#Kinderchat, glue, glitter, gogurt, bringing daily joy to twitter. Find us Mondays, 9 pm EST and 8:30PM London time when we talk all things Early Years!
My name is Amy, I am an ECE principal in Alberta, in The Canada, where it is currently SNOWING, and I feel the same about pumpkin spice as I do about snow: nothing wrong with it, per se, but in the appropriate place at the appropriate time. #Kinderchat
Hello everyone! My name is Ava Guarnieri, and I am an undergraduate student at Kent State University. I am majoring in Early Childhood Education. Personally, I don’t like pumpkin spice anything...unlike everyone else I know! #Kinderchat
Hello! My name is Alison ☺️ I am a senior at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC and majoring in Early Childhood Education! This is my first twitter chat so I am excited to learn new things! Lastly, pumpkin spice 🤢 #kinderchat
Hi Christine, Faige sub treacher in Los Angeles. Not a pumpkin of any kind fan. No throwing “pies” but did find out my niece likes this spice in her coffee. Will try it when I bring it to her next week
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Hello everyone! My name is Jocelyn Yang and I am a student at the University of Georgia. I'm interested in knowing if any elementary school teachers use music in their classrooms. I'd love to learn about how you use music and what you use music for! #kinderchat#edit2000mane
Hey my name is Lauren Thomas and i am a freshman at Grove City College majoring in early and special education. I think Pumpkin spice is okay. #kinderchat
Hi my name is Anna :) I am a sophomore at the University of Georgia and an Early Childhood Education major. And pumpkin spice is not really my thing.. #Kinderchat#edit2000mane
As a Kindergarten teacher I use it in many forms in my classroom. We sing along with my ukulele, we sing to cd’s, we play our own rhythm instruments, we listen to music while we play, etc… #kinderchat
Hello! My name is Alex Berrios :) I am a undergraduate early childhood education major at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. I love pumpkin spice anything! #kinderchat
Last week we had a real, live field trip here at #kinderchat and it was so fun! This week, I thought we could talk about what happens inside our spaces
I subbed in a 1st grade class last week and the teacher put on some wonderful music during kids writing time. #kinderchat Music is only limited by our imagination in using it
#Kinderchat Nope! On another note ... I'm still wiped out after playing dodgeball and basketball with the kids at the youth ministry I volunteer at yesterday!
Q1: Q1: In the aforementioned article, the authors state “a classroom’s visual environment can affect how children learn”. What has your experience shown you about this statement? #kinderchat
A1: Reminds me of the Reggio Emilia adage- "Environment is the third teacher"! Also, the classroom environment is part of our “hidden curriculum” (the things we implicitly teach rather than what we explicitly teach) #kinderchat
Hi everyone! My name is Madison, and I'm a student at Kent State University. I love pumpkin spice everything but I love apple cider/fall floral a little bit more! #Kinderchat
A1: Reminds me of the Reggio Emilia adage- "Environment is the third teacher"! Also, the classroom environment is part of our “hidden curriculum” (the things we implicitly teach rather than what we explicitly teach) #kinderchat
A1 I know the research talks about limiting overstimulating decor etc. I found after the first few weeks of school most kids were not distracted by the physical environment. Of course Halloween & other holiday decorations All Bets Were Off #kinderchat
Q2: The authors suggest “teachers should consider whether some of their visual displays may be distracting”. What displays do you have in your classrooms? #kinderchat
A1: I believe what is displayed in the classroom will cultivate a certain type of environment for each student that enters. I have felt that the more comfortable or friendly the classroom is, the more receptive to learning I feel. #kinderchat
We have focused on not putting things on the walls just to fill space. Put up useful, relevant visual supports in places where kids can actually see and use them - at THEIR eye level. Take things down when no longer needed. #Kinderchat
A1: Although I don’t have much experience in a classroom, I do agree that too much things on the wall can be distracting especially if you have a child that has ADHD. If things in the classroom are too bright, children will want to focus on that instead of instruction #kinderchat
We have focused on not putting things on the walls just to fill space. Put up useful, relevant visual supports in places where kids can actually see and use them - at THEIR eye level. Take things down when no longer needed. #Kinderchat
Could be. Too much furniture, to much stuff, many kids Lots to overwhelm. But most kids are resilient and having quiet spaces for those who need less stimulation is important #kinderchat
A1: I have only been in a preschool setting, but I agree completely with this statement. Depending on how a room is decorated, either overwhelming or underwhelming, it can distract students attention from you. #KinderChat
A1 I think that children respond well to classroom environments that feel comfortable, where they can feel safe to share their ideas with the class. I don't think there should be too much but a little goes a long way #Kinderchat
We have focused on not putting things on the walls just to fill space. Put up useful, relevant visual supports in places where kids can actually see and use them - at THEIR eye level. Take things down when no longer needed. #Kinderchat
A2 I’ve seen teachers are more mindful of research and students they have. Being aware of your kids helps with the design. Flexible Seating & mindful that kids work is the priority display #kinderchat
A2 I’ve seen teachers are more mindful of research and students they have. Being aware of your kids helps with the design. Flexible Seating & mindful that kids work is the priority display #kinderchat
I believe you should decorate along with function. Make sure almost every decoration serves a purpose. Once that purpose is served it is time to take it down! #kinderchat
