The room of a toddler (18-24 months) is set in a way that caters for all the needs of a developing child. This is because at this age, the toddler can walk around the room touching and feeling things. The toddler’s room is composed of practical materials that are important in daily life. These materials include puzzles, play toys, stringing beads, calendars and charts with names of things, objects and animals. These charts and calendars are on the language part of the room. The physical layout of the room is composed of different parts and sections where the various objects and equipment lie. These sections include the languages section, the practical life section and the play section. Different sections of the room contain different materials and objects. For example, in the languages section, materials placed include puzzles, pictures, charts and calendars. In addition, this area contains objects that are commonly used. Toys, balls and other playthings are in the play section. Finally, the practical life section includes objects such as pieces of cloth, brooms and sweepers, washing objects, small chairs and tables and objects that stimulate the curiosity of the toddler thus causing physical activity.
My role as a teacher with children in the classroom
My role as a teacher with children in the classroom would be to guide them in the learning process through teaching and monitoring. This would result from proper communication, interaction and execution of duties as the teacher.
Communication with children
Communication with children would involve both verbal and non-verbal communication modes. This would ensure that children develop all their cognitive abilities in a balanced way. For example, I would verbally teach the children to pronounce words and express themselves by way of talking. I would use non-verbal communication to teach the children skills that require action. For example, writing, mobbing, sweeping and cleaning. All these activities involve nonverbal communication. The children need proper guidance to do these activities well. For example, in the case of writing, I would help the children learn how to hold a writing object in their hand and then teach them to write down all letters systematically.
Interaction with the children and execution of my classroom duties
My interaction with the children would be on a purely mutual level. Children love affection and the best way to express it is by maintaining physical contact with them. I would accomplish this by taking part in their activities that would include learning and playing. Holding the children in my arms and playing with them would also form a very good base for interaction. This would be through tossing them in the air, carrying them on the back or shoulders and swinging them. All these are activities that children enjoy a lot. Interaction would involve taking part in all activities of the children. This would make the children see me as one of them and thus make interaction better. I would also carry out my classroom duties such as cleaning the room, setting it up at the start and end of learning sessions, wiping tables and watching over the children by ensuring their safety and effective learning in all sections of the classroom.
Why is communication with the parents important?
With the parents as the guardians to the children, communication between them and I would be very important. This would improve communication and interaction between the children and me. Some of the questions I would ask the parents include the following. What are the likes and dislikes of the child? What does the child enjoy doing most? In case the child starts crying, what do you do to stop the child from crying? How moody is the child? Do you have a private tutor or instructor for the child? How much time do you spend with your child every day?
I would ask the parent these questions to gain proper understanding of the child. I would find out what the child likes and hates, what makes him cry, what time he sleeps and other useful information regarding the life and behavior of the child. This would improve interaction with children without causing irritation that may result in negative behaviors such as rudeness, resistance and aggression. It is important in ensuring proper handling of children.
Washing of hands
Washing hands is an important measure towards maintaining good hygiene. In the following five instances, washing hands is inevitable. It should be done after visiting the lavatory, before handling any food and after handling children. In addition, it is important to wash hands after handling objects used in learning and after dusting or wiping classroom tables. Washing hands is important to avoid instances of infection and as a way of teaching children good hygiene. Most objects are very dirty and harbor microorganisms that are infectious. Washing hands after handling objects is important to avoid these infections. Due to their playful nature, children are very dirty and their clothes carry microorganisms that may enter the body and cause infection.
Supervision
Supervision would involve directing and controlling children in the classroom for effective learning. This would include reminding them of classroom rules, assessing their progress in learning, guiding them on how to perform learning activities and ensuring that they achieve learning objectives set for each learning session.
Areas of a pre-school classroom
A pre-school classroom is composed of several areas or sections. These sections are different in composition and purpose. The room includes a manipulative area, a play area, an art area, a science exploration area, a block area, a library books area and a sensory area.
Setting up the physical environment
The set up of the physical environment of a classroom is important in the learning process of children. The physical environment should represent all the necessary areas in the growth and development of children. It should also be well set out and different sections should be separated from each other. While setting up the physical location, many factors would come under consideration. All straight paths or runways should be eliminated to discourage children from running. Running may be a possible cause of accidents. I would also make all sections open to make sure that all children are visible all the time. It would also be important to ensure that all sections are separate from each other in order to maximize the learning experience. It is also important to position related sections together for easier access. For example, all learning sections should be close to each other. Finally, I would establish clear boundaries for each section in the room.
I would arrange it this way to ensure efficient learning and easy monitoring of children. It would also help in keeping children safe and free from accidents and injuries in the classroom.