Happy Teacher's Day 2011_my thoughts

A mother made these colourful muffins for all the teachers. I managed to capture some photos before they entered our mouths :D They tasted great (less sugar I'd say)! Then, the child gave each teacher a cute "Teacher's Day" coaster as well. Another child gave a rose with ferrero rocher chocolate.

It's my 2nd year celebrating "Teacher's Day" in my life as a teacher. At first, it wasn't easy to respond to that "call". It sounded and felt weird. But after some months, I got used to people calling me, "Teacher Rachel" :)

Here's me sharing with you what it is like being a preschool teacher. It is not very easy being one, especially when the kids under your care are not your own and when it's not just about handling one or two or three of them! When the number of students increases, it does good to the centre but not-so-good to the child and care-taker. Every child needs attention, and some need more than others. When you cant give them what they need, you basically putting your head on the chopping board. They could be crying, or some would even hurt themselves or other children just so that they get your attention. And then, it's about disciplining the class and at the same time loving them, teaching them and making sure that their parents are also satisfied with the "services" rendered to them and to their children. It's a pretty tough call to be a teacher, but when you do get into this position and when you see your children learning new things everyday, and when you hear your children say "Yay!" when they see you coming into the class, the satisfaction is guaranteed! :D

Happy Teacher's Day to all the GREAT TEACHERS out there!

Teaching Alphabet Letters

Taken from : http://www.atozphonics.com/alphabet-letters.html

Frequently asked questions on teaching alphabet letters are:

• What is the ideal age to introduce the alphabet?
• What letters to teach first?
• Do I teach letter names or letter sounds?
• Should I teach capital or lower case first?
• Is it a good idea to teach the alphabet in alphabetic order?
• How do I actually teach alphabet letters?

So let's look at these individually, because the odds are there is at least one question above that you would like to know the answer to!

What is the ideal age to introduce alphabet letters?

This really does depend on your child. I would love to give you a definite answer, like - 'when your child is 3yrs and 45 days you may begin.' You know as well as I do that life just isn't like that! Some children will be ready at 2yrs while others are happy to wait until 5 or 6yrs. What I can say, is that if you follow the advice in'step 1' about what to teach BEFORE the alphabet, then it will happen naturally - you will instinctively know when you have 'reached the ideal' time to begin the formal introduction of alphabet letters. The decision ultimately lies with your child and not you! Just immerse your child in books, rhymes and phonemic awarenessactivities and the progression will be a seamless one. Most typically, a child is able to begin learning the alphabet around the age of 3 or 4yrs.

Do I teach capital or lower case first?

I have met teachers who swear by teaching capital letters first and yet others who insist on teaching lower case and then another group who insist on teaching both at the same time! Personally - I advise on teaching lower case first. Why? Because capital letters only account for about 5% of all letters in the written word and so it seams to make sense to pay more attention to the teaching of the lower case letters as these are the ones children will be introduced to first in their environment. After you have taught your child to recognize lower case letters, I would put up an alphabet frieze with both capital and lower case letters and talk about them. Let the child see them and compare them, play games of matching up lower case with their capital letters. Notice the importance of fun here - always make learning fun! While teaching my own children - I would use games to discreetly assess if they had grasped a phonics principle - there was no pressure of 'tests' so it was a win win situation. My children particulary enjoyed looking at the Letterland books.

Do I teach letters sounds or letter names?

I teach both at the same time. I would remind my children that animals are called by different names, such as a 'pig' or 'cow' but that they all make different sounds eg, 'oink' and 'moo'. So it is with alphabet letters, each has a name but also a sound. I would say "this is the letter 'S' it says the /sssssss/ sound as in sssun." Model the sound to copy and use words that are meaningful to your child. If you need a quick reminder of letter sounds here is a quick check list in the box to your right - some words end in the sound to help you isolate the sound you will be modeling for your child. Some letters have more than one sound, but at this stage we just introduce the first sound of a letter.

What letters do you teach first?

