How Kindergarten Students Learn and How I Teach Them - 1/3

Part 1

Before migrating to Australia in 2005, I was requested by the school principal in our barangay’s elementary school in San Antonio, Quezon, to temporarily teach students in the kindergarten class., I was hesitant at first because I have no prior experience formally teaching youngsters, especially in that age group – 5 to 7 years old - although I used to tutor some of my wife’s nephews, nieces and neighbors. I love children and I want to share my knowledge (in contradiction to Huitt’s view on teaching) the prospect of teaching them scared me primarily because they are always referred to as “little devils”. Nonetheless, I accepted the challenge after the principal assured me that it was only temporary and from persuasion from my relatives and neighbors whose children were entering kindergarten. Bear in mind that I did not study psychology in college nor had education units.



On the first day, after the usual flag ceremony, my 32 kindergarten students, some of whom were accompanied by their mother, quietly entered the room. I could see the surprise on some of these youngsters’ faces when they found out who was in front of the class. After the greeting and while they were sitting on their chairs, I introduced myself. I told them my full name, my nickname and my parents’ name. Afterwards, I told them to introduce themselves. Without telling them what to say about themselves, 84.4% of them stated their name, nickname and parents’ name, just exactly what I said a while ago. Three just voiced out their names and nicknames and were ashamed to tell the names of their parents. Two did not stand at all - one was teary-eyed constantly looking outside for her mother and the other just quietly sitting still.

After the introduction, I told these “kinders” (I do not know if this word is already entered in the English dictionary as we always heard this line in our vernacular: “Napasok na si  Totoy, kinder na siya!) to stand up which they quietly obliged. My aim was to arrange their sitting arrangement. Instead of the usual grouping of boy and boy, girl and girl, according to height or grades in some grade level as instructed by teacher, I told them to personally choose their seatmate. I saw a glow in their faces when I said that. Immediately, they chose their own “partners”.  I paired those few pupils who could not choose their seatmates according to their sexes. After that, I arrange them according to height and told them to sit. I did this task so that my students shall be comfortable with their study and eliminated some barriers.

Just after the sitting arrangement, I told them to get their pad paper and pencil and write their names. I told them to write their names repeatedly until they reached the last line of the paper. Sitting on my chair in front of them, I unconsciously observed them. I noticed a student who was restless and kept on standing. Most were busy and quietly writing. The one who kept on looking outside for her mother did nothing. Few were talking to their seatmates while writing. After 10 minutes, I collected the papers for evaluation. I noticed that some had good penmanship I found out later that they had entered nursery class or attended daycare center before. This observation suggests that these pupils learned because they were exhibiting a relatively permanent change in behavior or skill as a consequence of previous experience or practice as  suggested by William G. Huitt (2011). Few were struggling to write their full name; especially those who had three to four given names (Blame it to their parents!). Two or three needed some improvement: the names were written too big or too small and/or not properly spaced. Watching these papers suggested that I might have daily headache ahead of me.

Just before dismissal, I returned the papers to my students with remarks as “Very Good” or “Good”. To those who did not write well, I gave them a nicely written penmanship of their names and told them to copy them on 2 sheets of paper. For the one who did not do anything, I approached her mother and asked them both what seemed to be the problem. It turned out that this was the first time that the daughter was with other children and she was a bit scared. I told the mother to continually accompany her child until such time that she overcame her fear and had harmonious relationship with other kids.

Image from http://www.brightschool.com/www/docs/100

How Kindergarten Students Learn and How I Teach Them - 3/3

Part 3

 Because of limited time as I was bound to Australia, I was not able to teach these children the whole alphabet or to count more than 10. I did not teach them how to add or how to read. For one and half month, my method was more on conceptualization or learning the why and the how rather than the what. In understanding the concept of number, aside from telling them to write the number “1” for example, on the blackboard or on their pad paper, I also told them the concept of that number. I relayed the story when numbers are not yet invented. Shepherds, in order to count their flocks of sheep, had to use sticks or stones. One stick or stone corresponded to one sheep. The numbers or symbols were invented when there were so many sheep and there were less sticks or stones in the vicinity. To retain what they have learned about numbers, I told my students to close their eyes and write in the air whatever number I told them. In this way, they not only imagined it but they learned it. They knew that the number “1” represents a single sheep or object and not merely a symbol.



The method I used in knowing numbers was also the method I used for recognizing the letters of the alphabet. Aside from pronouncing the letter “A” for example repeatedly until they recognized the sound for the symbol, I told them to imagine and write it in the air. For reinforcement, I told my pupils to bring cut-outs of the letter “A”, capital or small letter, to class and show them to class. In this way, my kindergarten students learned that the letter “A” has many forms and shapes but mean the same thing. In essence, they were also “reading” it.

My last day in class was culminated with the showing of the film, “Finding Nemo”. I found this appropriate because they enjoyed watching cartoons on the television. Besides, I wanted them to show a glimpse of where I was heading.

As expected, all my students were attentive and focused watching the film. It was made more so when I told them I will give a gift to whoever answered my questions correctly after the showing. I observed that all the students were so quiet, interested and involved in what they were watching. They were totally immersed and absorbed. I noticed then that my students are experiencing what Dr. Russ Dewey referred to as the movie theater experience. He suggested that this occurs when an individual is in a trance-like state where he is imagining that he is the one doing the act or in the act (Dewey, 2011).

After the movie I asked my students some questions. They were able to answer such questions as: what kind of fish is Nemo; the name of his friend, who captured them, who caught Nemo, who told Dory the way to Australia, etc. However when I asked them what lesson they learned from the movie, numerous answers were presented depending on their views and experience and what the question actually mean. Some of the answers were: 1) Obey your parents 2) Clown fish are funny 3) It was good to have friends 4) We must go to school.  These answers proved that students learn differently even they were exposed to the same experience.

