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February 26th:  Rachel 

2/26/2017

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This year I’m working in a classroom of wonderful kids at my partner school. The students in my classroom have skill levels all across the board which has been a new challenge for me. Some are far above the average in math, for example, and can count to 200 and are already experts at adding and subtacting, while others are still struggling to count to 5. This semester, I’m lucky enough to be shadowing the school’s speech-language pathologist for a few hours a month, as I hope to study speech-language pathology in graduate school.

Additionally, I’m working on a service learning project alongside the teachers of my classroom this semester. Although I am still deciding on exactly what I’d like to do, my project will likely involve center-time. More specifically, I’d like to focus on center-time transitions and/or teaching the students about proper care and organization of the items in the center (e.g. dress-up clothing, blocks, art supplies, etc.). I’m really looking forward to continuing to develop my project, and to making it come to life in the next few months!
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February 19th:  Victoria 

2/19/2017

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The start of this new semester at my partner school has been fabulous!  I have been able to learn all the children's names and understand each of their personalities.  My favorite part of every Wednesday is walking into the classroom in the morning and hearing "MS. TORI!!".  The students have flourished within and outside the classroom.  I am lucky enough to be at the preschool for a big chunk of their day leading a variety of the activities on Wednesday.  Specifically, I love to assist them in updating the calendar and playing games that involve matching, which I do in front of the class.  Using popsicle sticks, we are able to equalize the opportunity of who gets to come up and help. 

Another thing I help out with is working at the name writing station during small groups.  It has been amazing over just a few months to see the progress these students have made with their names.  A lot of them are working on writing site words such as "me" and "have".  I have enjoyed my time so much here and I cannot wait for this upcoming week when we are making shirts of their own Mardi Gras Parades!  
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Preschool Based Programs for Externalizing Problems 

2/16/2017

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​Externalizing problems in young children can prove to set classroom-wide obstacles in creating an effective learning environment for all children.  Externalizing behaviors can be described as any act of disruptive behavior that associates with difficulties in a child’s life such as family abuse, crime, and psychiatric disturbance.  In this study, programs aimed to reduce externalizing behavior in classrooms were utilized. Tackling these externalizing behaviors seeks to improve a child’s receptivity for learning and in turn eliminates the exacerbation of these behaviors into children’s adult lives. 

Namely, two programs were used to tackle these externalizing behaviors.  In the first, an program called The Incredible Years had children watc short videos in which social situations are modeled.  The students then discuss how they would have acted in such a situation and practice these actions with a teacher and parent.  Between these sessions, children would work on homework regarding the themes of appropriate prosocial reactions.  The second program, which focuses on academic improvement, was Dialogic Reading.  In Dialogic Reading, students (3-5 at a time) and teachers read a picture book together.  Students would also read individual with their parents at their own homes. 

Results from these intervention programs showed promise, with over 85% of parents satisfied with the outcomes of the programs.  Specifically, The Incredible Years saw improved circle time, which allowed for more time on planned academic activities and less time focused on gathering the children’s attention.  In addition, Dialogic Reading had broad positive effects on adult-student interactions.

No research study is perfect, but considering the challenges placed by this experiment allows for better improvement of future experiments.  For example, the workshop which debriefed the skills needed by teachers for these programs was offered for only one day.  Thus, improvement of carrying out these programs would best improve if more time were given to train these teachers. In addition, participation in the programs was limited to the competing demands that families face every day.  It helps that food and child care were offered, but future directions could look at what could make access to participating in the study even easier.  Finally, the concern of extrinsic motivation arose in some of the parents, worrying that their children would not want to work on their externalizing behavior for the sake of bettering themselves, but rather to earn a reward.  This facet of the program eventually decreased after some time.
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With this, these programs of addressing externalizing behavior show promise in addressing exacerbating classroom problems, leading to more effective learning within preschools.  

Arnold, D. H., Brown, S. A., Meagher, S., Baker, C. N., Dobbs, J., & Doctoroff, G. L. (2006). Preschool-based programs for externalizing problems. Education and Treatment of Children, 29, 311-339. pdf    ​
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February 12th:  Caroline

2/12/2017

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My first few weeks at my partner school this semester have been great!  I started originally at the preschool in November, and it's been so fun to see the kids growing and learning over the past months.  The spring is always an exciting time in New Orleans, and in the past weeks the kids have had a lot to celebrate.  Last week, they played some games and had a second line around the classroom in honor of Mardi Gras, as well as counted 100 of their favorite things about preschool to commemorate the 100th day of school.  This week, they practiced writing their names and coloring inside the lines to make Valentine's Day cards for their friends. 

Usually, the kids are able to have two blocks of time in the classroom- one devoted to a group activity (such as writing sentences, using sight words, or practicing their names and letters) and one devoted to centers, where they are able to choose between various activities such as rhyming games or using play-doh to make letters. 

I've loved being able to see the kids on a weekly basis, because I've noticed that every time I visit they are getting better and better at skills such as writing their names and learning sight words.  When I first started, they were just finishing their letters and numbers- now, they are able to read some words, write their full names, and even count to 100.  I'm excited to see where they will be by the end of the year! ​
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