K2 Windy
Teaching Technique: Grouping
Grouping, as teaching technique, involves taking decisions about when and how to organise and bring children together to assist their learning.
Groups may be informal or formal. They may be curriculum-based, age-based or project-based. They may be temporary or fixed for a period of time. As most early children staff work with more than one child they have to actively decide how to group children, what to do so and why. If staff know what can be accomplished through different types of grouping, the can proactively match their approach to grouping children with their teaching and learning intent.
(MacNaughton & Williams, 2004).
tying Philosophy with teaching technique
The term constructivism is often used to mean discovery learning (chi, 2009). In Sunshine preschool, we see children as constructive learners. Thus, grouping activities enable children to become active, competent and constructive learners as children learn from discovering on one’s (in which students construct the rules and relationships) and what a student does (constructing or discovering knowledge) (Chi, 2009) through interactive approach where learning happens with peers.
scenario 1
The scenario is showing the teacher conducting a free-play session. The children are allowed to choose which learning corner/s they want to go and play with the materials such as manipulatives (legos) and drawing stationaries. At the learning corners, they are able to practice what they have learnt about shapes. In this scenario, the children have shown how to form shapes using Lego pieces.
Station 1
Station 2
How?
Informal Grouping
Informal groups may form and reform during a specific learning experience or project, and membership of the will be flexible and determined by the children rather than by the staff. Allowing time for children to create and maintain informal groups is important for their learning. (MacNaughton & Williams, 2004).
Analysis
Children get to choose their own group of friends, resources to play with and do what they want. This is an example of informal grouping.
Mix- Age Grouping
Multi-age groupings give children the opportunity to be both a younger and an older in the same classroom; they provide opportunities for cross-age tutoring; and the are developmentally, fostering flexibility and responsiveness to the individual need of the particular students. (Goldstein, 1997, p.40).
Analysis
Wani (K2) demonstrated step-by-step to show Hwee Teen (N1) how to make a rectangle. With the help of Wan, Hwee teen is able to form a rectangle using Lego pieces. This proves that mix-age grouping is effective in learning as the older children can facilitate the younger children.
scenario 2
It is a class meeting conducted with the class after a conflict happened the day before. A child had snatched a toy from a friend and accidentally hurt the friend’s face with a small cut because the friend did not want to give it to him. The teacher decided to conduct a class meeting to emphasize the importance of not hurting someone and sharing.
How?
Objectives
Children are able to:
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be aware that their actions can have both positive and negative effects on self and other
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recognize the need to control impulsive actions and words
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discuss appropriate ways to control impulsive actions and words