This post will shift gears from early literacy to math. We will still be discussing the cognitive development domain. We will cover the component - Numbers and Operations with its learning expectations and performance indicators. Then we will start the discussion of the component - Patterns and Algebra. Remember I am taking my information from the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TN-ELDS).
We will begin with the component - Numbers and Operations. The learning expectation for this one is: Begins to identify and label objects using numbers. The first performance indicator is: Counts a collection of 1-4 items and begins to understand that the last counting word tells how many. I will say I have had children 2 years old conquer this performance indicator and I have had 4 year olds struggle. If a child has had number concepts modeled during their second year, they will conquer this one easily. If a child has not had any academic exposure before 3 years old, then this will be more of a challenge unless the child has a strong aptitude for numbers. Some children naturally pick up math concepts and some do not. This is where a child's personal learning style and preferences will truly start to show. I will say that most children that get academic instruction and modeling of counting during their third year will conquer this one by their fourth birthday. Some will conquer 1-3 but struggle with 4. Many parents actually model this one in the home. Counting with children seems to come more naturally than reading to children. However, there will always be some parents that do neither. The children that come from the "neither" parents are the ones that will require more instruction than the rest.
The next performance indicator for this learning expectation is: Can quickly "see" and label a group of objects of one to three with a number. This one very much depends on the amount of number concept instruction a child has had in his/her second year. A 3 year old starting from scratch academically will not conquer this one without intense academic instruction in their third year. This one goes beyond just counting to being able to take in a group of objects on sight and determine number. That takes experience and many 3 year olds do not have adequate experience with numbers to be able to conquer this one up to 3 objects. Children must conquer the previous performance indicator before they will conquer this one. It takes quite a bit of practice with counting to be able to determine number by sight.
The next performance indicator for this learning expectation is: Begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. To be honest I have never really seen a child naturally use one-to-one correspondence to determine a number of objects. In case you do not know what I mean by that, it is where a child places objects one to one on a known set of objects to determine how many. Most children simply count. However, it takes a knowledge of one-to-one correspondence to count correctly. A child must understand to point at one object and say one number. Some children struggle horribly with that concept. Other children seem to understand it without instruction. It all depends on the child's natural aptitude for math. Some children can do it with 3 or less objects but not when the number of objects is higher than that. I have also never seen a child naturally compare groups of objects with one-to-one correspondence. This is where they place one object from one group next to one object from another group to see which group has more. Children are usually taught to compare in this way. The most natural way children use one-to-one correspondence is during daily routines such as passing out napkins and silverware for meals or snacks or in play where they are providing the same corresponding object for each member of a group. Again some children pick this up with no problems and some children do not get this concept at all. Aptitude for math seems to have more bearing on this than age. For those children with little aptitude for math, this concept must be taught directly. If you wait until they pick it up naturally, you may be waiting for a very long time.
Now we will move on to the next component - Patterns and Algebra. We will cover the first learning expectation: Explores and begins to sort and classify objects. Its performance indicator is: Begins to sort objects on the basis on one dimension, color, size, shape. It frustrates me to no end how many childhood experts expect us to believe that all children naturally do things like this. The reality of the situation is that many children do not do this naturally. If left to their own devices, these children would never sort things on purpose. They like randomness and are not remotely interested in bringing order to the chaos. These children are not naturally drawn to patterns or puzzles, and most of them do not have a natural aptitude for math concepts. For those children, you will have to directly teach putting objects in groups. You, the adult, will have to expose them to the possibility that objects can be grouped different ways and expect them to struggle with it. This will be something that may take them lots and lots of practice to perfect. Math is not everyone's forte.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!!
Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Cognitive Development for 3 to 4 year olds - Early Literacy (Part 6)
This post will return to my series on child development and finish up the discussion on early literacy. We will look at the last two components with their learning expectations and performance indicators. Remember I am taking my information from the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TN-ELDS).
The first component for this post is Visual Sequencing (Patterning). Its learning expectation is: Uses left-to-right and top-to-bottom scanning and observes and reproduces each element in a pattern of 3-dimensional objects. The first performance indicator is: Continues a color- or shape- or size-pattern using a concrete model. Wow! I really do not even know where to begin with this one. Three year olds that come to me as three year olds probably will not come anywhere near this one until they are four and a half. I usually have so much other ground to cover that we do not even attempt patterns until after their fourth birthday. This one assumes so much previous knowledge it is almost laughable in today's early childhood reality. I have a 3 year old that is not yet 3 and 1/2 that nearly has this one conquered, but I have had her since she was 9 months old. She has had good quality instruction from the time she was 9 months old. She has the background to conquer this one on time. Not very many other children get the opportunity to have that type of background. A program has to have infant and toddler instruction that goes beyond just letting them do whatever they want to do in order to really lay a foundation that accomplishes this at 3 years old. The program must have intentional teaching in short bursts for infants and toddlers. It does not have to be much, but it has to be every day.
