Reflection based on class observation and Parents information

Reflection based on Term 1 Observation.

Based on my term 1 observation, my learners can only cognitively
engage for about 3-5 minutes with the support of teacher aides
and the use of their preferred items. My learners tend to be distracted,
show no interests and do not engage when activities are longer
than 5 minutes. When they begin to show no signs of interest I still try
to continue teaching. However, they soon become disengaged.

What’s next? 

When this pandemic is over and my learners return back to school. I will use the information collected from their parents (questionnaires-about child’s interest, strengths and favourite toys) to create some fun and interactive activities based on the data collected. For the first few weeks of coming back from lockdown, both staff and learners will rebuild our relationship again by participating in some play and fun activities. I will observe this closely and set a timer to see how long my learners can engage in these fun and interactive activities.
Parents Responses to the questionnaire.

Being able to visualise the child at their homes was very encouraging.
Reading through the parents' responses was interesting and impressive.
Information that I gathered from the parents is critical for my knowledge
just as I thought I knew my learners well enough, receiving my survey
responses gave me a new perspective more homely based on my
learners' interests. This has widened a window of amazing things and
activities my students do with their parents. The survey responses from the
parents also showcased the approaches they take during a meltdown as
well as how long their attention lasts with certain activities. Through these
questionnaires, I gained more than knowledge about my students, I also
built a stronger relationship with their parents. Strengthening our
relationship with my students’ parents made me aware of the type of
support the child and family need from me. The most important thing
after collecting this data is what change I need to do to make learning
more fun and engaging, for my learners to be able to increase
engagement in their learning.

My learners ' attention span at home? 

From the survey that was sent home, I was able to see that my
learners' attention varies from different activities. Interestingly,
there are some activities that they can attend to for 20 minutes and
some students can engage up to 2 hours. 

How long can students engage?

The average attention span for a two-year-old is 3-6 minutes.
For three and four-year-olds, it’s around 8-10 minutes (Zeiger, 2004)

References

Zeiger, S. (2004). How to engage young learners.
Retrieved from https://www.helpteaching.com/blog/
how-to-engage-young-learners-toddler-and-preschool.html