On March 2012, most of these kindergarten kids graduated from elementary. I might not be instrumental in their learning but the experience teaching them even for a while taught me to learn from them. Below is their graduation photo.



Images from

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Letters_and_Numbers_by_Taric_Alani.png and http://taric25.livejournal.com/

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=329532853775340&set=pb.115887388473222.-2207520000.1368970779.&type=3&theater

 References

Dewey, R.A. (2011). Psychology: An Inrtoduction. Retrieved from http://www.intropsych.com/ch00_chapter_zero/movie_theater_experience.html

Huitt, W. (2011). Why study educational psychology? Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved [date], from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/intro/whyedpsy.html

McLeod, S. A. (2007). B.F. Skinner | Operant Conditioning - Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

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How Kindergarten Students Learn and How I Teach Them - 2/3

Part 2

 On the following day, I asked the toddlers why they were in school. The answers were varied, ranging from “ to learn and make friends” to “that’s what children should do”. Afterwards, I asked them what they want to learn. The answers were also varied. Most of them wanted “to learn to read and write”. Some wished to learn to draw and color. Others needed to “know everything” without elaborating. The common factor was everybody wanted to learn with enthusiasm.

I continued my dialogue with my pupils with these questions  “why do you want to learn?” Some answered, “to have a job” or “to have money”. Few suggested to teach their younger siblings. Others remarked that their parents told them that their future will be good after studying.

The next question I threw at my students was “how they want me to teach them?” Some suggested telling story and writing on the board. Few hinted watching videos showing pictures or drawings.  Others suggested playing or doing things.



Knowing what these “little devils” wanted and wished for, I devised my means of educating them considering their differences in perceptions, goals of learning and level of maturity. Because I could control their maturation or  biological growth and development (Huitt, 2011), the best way to do was giving them guidance on their learning. Since this was first, I consulted a “co-teacher” for different approaches and modes of teaching. I borrowed her lesson plan from previous year. By the way, that lesson plan was intended for Grade 1 pupils. The last kindergarten teacher did not have lesson plan last year since kindergarten class was viewed as experimental and was not compulsory for admission to Grade 1.

The next day, I began my experiment. Since attention-getting was very hard for little kids, I told them at the beginning of the class that I will question them one by one before the closing of the class. Those who did not answer it correctly shall stay until he produced the correct answer.

In spite of this predetermined goal and anticipation, half of the class did not answer my simple question on the first day. However on the succeeding days, very few answered my question incorrectly. After a week, everybody got the correct answer especially when I added additional rewards like giving ten pieces of pad paper or 2 pieces of colored paper. By using this method of reward and punishment, my students became attentive in my class. They listened to my little lectures seriously because they did not know what will be my questions to them and from what subjects. Saul McLeod (2007) cited Burrhus Frederic Skinner that this introduction of reward as a consequence of good behavior is referred to as operant conditioning.



On teaching them different shapes and colors, I devised many ways for them to understand these concepts as simple as can be. Aside from drawing the basic shapes on the board, I asked them to pinpoint different shapes inside the classroom. I told them to close their eyes and imagine the shapes of what I was telling them, like the shape of an egg, a clock, a door, a toblerone or a coin. In one occasion, I told them to bring popsicle sticks and make the shapes that I was telling them. In this way, they knew how shapes were formed and why they were called square, triangle or rectangle.

In teaching colors, aside from showing a pre-made illustration board with different shapes and colors, I told them to name an object and tell its color. Green and yellow were associated with mangoes and papayas. The sky was blue and yellow was the sun. There were red and black ants. The flower was pink with green leaves. I did not stop from this show and tell things of different colors.

The next day, I told them to bring their crayolas and one piece of bond paper. Before the lesson proper, I told them about primary colors and secondary colors. Their wide eyes showed me that an alien thing was unfamiliar to them. I told them that primary colors are colors that cannot be produced by mixing two different colors. To illustrate, I asked them to bring out their red, yellow and blue crayolas and white paper. I asked one group to mix red and yellow and tell me what color was produced. Another group was asked to combine red and blue and the other to combine yellow and blue. After this experiment, my class learned that orange was produced by mixing red and yellow; violet was red and blue; and green was the combination of yellow and blue. To sum up, I told them that primary colors were basic colors and could not be obtained by combining any other colors. On the other hand, secondary colors were produced when 2 primary colors were mixed. My students learned by not only observing or perceiving but by experimenting.

At the end of the month, my lesson focused on the immediate environment of the students – that is, things that they saw inside the house and school. What do you see in a library? What are the things found inside the bedroom? To make them gain remarkable first hand experience, I asked the permission of the principal to allow me to bring these 32 kids to the house just across the streets after I got the nod of the owner two days ago. I got the permit and one by way, in a single line, we visited the house. The owner already expected us and accompanied the kids to the different parts of the house. After the visit, I asked my students what were the things they saw in the different parts of the house. Every body knew what they saw and where they were found. To reinforce their learning, I asked them to bring the next day, cut out pictures of the things they saw in the house, show them to and tell the class in what part of the house they were found.

By the way, I was teaching these toddlers using the vernacular, Filipino and English. In other words, instead of teaching them in only one medium of instruction, I combined them. One child showed a picture of bed pan. He told me that it was a basin (not the English pronunciation) in the local dialect. I told the class it was called arinola in Filipino and bed pan in English. An ant is langgam in Filipino and guyam in the local language. I used this method for them to know that different words may refer to the same thing.



Images from

http://www.123rf.com/photo_8230105_illustration-featuring-a-small-group-of-kids-crossing-the-street-on-their-way-to-school.html

http://sweetclipart.com/colorful-geometric-shapes-733