In chapter #14 of the K Today text, I found the explanation of both transition models to be really helpful. The skills-only model reduces the transition period to focus on abilities and skills the child displays at a given time. This is the model that is most commonly used, but it is also the most limited. The terms of using this type of transition is characterized by the characteristics of the child like their given readiness skills, chronological age, or maturity level. I can see why this model is used more often and that is because it is easier. However, easier is not always better. I would use this type of transition model as little as possible and hopefully not at all when transitioning my students from kindergarten to 1st grade. The other transition model is the developmental/ecological model. It acknowledges that children’s social and academic skills are remarkably unstable during the early school years. Meaning, it takes into consideration that the stability of relationships in the child’s home, school, and community greatly impact the child as he/she moves from kindergarten to first grade. I really like this approach to transitioning because it takes the individual child into account and allows for more family-school interaction than the skills-only model. I think that the parents’ involvement and view toward the school experience impacts their young children even more than we realize, so anytime they feel included and involved and work collaboratively with the school, the better experience that child is going to have. When they have a good experience in kindergarten and their teacher takes the necessary steps to introduce them to their 1st grade classroom and teacher and help them establish some of the routines that they will encounter in 1st grade, their good experience will hopefully pick up right where it left off in kindergarten and the transition is complete and easy. This will be the type of transition model that I use in my classroom. I also found the statement that says, “Active collaboration among the key players in the transition process…is fundamental in ensuring a successful transition for kindergartners,” to be very important. The statement is basically self-explanatory. All the people that will be involved in the transition process (the child, kindergarten teacher, 1st grade teacher, and parents) need to work together in order to make sure that the transition of the child from kindergarten to 1st grade is as easy as it can be. I will work very hard to make sure that the 1st grade teachers and I work closely in helping my students go from one classroom to the other and that the parents of the child are very informed about what is going to be happening, how the expectations of them and their child will change, and provide them with the opportunity to meet the future teacher of their child and visit the classroom, etc. Making the effort to do the little things such as these are likely the ones that will make the most difference as to whether a child transitions easily from one grade to the other and they are steps that all kindergarten teachers should be willing to take for their students.
Jessica, I also work with Pre K age children and it is really difficult for us to help them transition just to kindergarten because we are not affiliated directly with any of the elementary schools. There are too many children that attend for any of us to be able to take a trip with the child to see their new school, but the district here does Kindergarten Round-up and from what I have heard, it is done very well and is very effective with helping students transition to Kindergarten. For the most part, all of our children transition very easily into the Kindergarten setting, however, we did have one student this year that actually came back to preschool from Kindergarten halfway through the year because she was having such a difficult time. Academically, she was very ready, but her maturity level regressed severely when she went to Kindergarten. She was escaping from the school to run away and was very rarely present for a full school week because her parents would have to stay home with her because she would scream and cry hysterically before school every day. She is doing much better now and we believe (and hope) that she will transition very easily this coming fall.
Page 152 talks about the typical transition from kindergarten to first grade. First grade teachers feel that most transitions and contact with the new classrooms is too little, too late, and too impersonal. This causes families to feel disconnected and the child is unfamiliar with the classroom when they begin the school year. It is important for families and the student to feel welcome into their new classroom environment so the transition goes smoothly. I will make sure to prepare students as well as parents and give them any resources and information available about supporting the child’s transition. Page 152 also discusses two approaches to K-1 transition. The skills-only approach focuses more on the child’s skills rather than spending time on a transition from kindergarten to first grade. I feel as thought I wouldn’t use this approach in my classroom because a transition from one to the other is a large part of the school year. A child needs to feel comfortable in their environment to learn and throwing them into something new isn’t going to help them feel comfortable. I would definitely use the developmental/ecological model in my classroom because it recognizes the child’s relationships between the school family and community and uses them to help transition the child into first grade. I also liked the chart of K-1 transition practices on page 156 and 157. It gave great examples of different activities you can do with the child and their family and also when to do them. It also split the activities into family-school connections, child-school, peer, and classroom-classroom connections. I would definitely use this chart in my classroom to help prepare my students and families to move from kindergarten to first grade.
I agree Jessica. I feel that the skills only model wouldn't work on the majority of children in a classroom. Especially those on an IEP or with any type of disability. I feel that it is important to involve the child, as well as the parents and their peers in their big move to first grade. This is an important process and should be given more attention. Good post!
Leah, I completely agree with you that a teacher should use the developmental/ecological model when it comes to K-1 transitions. I want my students to feel comfortable in the classroom. They can't learn the skills they need to without being comfortable with their environment. I want the child's relationship between the school family and the community to grow.
