My Essential Question: How can one properly facilitate the development of a young mind in order to prepare them for their future education?
I chose this as my essential question because this is a large topic of concern in the educational fields. Educators of young children such as Kindergarteners often wonder if their methods are successful for the mental and educational development of their students. I am excited to dive further into this question because they way a child is treated when they are young in school may shape the way they feel about the rest of their educational careers. Determining the best method for behaving toward these children is something I am very interested in exploring. I believe this question accurately represents a real problem in the field of early childhood education because children are like sponges, meaning they hear and remember everything and it affects them in ways we do not always understand. Shaping children at this age is very vital, and I am very sure that all early childhood educators are interested in making a positive impact on the rest of their lives.
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Since beginning my mentorship I have learned lots of valuable new skills. The kindergarteners have taught me how to be patient and understanding. Sometimes they have issues that may seem minuscule to older people such as myself, but to them they are extremely important. I have learned how to relate to them and help them resolve their issues. I have learned other valuable skills like explaining why or why not something is wrong and how to resolve disputes among classmates. My class is strictly scheduled, meaning they do certain things at certain times of the day, and I believe it helps teach the children order and organization. The routine doesn't get boring, however, because they go to different specials classes throughout the week and each activity is different despite it being based around one subject. Overall, this mentorship has taught me a lot so far, and I am very excited for the future.
This article provides insight into the state of the early childhood education system in China.They teach their kids from a very young age to be respectful of the rules and to never differ from them. They use strict methods and do not allow for much creativity in the classroom because everything is so controlled. Their system differs so much from the education system of the United States, and would be perfect to discuss in a potential project about early childhood education. The methods they use are very unique and so different from the ones we use here, so it makes us think about our methods and their validity. This article was very helpful because it relates to my potential topic of early childhood education methods around the world.
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=6f6dd2ae-fc4d-4844-8869-209dcb229c74%40sessionmgr4008
Annotated Bibliography Graphic Organizer Name: Naomi Cardoso Source #____ Bibliography: (MLA or APA) Hung, Chang-Tai. "Turning a Chinese Kid Red: Kindergartens in the Early People's Republic." Journal of Contemporary China, vol. 23, no. 89, Sept. 2014, pp. 841-863. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10670564.2014.882544. Annotation: (Describe ALL info. that might be important for your paper. Explain to the reader and/or summarize what might be found in this source) This article is about how people in China are putting communist ideas into the minds of kindergarten children. The teachers are very strict and the children are treated as adults instead of as kids. The rules are very finite and the children have little freedom to express themselves. The children do not play games because the government feels they are not useful. They put an emphasis on higher education at the age of six. China is trying to prune their children into communist robots. Potential Quotes: (Are there any significant quotes you can use or paraphrase from this source?) “From the beginning, the government predictably put heavy emphasis on higher education, as the new nation required a large number of experts in the critical fields of industry, economy and the military for the pressing need of nation building.” “The second popular method used in the classroom was singing, which was inseparable from games, as they were often done together to achieve the best results.” “Mao thus served as more than a national leader and wise teacher but also as a family elder who cared about his family members, with China in essence one big socialist family.” Assessment: (Analyze and explain why this source is credible) The URL has a .org which indicates a credible organization. The source is from 2014, which is fairly current for the state the educational system is in now. This appears to be credible because it is from Galileo, Reflection: (How will you potentially use it?) I can potentially use this to criticize their education system and put an emphasis on creativity being a huge part of kindergarten education.
Having a strong work ethic is a vital skill if you want to succeed in any form of professional realm. According to research, work ethic can be summarized into three categories: interpersonal skills, initiative, and dependability. Interpersonal skills go hand in hand with the aspects of communication. Being a good communicator is a key part of being a strong, successful worker. Taking initiative is also very important because it will show you who is a leader and who is a follower. Someone with a strong work ethic will always take the initiative to insert themselves in a leadership role if necessary. Dependability is also a very important quality to possess because employers need to know they can rely on you, and more importantly coworkers and others need to be able to depend on you.
The Occupational Work Ethic Inventory is a tool that is used to determine your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to work ethic. It asks you to rank yourself from options always-never in regard to important aspects of work ethic like pleasantness, dependability, and responsibility. It also asks you to be honest and rank yourself with negative aspects of work ethic that many people struggle with such as stubbornness and selfishness. The results are summarized into scores out of seven points and placed into three categories being interpersonal, dependability, and initiative. If you are being completely honest with your responses, the OWEI will help everyone improve their work ethic. Communication is not just about speaking and expressing your opinions to other people. It is also about listening and giving someone your undivided attention when they are talking to you. Your body language is also a huge part of communication because the way you act can tell someone a lot more than your words can. In a professional setting, it is very important to always make eye contact and not look bored. In a communicative relationship it is expected that both people respect each other, and you can show that respect through aural and non-verbal communication as well as verbal. The ability to correctly use the aspects of communication can also tell someone what kind of person you are.
In my mentorship, I am always sure to make eye contact with my mentor when she addresses me. I always act interested in any topic she is discussing and make sure I reply with applicable points afterwards. If there is a lull in the conversation I always try to bring in a new topic so there is never any awkwardness among us. I am also very conscious of my facial expressions and try to keep a smile on my face when I am talking to her or any of the kids in our class. The "Making the Most of Your Internship or Co-Op" article gives various helpful tips on how to succeed in a professional setting even when you are not yet a professional. A very insightful point in the article discusses how people think that for an internship all they have to do is sit back and watch, but it is important to always be present because observing the way professionals work and being hands on will help you for your future. Another very helpful tool is a list of do's and font's which include things like dress code, breaks, taking initiative, and attitude. The most important thing to gain from this article is that you must always be respectful, present, and motivated to achieve a successful year of mentorship.
In JD Russo's talk he is discussing how being aware of a problem is not enough, you must take action. Russo believes that people are much too indifferent, and while they are aware of problems they do not take any steps to solve them. He hypothesizes that the reason for this indifference might be fear of change or fear of getting involved. Russo believes people do not have any sympathy for one another because we are just focused on saving our own skins. He urges young people take initiative and stop showing so much indifference in the real issues of the world. He closes with a quote about small ripples creating big changes by Robert F. Kennedy explaining that just because you are young or feel insignificant does not mean you cannot cause great change too.
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AuthorMy name is Naomi Cardoso and I am a senior at Forsyth Central High School. I am mentoring in a Kindergarten class this year. |