Week eight! Phew!
It has been a very useful course and I must say that I have learned a lot. The literature review was not as hard for me as the Annotated bibliography was. The literature review allowed me to stop and think about all the information and clarification I received from my research. I felt very accomplished and educated on my question “what is the difference of preschool and transitional kindergarten”. The hardest part of the literature review was learning the correct way to format it. The example that was provided helped me a lot.
The only part of the question that I wanted to answer, that I could not find an answer to, was the difference in salary/benefits between a preschool teacher and transitional kindergarten teacher. I tried searching again this week, but had no luck. I think it may vary by district and preschool location which it is hard to find an actual amount. I still would like to know the answer to it though, so I will further my research and may even call the local school district to see if someone there can assist me.
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Friday, June 24, 2016
Sunday, June 19, 2016
It was fun researching this week for the annotated bibliography. I searched for a variety of information pertaining to different aspects of my topic.
The annotated bibliography and the process itself will help tremendously in writing my literature review. Not only did it help me organize my research and sources, but it helped me identify the holes in my research. Once I organized the articles and journals from previous weeks, I realized that I didn’t have any real research on transitional kindergarten curriculum itself. That was the key focus this week and I was able to locate the following:
The Implementation Guide: A Resource for California Public School District Administrators and Teachers states that “Implementing a high-quality TK program requires a deep understanding of standards, as well as extensive knowledge of child development and instructional strategies (Heroman and Copple 2006.”
“The Dramatic Play Area is collaborative in nature and should be well stocked to promote positive peer interaction and cooperative learning experiences. Vocabulary development and conceptual knowledge will be promoted by varying the learning themes in this area. Initially, the following items should be included in the Dramatic Play Area.”
“The Desired Results Development Profile School Readiness (DRDP-SR) was designed for TK and kindergarten teachers to observe student learning and to document progress toward developmentally appropriate academic and social–emotional goals.”
This information was important to my research because it clarified some of the concerns I had regarding transitional kindergarten such as the expectation of knowledgeable staff. With that said though, I am still a little concerned in the validity of the information in the implementation guide. It seems more like a “what we would like” guideline, instead of “what is required”. It was a big relief to read that transitional kindergarten is also supposed to incorporate dramatic play within their curriculum planning and classroom environment.
In addition, I realized that transitional kindergarten teachers use a different assessment tool for their student’s development then what preschool teachers use, which was an important addition to my research.
I feel pretty comfortable with my research, the only think I am going to search for is the difference in salaries for preschool teachers and transitional kindergarten teachers.
The annotated bibliography and the process itself will help tremendously in writing my literature review. Not only did it help me organize my research and sources, but it helped me identify the holes in my research. Once I organized the articles and journals from previous weeks, I realized that I didn’t have any real research on transitional kindergarten curriculum itself. That was the key focus this week and I was able to locate the following:
The Implementation Guide: A Resource for California Public School District Administrators and Teachers states that “Implementing a high-quality TK program requires a deep understanding of standards, as well as extensive knowledge of child development and instructional strategies (Heroman and Copple 2006.”
“The Dramatic Play Area is collaborative in nature and should be well stocked to promote positive peer interaction and cooperative learning experiences. Vocabulary development and conceptual knowledge will be promoted by varying the learning themes in this area. Initially, the following items should be included in the Dramatic Play Area.”
“The Desired Results Development Profile School Readiness (DRDP-SR) was designed for TK and kindergarten teachers to observe student learning and to document progress toward developmentally appropriate academic and social–emotional goals.”
This information was important to my research because it clarified some of the concerns I had regarding transitional kindergarten such as the expectation of knowledgeable staff. With that said though, I am still a little concerned in the validity of the information in the implementation guide. It seems more like a “what we would like” guideline, instead of “what is required”. It was a big relief to read that transitional kindergarten is also supposed to incorporate dramatic play within their curriculum planning and classroom environment.
In addition, I realized that transitional kindergarten teachers use a different assessment tool for their student’s development then what preschool teachers use, which was an important addition to my research.