The second performance indicator for this learning expectation is: Continues a pattern of 2 variables (shape and color, color and size, or size and shape) from a concrete model. This one is even worse than the previous one. I have had 5 year olds have extreme difficulty with this one. Only a child that had exposure to patterns as a 2 year old will even come close to this one before his/her fourth birthday. My three year old will probably conquer this one within 6 months, but she is in the top 5% of her age group. Patterns and sequencing tends to be something in which today's young children struggle. Something is missing from their childhood that we had as children, and I am not exactly sure what that is. Maybe we had more time as children to notice natural patterns. Maybe because we had to entertain ourselves, it made us more aware of natural patterns. It could be as simple as more outside time. Nature is full of patterns, and my generation spent a great deal of our childhood outdoors. Whatever it is, today's children are missing a foundation piece that we had. It affects everything.
Now we will move on to the last component for early literacy - letter recognition. The first learning expectation is: Begins to recognize beginning letter of familiar words or environmental print. The performance indicator is: Looks at peer's name in print and recognizes that Johnny starts with the same letter as his own name, Joshua. In most facilities where children's names are plastered everywhere and used to identify large numbers of objects in the room, this one does come naturally. It is only when the print has purpose that children truly start to notice the details. If the children's names are on everything but never really pointed out, then the children are less likely to notice the details. For those children that are raised at home or in small home childcares where the names are not really used on a daily basis, this one does not come naturally. In my facility, I post one child's name on the board every day. That child gets special privileges all day long. The children in my facility learn to distinguish the names when they are 2 and 1/2 to 3 years old because I put special significance on their names. I also have their names on their cubbies, etc., but the special day privilege takes it one step further. Therefore, when I start teaching letter recognition in earnest at 3 years old, the children have a good foundation to build upon.
The last learning expectation is: Attempts to "write" his own name. The performance indicator is: "Writes" name on paper; letters may or may not be readily identified by others; letters may or may not be from left to right or in a straight line. Like the one before it, in large groups this one usually comes along naturally. If a 3 year old sees another 3 year old or 4 year old trying to "write" his/her name, that child will follow suit. Sometimes even older 2 year olds will try to "write" their name when they see other older children do so. In mixed age groups where younger children get to shadow older children, the "writing" will start looking like real letters earlier than in instances where all the children basically scribble. Children in small settings or with stay-at-home moms will exhibit this behavior with adult prompting. If an adult models writing a child's name, the child will mimic that. The letters will become clearer in the first and last scenario because the children will have more exposure to real letters. The more that children are exposed to scribbling the longer that behavior will persist. It is important then for the children not to just be given the opportunity to write, but they must be given good exposure to real letters in order for true writing to begin to emerge.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
The first component for this post is Visual Sequencing (Patterning). Its learning expectation is: Uses left-to-right and top-to-bottom scanning and observes and reproduces each element in a pattern of 3-dimensional objects. The first performance indicator is: Continues a color- or shape- or size-pattern using a concrete model. Wow! I really do not even know where to begin with this one. Three year olds that come to me as three year olds probably will not come anywhere near this one until they are four and a half. I usually have so much other ground to cover that we do not even attempt patterns until after their fourth birthday. This one assumes so much previous knowledge it is almost laughable in today's early childhood reality. I have a 3 year old that is not yet 3 and 1/2 that nearly has this one conquered, but I have had her since she was 9 months old. She has had good quality instruction from the time she was 9 months old. She has the background to conquer this one on time. Not very many other children get the opportunity to have that type of background. A program has to have infant and toddler instruction that goes beyond just letting them do whatever they want to do in order to really lay a foundation that accomplishes this at 3 years old. The program must have intentional teaching in short bursts for infants and toddlers. It does not have to be much, but it has to be every day.
The second performance indicator for this learning expectation is: Continues a pattern of 2 variables (shape and color, color and size, or size and shape) from a concrete model. This one is even worse than the previous one. I have had 5 year olds have extreme difficulty with this one. Only a child that had exposure to patterns as a 2 year old will even come close to this one before his/her fourth birthday. My three year old will probably conquer this one within 6 months, but she is in the top 5% of her age group. Patterns and sequencing tends to be something in which today's young children struggle. Something is missing from their childhood that we had as children, and I am not exactly sure what that is. Maybe we had more time as children to notice natural patterns. Maybe because we had to entertain ourselves, it made us more aware of natural patterns. It could be as simple as more outside time. Nature is full of patterns, and my generation spent a great deal of our childhood outdoors. Whatever it is, today's children are missing a foundation piece that we had. It affects everything.
