Job Discussion Forums

[Blondiepants]

I am a new member of this forum, and just accepted a teaching job in Asia. I will be teaching a class of toddlers (1-2 years old). I have worked with young kids like this before, but not in a class setting. I, and the school, understand that the kids aren't going to be speaking fluent English by the time they are 1.5 years old, but I would love to hear any tips that those of you who have experience in this area may have. I have plenty of ideas of my own, but would love to hear what you all say.

I am mostly concerned about
1) Class structure - how do you structure a class like this?
2) Length of day - I have them for a full school day.

I know how kids this age learn, and understand how to relate to them, but some of the logistics are concerning me. I would appreciate any advice, even if it is something you consider really basic.

[ilaria]

I've taught two-year-olds. It's great. But...

[ls650]

Plan on lots of silly games revolving around animals, colors, counting to 5, etc. Make sure you have access to plenty of resources as mentioned in the previous post.

[J.]

Sorry but I have to ask what are children that young doing in a class for a "full day"? Is it at a day care centre and how many will be in the class? If you are alone and have any more than, say, 5 I think it will be pandemonium, if not downright dangerous. Will you be assisted by another teacher?

Playing games and doing activities is all very well, but with children that young, the major thing will be the emotional element. I would say they shouldn't be separated from their family for that long, but if so, hope you have a lot of training in early childhood education.

Good luck!

[Justin Trullinger]

I agree with the previous poster that this is a long day for toddlers- but it happens. Parents work, parents get pushy for their kids to learn, parents hear that this is the time that language is easiest to aquire...for whatever reason, it happens.

But with such a long day for such little ones, a lot of your structure will depend on fixed elements- such as nap time, and lunch time. Your school should have made provisions for such things.

Also, you'll need to be ready for the "chaos" factor. Kids this age aren't really ready for many organised, whole group activities. (Though some, like sitting in a circle and singing songs, can work for a while)

A room divided with play areas is a great way to go, as another poster mentioned.

Learn as many childrens' songs in English as you can. Also, talk to other teachers in your school, and learn some in the local language. (A serious behaviour modifying tool can be found in song! The students this age I work with are 100% incapable of standing in line in an organised way, unless you sings "El Tren Chiquitita" while they do it!)

And make sure you have adequate support in terms of other staff. (Because you can't leave the group alone while you go help young Weiyi, who has wet his or her pants...)

Kids this age are great fun, but are rarely fully continent, may bite, kick or scream, and are prone to putting things in their own, and other people's, noses, then not knowing how to get them back out.

Be prepared for anything.


Best,
Justin

PS- No magic markers, and no scissors. For whatever reason, at this age, if you give them markers, they forget the paper, and write on themselves and others. And scissors will be applied to un-intended (by you) uses almost immediately. (Most commonly hair, but occasionally they get used as general weapons.)

[Blondiepants]

I will have two assistants, and the enrollment has a maximum of fifteen kids. So that is fine, in my opinion. This class was introduced after a long time of the parents requesting it, surprisingly.

There is a naptime and mealtime included, and I don't (nor have I ever) planned on all of the toddlers sitting calmly in a line watching me read. I have structured the class to allow for a significant amount of 1 on 1 time with each child every day.

I would NEVER in a million years let them near scissors (oh my god!) or markers (they'd eat them). I am experienced enough with this age group to know those things - I more posted for structure ideas and classroom setup ideas.

[Justin Trullinger]

The staff levels and class size sound great!! (I should be so lucky.)

In similar situations, I find song time to be a lot of fun, as long as it doesn't go on too long. And you're very right to set it up so that there's a fair amount of semi-free play time.

I'd sort of plan the day in terms of going from group time (song time, perhaps) to a more individual time (free play in stations, arts and crafts) back to group time (a game? A mime story? occasionally, on Fridays, a short video?) and so on. The trick to remember is that if "whole group" time goes on too long, you'll lose them, and if more individualized time goes on to long, you'll never get them back. So regular movement from one to another is key.

And I'm sorry if you found my previous comments patronizing- your experience level isn't something I know a lot about. And you would be amazed at some of the things I've seen new teachers try with this age. (Or may have innapropriately tried myself, some years ago.)

Marker eating does make a terrible mess, doesn't it? To all who work this age, though- how do you feel about crayon eating? As far as I know, they're non-toxic, and it's bound to happen occasionally...


Best,
Justin

[Blondiepants]

Justin,

I didn't find your comments patronizing, more the person who posted before you. I posted about the scissors because I laughed out loud when I read it - Toddlers with Scissors could be the title of a horror movie!

Thank you for your comments. I am a bit concerned about the 1 year olds. The 2 year olds will be able to be a part of a group setting, but not so much the 1 yr olds. I am crossing my fingers that the majority of the class will be on the older side - otherwise it will just turn into babysitting.