I feel pretty comfortable with my research, the only think I am going to search for is the difference in salaries for preschool teachers and transitional kindergarten teachers.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Week 6
After reviewing the information this week about academic integrity, I didn't really feel like it affected my thinking as far as my research at all. I have experience writing papers and citing sources, so I knew most of the guidelines. I am new to APA citing however, most of my professors use MLA style, but it was good for me to learn. I was also unaware that you were not allowed to use a paper you have written for one class, and turn it in for another class. I don’t think I would ever do that anyway, but now I know I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I am a little confused to why though, since it is your own work anyway?
I am thrilled to share that this week’s research was quite simple for me (compared to the last few weeks). I only had to switch up my words a few times before I found a great article on the importance of play in preschool.
The article Children’s perspective of Play and Learning for Educational Practice reinforced the concept that play is crucial in a child’s growth and development. While engaged in play children learn cognitively, social/emotionally, and interpersonally. In addition, it has been found that play gives children the chance to be exposed to things they may not normally experience. They are able to experiment through different individual ideas and activities. Play also allows teachers to ask open ended questions while children are engaged in play to enhance their thinking and support connections. In conclusion, play and its importance are taken for granted.
I am an advocate for play. Not only does play assist children in developing cognitively, social/emotionally, and interpersonally as mentioned in the article but it is important in many other areas of development as well. Children learn problem solving skills, strengthen gross and fine motor skills, literacy/communication, math, science, life skills, etc. There are several areas set up around the classroom to support all areas of development. Children have to learn through personal experiences.
I am thrilled to share that this week’s research was quite simple for me (compared to the last few weeks). I only had to switch up my words a few times before I found a great article on the importance of play in preschool.
The article Children’s perspective of Play and Learning for Educational Practice reinforced the concept that play is crucial in a child’s growth and development. While engaged in play children learn cognitively, social/emotionally, and interpersonally. In addition, it has been found that play gives children the chance to be exposed to things they may not normally experience. They are able to experiment through different individual ideas and activities. Play also allows teachers to ask open ended questions while children are engaged in play to enhance their thinking and support connections. In conclusion, play and its importance are taken for granted.
I am an advocate for play. Not only does play assist children in developing cognitively, social/emotionally, and interpersonally as mentioned in the article but it is important in many other areas of development as well. Children learn problem solving skills, strengthen gross and fine motor skills, literacy/communication, math, science, life skills, etc. There are several areas set up around the classroom to support all areas of development. Children have to learn through personal experiences.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Week 5
This week was quite successful I must say! Searching using the theses option gave me 20 results and a lot of useful information that I have been looking for. I searched using the following:
Leatherby libraries
Databases
Education
Theses
Searched - Transitional kindergarten (last 5 years, English)
The article I found, Beliefs of teachers and administrators regarding developmentally appropriate practices within the transitional kindergarten classroom, strengthened the concerns I already had about transitional kindergarten. To sum it all up there are some major gaps between preschool and kindergarten, mostly due to the lack of training, understanding, and being able to provide a developmentally appropriate learning environment. Teachers are confused between school readiness (more of a kindergarten environment with worksheets and academic based activities) and early childhood, pre-k (play based). Administrators are also found to be unsupportive of the play based (developmentally appropriate) approach to transitional kindergarten education, which I feel, is due to their lack of knowledge of the subject. As an advocate for early childhood education, and play, I surely hope this gap closes somewhat quickly.
