In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.
- Phil Collins
Teaching and Learning
What I bring to the table
Curious about my teaching philosophy?
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that it is fundamental for an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) to be passionate in their work-field in order to impart meaningful life lessons to families and inspire the big dreams of children. Passion motivates an ECE to give their best in crafting out interesting and creative lesson plans and make learning fun. A passionate ECE strives to engage in quality, sincere, and authentic interactions with children, knowing that every child has the ability to develop to their best potential when they feel respected and loved.
Hover around this space to find out more!
1-Month Practicum Experience
Bright Kids School House @ Punggol 175D
November 2020 - December 2020
As part of the 'Practicum' module in my current course, I was required to complete my 2nd practicum experience at Bright Kids School House @ Punggol 175D over a period of 1 month.
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During this period, I had to curate various lesson plans that covers two or more Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) learning areas following the theme of the term 'Transportation'. Having been assigned to 2 differing age groups, Nursery 1 and Kindergarten 1, I was gifted an even richer learning experience with the support of my host teachers and practicum supervisors. I was exposed to various routine cares that I once did not have an opportunity to venture in such as making of milk, showering, washing them up and engaging in outdoor activities at the park and playgrounds. Though there were many memorable occasions during my practicum experience, I can safely conclude that the three learning points I wish to carry forth with me throughout my Early Years careers involves setting realistic goals, improving on my classroom management skills and building closer partnership with my fellow colleagues. Hover around the starfish below to learn more on my three key takeaways.
A Reflective Chapter
A common struggle I used to face was ensuring my activities could be comprehended and executed by the target age group. Prior to this practicum experience, I relied solely on making my activities as unique and interesting as possible as a metric for how successful I envisioned my activities to be. Hence, once I was attached to BKSH, I came with the same expectation. I realised how crucial it is to set realistic goals as a real classroom situation requires me to acknowledge that children have varying abilities. This experience serves as a reminder for me to ensure that instructions and activity requirements are appropriate for my targeted age group and simple does not mean boring!
Setting Realistic Goals
Simple equals boring?
As compared to my first year’s practicum experience when I was rather soft-spoken, I am proud that I have projected a more assertive tone to children when acknowledging their improper behaviour so as to ensure they distinguish right from wrong. A significant instance was when I assertively addressed a Nursery 1 child’s challenged behaviour of walking around when eating which resulted the food to spill. By doing so, I helped him be more aware of the consequences when he did not sit while eating. The next day, he showed me that he was sitting properly and eating his meal properly. This instance inspires me to push myself further to develop my classroom management skills in future professional practices.
Classroom Management Skills
Despite my reserved nature, I was grateful I reached a personal milestone of building a closer bond with the centre teachers and was grateful they welcomed me with open arms throughout my time there. It dawned upon me how important it is to have a strong pillar of support in this industry. It will definitely challenging hereon to attend to children’s needs as well as ensure that they develop in the six learning areas. However with the presence and reliance on colleagues to walk each other through the challenging moments, it will certainly ease our woes and build us into even stronger educators. I ought to continue building greater partnership with my centre teachers in future professional practices. I aim to continue offering my assistance to my future colleagues and take the initiative to learn from those who are more experienced in this sector in hopes of achieving a more worthwhile and rich experience as an Early Childhood educator.
Building close partnerships with colleagues
Stepping out of my comfort zone
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Double-Click on the images below to explore my practicum journey!
11-Week Practicum Experience
A First Look into the World of Early Childhood
Kinderland Preschool @ Hougang
May 2020 - June 2020
In my first year pursuing the Diploma in Early Childhood Education & Development at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, I was gifted the opportunity to delve into an attachment experience at Kinderland Preschool @ Hougang.
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My main role was to be an observer, where I had to observe the educators' caregiving routines and lesson implementations and interact with the Nursery 2 children, the age-group i was attached to. I also had to choose a focus child and document his developmental milestones as part of an assignment.
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I demonstrated initiative when offering to assist educator mentors in preparing learning resources and caregiving routines like changing and blowdrying children's hair after showering. I was also able to assist a child with special needs where I engaged him in story-reading and playtime.
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