Now we will move on to the last component for early literacy - letter recognition. The first learning expectation is: Begins to recognize beginning letter of familiar words or environmental print. The performance indicator is: Looks at peer's name in print and recognizes that Johnny starts with the same letter as his own name, Joshua. In most facilities where children's names are plastered everywhere and used to identify large numbers of objects in the room, this one does come naturally. It is only when the print has purpose that children truly start to notice the details. If the children's names are on everything but never really pointed out, then the children are less likely to notice the details. For those children that are raised at home or in small home childcares where the names are not really used on a daily basis, this one does not come naturally. In my facility, I post one child's name on the board every day. That child gets special privileges all day long. The children in my facility learn to distinguish the names when they are 2 and 1/2 to 3 years old because I put special significance on their names. I also have their names on their cubbies, etc., but the special day privilege takes it one step further. Therefore, when I start teaching letter recognition in earnest at 3 years old, the children have a good foundation to build upon.
The last learning expectation is: Attempts to "write" his own name. The performance indicator is: "Writes" name on paper; letters may or may not be readily identified by others; letters may or may not be from left to right or in a straight line. Like the one before it, in large groups this one usually comes along naturally. If a 3 year old sees another 3 year old or 4 year old trying to "write" his/her name, that child will follow suit. Sometimes even older 2 year olds will try to "write" their name when they see other older children do so. In mixed age groups where younger children get to shadow older children, the "writing" will start looking like real letters earlier than in instances where all the children basically scribble. Children in small settings or with stay-at-home moms will exhibit this behavior with adult prompting. If an adult models writing a child's name, the child will mimic that. The letters will become clearer in the first and last scenario because the children will have more exposure to real letters. The more that children are exposed to scribbling the longer that behavior will persist. It is important then for the children not to just be given the opportunity to write, but they must be given good exposure to real letters in order for true writing to begin to emerge.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
I am going to take a break from my series on child development to tackle a subject I feel is very relevant for the times. It seems to me that we have become a society of victims and as long as we have a good excuse, we can rationalize almost any behavior. I am a big believer in taking responsibility for your own actions, and this should start in childhood. Therefore, indulge me as I rant for a little while.
"I'm trying as hard as I can"
The inspiration for this post started one day not too long ago when I was doing the one-on-one instruction with the five year old that I keep. The lesson was not going well, and he looked at me and said, "I'm trying as hard as I can." Now, the truth of the matter was that he was not even really trying at all. Therefore, his statement made me absolutely bristle. I looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Let's be honest about this situation. If you were trying as hard as you could, you would be conquering this easily. You are not even half trying. Do not tell me you are trying as hard as you can."
It is a sad commentary on our society that by the time children are 3 years old they understand how to use excuses to get out of doing the unpleasant. Unfortunately the adults in our society set the example for this far too well. Husbands and wives use excuses to get out of the household duties they do not like. Parents make excuses for not making the hard choices in dealing with their children. Employees make excuses for why they cannot take on a particular duty at work. Employers make excuses for why they cannot improve a certain problem in the workplace. Excuses, excuses, excuses. They are everywhere.
If you talk to any person that writes or speaks on the subject of success, they will tell you that excuses are the number one reason many people never reach their full potential. Successful people look at circumstances and try to find solutions. The majority of Americans look at circumstances and make excuses for every type of behavior under the sun. We are by far our own worst enemy. Our society will continue to decline until we decide that maybe just maybe we should stop making excuses and start taking care of business.
I am going to touch on a subject that may be controversial but it lies at the very core of the problem in our society. It used to be that when people did stupid things and bad things happened to them it was viewed as normal. People understood natural consequences. If you play on the railroad tracks and get run over by a train, that was just what happened. You should know better than play on the railroad tracks. Now, we sue the train company and try to come up with barriers to keep people off the tracks instead of tackling the real problem. We have removed the concept of consequences from our society. Nothing is ever our fault. We blame everyone and everything else but the people truly responsible for the circumstances. We have become a society of victims.