Leatherby libraries
Databases
Education
Theses
Searched - Transitional kindergarten (last 5 years, English)
The article I found, Beliefs of teachers and administrators regarding developmentally appropriate practices within the transitional kindergarten classroom, strengthened the concerns I already had about transitional kindergarten. To sum it all up there are some major gaps between preschool and kindergarten, mostly due to the lack of training, understanding, and being able to provide a developmentally appropriate learning environment. Teachers are confused between school readiness (more of a kindergarten environment with worksheets and academic based activities) and early childhood, pre-k (play based). Administrators are also found to be unsupportive of the play based (developmentally appropriate) approach to transitional kindergarten education, which I feel, is due to their lack of knowledge of the subject. As an advocate for early childhood education, and play, I surely hope this gap closes somewhat quickly.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Well, another frustrating week finding creditable and useful information about my topic. After searching and researching, I eventually came across an article that had a lot of interesting facts. First and foremost, what stuck with me the most this week is that not all transitional kindergarten teachers have early child development experience, education, or training. This really bothers me. Being a preschool teacher myself, I am fully aware of the different approaches, strategies, environments, and curriculum that are involved in teaching young children. After looking into this further, I found that transitional kindergarten teachers are required to take 24 units of early child development within 5 years. Though this made me feel somewhat better, this still means that there are 5 years of teaching children without the proper education or tools to do so.
In addition, transitional kindergarten is for children who will turn 5 after September 5 but before December. This gives children who are a little younger the chance to develop in all areas before entering kindergarten. Some school districts decided to have combination classes that included transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classes.
I also reviewed the California Teaching Credential website which is where I found the following information:
TK teachers are required to have:
Teaching Credentials
24 units of Early Child Development or an Early Childhood Teacher permit
“Any current credentialed teacher who is or was assigned to teach TK, or a combination class of kindergarten and TK, on or before July 1, 2015, is “grandfathered in” to teach TK without having to meet additional requirements. Any credentialed teacher assigned to teach TK, or a combination class of kindergarten and TK, after July 1, 2015, will have until August 1, 2020, to meet the above-mentioned education requirements.” - CTC
I would like to find out more about the curriculum used in transitional kindergarten as a way of comparing it to the curriculum I use in my class.
As suggested in Research Strategies, I attempted searching using the EBSCO connection. I actually found a lot of interesting articles that I was hoping to read, but when I tried connecting to them and my local library, it would not let me sign in. I am going to call customer service on Monday to see if they can help me login, for future references as they are only open mon-fri).
In addition, transitional kindergarten is for children who will turn 5 after September 5 but before December. This gives children who are a little younger the chance to develop in all areas before entering kindergarten. Some school districts decided to have combination classes that included transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classes.
I also reviewed the California Teaching Credential website which is where I found the following information:
TK teachers are required to have:
Teaching Credentials
24 units of Early Child Development or an Early Childhood Teacher permit
“Any current credentialed teacher who is or was assigned to teach TK, or a combination class of kindergarten and TK, on or before July 1, 2015, is “grandfathered in” to teach TK without having to meet additional requirements. Any credentialed teacher assigned to teach TK, or a combination class of kindergarten and TK, after July 1, 2015, will have until August 1, 2020, to meet the above-mentioned education requirements.” - CTC
I would like to find out more about the curriculum used in transitional kindergarten as a way of comparing it to the curriculum I use in my class.
As suggested in Research Strategies, I attempted searching using the EBSCO connection. I actually found a lot of interesting articles that I was hoping to read, but when I tried connecting to them and my local library, it would not let me sign in. I am going to call customer service on Monday to see if they can help me login, for future references as they are only open mon-fri).
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Again this week, for some reason, I am still having a hard time finding information on my topic. When I used the Leatherby Libraries option, I was unable to find anything I could use. I searched “the difference between preschool and transitional kindergarten” several different ways, using preschool and transitional kindergarten by themselves, and even shortening them, such as kinder. I then searched teacher qualifications for both and found nothing. After reading Research Strategies by William Badke, I took his advice and searched using google books. I was able to scroll through a lot of information until I finally found The Promise of Preschool: From Head Start to Universal Pre-Kindergarten by Elizabeth Rose. I never thought my topic would give me so much trouble.
The book I did find was full of great information. I learned that “pre-kindergarten teachers are required to have a bachelors degree and teaching certification in order to teach pre-kindergarten” (pg. 202). Though transitional teachers are required to have the same qualifications as elementary school teachers, they are not compensated the same, which results in a higher turnover. Transitional teachers who teach through a k-12 school campus are more likely to be paid more than those who teach pre-kindergarten somewhere else.