Erin Flax This chapter was a good eye opener to the need of attention being brought to the transition between kindergarten and 1st grade. I had never thought of that being a potential problem if not addressed. I worked with preschoolers and we put a lot of emphases on the transition to kindergarten. The first paragraph in this chapter discusses how important this transition is to students and their future success. I will definitely put careful thought and consideration into this transition if I teach kindergarten. Page 152 states that there is a lack of information sharing and relationships between all parties. In preschools there is more interactions with parents and students but in kindergarten children are so busy learning, teachers are so busy teaching, and parents are so busy with life, that the interactions slow down and there many times are less relationships formed. If students have an abrupt stop of these vital interactions and relationships it will make transitions harder. With my Head Start background and my getting a child through preschool, kindergarten, and first grade, I can see how important it is. I was less involved as a parent in kindergarten than preschool and then way less in first grade and beyond. My son did not like first grade. He wasn’t fond of his teacher and felt she didn’t like anyone. Having more interactions with the teacher and if the teacher formed a relationship with my son, would have helped his transition.
There were some great ideas of ways to help this transition time. One way I hadn’t heard or thought of was on page 155. It was an example from a classroom where the kindergarten teacher wanted to help form relationships between his students and the kindergarteners from the other classrooms. There can be many kindergarten classrooms and you may never get to know the other children in your grade if they are not in your class. But then in first grade you will be mixed with them and may lose your friends to another class. This teacher worked on forming relationships between classes. He created “reading buddies.” I will definitely try to use this in my classroom as well.
Erin, I too liked the idea of the teacher having his students meet the other students in the other classrooms. In smaller schools we don't really think about this, but in bigger schools this becomes a bigger deal. It is important for the children to know that their class won't be the only one transitioning and going through this change. The idea of reading buddies is great! This will give the kids a chance to make other friends as well as interacting with students that may be in their future class.
You are so right Jessica. I agree that the developmental/ecological model is the best. I don't care what grade a student is in, we should first and foremost focus on our role of teaching our students to well adjusted, competent, productive people in our society. To just say I am only concerned with teaching someone math is less than I feel we should give. This is especially true for preschool, kindergarten and first grade.
Chapter 14 discussed the transition from kindergarten to first grade. On page 151, a very important statement is made about students having the opportunity to develop a relationship with the first grade teacher during the kindergarten year as well as being able to enter the first grade classroom surrounded by familiar peers. This is something that I found to be very important and would want to make sure that my students have a good experience when it comes time to transition. This is a big step for students, especially since kindergarten is not required by Kansas schools. I feel that students need to know their peers and their next years teacher to feel comfortable enough to learn. The second part of the text that was important to me was the two different approaches to the Kindergarten-First grade transition. The skills only model is something I would not use because it focuses mainly on the abilities of a child at that point in time. The developmental/ecological model is about the child and his or her family, school, peer, and community factors. This is a model that would be used in my classroom because what a child knows changes every day because they are so young. The next part of this chapter that I found to be helpful are the charts about examples of K-1 transition practices. The most important of these for me are the family-school connections because a parent is the biggest influence on a child and their education. I would try my best to make sure that parents and families are involved in their child's education. The last part of the text that stood out to me are the factors that influence a child's K-1 transition. There are so many different things that can influence how a child will transition including the class size, teacher credentials, quality of instruction, and length of the school day. I want to make the transition for my students as easy as possible. I want them to feel confident and comfortable as they move onto first grade.
Some children's transition from Kindergarten to first grade doesn't always go so smoothly. This is a critical transition time to make the children feel as comfortable and confident as possible because it can determine their school experience for many years to come. A way that the book mentions is to have the first grade teacher stop in the kindergarten classroom sometimes just so the children begin to know who the teacher is and feel comfortable. Such a simple thing can make a big difference. At the kindergarten age children don't always trust many people, so this is an important time for them to learn that they can trust another teacher rather than just the one they have at the time. Something else that influences a transition is the variation in instructional quality and practices. the children will do different things in different way from the kindergarten classroom to the first grade classroom. It will be important to point out to your students that "this is the way we do this in the kindergarten classroom, but when you go to first grade this is how they do it." If you say that enough they will understand that there are other ways to do certain things, and when the rules change it will be an "okay" change. The last thing that stuck out to me was on page 156. I like the idea of all the transition practices. One important one I saw was to encourage family participation. Many parents don't realize this, but teachers spend majority of the time with their own children during the school year. Therefore, I feel that it is very important for parents to be involved and interested in what their child is working on at school. I believe that this would help the child transition and stay motivated for any school grade.
I can use all of these ideas by remembering to stay involved in the other classroom grades and not only my own. It is important for the children to trust me if they are coming up to my classroom in the years to come. Another thing I can use as a teacher is to do different activities or invite the parents to spend a day or even an hour in the classroom with their child. I believe that this would be a good way for the child to stay motivated and positive and it also gives them a chance to physically show their mom or dad what they are learning at school.
Tamra, I also think it is a good idea to get connected with the other grade teachers and stay up to date on where your students are going. I also think it is smart to know the students that are going to be in your class. Transitions are not always easy for the child but the more they can feel safe with the teacher the better the out come.
