Reflections from PreK

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving break, I have been reflecting on the progress my students have made so far this year. They are definitely coming along in regards to my goal for them of taking ownership of their learning. We are working every day on self-awareness; allowing them the opportunity to realize when they are not learning at their best and if and when an alternate seating arrangement might be more beneficial. This is definitely a work in progress, as it is extremely difficult for 4-year-olds to truly understand the process of thinking about their needs rather than their wants.

In addition to this, I was inspired by fellow Vanguard teacher Annie Mitchell to participate this year in the Hour of Code. Annie made an awesome slideshow for the Prek students on her campus that she was gracious enough to share with me. I have since taught a small group of my students how to use the Kodable app, which is the app that we will primarily focus on. They have been very excited and engaged with it and will serve as my peer tutors when we participate in the Hour of Code next month.

Finally, I recently gave one of the first “TED talks” at my school. I chose to highlight the 8 things to look for in an innovative classroom (as written by George Couros in The Innovator’s Mindset). I spent some time researching and relating to teachers how these things would look in PreK. I was very pleased with the teacher response and hope that teachers took away something valuable from my talk. I am excited to see where the rest of this school year takes Lion Lane. J