As for crayon eating, most of the toddlers I have worked with stop eating them when they realize that they aren't delicious. A significant amount of the budget will have to be for sanitizer, I'm afraid!

I do appreciate your comments - thank you!

BP

[ilaria]

I agree with Justin - the school you work at will probably have a pre-existing daily routine around which you can slot in activities and playtime with the children.

One other thing - I don't know which country you'll be working in, but many (not all) Asian kindergartens can be very regimented places. In some schools, it's not understood or accepted that it's okay for kids to be sometimes doing different things in different areas of the room. It seems noisy and chaotic to the owners/managers, who are often proud of their school's reputation for 'good behaviour'.

The worst case I've seen was a in a Chinese kindergarten where I once taught a demo class. The kids (three-year-olds) sat quietly for the whole 45 minutes, much longer than is natural for kids that age, with expressionless little faces, most reluctant to sing, jump, leave their chairs or even laugh. Meanwhile, the classroom assistants were pushing the children around, dragging them across the room, and yelling in a way that clearly terrified them into immobility. No salary would have induced me to work there.

Even in places that are genuinely loving and not brutal, the local staff may feel much more comfortable with doing whole-class activities in lock-step all (or most) of the time. They might have different ideas from you about how to manage a group of toddlers, simply because their ideas of 'what good behaviour is' and 'how children learn' are different.

This really is something you need to clarify with the school before starting a teaching position.

[Justin Trullinger]

This may be a big difference between Latin America and Asia.

Far from expecting children to be engaged in the same activities all the time, folks here are shocked that I actually expect (and occasionally get) this any of the time.


I think the problem with crayons is that they really do LOOK delicious- so many yummy colours. And, to those who are somewhat orally fixated, though they don't taste that great, they can be fairly satisfying to chew.
And they make their little teeth look funny!


All the best,

Justin

[J.]

if you found what I said patronizing. It was more intended a a criticism of the idea of having children that young in a classroom all day, and the reality that in Asia many programs are understaffed or staffed with untrained people more as a money-making enterprise or the idea of getting children a leg-up on learning English so their futures will be "successful" rather than any idea of what's good for the children. It seems that your program is supported by parents, though, so that means you can probably depend on them as a resource, which is very good.

I'm not saying it can't work but I think the kids are a bit young. I would think that from 3 or 4 years old would be a better time to start, as the children are a bit more successful being with others at that point. I have taught small classes with children starting from 3, with a few 2 year-olds joining for a short time but not being very happy away from parents. My children are mostly now older since I've been teaching the same group for 6 years.

I always start the younger ones off by inviting a parent or trusted caregiver into the classroom to accompany the child for the first month or two until the child learns to trust me and feel comfortable and then we do a weaning process where the parent stays for a progressively shorter time, until they can leave. With the parents there it is easy for them to help the children to play simple games, at least some of the time. It's not ideal for the longer haul because some parents become over-invested in their child's "performance" and the children can't relax.

I always started with some simple games, and looked to see what was enjoyed and working and built my program around that. So much depends on what the children are capable of and how long they can concentrate on something. A lot of experimenting and reflection is necessary, as I'm sure you know, until you get a routine of some sort worked out. Most of what you are doing with young children seems to be socialization, in this case just in English.

One thing I would suggest is that you find some things that you think will be useful for your program and buy them before you come, maybe asking the school for some money for this, because often things are much more expensive or the selection is not so good here. One of the main things would be books, if you intend to read to them. In Japan they are more than double the price and have to be ordered from Amazon or gotten from a big city bookstore.

Again, good luck.

[Blondiepants]

Thanks,

And I asked my boss about including the parents, and he's willing to try it, but guesses that most parents want to drop their kids off and leave. I would like to have the parents there for other reasons; incorporating the English language into playtime, and not getting confused because I say it's a ball, but mommy says its something else.

Those of you out there that teach the little ones (Justin), is there a curriculum that you use? Is there a certain one that you favor? Or do you sort of construct the program based on your own knowledge?

Best,
BP

[Justin Trullinger]

Hard. There aren't "ready made" programs that I'm aware of for kids this small.

I like Playway. but it's aimed at more developed motor skills, and longer attention spans, than you're likely to have here.

Still, if you can get hold of it, the songs cassette would be nice to have, as would Max. (the puppet. Get a puppet, in any case...)

All the best,
Justin

[Blondiepants]

Thanks, Justin!

I will get a puppet. And look for the playway tapes. There are a few curriculums, but I am wary of them for the reason you just mentioned - for kids this young, how could anyone have a set curriculum?

Thanks for all of your help!