I didn't realize there were so many different ways to make the transition from kindergarten to grade 1 easier. I have worked in a lot of schools, and while I have experienced kindergarten round-up I can say that I haven't ever really seen teachers working together to make the transition easier. So, I suppose what I've seen is the skills-only model. If I become a kindergarten teacher, it is my hope that I would be able to use the developmental/ecological model. Not only does this create a positive transition stage, but it models cooperation as well. On p. 155 they discussed effective transition strategies in action. Seeing this first-hand strategies is so helpful to teachers and future teachers. Making positive family-school connections, child-school connections, peer connections and classroom-classroom connections are all great ideas. The chart on p. 158 is extremely helpful. And lastly, the two page spread on K-1 transition practices was helpful and interesting. It touched on all of the important transition pieces, but also included when they should be introduced, how to make them and what the activities would be for each. I really think this is something that could be utilized more than once.
I feel like the skills only approach happens a lot in schools. The relationships teachers have together outside of the classroom could affect the transition process. If the teachers don't see eye to eye on how to do things, unfortunately it will affect the students.
I didn't realize there were names either! But I agree, using the developmental/ecological model is the best idea. It just has to work with everyone else involved - including first grade teachers. I think that the different transition practices are important to incorporate. It's good to have ideas on how to approach these situations in the future.
This chapter is so important, because even after a student leaves our classroom, we still care about them! When they are transitioning into first grade it shouldn't be only about the skills they possess. We need to keep in mind how they are feeling emotionally. I get anxiety about a lot of things, especially the unknown. Going into a big classroom, not knowing anyone or anything about it, only makes it worse. I'm sure children are the same. They need to get to know their teacher, classroom, routine, etc. to feel less anxious about moving. I liked that the chapter mentioned bringing families into the transition. Having the parents know whats going on could be a big comfort for them and their child. Also, getting to know the students who are going to be in their classroom is going to make the move easier. They'll be able to walk into the room already comfortable, and perhaps even having a friend.
You made a good point. I think like what Mrs. Stoppel was saying about how 1st grade teachers need to pop in every once in awhile and just say hi so that the kindergarteners have at least been exposed to their future teachers. I remember when I was a kid, I used to look forward to being in certain teachers classes. It was sometimes disappointing when I did not get the teacher I had hoped for and ended up with a teacher that I had never really been exposed to. It was just scary not knowing what to expect.
The examples of K-1 transition practices on page 156 were extremely helpful. I like how it broke it down into family-school connections, child-school connections, peer connections, and classroom-classroom connections. Also, I found it interesting that “almost half (48%) of parents surveyed in the 2000 US Census reported that their 3 and 4 year olds were not “in school” – that kindergarten is..” When I asked my own parents why they didn’t send me to preschool and only kindergarten, they simply stated that “you already know how to count to at least 20 and knew your ABCs – so we didn’t want to waste time”. Little did my parents know, that social and emotional part could have really benefitted me early one and maybe I would not have been as shy as I was growing up. But, like my parents, I have heard lots of people say stuff like that. I think it is important for parents to know that preschool and kindergarten are not just the cognitive parts, but the social and emotional skills are just as if not even more important. That is one thing I will be sure to relay to parents during any transitions – the importance of social and emotional.
I feel that it is also very important to help families understand that going to school is more than just to help their child learn to read and do math, that this is a time to help them grow socially and emotionally. I agree that the transiton practices on 156 and 157 are going to be extremely helpful in getting to know parents and informing them as well.
Chapter 14 discusses the transition from kindergarten to first grade and how to be successful with that transition. There are two models of transition, the skills only approach and the developmental/ecological model. The skills only approach is basically what its name is, it focuses only on the skills and abilities of a student at a given time, whereas the developmental/ecological approach factors in on this web of the child, family, school, peers, and community that are all interconnected and interdependent upon one another. The developmental ecological approach is the most beneficial approach for the student but unfortunately it is the skills only approach that is most often used. There are several factors that can influence a child’s transition from kindergarten to first grade. There are structural factors like the size of the class, the teacher’s credentials, and how long the school day is. Other factors that influence the child’s transition is the quality of instruction and practice. On page 156 and 157 there are examples of kindergarten to first grade transition practices for family-school, school-child, peer, and classroom –classroom connections that are wonderful and that will be very helpful to me when I have my own classroom. Some of these practices are ones that I have seen throughout the different schools I have visited. I have been able to see some of these practices begin used and have seen how helpful it truly is to those students in their transition from one grade to another. I have also witnessed the skills only approach and have seen how it had made for a very rough transition for many students. I really hope that more teachers, schools, districts putting forth more of an effort to using the developmental /ecological approach because it is a win –win situation for all involved in the process.
Shanna, it is very unfortunate that the skills model is the one that is used the most. If they just go by how much a child will do on a specific day, the results are not going to be accurate at all. Some children know how to do everything that they are asked but may just feel uncomfortable or shy on the day that they are asked to demonstrate it.
