Early Childhood Observation

Summary Reflection
I completed 10 hours of fieldwork at an elementary school, in the Early Childhood Education setting, named Bell Elementary School. The time sheet with times of observation was signed by the preschool program staff. The preschool program was developed for kids aged 3-4. The child selected for observation was Isa, a girl aged 4.
I specifically saw how a child is engaged in different activities, how she responds to problems, how she interacts with others. There are some subtle cues, such as body posture, facial expressions and the girl's clothing and selection of colour that influenced my thinking. I noticed that Isa used only bright colours, when she created an artwork. Her black cat, an artwork she created herself, had a red hat and a yellow bag. These bright colours tell about

positive attitudes of Isa toward others. My statements are based on my own values and personal experience.
Observation about the environment
Physical environment looked very clean, well-organized and developmentally appropriate.

There were many types of furniture appropriate for kids aged 3-4 years old, such as tables, chairs, and bookshelves with books and toys. The design of the classroom was excellent. The materials like whiteboard, pictures on the walls, posters with images of animals and others, were used to stimulate kids to learn new things. I looked for posted daily schedule and lesson plans and found that they were well developed to address the needs of the child, as well as the teacher' s needs not forgetting the parents. I found clear and comprehensive information about separation of activities, time limits and assigned tasks. In general, daily schedule was realistic. Children had enough time to play games, have nap time, have lunch, and other activities. I observed several types of teaching strategies, including promotion of early literacy, language learning activities, reading books aloud, letter recognition strategies and print awareness strategy. The teacher worked with small groups and with large group to perform the assigned tasks. She also used one-on-one strategy when she asked

questions.
Observation about the activities
I observed many activities, including literacy and Math activities, outdoor activities, creative expression activities, Language, vocabulary activities, social and emotional development activities, physical development and wellness activities, and cognitive development activities.
These activities promoted early learning because they helped the child to learn how to make choices, solve problems, take care of personal needs, develop social relationships, creative expression, move to music and sing, listen to others and understand the key message, use vocabulary, read and write.
Observation about interactions
I observed different kinds of interactions, including teacher-child and child-child interactions. In general, I saw that children were taught how to express their feelings and how to understand the feelings of others. If a conflict did arise, it was resolved through collaborative efforts of the teacher and children. Children were explained how to avoid responding with physical action. Children had a chance to request the teacher's help in order to resolve the conflict.
Explanation of using this observation in practice
I will use this observation in my future practice. I will be able to apply my skills, knowledge and experience in developing preschool programs. I will be able to add the activities I observed during this observation, including language and literacy development activities, creative expression activities, and physical development activities. What I would do differently is that I would invite parents to participate in some activities. I believe that teachers should help children to improve their relationships not only with peers, but also with parents. The involvement of parents in preschool activities and programs helps to improve academic performance and behaviour of pre-schoolers..