LLEG CO

Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University

OF EDU

TI O CA N

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Bacolor, Pampanga

EPISODE 2: LEARNERS CHARACTERISTICS AND NEEDS

Name of FS Student: Ethel Joi M. Mendoza Course: BEED- Pre-school Year and Section: 2nd Year C Name of FS Instructor: Mr. Manolito Crisostomo ACTIVITY 1: Getting to- Know You

PRE SCHOOL I belong to the preschool major of BEED 2-C and we are assigned to observe a class of preschoolers in the Bacolor Elementary School. The preschool level has two sections and we, the preschool major were divided into four persons to observe a class. After we had the permission from the principal of the school, the next day we already conducted the observation in the class. It was 8:30 am when I entered the room and the children and teacher is having a discussion about the instruction of a task in a workbook. So I had the best time to observe the behaviors and characters of children. As I observe the way they response to their teacher, their speech development advances rapidly in a way of oftentimes. I noticed that they speak the common words clearly and correctly. Probably these children experience socialization in their homes and community. Children can learn through punishment and praise. I observed that children got praise like the stars they can get from their teacher when they do good. In terms of punishment, children may learn by experiencing a punishment which is suitable for them. Like for example the time out where in the child is taken away from the group for a short time or until the teacher can identify or the child itself that he is ready to join the group and will cooperate. I noticed that this happens in the class sometimes and praising happens oftentimes which is in a right way. I did not observe a frequent temper tantrum in the class so I may say it never happens. Preschoolers are still kids and there are times that they may not understand a wrong doing and they may perform temper tantrum and as a teacher we must be ready for it and we try our best to explain to the kids the wrong doings. Preschoolers are still in the age of having their interest to know his environment, hot it works, it feels and how can they be part of it. As the children are listening to their teacher they are trying to browse their workbooks and trying to answer the activity even though the teacher did not say yet to answer them. So I saw there that children are eager

to the activity and they understand what the teacher has said because followed the oftentimes. They showed that they can use their minds to do a task without intervention. Since the children are doing a workbook activity I was not able to observe them during their play but I noticed their creativity during their recess time. Their snacks, biscuit and drinks, they use those things to make their snack time enjoyable. Like the child with small cookies, what he did is , he put the cookies together and then he counts them and he said that he has a long cookies but since it is long, it did not exactly fit to his mouth so he needs to eat the half first then the other. This situation can occur in a setting oftentimes. Being adventuresome comes naturally from the children so I notice this sometimes, because the teacher needs to explain to her pupils that because of moving a lot they might hit something materials in the room and it might broke or they may hit someone and get hurt. Although this characteristic of children is significant to learn easily and quickly but since the teacher is limiting the freedom to adventure for the prevention of unpleasant consequence, they might be a result of having a gap in learning quickly. So in other words, children may sometimes learn quickly and easily. I noticed this desire of children for independence, it happens oftentimes because they think that they can do things for their self. About their curiosity, when I entered the room with my classmate and you cannot prevent that the children will look at us. So after few minutes, during their recess time some pupils started to talk to us and asked questions. We are new on their classroom setting that is why they are curious about us. In some children the increasing vocabulary happens in rapid motion as the new word is introduce to them, but sometimes it takes time to the child to grasp the meaning, spelling and proper pronunciation of the new word. As I observe too the teacher said the instruction of the activity in the workbook twice and then once after few minutes. So that means, oftentimes children will benefit from the repetition of a certain task in order to fully acquire the knowledge. So as we will talk about the lessons, like being interested in religion, human body and in clothes, the children may show interest sometimes and when a new interest will exist, they might never have the interest in human body, so what the teacher do is follow where the child is interested.

MY DOCUMENTATION

This is a new building of Bacolor Elementary School and the picture is taken from the front of the preschool rooms.

This is the air of teaching and learning process. The teacher is explaining the instruction of the activity work.

Another teaching learning situation is shown in the photo. The children are taught by their teacher in their table.

The children are doing their writing activity. I have noticed the children that they easily grasped simple instruction.

MY ANALYSIS Teachers can sustain the interest of the learners by giving them a full support to develop their good characters as well as correct the bad ones. Since the teacher can communicate to her learners because the learners can already express their feelings by simply using the language, there is a way to maintain and keep catching the interest of the children. When children are always involve in socialization they can also acquire more vocabularies which is a benefit for the teacher because she may not face a problem of explaining some uncommon words but still the attention of the learner to learn is there. They understand when their teacher is reminding the rules when it comes to praise and punishment. In that way children are well motivated by applying these praise and punishment in a right way. When the teacher is teaching a lesson, it will be good for her when her learners are not complaining of repeating the activity instead they enjoy doing it for many times until they acquire the concept of that lesson. The learners will be more interested in the new activity because they may think that there is a new adventure. An adventuresome learner will not likely benefit the teacher because she needs to keep watch on that particular learner because of his behavior, the child my not cause anything good but being adventuresome is good and just explain to the child the limitation. When the learner can easily and quickly learn, the teacher can think more accelerated lesson where in the learners can be challenge and keep their interest in the lesson. In addition, the curiosity of the learner can help the teacher to develop the mental aspect of the learners. The growing desire of the learners for independence could help because learners are encouraged to explore on their own. The teacher only needs to provide the materials needed and let the child explore and discover new things. When the learner comes to school that means she or he is ready and the interest to learn is present. There are some characteristics which are acquired at home and some may be good and other may be bad. So the teacher role there is to enhance the characteristics of the learner which is needed to develop a good personality and she can also correct the characteristics which are bad for molding the learners into a good one.

RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF THE LEARNERS

PRE SCHOOL LEVEL When the time laps of my observation started I have observed that most of the learners are listening well to their teacher. The teacher is discussing the instruction of the activity in their workbook. The characteristics of being a good listener and follower are a significant one. As a suggestion the teacher must always think of different ways in catching attention like the interesting materials, she can also sing a song which is connected to the concept she is teaching so that the children can make a spontaneous attention to her. I observed that the children are being encouraged to involve their self in the activity and or do well inside the classroom because of the praise they get. Like the teacher in the room that I have observed, she is giving stars for those who did well in the class. On the part of the teacher, I may suggest that praising is not good when it is used in wrong way therefore she needs to be careful when applying it to her strategy. There is a predisposition that a child may feel bored with the activities like workbooks. Children are naturally playful so as the teacher we need to consider that when we are thinking or planning our lesson. The teacher may think of games that will introduce the lesson. In this way, the children will enjoy as well as will acquire the set objectives of the lesson in an easy and quick way. Instead of some activities are done in book only, the teacher can think of a hands on activity that is related to the lesson that suppose to be teach in writing only. Children learn by doing. The children are very much interested in the new things they can see. Like some kids who approached me when they saw that I am holding a camera. They asked me if what is it and I answered them that it is a digital camera. It is good when children are curious but as a teacher we must answer their questions in a right way meaning to say the true the answer because this might be confusion for them in the future. Another suggestion is be a model to your learners, since they are in the age of imitating an action shown by their teacher or parents and family.

MY PERSONAL REFLECTION

Its very rare that you will still remember the times when you are in Grade One and you are now in college but on my case that does not happen. When my mother enrolled me in the grade one, I felt nervous because I never been in school before. I never experience being in a preschool classroom. That time you can enroll in grade one even you did not attend the preschool level. My teacher on my grade one had influenced me most. She is Madam Martha Calma. I still remember that we had an activity. It is a drawing of a duck where in you have to put some crack egg shell on the drawing. I had a bad time during that I felt so mad at myself because my classmates can do it and I am not able to do it. The glue keeps on sticking on my finger and not on the paper. I really messed up that time. So the duration time came and we need to pass it but my mine is not yet done, so what I did is I cried. All the pupils who are done can go home because that is almost afternoon. Then my classmates told to my teacher that I am crying so what she did is , she made myself calm, she said that its ok. My teacher is just two houses away from our home so usually I and my brother go home with her and his husband who has a jeep. So she told me that I do not need to put a lot of glue on my finger. I stayed at their home with my brother and there she guided me on how to do the activity well. That experience of mine is really unforgettable because I felt that I turned to mature person. I have learned that it is not about giving up but rather keep on doing it and practicing it until you reach the finish. I have also learned, crying cannot help. I learned that to survive life, we must be patient and be industrious. Somehow the story I have told is quite similar from what I observed and the teacher and pupil are still the characters. From what I have observed the teacher explained the instruction of the activity in front of the board. While the children are doing the activity, she walks around and she is looking at each childs work and she guides those who are not able to do it. But of course since we are there, we also help the teacher to guide the pupils and we knew that there is one pupil who is not yet able to write her name. When a person taught you a lot of things, it is possible that you cannot forget that person. The positive reasons why I cannot forget my teacher in grade one is, first she taught me the basic skills like writing, reading and counting which has helped me to become who I am now. I may not make it to include myself in top three in the class but I am still happy of what I am now. Second, she taught me not to just simply give up, because when you give up, that means you end up with doing nothing, that means you became nonsense

person. Third, she showed me that hardworking is very much needed in order to learn all the significant things on Earth. And lastly, she became a second mother on me and also to my brother. She was also the one who taught my brother, that is why my brother is successful now and he achieved a lot of awards during his school years. In terms of negative, I have nothing to say about it. I will not tell that she is a perfect teacher but I can only tell that she is a teacher with positive effect on every learner she handled. Actually there is also one teacher during my college years on my previous course that I will never forget. She is also teaching here in DHVTSU IN BSIT. She is Maam Cat Galang. She also encourages me and influenced me to be a teacher. When she gives a quiz, those are very challenging and the way she asked questions when you report in front of the class. It was because of her why I like challenges. The reasons mentioned above affects me a lot as learner. When you have acquired the basic knowledge, tell yourself to make it grow and find the difficultness of it. Whenever I encounter hard time on my studying, I do not simply give up. I am trying to do my best cope with it. The most important ingredient of success that my teacher had taught me is the hardworking. When you do not study your lesson or you do not read your books, the will drag you to failing grades. When you are lazy to do your responsibility that will lead you to failure. In addition, no matter how hard the challenge face it with easiness and confidence, do it first before you tell its hard.