How does this play out in the early childhood world? We redirect instead of dealing with behaviors. We shield children from natural consequences because it might make their childhood unpleasant. Then we ruin the lives of the adults that take care of children when those children do absolutely foolish things and hurt themselves because they did not understand natural consequences. We are seeing this play out in older children with terrible consequences. I am thinking of the 12 year old boy that was fatally shot by the police officer for acting like he was shooting people in a public place with a toy gun. A 12 year old boy should have known better than to do something like that. On the other hand, we overreact to everything that deals with a gun in our society. The people that called the police about this boy were freaking out just as badly as the answering policeman. Who was at fault in this situation? Everyone including the victim. The boy did something foolish. The parents did not teach the 12 year old how stupid his actions were. The people overreacted to the boy and called the police, and the policeman shot first and asked questions later. However, I am not hearing anybody blame anyone in that situation but the police. There were at least three other parties that helped set up that fatal confrontation, but it is not politically correct to blame the other parties. This is ridiculous. How many times throughout history have people died because they made foolish choices at just the wrong time? We need to start having some extremely serious discussions about foolish choices and personal responsibility. Those types of discussions might have actually helped every single party in the above incident. We as a society have lost the ability to follow a train of events to a logical conclusion before we jump to a decision. Every single party of that situation acted without thinking it through.
What is the answer? Stop making excuses. Most situations have multiple people at fault at varying degrees. Take ownership of your part of the problem and do something about it. Teach children to own up to their mistakes and fix them. If everyone owned up to their part of the issue, many, many issues would cease to be. This is what marriage counselors tell married couples having problems. This should be what our leaders say to each other and everyone else in a society, which is sort of like a huge marriage if you think about it. We are all in this together for thick or thin whether we like it or not. Rant over.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
"I'm trying as hard as I can"
The inspiration for this post started one day not too long ago when I was doing the one-on-one instruction with the five year old that I keep. The lesson was not going well, and he looked at me and said, "I'm trying as hard as I can." Now, the truth of the matter was that he was not even really trying at all. Therefore, his statement made me absolutely bristle. I looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Let's be honest about this situation. If you were trying as hard as you could, you would be conquering this easily. You are not even half trying. Do not tell me you are trying as hard as you can."
It is a sad commentary on our society that by the time children are 3 years old they understand how to use excuses to get out of doing the unpleasant. Unfortunately the adults in our society set the example for this far too well. Husbands and wives use excuses to get out of the household duties they do not like. Parents make excuses for not making the hard choices in dealing with their children. Employees make excuses for why they cannot take on a particular duty at work. Employers make excuses for why they cannot improve a certain problem in the workplace. Excuses, excuses, excuses. They are everywhere.
If you talk to any person that writes or speaks on the subject of success, they will tell you that excuses are the number one reason many people never reach their full potential. Successful people look at circumstances and try to find solutions. The majority of Americans look at circumstances and make excuses for every type of behavior under the sun. We are by far our own worst enemy. Our society will continue to decline until we decide that maybe just maybe we should stop making excuses and start taking care of business.
I am going to touch on a subject that may be controversial but it lies at the very core of the problem in our society. It used to be that when people did stupid things and bad things happened to them it was viewed as normal. People understood natural consequences. If you play on the railroad tracks and get run over by a train, that was just what happened. You should know better than play on the railroad tracks. Now, we sue the train company and try to come up with barriers to keep people off the tracks instead of tackling the real problem. We have removed the concept of consequences from our society. Nothing is ever our fault. We blame everyone and everything else but the people truly responsible for the circumstances. We have become a society of victims.
How does this play out in the early childhood world? We redirect instead of dealing with behaviors. We shield children from natural consequences because it might make their childhood unpleasant. Then we ruin the lives of the adults that take care of children when those children do absolutely foolish things and hurt themselves because they did not understand natural consequences. We are seeing this play out in older children with terrible consequences. I am thinking of the 12 year old boy that was fatally shot by the police officer for acting like he was shooting people in a public place with a toy gun. A 12 year old boy should have known better than to do something like that. On the other hand, we overreact to everything that deals with a gun in our society. The people that called the police about this boy were freaking out just as badly as the answering policeman. Who was at fault in this situation? Everyone including the victim. The boy did something foolish. The parents did not teach the 12 year old how stupid his actions were. The people overreacted to the boy and called the police, and the policeman shot first and asked questions later. However, I am not hearing anybody blame anyone in that situation but the police. There were at least three other parties that helped set up that fatal confrontation, but it is not politically correct to blame the other parties. This is ridiculous. How many times throughout history have people died because they made foolish choices at just the wrong time? We need to start having some extremely serious discussions about foolish choices and personal responsibility. Those types of discussions might have actually helped every single party in the above incident. We as a society have lost the ability to follow a train of events to a logical conclusion before we jump to a decision. Every single party of that situation acted without thinking it through.
What is the answer? Stop making excuses. Most situations have multiple people at fault at varying degrees. Take ownership of your part of the problem and do something about it. Teach children to own up to their mistakes and fix them. If everyone owned up to their part of the issue, many, many issues would cease to be. This is what marriage counselors tell married couples having problems. This should be what our leaders say to each other and everyone else in a society, which is sort of like a huge marriage if you think about it. We are all in this together for thick or thin whether we like it or not. Rant over.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
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