Ms. Agnes's classroom

Engaging our little friends in the circle time I always value “circle time” for several reasons. First of all, I like to do various activities with the young children, not only just reading books or stories but also science, math and movements, touching the core to enrich their experiences. Secondly, the little ones develop more of their social and intellectual skills in a small group setting. For example, I ask them to probably sit and keep their hands on the labs because we respect personal space and ensure their safety so while I am calling a friend to come to the center to do activities, their hands won’t be stepped on accidentally. Most importantly, this structure prompts young children cognitive development by listening to the new concept and sharing their thoughts. That fosters their language and problem-solving skills as well.  Therefore, the more the young children are involved in the circle, the more they benefit from this activity. The question is how we can make the cir...

  Even just little progress, they cheer me up  This September is a new fresh start for the group room since we had most of our little friends graduated in the summer. It was exciting, a bit chaotic and exhausting for sure but I am so proud that my new group has made some progress at the one month mark. That deserves a celebration and here are some reflections on how I work with the little ones to make it happen.  To begin with , I have to say I am a strong believer in the “i + 1” learning principle. This concept originally is from one of the theories that Stephen Krashen developed in the second language acquisition. The “i’ means the learner’s current level and “+1” is the next step of difficulty for the leaner. I have found out it also works effecctly with other areas of the development of the young children. Here is how I apply this knowledge to help the little ones settle down through the gradual entry.  Once I had the dates of each child’s gradual entry, I made a...