This post will continue to discussion of the component - Measurement, and then begin the discussion of the component - Geometry and Spatial Sense. Remember I am taking my information from the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TN-ELDS).
The next performance indicator for the component - Measurement and the learning expectation - Begins to demonstrate understanding of time, length, weight, capacity, and temperature is: Begins to use conventional measurement terms (mile, age span, month, cup, etc) without accuracy. Again, this math performance indicator relies heavily on language development for its fulfillment. A child must hear these terms in context to be able to even play with them inaccurately. American children just do not seem to have the same exposure to these types of terms as their counterparts of a few decades ago unless they are in a program where they receive good exposure. I cannot stress the importance of using measurement terms in the presence of children. You need to talk about the day of the week and the month of the year. When you cook, talk about the measurements that you use. Talk, Talk, Talk. A child's language development hinges on how much that child has heard talking that has as varied a vocabulary as possible. When a child's language development lags, so does everything else.
The last performance indicator for this learning expectation is: Understands time as a sequence of events that relates to her daily life. This particular performance indicator depends very heavily on how structured a child's life is or is not. When a child's life has a rhythm where the daily events usually flow in a certain order, then that child will quickly develop a sense of the sequence of time. Nap follows lunch. Snack follows nap. These events do not have to happen at exactly the same time every day, but as long as they happen within a 30 minute window of the same time every day, the child's inner clock will set itself to this rhythm. On the other hand, if a child lives in a free-for-all every day without any sense of structure, that child will not develop a sense of the sequence of time. I have found children to be happier people when the rhythm is there. Understanding the flow of time in this way helps soothe them and give them purpose. Living in chaos usually makes no one happy. Structure actually helps the development of math concepts because it is a very structured academic discipline. When a child understands structure, math makes more sense.
Now we will move on to the component - Geometry and Spatial Sense. The first learning expectation for this one is: Becomes aware of his body and personal space during active exploration of physical environment. The first performance indicator is: Begins to build mental and physical maps of their surroundings. Unless a child never explores his/her surroundings, this one usually comes along without assistance. I will say that I have noticed that children today do not have the same sense of the surrounding outside space as I did as a child. I can remember knowing every single nook and cranny of my yard. I also could follow the road from my house to the highway, a span of over a mile, in my mind. My own biological children could maybe tell you every nook and cranny of our yard and property and maybe even the neighborhood, but to follow the road in their mind from our house to town, they could not do. Children today do not even know their own yards and neighborhoods. My children played outside more than their peers because we were homeschoolers, but even they lost that sense of the town that I developed as a child. Children today do not play outside and explore their neighborhoods anymore. In fact, if parents let their children explore like I explored as a child, those parents would be put in jail. We have changed what is acceptable in the unhindered exploration of children, and I personally do not think it is a good change. Yes, it does put the children at risk, but it did when I was a child. I had more of a sense of my world because I was allowed that risk. Taking away the risk is sometimes not a good thing. Something has been lost that is affecting the children's development in certain subjects. Helicopter parenting and regulations have not made our world better.
The next performance indicator is: Responds to "Put it beside,' or "Put it under." Guess what? This one depends on language development. When children start with me, I have learned to never assume they know anything. I have been absolutely flabbergasted at the words and concepts in which children come to me with no understanding. "Beside" is one of those concepts children regularly come to me without understanding. "Under" usually has been conquered by the age of three, but I have seen that one, too. All of these position and direction words have to be used around children for them to develop a sense of what they mean. When children are handed an electronic device so that the parents do not have to deal with them, those children have a tendency to not hear these concepts as much as those children whose parents regularly converse with them. Talk to the children, please.
The last performance indicator for this learning expectation is: Explores geometric shapes using their hands, eyes, and mind. To demonstrate how little children these days actually do this one, hand a child a puzzle where the shapes of the pieces are marked on the board. Explain to the child that the outline of each piece is marked on the board, and then let the child try to put the puzzle together. I will guarantee that 90% of the children will not try to match the shape of the piece to the outline of the puzzle. The other 10% that will have very strong natural math ability. Children walking through my door these days have so little experience with puzzles that I usually have to teach puzzles for a year or more to get them to the point where they have basic competence. This particular performance indicator will have to adult directed well into a child's fourth year unless that child has had great experiences with puzzles as a toddler.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! https://linktr.ee/natawade
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