the brain drain factor

This is pretty much how I feel somedays after work, especially if I happen to be at class on a fitball such as the picture above. I've been known to snooze or zone out during a yoga or pilates class. I've often thought about what makes teachers sometimes feel so tired after a days work.  I've heard before that as teachers, we have a 'cruisy' job in that we finish at 2:30pm. Well, that's when the chidlren go home. We stay on planning, reflecting, attending meetings with parents or admin. The day extends well beyond 2:30, often until at least 5 or 6pm.

But what of the sense of tiredness at the end of a day. I consider myself a pretty articulate person, but at the end of a day, there are times when I feel I cannot construct a coherent sentence! I refer to it as 'brain drain.'

Reflecting upon my brain drain symptoms, I began to recognise that these feelings stem from our bodies attempting to relax. At least, this is my theory. As an early years teacher, we spend so much time and energy with and on the children in the class. You have to be able to multi-task. You have to know where your children are in the classroom at all times (thus always positioning yourself where you can see all the students). You have to differentiate and scaffold learning - ensuring that all children are within the zone of proximal development whilst at the same time challenging them - but not too much! You must be flexible to changes in your routine or planning. You have to remain supportive when 5 children are calling out your name at the same time, and address each of them. You have to be conscious of every word or direction you give. You have to maintain awareness of time and transitions.......these are just a couple of things that come straight to mind when I think of multi-tasking in the classroom! There are many, many more factors.

It is little wonder that we are tired at the end of a day. Our brains are programmed to go, go, go and are so focused on the children and their well-being (in all areas of development) that at the end of the day, our brain literally gets the opportunity to breathe!

I think this is why I enjoy my time to exercise. Whether it is a gentle exercise like pilates or yoga, or a more combative form such as BJJ, it allows my mind to focus on just me and relax. If you are able to relax at the end of a day, you are better prepared for the day and week ahead and this goes for making a better teacher.

Teacher as student....

Learning as a continuous, life-long process

I learned something about learning in my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class today. As a student, I was able to sit back and reflect upon my own learning style when attempting to execute techniques during practice. It struck me that I can learn a lot from the BJJ classes I take. During a class the instructor provides an aural account of the techniques being practiced, detailing the micromovements that make all the difference. He/she demonstrates the technique at the same time, so you get to visually 'see' the movement being demonstrated. Students are then provided the opportunity to then practice these techniques, applying what they've just heard and seen to the physical movement.

I feel that I am mostly a visual learner. I need to really see things. During my class I worked in a group of three. Usually, we work in pairs. I found that this round robin scenario really helped cememt the proccess of learning for me. I got to watch my partners as they practiced before practicing the movement myself. We all helped each other.

This can be readily adapted to the classroom. Students learn from their peers. When engaged in activities, children can learn from watching each other as they play.

Developing Problem Solving Skills

thoughts on same/different

In the classroom, I spend a great deal of time and energy on social and emotional development. A large component of this is dedicated to encouraging problem solving capabilities as these are skills that children will carry with and further develop for the rest of their lives.

Myrna B, Shure wrote an excellent book entitled: Raising a thinking child: Help your young child to resolve everyday conflicts and get along with others. In this book she describes how to utilise her "I Can Problem Solve" or ICPS programme with young children. This book details steps that can be employed that help children develop their problem solving skills. One such step is playing word games.

Using the concept of same/different as outlined in her book, I started to think about ways to incorporate activities in my lessons whilst at the same time integrating areas of learning and acknowledging various learning styles. Exploring the concept of same and different can integrate mathematics (observing similarities and differences in objects, ie: shapes), language and literacy (using their vocabularly to describe similarities and/or differences), social and emotional development (learning how to take turns when playing games, sharing objects and materials), social studies (transferring their knowledge of same and different to a wider, social context). At the same time, activities around this theme can be developed with an appreciation of learning styles: visual - having objects and materials to look at, visual pictorial materials, aural - playing games where children have to listen to descriptions and choose objects that match the description, kinesthetic - playing body movement games such as same, same, different (clap, clap, tap) or (jump, jump, sit).

So how does this all relate to solving problems?!  Exploring same/different can yield development in numerous areas of learning, all contributing to problem solving in some way. I believe that when thinking about same and different children are acquiring the skills to recognize similarities and differences in the world around them. Children are already very capable of deducing differences. But one 'problem' that can be seen in the world at large, is the inability to recognise human similarities and the way people are judged based on differences. We can set the foundations of problem solving in the early years, and possibly help develop critical minds that celebrate differences and celebrate diversity.

References

Shure, M.B. (1994). Raising a thinking child: Help your young child to resolve everyday conflicts and get along with others. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Inc.

The idea for this challenge of mine came from a book source detailing the need for teachers to engage in the process of critical reflection. In Rick Churchill et al's book, Teaching: Making a difference, a chapter is dedicated to the theory of teaching practice. This chapter struck a chord inside as it made me reflect upon my own attitudes, beliefs and ideas and encouraged me to confront myself and my teaching practices.

Teaching is a dynamic job with many variables to consider. There have been numerous occasions where I have heard that (particularly being an early years teacher) the job must be akin to babysitting. This could not be further from the truth. So much goes into the planning of a day, week, month and year. Teachers must be adapative and flexible to the situations that arise in a classroom on any given day. The teachers I know and work with are all dedicated to providing the best for their students and demonstrate this on various levels - from the academic to the social and emotional well-being of each individual.

A classroom is an energetic hub of wonder, discovery and creativity. Teachers work hard at managing learning environments, planning activities, and accomodating needs. A typical day, for me, goes by in a flash. Younger children particularly need your focus and attention throughout the entire day. It is therefore critical that time is dedicated  to reflecting upon your day.

This blog challenge is dedicated to reflecting upon either days in the classroom (what I did, why I did it, what worked/what didn't, and how I could do things differently) or thoughts and ideas inspired by books, articles, media, art, science or general experiences.

I have chosen to begin this challenge during my summer holiday break. Teaching is not something that stops or is put on hold whilst on holiday. Teachers are lifelong learners and therefore the work never stops. We are constantly encouraged and/or inspired on a daily basis. This may be at the conscious or sub-conscious level of thought.

So, with that said. My first entry is complete. The documentation of my own reflective process starts now!


References

Churchill, R. et al (2011). Teaching: Making a difference. John Wiley & Sons: Milton, QLD