I believe that a smooth transition from kindergarten to 1st grade can determine how well the child will adjust to the life of being a all-day student and can affect how well the child performs in the following grades as they continue their education. One of the main suggestions that I thought would truly benefit the students and the teachers is to make the children familiar with their first grade teacher before school starts in the fall. This is something I wish my school would’ve done when I was in elementary school. I am from a small 1A school and generally we only had one teacher for each grade, with the exception of my class, who had to have a split class with two teachers. The transition from grade to grade was a little difficult for us, as students, because we didn’t know who our teacher was going or what kids were going to be in our class until after enrollment in the fall. Another section of this chapter that I thought would be very useful for me in the future if I become a kindergarten teacher is the chart on pages 156 and 157 that shows examples of transition practices that can be used to help make the transition from kindergarten to first grade run more smoothly. When the time comes and the transition practices that we have been using don’t seem to be getting any results, we will have this chart to look at for more ideas. The last section that I thought was interesting and would be very useful to know for the future is the part that explains the difference between the skills only model for transition and the developmental/ecological model for transition. The skills only model only focuses on abilities and skills while the developmental/ecological model focuses more on the child and everyone and everything that is associated with them. This is important to know and establish which ones are the most important for you and which model will benefit the child the most.
I went to a very small elementary school as well where we only had one teacher for each grade. So the transitions were easy as we got to know them throughout the year at assemblies and during recess, etc. However, the transition to jr. high was very difficult as it was fed by many elementary schools and we moved to having 6 different teachers throughout the day. My "graduating" 8th grade class had almost 300 students and that fed an even larger high school. But, I digress - I think that planning transitions is very important and the smoother we can make it pays out in the beginning of each year.
Chapter 14 discuss transitions and ideas on how to make the kindergarten to first grade year a smother transition for the students and the parents. The two types of transitions the book talked about were Skills only and the developmental/ecological model. I really liked the developmental model because it focuses on the child and helps build a community of support. The Skills only model focuses on the skills and ability level of the child. As I was reading about the different transitions I was thinking of the classroom that I work in which is called a transition room. We teach 3 and 4 year old how are developmentally delayed, how to go to school. we get the kids for 9 weeks then we send them to a their neighborhood DD program. after reading this chapter I realized that we are not doing a good job at preparing them for their new school. We focus more on basic skills that they will need not necessarily getting ready for a new class. One thing we are good at is taking the students to a regular ed room for a few hours a day. I do think it would be a good idea to take our students to the new school and walk them through their room and daily routine. One thing that the book discussed was getting the parents involved in the transition of the kids. when the parents are involved the children will feel better about what is going on.
While reading this chapter we learned about the skills-only model and the developmental ecological model. When we discussed this during our online meting you said that the developmental ecological model should have emotional as part of the description of it. I found that the reading mirrored the opinions you gave, that the developmental ecological model is the most effective. This model looks at the child’s whole life not just the abilities and skills at a given time. I was surprised to see that the skills-only module was the most widely used, since the developmental and ecological model is so much more effective. I guess that not every teacher is educated on the practice of using it or they simply do not have enough time to put into that area. I think that it is so important to have an easy transition from kindergarten to first grade. I can remember in my elementary days how exciting and scary it was to go to school the first day. I really liked your idea of the students coming to the classroom early to get supplies and a tour. This would really help you to form a connection with the child and the parents and to make this transition smooth. After reading this I understand the importance of the teachers being on the same page with transition and that is something I will make practice of when I am teaching.
This was another very interesting chapter. I had not really given much thought to the value of a planned transition to the next grade. Of course there is considerable value in it, but this class has once again focused my attention in a new direction! While this book obviously is focused on the transition from kindergarten, I can see how this type of plan would really be beneficial for each grade. In fact, I have a 5th grader who is transitioning to the middle school and they have a great “orientation” program for them. I liked all the examples the text provided for K-1 transitions on pg. 156-7. These were definitely worth book-marking for future reference. I liked that the chapter also touched on the difficulty of transitioning from pre-k or preschool to Kindergarten. I run a preschool/pre-k/childcare center and it is all but impossible to help with the transition in any other way than doing our best to prepare them for the expectations of kindergarten – which in itself is challenging with the wide variance of teaching styles and personalities. Since we are convenient to most of our families’ places of employment, it makes it doubly hard to track down all the different schools in Wichita in which they will end up attending. However, I think it is time to reach out and contact a few to make sure our programming is on the right track and perhaps go for some observations. I hope that I can find a school to work at that meets my expectations or will at least allow me the freedom to implement the developmentally appropriate strategies that have been reaffirmed or taught in this class. I read the statistics and it just scares me. I work for a large corporation and it seems that if they can maintain program continuity across a nation, that we should be able to do so in public schools within a district or building! I know that schools are so driven to teach to these tests and assessments that have been set out for them and that it is a monumental task at times to still make sure that we are teaching to the standards in a developmentally appropriate way, but it is critical!
