Competency Standard II

 (How my teaching practices help to advance physical and intellectual competence)

I make sure to not only plan and do activities but to observe how they respond to the activities and make adjustments accordingly. If some of the children are struggling with the activity but others are flying through it, I will do more one-on-one with the ones struggling. While I do a smaller group/one-on-one time I will have my co-teacher work with the others on a more advanced version of the activity(or vice versa). This goes for either physical or intellectual activities, I do the same thing for any activity regardless of which area it is in. I do this because I want to make sure all of my students are succeeding in my class and getting what they need. I try to meet them where they are in their development and help them grow from there!

CS II a:

Play Ball! This activity helps to develop their motor skills in such a fun way and can be done with any age group! The young infants can do tummy time while exploring small balls, mobile infants can crawl after the balls and practice throwing them and toddlers can chase and kick the balls and work on picking up the bigger balls and throwing them. This activity is planned for outside but can be done inside as well if the weather is not good. There is also no right or wrong way to play with balls therefore it can be easily adapted for any needs, whether they be age, location or for a disability. Having activities like this ensures that every child is able to participate and have their needs met wherever they are!

CS II b:

Telephone! The telephone game is a fun way to introduce/incorporate language and literacy skills. Children see us adults talking on the phones all the time so playing this game at school is always a hit with infants and toddlers! I fully believe children learn by having fun so if I can make any learning activity a fun one, they are more likely to be engaged with it and catch onto it. This game helps to encourage two way communication which is something we all need in order to succeed in life! 

CS II c:

Ice Painting! Infants and toddlers grow their creative development through many different activities; art/craft activities, music and movement and dramatic play. This specific activity is an art activity, it helps to develop their creativity by allowing them to have full control over their project. That means however it looks in the end was all their doing! Giving a child full creative control over their projects encourages self-expression, imagination, and self-confidence and that is why I am here! There is no wrong way to be creative! Creativity motivates children to learn and we can teach so many different things through creativity! Learning should be fun and not feel like a chore!

CS II d:

There are so many ways to promote communication and language development in children! Simply talking to them helps! Singing songs, reading books, engaging in two way conversation (even when they are just babbling and not saying actual words). I do lots of talking to my kiddos. Narrating what they are doing, giving the toys names as they show them to us, talking about what we are doing as we do it all helps to develop their language skills. For our dual learning we can also offer books from various cultures and languages.