In Need Of Help Need To Revamp Organisation.

[Guest]

hi at the moment we are struggling with our organisation and the children are too to be honest.

ill try and explain what we do then il ask the questions i think that might be best.

 

we have:

registration

session 1: i do an input then have 2 focused groups ( me with one and ta with another), the rest of the children are choosing from some actvitites that i have set up and actvities that they wish to set up and do.

 

we have snack and break time

 

session 2: this is much the same as above, short whole class input then 2 focused groups, rest independent.

 

lunch

 

then we have plan do review

this is the part we are struggling with, the children go wild and cant handle it and they mix with the class next door and they all charge about screamming, no real quality play.

 

 

so my questions are

 

1. do we need to do plan do review as they have lots of acess to child itniated activites through out the day.

2. should i keep plan do review in the afternoons and only allow more focused and adult intiated play int he morning sessions (seens a little structured?)

3. can anyone provide me with a timetable and run down of how they organise each day.

 

my concern is that plan do review is a nightmare for us all and is it needed or do i need a better organisation.

i also need to take into account the class next door as plan do review is the only time we meet and mix.

also how will i orgainse the outdoor play if i have 2 focused groups each session.

 

HELP IM GOING MAD WITH ALL THIS I WISH THERE WAS A MAUAL ON HOW TO GET THE FOUNDATION SATGE RIGHT!

 

thanks everyone

[Guest]

Hi Clare

My typical day looks like this

Morning short input then activities child initiated, 1 teacher focus, 1 adult initiated

Break for snack and milk

After break: I have my plan,do,review session. The children need to tell me or TA what they would like to do during this time, with a short feedback session at end and teacher observations during.

After lunch short input then activities only 1 being teacher focus. Others choosing from a range of activities.

I know what you mean about having a manual.... it would help!!

 

Ruth

[AnonyMouse_79]

Hi Clare, does sound as if you need to rethink what you do exactly, if only because you seem unhappy but I think you need to decide this with your parallel class teacher if you are both working together at this time. What is your role in this?

 

Could you limit your activities and increase the range as the children become more focused? Plan, do , review is not a requisite of a FS classroom but more a way of working (High Scope) and maybe it is not appropriate to you?

[Guest]

Hi Clare...

 

just an idea, but maybe taking two of the focused activiites out of the morning, and put one into the afternoon... as you say that both you and your TA are working with groups... which would leave no-one free to be child-directed. We started doing this when we had similar problems last year (mainly due to lots of behaviour issues within the cohort).

 

We always made sure that there was atleast one adult planned in to be floating, to be directed by the children and focus children in on an activity that become a bit riotous. I think that having someone free, to extend the children's learning through their play is as important as anything else.

 

We always made the children aware at the start of the sessions too, we'd tell them who'd be 'floating' so that if they needed any help with anything then they must find that adult. This also had the added benefit that the adult actually working with the focused group didn't keep getting interupted, as the children knew to find the adult that was floating. And to reiterate what Susan said, have less activities, and give the children more time to direct the adults.

 

hope I made sense

 

Porl

Edited January 13, 2007 by Guest

[Guest]

thanks everone some really great ideas i will sit and discuss these with my ta and see how she feels too.

 

thanks again

[AnonyMouse_1027]

good luck