(Tried to post yesterday - but having technical difficulties...:))
In chapter #14 of the K Today text, I found the explanation of both transition models to be really helpful. The skills-only model reduces the transition period to focus on abilities and skills the child displays at a given time. This is the model that is most commonly used, but it is also the most limited. The terms of using this type of transition is characterized by the characteristics of the child like their given readiness skills, chronological age, or maturity level. I can see why this model is used more often and that is because it is easier. However, easier is not always better. I would use this type of transition model as little as possible and hopefully not at all when transitioning my students from kindergarten to 1st grade.
ReplyDeleteThe other transition model is the developmental/ecological model. It acknowledges that children’s social and academic skills are remarkably unstable during the early school years. Meaning, it takes into consideration that the stability of relationships in the child’s home, school, and community greatly impact the child as he/she moves from kindergarten to first grade. I really like this approach to transitioning because it takes the individual child into account and allows for more family-school interaction than the skills-only model. I think that the parents’ involvement and view toward the school experience impacts their young children even more than we realize, so anytime they feel included and involved and work collaboratively with the school, the better experience that child is going to have. When they have a good experience in kindergarten and their teacher takes the necessary steps to introduce them to their 1st grade classroom and teacher and help them establish some of the routines that they will encounter in 1st grade, their good experience will hopefully pick up right where it left off in kindergarten and the transition is complete and easy. This will be the type of transition model that I use in my classroom.
I also found the statement that says, “Active collaboration among the key players in the transition process…is fundamental in ensuring a successful transition for kindergartners,” to be very important. The statement is basically self-explanatory. All the people that will be involved in the transition process (the child, kindergarten teacher, 1st grade teacher, and parents) need to work together in order to make sure that the transition of the child from kindergarten to 1st grade is as easy as it can be. I will work very hard to make sure that the 1st grade teachers and I work closely in helping my students go from one classroom to the other and that the parents of the child are very informed about what is going to be happening, how the expectations of them and their child will change, and provide them with the opportunity to meet the future teacher of their child and visit the classroom, etc. Making the effort to do the little things such as these are likely the ones that will make the most difference as to whether a child transitions easily from one grade to the other and they are steps that all kindergarten teachers should be willing to take for their students.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI also work with Pre K age children and it is really difficult for us to help them transition just to kindergarten because we are not affiliated directly with any of the elementary schools. There are too many children that attend for any of us to be able to take a trip with the child to see their new school, but the district here does Kindergarten Round-up and from what I have heard, it is done very well and is very effective with helping students transition to Kindergarten. For the most part, all of our children transition very easily into the Kindergarten setting, however, we did have one student this year that actually came back to preschool from Kindergarten halfway through the year because she was having such a difficult time. Academically, she was very ready, but her maturity level regressed severely when she went to Kindergarten. She was escaping from the school to run away and was very rarely present for a full school week because her parents would have to stay home with her because she would scream and cry hysterically before school every day. She is doing much better now and we believe (and hope) that she will transition very easily this coming fall.
Sorry! This was a reply to the comment above!
DeletePage 152 talks about the typical transition from kindergarten to first grade. First grade teachers feel that most transitions and contact with the new classrooms is too little, too late, and too impersonal. This causes families to feel disconnected and the child is unfamiliar with the classroom when they begin the school year. It is important for families and the student to feel welcome into their new classroom environment so the transition goes smoothly. I will make sure to prepare students as well as parents and give them any resources and information available about supporting the child’s transition.
ReplyDeletePage 152 also discusses two approaches to K-1 transition. The skills-only approach focuses more on the child’s skills rather than spending time on a transition from kindergarten to first grade. I feel as thought I wouldn’t use this approach in my classroom because a transition from one to the other is a large part of the school year. A child needs to feel comfortable in their environment to learn and throwing them into something new isn’t going to help them feel comfortable. I would definitely use the developmental/ecological model in my classroom because it recognizes the child’s relationships between the school family and community and uses them to help transition the child into first grade.
I also liked the chart of K-1 transition practices on page 156 and 157. It gave great examples of different activities you can do with the child and their family and also when to do them. It also split the activities into family-school connections, child-school, peer, and classroom-classroom connections. I would definitely use this chart in my classroom to help prepare my students and families to move from kindergarten to first grade.
I agree Jessica. I feel that the skills only model wouldn't work on the majority of children in a classroom. Especially those on an IEP or with any type of disability. I feel that it is important to involve the child, as well as the parents and their peers in their big move to first grade. This is an important process and should be given more attention. Good post!
ReplyDeleteLeah,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that a teacher should use the developmental/ecological model when it comes to K-1 transitions. I want my students to feel comfortable in the classroom. They can't learn the skills they need to without being comfortable with their environment. I want the child's relationship between the school family and the community to grow.
