Student: Sarah Viviani Date: September 21, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at the Student Day

Care Center at Towson University. The building is a state of the art facility that includes four classrooms, a lunch room, and a spacious outdoor play area. The time of this observation was 8 a.m. in the Pre-K 4 classroom. Topic: First Impressions Observations: The Student Day Care Center at Towson University is a state of the art preschool facility. When I approached the building, I had to be buzzed in because the door required OneCard access. I checked in at the front desk where I was required to provide my OneCard and enter my information into the sign-in book. Once I was checked in, I proceeded to my assigned classroom. As I walked down the hall, I noticed a large lunch room and two other classrooms on the same hallway. I passed a smaller hallway that featured another classroom. While walking past the windows, I noticed a large play area outside with a play structure and tricycles. Throughout the building, the childrens artwork was placed on the walls to demonstrate the abilities of the children as well as project a joyful atmosphere. The Pre-K 4 classroom, also known as the Blue Room due to its painted blue wall, was a spacious room with a welcoming atmosphere. The bright colors projected a cheerful mood. The teacher decorated her classroom with educational posters and the childrens artwork. The classroom was divided into different sections that served separate purposes. There was a Reading Center, a Block Center, a Home Center, a Science Center, an Art Center, a Computer Center, an area with tables, and a cubby area. The classroom also featured its own bathroom. Each section of the classroom was presented as a learning area. Since it was first thing in the morning, the children had play time. They came in with their parents, signed in by writing their names on designated clipboards, chose their jobs with their parents assistance, and got settled in. Once their parents were gone, they chose the area of the classroom in which they wanted to play. Overall, the environment was very calm and controlled, especially with the help of the head teacher and her two assistants. Commentary: I was very impressed with the facility. I thought that the security measures were excellent and promoted a safe environment for children. The atmosphere was a welcoming one and reflected a happy place for children to grow, develop, and learn. The features of the facility such as the outdoor play area and lunch room really impressed me. The children and staff have a lot of space to utilize. The setting of the classroom also was impressive. If I was a parent, I would be very happy to place my child in this room. Everything was organized, spacious, and clean. It was a wonderful environment because it was a space where the children had room to play, explore, and learn. The setup appeared to be conducive to learning because it presented the children with organized boundaries that did not debilitate their learning process. The stations seemed to keep the children in check because they knew the intended purpose of each area.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: September 22, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at 8 a.m. in the green three-year-olds classroom while the children were arriving to school. This portion of the day allowed for free play time. Although this classroom is slightly smaller than the Pre-K 4 classroom, it is set up in a similar fashion. This room also is decorated in bright colors to project a cheerful atmosphere. It is known as the green classroom due to its wall that is painted green. Topic: Learning Environment Observation: The classroom was divided into several different learning areas. There was a Quiet Rug for quiet play as well as a Loud Rug for loud play. The toys that corresponded with each rug were organized in their respective areas. The center of the room featured a kitchen play area. One of the tables in the seating area included an arrangement of play dough and tools for the children to create sculptures of their choice. Although there was a Reading Center, a Science Center, and such, most of the classroom was focused on play materials. It seemed as though the children were given the opportunity to learn through play. Many of the objects in the room were labeled with their written word and a picture. It appeared that the reason for these labels was to allow the children to practice sight reading. Most of the play materials in the room encouraged imaginative play. This was especially true in the kitchen area. Puzzles and other toys regarding shapes were located near the Quiet Rug. The bookshelf in addition to all of the other shelved containing play materials was accessible to the children. A Computer Center also could be found in the room. The students played educational games on the computers when they chose to take their turn for the day. Commentary: This environment had much strength. The fact that there were different learning stations showed the children that there are certain places to do certain things. Everything was well-organized so that the room was completely accessible to the children. The items in the room such as the tables and shelves were child-sized, so the students did not have any limitations in their learning environment. This appeared to make them feel comfortable in their classroom. The materials were organized so that the children knew where to find them as well as where to put them back. Each shelf and basket was labeled with the word and picture for the item it contained. I was impressed by this classroom because it presented itself as a wonderful learning environment for children. Learning experiences that matched growth and development seemed to be offered. The abundance of play materials allowed for the children to practice real-life experiences and social skills. The play materials that appeared to double as academic materials also seemed to spark cognitive development experiences for the students.