This year I tried to keep things very neutral and let the kids choose what they wanted to add to the walls. I wanted to give them choice and ownership of everything in the hopes that they would feel more connected to the space! #kinderchat
I agree with @happycampergirl! In one of my clinicals, my cooperating teacher had a lot of posters and student work lowered so that the students could see. A lady who came and observed her said this was a fantastic idea and it helped the students learn a lot! #kinderchat
This is a great point. I know a lot of classrooms I have been in/observed have meaningless decorations on the wall that could lead to distraction. #kinderchat
Hi Miss Night! #guilty as charged- trying to raise them right by including #TwitterChats in our course syllabus. @alison_jouan is an excellent student :)
I love that she picked such a great chat to hop in #kinderchat
This year I tried to keep things very neutral and let the kids choose what they wanted to add to the walls. I wanted to give them choice and ownership of everything in the hopes that they would feel more connected to the space! #kinderchat
Yes with holiday decor. But I’ve noticed if it’s their work the excitement and discussion leads to great language and can be used for writing & reading lessons #Kinderchat
A2 I don't have a classroom yet but I would add posters that encourage students and help them with basic concepts. Not too much that they will be distracted #Kinderchat
A2: I agree with @happycampergirl ! In one of my clinicals, I saw my cooperating teacher put a lot of her students work at a lower level so the kids could see everything and be proud of what they did! It really helps the students! #kinderchat
A3a- this is actually a pretty deep question. Walls reflect what we’ve learned, or what we are learning. Walls show our own work as well as giving us examples of others’ work #kinderchat
Q3a: I feel our walls should house information that is ongoing to the students learning. I think it is a great idea to use walls to display sight words, numbers, letters, and any information that is being covered over an extended period of time #Kinderchat
We are really trying to make our walls functional this year not just places for display. This has got us walking around and using our space a lot more with magnets, whiteboard markers and anything else we can think of! #kinderchat
3A those decorations can facilitate mini lessons in writing and reading. As well as math & social studies. We need to be creative in our thinking. #kinderchat
A3a: I feel our walls should house information that is ongoing to the students learning. I think it is a great idea to use walls to display sight words, numbers, letters, and any information that is being covered over an extended period of time #Kinderchat
A3. Walls of a classroom are what the students are going to be looking at on a daily basis so they should have things that encourage students to learn. From shadowing I've noticed how teachers use student's own work on the walls which I think is wonderful. #kinderchat
Once upon a time, I had a K classroom that I broke into 4 diff table areas, each w/a small group work table and a whiteboard surface for visual supports. There was no front/back of the room. Each area was closed off on 2 sides w/other furniture... It was dreamy. #Kinderchat
A3a I have seen teachers use wall space as a gallery for student work and have them walk around to look at what their classmates did. Every student is sharing their ideas. #Kinderchat
A3: I believe that students can learn from our walls especially if it is their work! I always hear teachers say to not put too many posters on the wall because you can eventually fill it with students work. By doing this, students are able to walk around the room and #Kinderchat
A3b: A teacher I observed had more than just decorations on her walls, she had group color labels hanging from the ceiling, and different areas of the room decorated differently. You can use decorations to increase functionality of your classroom and draw attention #Kinderchat
A3b: the environment encourages participation or exclusion. Desks in a row facing the teacher imply the teacher is the oracle of learning. Flex seating, other ways of arranging encourage collaboration. All kinds of ways! #kinderchat
3A: I don’t have a classroom yet either but I remember in my kindergarten classroom we had a bunk bed that was a great quiet place for reading up top and on the bottom and it really encouraged students to earn points to be able to read there #Kinderchat#edit2000mane
I broke all the "we've always done it" rules when I laid it all out - no more "work at the tables, play on the floor" or "work on the tile, play on the carpet" #kinderchat
I think that loft area added to the learning experience because it was somewhere students could go and read on their own in a place they thought was more fun :) #Kinderchat#edit2000mane
The kids were tucked into their little areas for work and play (I also had 2 other small floor areas and the housekeeping centre and 2 partner work/play tables) and it just... worked. #kinderchat
Kids LOVED. They could always see the visuals they needed for any written work. Every single seat had a whiteboard surface within line of sight. #kinderchat
Choices. This leads us to our next question.
Q4: Who makes the majority of decisions about what goes up on your classroom walls or in the space itself?
#kinderchat
I think having your students comfortable is the most important and can be a huge roadblock if comfort is not there. Also, being open minded to the fact that my picture of an ideal learning spot may not be theirs. We have to let them learn what works for them! #kinderchat
Parents found it a little disorienting when they first walked in; it took a while for them to articulate why "There's no FRONT!" but their kids were HAPPY, so they were happy. #kinderchat
A3b: By having different things going on in the classroom (flexible seating, walls, different table arrangements), it gives students a chance to collaborate and share ideas with each other, thus,creating an active classroom! #kinderchat
A4: the class with input from me. There are some things that have to go up because they’re part of a program we’re piloting, but when it comes to “class stuff” we talk about it together. As the year goes on, the kids have more say than me #kinderchat
Choices. This leads us to our next question.