Here are some examples of how others teach letter order:

Alphabetical Order: Although knowing letters 'in' and 'out' of order is important, the main disadvantage of this method, is that a child is waiting a long time before they can start to read words with the letters they have learnt. You really can't read or write many words with the letter a,b,c,d,e

Random Order: For example, choosing letters of a child's name or family members can help give meaning to letters

Vowels: These are the letters, 'a,e,i,o,u and sometimes y'. Vowels are considered important because every word contains a vowel

Mixture of vowels and consonants: Consonants are all the letters which are not vowels. This way is often taught by phonic reading programs, such as Jolly Phonics. For example they start with the letters 's, a, t, i, n, p'. One of the benefits of this method is that a child is quickly able to 'read' and spell three letter words. These 6 alphabete letters make the following words:

Sat, tin, pin, pat, tap, tip, pit, sit, nit, nip, nap, pan

I personally choose to introduce a mixture of vowels and consonants, alongside teaching the alphabet song, so that they can see 'where in the alphabet' the letter they are learning fits into.

A Literacy Workshop for Parents

Last Thursday, had ladies' day out with Marilyn & Paulla... err... well, actually it's ladies' day in (haha!) - in Segi College, that is. :)

It was quite a last minute invitation but it was hard to resist when seemed to me, this workshop would be really something that I, as a new parent, would need to know. Hubby on the other hand need to go back earlier to take care of Sarah, so he couldnt attend even though he wanted to.

I got permission from CEO to leave office earlier that day. Thank you, Elijah. :)

Many of those who attended were either parents or early-childhood educators - Paulla's one of them! I learn a lot through the teachings as well as through the sharing and questions from the attendees.

The workshop presenter, Carolyn Choo, has been actively involved in education for more than 20 years, sharing her passion for literacy and literature with preschoolers, college students, undergraduates and adult learners.... like me! Hehehe...

Well.... what do i learn from the workshop? I'd say.... It was good! It was worth going! Let me share with you as much as I possibly can remember... :p

How can we encourage our children to enjoy the printed words?

For a start.... do you know that books have sound and smell, which little children can hear and sense the smell? Interesting right? There are some things that even we adults have no idea of. Children, on the other hand, are very creative – young as they are, and their imagination will grow deeper and wider as we adults help them to understand the links between sounds and shapes of the alphabets, that make the words, that make the sentences.

How to make book experiences enjoyable for both child and parent?
Here are some guidelines :-

• choose the right book (to connect with the children, we need to choose books that is suitable to the child’s development)

• use expression as you read

• point to pictures and label

• have the child respond (ask questions to encourage the child to think. Link the story to the child)

• have the child predict and link the book to life

• have child supply sound effects while you read (interaction makes it MORE interesting!!!)

• ask what sounds and smells might be in the story (ask the child what they can see, taste and smell… you cant get this on TV! Books stimulates the mind)

• review and retell

• a celebration of reading and of books but not a comprehension drill

In this workshop, we also went through the basic of the phonics tools, ie the "Letter-sound relationship". It was interesting. It brought me back to the days when i watched Sesame Street when i was a kid!

"c" - "a" - "t"...... "c" - "aaaat"...... "c" - "aat"........ "CAT"! Muaahahahhahaa! :D

Yep! That's how we should teach our child to read and not just memorizing letters or words. By this, even though the process might be slow, it will strengthen the foundation of literacy, and when they grow older, having this foundation will enable them to recognize all words.

So... firstly, train the child to hear the differences of SOUND - get to know the basic sounds of English (phonics). You can play games like "I spy with my eyes...", "Rhyme games" and "Songs & music & movement". If you have problems with phonics, do visit here
Remember this: Worksheets & workbooks are not for younger children. They need to move and use their senses!

Secondly, train the child to see the differences of SHAPE - use everyday items (in the house) to bring shape awareness to the child. You can do pairing activities like putting labels on household products. Introduce alphabet shapes.

Finally, match the letters and sounds. Once they are familiar with the matching of letters and sounds, they can match almost any words with its pronunciation. Start with three letter words, and when the child's ready, you may introduce more word patterns.

So parents, it's time to enjoy literacy with your child! :)