Can Anyone Help Me Salvage A Rotation :)

[Guest]

I am having to adopt a rotation system in my Nursery class (this is a non-uk school that wants each year group to be a year ahead of the UK effectively!! Thats why I am posting here). This means 2 focused tasks done by adults and 3 activities on tables that the children need to complete (and are unsupervised). Can anyone give me any advice to help me make the best of this situation....!!

[AnonyMouse_4544]

How many staff? We are a FSU and do 3 adult focus activities a day plus adult directed activities and child initiated activities.

[Guest]

This is not a regular nursery class, as it has 15 kids and me and a TA.

[AnonyMouse_4544]

Sorry I should have asked are the children full time or part time.

 

We have 26 nursery children part time am and pm plus reception children with 2 teachers and 2 nursery nurses.

[Guest]

10 FT & 5 PT mornings only

[AnonyMouse_4544]

The way we work is week one we have a literacy adult led activity each morning and a numeracy adult led activity in the afternoon (week two numeracy am literacy pm so that the pt children get a balance of experience) we also have one other adult led focused activity which continues throughout the day from either CD PD KUW or PSE. There are also a number of adult directed activities which the children are expected to complete independently and activities which will be initiated by the children. Because there are 4 members of staff it is posible to have 3 working at adult led activities and one floating.

As you numbers are relatively small it should be possible to have have 2 focused adult led activities each morning with adult directed activities available through the day. I have worked this way with a single age group in the past quite successfully.

Good Luck

[Guest]

thanks - i think the scary thing is with a rotation everything is teacher inititated or the parameters are set out by the teacher. Wondered if i could still help them effectively show initiative, creativity etc. I mean, there free choice is being cut a lot, there is little or no free choosing time

[AnonyMouse_4544]

Will It be possible to set up some free choice areas as well as the adult initiated areas so as to give a balance between the 2.

[Guest]

I have found out that now the children can choose the 3 activities that are put out as ind. tasks, but they cant take other equipment out. Then we will have a 30 min. slot a day in a indoor play area which has big blocks. big mat style bouncy blocks and role play area etc. but it has even been suggested that the children are limited to 3 areas here as well. The management are basically saying that if you let them have free rein it is too much choice and they will flit between activities and they wont achieve anything considered quality work.

[AnonyMouse_4544]

I guess you know its not an ideal situation given the age of the children and think most people here will sympathise with you, I'm sure many of us have had to adopt practices imposed by our schools that we would wish to change given the freedom. The only advice I can give is to make the activities as much fun as you can in the circumstances and wish you good luck

[Guest]

thanks a lot - that was kind of what i was thinking - to make things as fun as possible. Thanks a lot for your responses Marion.