Other things I found quite interesting were that preschools such as head start find it extremely important to involve parents and families, while pre-kindergarten classrooms (found in a K-8 environment) are less likely to involve families. In addition, play, which is valued in a preschool environment, is viewed as being dispensable in pre-kindergarten or transitional kindergarten.
I look forward to reading more and learning about the many other differences that exist between preschool and transitional kindergarten.
The book I did find was full of great information. I learned that “pre-kindergarten teachers are required to have a bachelors degree and teaching certification in order to teach pre-kindergarten” (pg. 202). Though transitional teachers are required to have the same qualifications as elementary school teachers, they are not compensated the same, which results in a higher turnover. Transitional teachers who teach through a k-12 school campus are more likely to be paid more than those who teach pre-kindergarten somewhere else.
Other things I found quite interesting were that preschools such as head start find it extremely important to involve parents and families, while pre-kindergarten classrooms (found in a K-8 environment) are less likely to involve families. In addition, play, which is valued in a preschool environment, is viewed as being dispensable in pre-kindergarten or transitional kindergarten.
I look forward to reading more and learning about the many other differences that exist between preschool and transitional kindergarten.
Monday, May 16, 2016
My research question is what is the difference between preschool and transitional kindergarten?
During this week’s research assignment I decided to do one of the searches on Transitional Kindergarten and one on Preschool. I wanted to read more in depth about each, in order to understand the similarities and differences. I discovered that transitional kindergarten was never really created to take the place of preschool (which is what I originally thought). It was created to foster the needs for children who are not quite old enough for kindergarten but may be socially, emotionally, and/or cognitively ready. Transitional kindergarten provides children with a developmentally appropriate environment to assist them in reaching an even higher development, prior to entering kindergarten “ due to the increased academic pressures in kindergarten” (Curwood, Jen).
When reading the e-book Preschool Adequacy and Efficiency in California, I became aware of the many holes existing in the preschool system prior to transitional kindergarten. Some children were denied pre-k education based on their income, even if they needed it. “The pattern of gaps in achievement manifested in the early elementary grades is also evident in gaps in school-readiness measures when children first enter kindergarten” (pg. 123). This information was eye opening and gave me a better understanding as to why transitional kindergarten is important.
I am excited to learn more about the difference and similarities of preschool and kindergarten. Next week, I would like to research the curriculums found in both programs.
Links to this week’s research:
https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzMwNDkxOV9fQU41?sid=a670b316-8bdf-4bc8-8f95-776dc644f83d@sessionmgr105&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/rise-transitional-kindergarten
During this week’s research assignment I decided to do one of the searches on Transitional Kindergarten and one on Preschool. I wanted to read more in depth about each, in order to understand the similarities and differences. I discovered that transitional kindergarten was never really created to take the place of preschool (which is what I originally thought). It was created to foster the needs for children who are not quite old enough for kindergarten but may be socially, emotionally, and/or cognitively ready. Transitional kindergarten provides children with a developmentally appropriate environment to assist them in reaching an even higher development, prior to entering kindergarten “ due to the increased academic pressures in kindergarten” (Curwood, Jen).
When reading the e-book Preschool Adequacy and Efficiency in California, I became aware of the many holes existing in the preschool system prior to transitional kindergarten. Some children were denied pre-k education based on their income, even if they needed it. “The pattern of gaps in achievement manifested in the early elementary grades is also evident in gaps in school-readiness measures when children first enter kindergarten” (pg. 123). This information was eye opening and gave me a better understanding as to why transitional kindergarten is important.
I am excited to learn more about the difference and similarities of preschool and kindergarten. Next week, I would like to research the curriculums found in both programs.
Links to this week’s research:
https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzMwNDkxOV9fQU41?sid=a670b316-8bdf-4bc8-8f95-776dc644f83d@sessionmgr105&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/rise-transitional-kindergarten
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