Erin Flax
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was a good eye opener to the need of attention being brought to the transition between kindergarten and 1st grade. I had never thought of that being a potential problem if not addressed. I worked with preschoolers and we put a lot of emphases on the transition to kindergarten. The first paragraph in this chapter discusses how important this transition is to students and their future success. I will definitely put careful thought and consideration into this transition if I teach kindergarten. Page 152 states that there is a lack of information sharing and relationships between all parties. In preschools there is more interactions with parents and students but in kindergarten children are so busy learning, teachers are so busy teaching, and parents are so busy with life, that the interactions slow down and there many times are less relationships formed. If students have an abrupt stop of these vital interactions and relationships it will make transitions harder. With my Head Start background and my getting a child through preschool, kindergarten, and first grade, I can see how important it is. I was less involved as a parent in kindergarten than preschool and then way less in first grade and beyond. My son did not like first grade. He wasn’t fond of his teacher and felt she didn’t like anyone. Having more interactions with the teacher and if the teacher formed a relationship with my son, would have helped his transition.
There were some great ideas of ways to help this transition time. One way I hadn’t heard or thought of was on page 155. It was an example from a classroom where the kindergarten teacher wanted to help form relationships between his students and the kindergarteners from the other classrooms. There can be many kindergarten classrooms and you may never get to know the other children in your grade if they are not in your class. But then in first grade you will be mixed with them and may lose your friends to another class. This teacher worked on forming relationships between classes. He created “reading buddies.” I will definitely try to use this in my classroom as well.
Erin, I too liked the idea of the teacher having his students meet the other students in the other classrooms. In smaller schools we don't really think about this, but in bigger schools this becomes a bigger deal. It is important for the children to know that their class won't be the only one transitioning and going through this change. The idea of reading buddies is great! This will give the kids a chance to make other friends as well as interacting with students that may be in their future class.
DeleteYou are so right Jessica. I agree that the developmental/ecological model is the best. I don't care what grade a student is in, we should first and foremost focus on our role of teaching our students to well adjusted, competent, productive people in our society. To just say I am only concerned with teaching someone math is less than I feel we should give. This is especially true for preschool, kindergarten and first grade.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14 discussed the transition from kindergarten to first grade. On page 151, a very important statement is made about students having the opportunity to develop a relationship with the first grade teacher during the kindergarten year as well as being able to enter the first grade classroom surrounded by familiar peers. This is something that I found to be very important and would want to make sure that my students have a good experience when it comes time to transition. This is a big step for students, especially since kindergarten is not required by Kansas schools. I feel that students need to know their peers and their next years teacher to feel comfortable enough to learn. The second part of the text that was important to me was the two different approaches to the Kindergarten-First grade transition. The skills only model is something I would not use because it focuses mainly on the abilities of a child at that point in time. The developmental/ecological model is about the child and his or her family, school, peer, and community factors. This is a model that would be used in my classroom because what a child knows changes every day because they are so young. The next part of this chapter that I found to be helpful are the charts about examples of K-1 transition practices. The most important of these for me are the family-school connections because a parent is the biggest influence on a child and their education. I would try my best to make sure that parents and families are involved in their child's education. The last part of the text that stood out to me are the factors that influence a child's K-1 transition. There are so many different things that can influence how a child will transition including the class size, teacher credentials, quality of instruction, and length of the school day. I want to make the transition for my students as easy as possible. I want them to feel confident and comfortable as they move onto first grade.
ReplyDeleteSome children's transition from Kindergarten to first grade doesn't always go so smoothly. This is a critical transition time to make the children feel as comfortable and confident as possible because it can determine their school experience for many years to come. A way that the book mentions is to have the first grade teacher stop in the kindergarten classroom sometimes just so the children begin to know who the teacher is and feel comfortable. Such a simple thing can make a big difference. At the kindergarten age children don't always trust many people, so this is an important time for them to learn that they can trust another teacher rather than just the one they have at the time. Something else that influences a transition is the variation in instructional quality and practices. the children will do different things in different way from the kindergarten classroom to the first grade classroom. It will be important to point out to your students that "this is the way we do this in the kindergarten classroom, but when you go to first grade this is how they do it." If you say that enough they will understand that there are other ways to do certain things, and when the rules change it will be an "okay" change. The last thing that stuck out to me was on page 156. I like the idea of all the transition practices. One important one I saw was to encourage family participation. Many parents don't realize this, but teachers spend majority of the time with their own children during the school year. Therefore, I feel that it is very important for parents to be involved and interested in what their child is working on at school. I believe that this would help the child transition and stay motivated for any school grade.
ReplyDeleteI can use all of these ideas by remembering to stay involved in the other classroom grades and not only my own. It is important for the children to trust me if they are coming up to my classroom in the years to come. Another thing I can use as a teacher is to do different activities or invite the parents to spend a day or even an hour in the classroom with their child. I believe that this would be a good way for the child to stay motivated and positive and it also gives them a chance to physically show their mom or dad what they are learning at school.
Tamra, I also think it is a good idea to get connected with the other grade teachers and stay up to date on where your students are going. I also think it is smart to know the students that are going to be in your class. Transitions are not always easy for the child but the more they can feel safe with the teacher the better the out come.
