- Better cater my lessons to meet my students needs
- Teaching kindergarten is challenging and I had to change and adapt a lot of my lesson plan to help them get more out of the lessons and better hold their attention. I learned that for younger students a bunch of small activities are better than 1 or 2 longer ones. Also less is more. Simplicity has so much power and chose quality over quantity.
- Think more in depth about my management procedures
- Kindergartners are so excited and willing to try anything but they also are just learning how to behave and follow rules. I realized I had to be very CLEAR with what was expected, SHOW them how to follow the rules, and TAKE TIME to incorporate the rules and have them practice them. I soon realized that I needed to go over the rules again every time I came to help them remember what was expected. I did this by using Jana Shumway's 3 categories "Be safe, Be respectful, and Be a Mover". This helped simplify the rules and made them easier to remember. I also had to have them practice freezing with the drum call every class. Lastly I had to help them learn personal space by having them practice having a "bubble" around them. (I took the bubble idea from my mentor Shannon. It worked great! And was an easy reminder for the rest of the classes). One strategy I wish I used was when I asked for answers or ideas to say "I need 3 answers" or "I'll take 2 more comments". The students all wanted to answer every time and we spent a lot of time standing listening. I think it would have helped to be clear with how many people I would call on so they wouldn't get as sad when they didn't get picked.
- Practice new ways of teaching
- Since I've never taught Kindergarten I decided to research other peoples lesson plans and try them out on my classes. This was a fun way to try different approaches and teaching methods. I was also able to broaden my horizon of the possibilities when it comes to integration and apply these new methods to the lessons I did create.
- They loved making creative choices
- "They liked that you let them choose their own movements and that they could "dance their own ideas" and it wasn't just following what you were doing."
- Helped them have better focus
- "My team wondered how much time it took to get my class settled down after we were done dancing. But it was totally the opposite. We got back to class and they were more engaged and more able to focus on learning for the day."
- Helped them to better manage their personal space
- "They were more aware of each other while moving through the room so there was less bumping and tripping etc. It doesn't sound like a big deal but for Kindergartners it really is. They tend to just barrel into things and people without realizing how much space they take up."
- Helped them to be more tolerant of each other
- "Because there was not one "right way" to dance and move they realized there was not one "right way" to do other things. They started asking each other "why are you doing it that way" instead of being critical of each other's choices."
Overall I think Arts Bridge was a beneficial experience not only for me but for my students!
Her are some pictures from our time together...
Practicing Locomotor Movements
Making Shapes!
Dancing the Alphabet
