologize if you’re not. Play. Allow yourself some quiet time. Hold hands with the
ones you love. And while you’re at it, have some milk and cookies and LOOK for the
wonder in your life, because it is there – we’re just usually too busy to see it.
Monday, March 29, 2010
How I Became a Better Writer Thanks to Distracted, Hungover College Kids by Chris Birk
How I Became a Better Writer Thanks to Distracted, Hungover College Kids
Writing is difficult.
So is teaching it to distracted, hungover college students whose cultural touchstones are TMZ and the Twilight series.
But after years spent writing in professional newsrooms, I was surprised to discover how teaching college students actually helped make me a better student of the craft of writing.
And it’s not (just) because I now have a mile-long list of what-not-to-do examples.
I’ve spent the last three years teaching journalism and media writing to undergraduates at a small Midwestern university. That came after an enjoyable stretch writing for newspapers and magazines.
The two venues aren’t actually so different. Each group has a penchant for whining and alcohol abuse. The good ones (both in newsrooms and classrooms) also have a hunger for edification and self-improvement.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not generally standing in front of 50 Hemingways-in-training three times a week. In fact, I’m convinced college students are genetically predisposed to clichés, run-on sentences, and cluttered, murky writing.
But teaching any subject has a funny way of educating the teacher at least as much as the student.
Here are four of the most persistent lessons I’ve picked up from my students:
Economy of language
Tight writing gets your message across more efficiently.
When I’m working with my students, I challenge them to trim each sentence by at least a quarter. The request is generally received about as well as me asking them for a 45-minute Facebook moratorium.
But then they begin to cut the qualifiers, the needless adjectives, and the passive constructions. And suddenly everything is a notch tighter, a hair crisper, a beat faster.
Writing shorter isn’t, as many of them fear, writing dumber. It’s a sign the writer is smart enough to step out of the way and let the story tell itself.
Break rules for a reason
Good writers need to have a working relationship with the rules.
As freelancers know all too well, part of that is just following instructions. I can’t count how many students turn in stories lacking the required number of sources or pages.
And then there are those rules of thumb that tend to make writing clearer and more effective.
- Avoid passive voice.
- Mind your punctuation.
- Use groupings of three.
These rules hang around for a reason. They’re often good advice, if only because readers are used to them.
But there are also times when writers should break them . . . if it’s for a specific purpose.
Breaking with convention because you want to seem edgy or postmodern is self-serving and almost always laughably transparent.
But breaking the rules to benefit your readers is another story.
In fact, one way to strengthen your writing is to watch where the hordes go and head the opposite direction. The best journalists (and businesspeople) often look for angles in unexplored crevices. Jimmy Breslin’s story on the cemetary workers who dug John F. Kennedy’s grave is an industry case in point.
Copywriters and bloggers can use this very effectively. Seize on an emerging trend and look for unintended, unexpected, or even unimaginable consequences. Find a contrary view, not for the sake of being a contrarian, but because it lets you offer something genuinely new.
To do it well, you’ve still got to keep an eye on those hordes. Be fluent in the rules you hope to transcend.
You can’t fake it
I love this one because it was so me during my salad days.
A 20-year-old with an aptitude for writing is convinced he can fool you with finery. He’s sure he can write around gaping holes or a dearth of research by flashing some $5 words and complex-compound sentences.
Needless to say, the irony is delicious. I’ve come to realize how hollow, ridiculous, and overwritten some of my earlier work was.
Nobody’s buying it.
There’s a world out there ready to call your bluff. You can’t pass off lackluster thinking as quality content. You can’t successfully pitch guest posts until you understand the site and its audience. You can’tposition yourself as an expert without actually possessing expertise. You can’t hide shoddy services or a bad product behind fluff and puffery.
The world of today’s copywriter rewards those who write with authority. Leave the big words at home. Instead, do some more homework. Dig into research. Ask questions. Be willing to open yourself to a little ridicule.
Then let your subject mastery do the talking.
Feedback is everything
I coat undergraduate papers in ink. It’s intimidating to some students at first, but I’ve found that most come to appreciate that degree of feedback by semester’s end. Unfortunately, partly that’s because they don’t seem to get a lot of reliable feedback anywhere else.
This is equally true in the blogging world, where feedback typically comes in the form of vitriolic comments from trolls or glad-handing from well-meaning friends.
The reality is we need honest, unvarnished, constructive criticism. We get a distorted view of our writing abilities on both the good and bad ends of the spectrum.
Writers should strive to find good feedback wherever they can — but not from the same old sources. Reach out to writers you admire but don’t know well yet. Join a local or online writer’s group, or even the nearest Society of Professional Journalists chapter (hint: you don’t technically have to be a “journalist,” however that’s defined these days).
Heck, even consider taking a class at the local university or college. Just please, do me a favor. Get the hell off Facebook when the bell rings.
About the Author: Chris Birk works with GrowthPartner.com, a unique firm that provides angel investment and online marketing expertise to emerging companies. A former newspaper and magazine writer, he teaches journalism and media writing at a private Midwestern university. He blogs at Write Short Live Long.
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