DeleteI didn't realize there were so many different ways to make the transition from kindergarten to grade 1 easier. I have worked in a lot of schools, and while I have experienced kindergarten round-up I can say that I haven't ever really seen teachers working together to make the transition easier. So, I suppose what I've seen is the skills-only model. If I become a kindergarten teacher, it is my hope that I would be able to use the developmental/ecological model. Not only does this create a positive transition stage, but it models cooperation as well.
ReplyDeleteOn p. 155 they discussed effective transition strategies in action. Seeing this first-hand strategies is so helpful to teachers and future teachers. Making positive family-school connections, child-school connections, peer connections and classroom-classroom connections are all great ideas. The chart on p. 158 is extremely helpful.
And lastly, the two page spread on K-1 transition practices was helpful and interesting. It touched on all of the important transition pieces, but also included when they should be introduced, how to make them and what the activities would be for each. I really think this is something that could be utilized more than once.
I feel like the skills only approach happens a lot in schools. The relationships teachers have together outside of the classroom could affect the transition process. If the teachers don't see eye to eye on how to do things, unfortunately it will affect the students.
DeleteI didn't realize there were names either! But I agree, using the developmental/ecological model is the best idea. It just has to work with everyone else involved - including first grade teachers. I think that the different transition practices are important to incorporate. It's good to have ideas on how to approach these situations in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is so important, because even after a student leaves our classroom, we still care about them! When they are transitioning into first grade it shouldn't be only about the skills they possess. We need to keep in mind how they are feeling emotionally. I get anxiety about a lot of things, especially the unknown. Going into a big classroom, not knowing anyone or anything about it, only makes it worse. I'm sure children are the same. They need to get to know their teacher, classroom, routine, etc. to feel less anxious about moving. I liked that the chapter mentioned bringing families into the transition. Having the parents know whats going on could be a big comfort for them and their child. Also, getting to know the students who are going to be in their classroom is going to make the move easier. They'll be able to walk into the room already comfortable, and perhaps even having a friend.
ReplyDeleteKristin -
DeleteYou made a good point. I think like what Mrs. Stoppel was saying about how 1st grade teachers need to pop in every once in awhile and just say hi so that the kindergarteners have at least been exposed to their future teachers. I remember when I was a kid, I used to look forward to being in certain teachers classes. It was sometimes disappointing when I did not get the teacher I had hoped for and ended up with a teacher that I had never really been exposed to. It was just scary not knowing what to expect.
The examples of K-1 transition practices on page 156 were extremely helpful. I like how it broke it down into family-school connections, child-school connections, peer connections, and classroom-classroom connections. Also, I found it interesting that “almost half (48%) of parents surveyed in the 2000 US Census reported that their 3 and 4 year olds were not “in school” – that kindergarten is..” When I asked my own parents why they didn’t send me to preschool and only kindergarten, they simply stated that “you already know how to count to at least 20 and knew your ABCs – so we didn’t want to waste time”. Little did my parents know, that social and emotional part could have really benefitted me early one and maybe I would not have been as shy as I was growing up. But, like my parents, I have heard lots of people say stuff like that. I think it is important for parents to know that preschool and kindergarten are not just the cognitive parts, but the social and emotional skills are just as if not even more important. That is one thing I will be sure to relay to parents during any transitions – the importance of social and emotional.
ReplyDeleteI feel that it is also very important to help families understand that going to school is more than just to help their child learn to read and do math, that this is a time to help them grow socially and emotionally. I agree that the transiton practices on 156 and 157 are going to be extremely helpful in getting to know parents and informing them as well.
DeleteChapter 14 discusses the transition from kindergarten to first grade and how to be successful with that transition. There are two models of transition, the skills only approach and the developmental/ecological model. The skills only approach is basically what its name is, it focuses only on the skills and abilities of a student at a given time, whereas the developmental/ecological approach factors in on this web of the child, family, school, peers, and community that are all interconnected and interdependent upon one another. The developmental ecological approach is the most beneficial approach for the student but unfortunately it is the skills only approach that is most often used.
ReplyDeleteThere are several factors that can influence a child’s transition from kindergarten to first grade. There are structural factors like the size of the class, the teacher’s credentials, and how long the school day is. Other factors that influence the child’s transition is the quality of instruction and practice.
On page 156 and 157 there are examples of kindergarten to first grade transition practices for family-school, school-child, peer, and classroom –classroom connections that are wonderful and that will be very helpful to me when I have my own classroom. Some of these practices are ones that I have seen throughout the different schools I have visited. I have been able to see some of these practices begin used and have seen how helpful it truly is to those students in their transition from one grade to another. I have also witnessed the skills only approach and have seen how it had made for a very rough transition for many students. I really hope that more teachers, schools, districts putting forth more of an effort to using the developmental /ecological approach because it is a win –win situation for all involved in the process.
Shanna, it is very unfortunate that the skills model is the one that is used the most. If they just go by how much a child will do on a specific day, the results are not going to be accurate at all. Some children know how to do everything that they are asked but may just feel uncomfortable or shy on the day that they are asked to demonstrate it.