Q4: Who makes the majority of decisions about what goes up on your classroom walls or in the space itself?
#kinderchat
I think having your students comfortable is the most important and can be a huge roadblock if comfort is not there. Also, being open minded to the fact that my picture of an ideal learning spot may not be theirs. We have to let them learn what works for them! #kinderchat
A4 When we look at the flexibility of class environments I want to also, think of the flexibly of minds. Seeing more more teachers responding to kids’ needs & now they handle #selfreg which can be impacted by learning space #kinderchat See more collaborative decision making
It’s OUR classroom not MY classroom. I want them to feel like they have a say in our space! This year thats a bit more of a gradual release so they understand expectations, but I want their voice to be seen everywhere in our room. #kinderchat
It’s OUR classroom not MY classroom. I want them to feel like they have a say in our space! This year thats a bit more of a gradual release so they understand expectations, but I want their voice to be seen everywhere in our room. #kinderchat
A4: At the beginning I believe the teacher should just so the students have an understanding (prior knowledge), but once we go over it as a class.. tear them down and put all the students work up!!! #kinderchat
I have very little wall space. Tons of cabinets an cupboards. The little space I do have is sight word, color words, numbers for them to copy/reference. My new classroom in November will be different tho. Totally clean slate for them to help design. #Kinderchat
A4: At my preschool we are given a list of classroom requirements and what we can/can’t have on our walls (one art project and canvas artwork) but I hope to work in a school that allows me to create my own space #kinderchat
There should be a space for student work they are proud of and can display. It should ALWAYS be their choice. Academic or creative, big or small. #kinderchat
.@barbersclass#barbersclass#kenderchat A4b: It feels intimidating, exciting, and humbling to know that the classroom should be shared with the children.
Group conversation about being open-minded and caring to others has helped us come to consensus. That being said this is much easier with kinders then the higher elementary where they had never had that voice and choice before. #kinderchat
A4b: I would like my students to pick their own favorite art/work to be displayed. This is something I can have control of while it is still on their terms #kinderchat
If you follow @makingoodhumans and Studio 5, you can see that as the kids set up their space this year! Maybe in K, we haven't "schooled" them so much! #kinderchat
A4.2a.b.: I think any tension I’ve ever felt has come from those outside of the classroom, because they don’t know the “vision” we have in the room. I don’t have to have perfect posters if I have my Ss work. To me, that’s perfect #kinderchat
A4. while teachers mediate a large amount of what is placed in their classroom, students should still have a say to create an atmosphere that they not only enjoy being a part of but where they can feel free to express who they are. #kinderchat
A4 Realisitcally speaking, teachers usually “get the room ready” before kids come. A before school thing I think everywhere. But it then can become up to us to see if it works, if not, how empowering for our kids to get their input. #kinderchat
Woah! We're almost out of time! @CarrieMarshall1 mentioned the physical space being the 3rd teacher in the room. Here comes the next question to ponder #kinderchat
Honestly, I'm not totally sure. I have been one in the past that dictated what went up. In recent years I've more okay with a space that truly reflects my kinders and less of myself. I used to care what others would see. Not so much anymore. #kinderchat
I purposely went out of my way to NOT “get the room ready” this year. Best choice I ever made. I put the furniture around, but that was it. I waited for the kiddos to come and choose where they wanted their things #kinderchat
A5) This is an excellent question. I use color to organize lots of things. I have lots of colored bins now but I also used Donors Choose. Each year, I only buy nametags, boarder, and nametag holders. This yr I had to buy bins for new math curric #kinderchat
Love this! The teacher that replaced me has been sharing some of the stuff she wanted to change. I encouraged her to do some flexible seating & see bulletin boards are still filled with kids work. have seen furniture moved so that reflects kids needs. #kinderchat
I've bought things super cheap or even received them free by appeasing to the conscience of people - telling them I'm a teacher and it's for kindergarteners. So many kind people willing to donate when they understand the need. #kinderchat
a5. while I do not have my own classroom yet, from field experiences i have had teachers are so gracious to one another in sharing their supplies for class decorations by rotating each year. Also making your own decorations that are fun and simple is great! #kinderchat
Our school does have a classroom budget. Teachers purchase and reimbursed. Furniture comes out of another one. #kinderchat my big expense was BOOKS. Used my gift cards & out of pocket to have books in our room. We have a great school library but....
I used to cringe when I saw pinterest worthy rooms blasted with color, then realized my room was just as colorful (not as aesthetically decorated tho). I've been moving to more natural colors and tones. So much easier on they eyes. #kinderchat
Luckily, in the upstate of South Carolina we have a Facebook page where many teachers sell (for really cheap) or give away lots of materials! I love this idea especially for new teachers! Not only do they give materials and furniture but they give lots of ideas ! #kinderchat