DeleteI believe that a smooth transition from kindergarten to 1st grade can determine how well the child will adjust to the life of being a all-day student and can affect how well the child performs in the following grades as they continue their education.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main suggestions that I thought would truly benefit the students and the teachers is to make the children familiar with their first grade teacher before school starts in the fall. This is something I wish my school would’ve done when I was in elementary school. I am from a small 1A school and generally we only had one teacher for each grade, with the exception of my class, who had to have a split class with two teachers. The transition from grade to grade was a little difficult for us, as students, because we didn’t know who our teacher was going or what kids were going to be in our class until after enrollment in the fall.
Another section of this chapter that I thought would be very useful for me in the future if I become a kindergarten teacher is the chart on pages 156 and 157 that shows examples of transition practices that can be used to help make the transition from kindergarten to first grade run more smoothly. When the time comes and the transition practices that we have been using don’t seem to be getting any results, we will have this chart to look at for more ideas.
The last section that I thought was interesting and would be very useful to know for the future is the part that explains the difference between the skills only model for transition and the developmental/ecological model for transition. The skills only model only focuses on abilities and skills while the developmental/ecological model focuses more on the child and everyone and everything that is associated with them. This is important to know and establish which ones are the most important for you and which model will benefit the child the most.
I went to a very small elementary school as well where we only had one teacher for each grade. So the transitions were easy as we got to know them throughout the year at assemblies and during recess, etc. However, the transition to jr. high was very difficult as it was fed by many elementary schools and we moved to having 6 different teachers throughout the day. My "graduating" 8th grade class had almost 300 students and that fed an even larger high school. But, I digress - I think that planning transitions is very important and the smoother we can make it pays out in the beginning of each year.
DeleteChapter 14 discuss transitions and ideas on how to make the kindergarten to first grade year a smother transition for the students and the parents. The two types of transitions the book talked about were Skills only and the developmental/ecological model. I really liked the developmental model because it focuses on the child and helps build a community of support. The Skills only model focuses on the skills and ability level of the child.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading about the different transitions I was thinking of the classroom that I work in which is called a transition room. We teach 3 and 4 year old how are developmentally delayed, how to go to school. we get the kids for 9 weeks then we send them to a their neighborhood DD program. after reading this chapter I realized that we are not doing a good job at preparing them for their new school. We focus more on basic skills that they will need not necessarily getting ready for a new class. One thing we are good at is taking the students to a regular ed room for a few hours a day. I do think it would be a good idea to take our students to the new school and walk them through their room and daily routine.
One thing that the book discussed was getting the parents involved in the transition of the kids. when the parents are involved the children will feel better about what is going on.
While reading this chapter we learned about the skills-only model and the developmental ecological model. When we discussed this during our online meting you said that the developmental ecological model should have emotional as part of the description of it. I found that the reading mirrored the opinions you gave, that the developmental ecological model is the most effective. This model looks at the child’s whole life not just the abilities and skills at a given time. I was surprised to see that the skills-only module was the most widely used, since the developmental and ecological model is so much more effective. I guess that not every teacher is educated on the practice of using it or they simply do not have enough time to put into that area. I think that it is so important to have an easy transition from kindergarten to first grade. I can remember in my elementary days how exciting and scary it was to go to school the first day. I really liked your idea of the students coming to the classroom early to get supplies and a tour. This would really help you to form a connection with the child and the parents and to make this transition smooth. After reading this I understand the importance of the teachers being on the same page with transition and that is something I will make practice of when I am teaching.
ReplyDeleteThis was another very interesting chapter. I had not really given much thought to the value of a planned transition to the next grade. Of course there is considerable value in it, but this class has once again focused my attention in a new direction! While this book obviously is focused on the transition from kindergarten, I can see how this type of plan would really be beneficial for each grade. In fact, I have a 5th grader who is transitioning to the middle school and they have a great “orientation” program for them. I liked all the examples the text provided for K-1 transitions on pg. 156-7. These were definitely worth book-marking for future reference. I liked that the chapter also touched on the difficulty of transitioning from pre-k or preschool to Kindergarten. I run a preschool/pre-k/childcare center and it is all but impossible to help with the transition in any other way than doing our best to prepare them for the expectations of kindergarten – which in itself is challenging with the wide variance of teaching styles and personalities. Since we are convenient to most of our families’ places of employment, it makes it doubly hard to track down all the different schools in Wichita in which they will end up attending. However, I think it is time to reach out and contact a few to make sure our programming is on the right track and perhaps go for some observations. I hope that I can find a school to work at that meets my expectations or will at least allow me the freedom to implement the developmentally appropriate strategies that have been reaffirmed or taught in this class. I read the statistics and it just scares me. I work for a large corporation and it seems that if they can maintain program continuity across a nation, that we should be able to do so in public schools within a district or building! I know that schools are so driven to teach to these tests and assessments that have been set out for them and that it is a monumental task at times to still make sure that we are teaching to the standards in a developmentally appropriate way, but it is critical!
ReplyDelete(Tried to post yesterday - but having technical difficulties...:))