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: September 27, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at 8 a.m. in the Pre-K 4 classroom. The children were arriving for the day. Their parents were getting them settled in and helped them complete the daily morning tasks such as signing in and choosing a job. Once the children got settled in, they had free play time. The classroom was a spacious room divided into different learning stations. The room featured a Reading Center, a Block Center, a Home Center, a Science Center, a Computer Center, an Art Center, and an area with tables. The overall atmosphere of the room was a cheerful one due to the disposition of the staff as well as the dcor/setup. Topic: Guiding Behavior Observation: Throughout this observation, many examples of guiding behavior were expressed. The following incidents were some of the situations that occurred. The teacher has her students sign in each morning through the practice of writing their names on a clipboard. The parents usually assist their children with this endeavor. However, some of the children were so excited to come into school for the day that they forgot to sign in. The teacher reminded the children in a kind manner that they had to go sign their names. A few students also played on the computers. Some chose to play, while others chose to watch. Before she started the games for them, the teacher reminded the children to share and take turns. One childs practice of sharing was praised when the teacher noticed that he asked his friends if they would like to play with the truck that he had been playing with. The teacher did not yell at the children throughout the observation period. Instead, she got on their level and spoke to them in a calm manner about their undesirable behavior. One child wore a headband to school and decided to take it off and toss it around the room. The teacher asked the child in a polite manner to stop what she was doing. Then, she gave the child a choice of either putting the headband back on her head or placing it in her cubby. Commentary: The teacher exhibited many good strategies to use in guiding behavior. Overall, her classroom seemed very controlled and projected a calm atmosphere. Her strategy with signing in was a good strategy because she gave her students a sense of responsibility. She also reinforced that responsibility so that the children were aware of its importance. The way she praised the child for sharing was a good way to encourage him in addition to the other children to share in the future. He appeared to feel good about himself because he made the teacher happy for performing a kind act. The strategy used for the computers was also good because computer time is privilege. The children knew that if they did not share and get along, their computer time would get taken away. I also thought that the teachers way of correcting behavior also was positive because she did not express anger to the child. Instead she expressed her disapproval for the behavior and gave the child a choice for how she would like to correct her own action.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: September 29, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at 8 a.m. in the Pre-K 4 classroom. The children were arriving for the day. Their parents were getting them settled in and helped them complete the daily morning tasks such as signing in and choosing a job. Once the children got settled in, they had free play time. The classroom was a spacious room divided into different learning stations. The room featured a Reading Center, a Block Center, a Home Center, a Science Center, a Computer Center, an Art Center, and an area with tables. The overall atmosphere of the room was a cheerful one due to the disposition of the staff as well as the dcor/setup. Topic: Opportunities for Choice Observations: The children have a lot of opportunities for choice in the morning. They were allowed to play in whichever area of the classroom they liked. Some children utilized their fifteen minutes of computer time with which they seemed to be permitted each day. Other children played with the toys in the Block Center or the Home Center. Additionally, some children sat at the tables and played with the quiet toys they were allowed to select from the classroom shelves. All of the children knew that they had the freedom to play in the section of their choice, so they appeared to be comfortable with approaching those areas openly. Another choice that was made available to the children was in regard to their daily jobs. They were given the choice to choose whichever job they wanted for the day by placing a backpack-shaped name card on the chart under the job they preferred. Although the parents assisted the children with this task, it seemed that the decision was left completely up to the children. Commentary: The teacher has good strategies for offering opportunities for choice. It appeared that the children were not pushed to do anything that they did not want to do. Their morning playtime was left up to them completely. This seemed to be both effective and appropriate because the children were in a controlled environment, so they did not push their limits. The children appeared to respect their teacher and her classroom rules. It is good to allow children to make choices because they enjoy the activity in which they are participating and have the opportunity to explore new ones. I liked that the parents were involved in assisting their children with the decision-making process because it not only allowed them to play a role in their childrens school life, but let the children receive praise and approval from their parents for making decisions independently. Overall, the teachers strategies were good for development because the children received practice in making decisions, which they will need for life. The students seemed happy with the ability to choose things for themselves and explore the opportunities offered to them on their own timeline. It appeared that some children needed to spend more time working on the exploration of one area over others.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: October 4, 2011 Setting: This observation took place in the red two-year-olds classroom at 8 a.m. This classroom was smaller than the three and four-year-old classrooms. The furniture was a little smaller to accommodate the smaller children. The different sections of the classroom were focused more on play than subject areas. Everything was labeled so that the children could begin to learn to recognize words. Some baskets even had pictures of the toy on the outside to provide the children with a visual representation of the object. The play areas also were labeled as either fine or gross motor play areas. The overall atmosphere was just as cheerful as the other classrooms. This teacher, however, had many representations of things from around the world as well as from nature as decorations for her classroom. Topic: Curriculum Observation: The children in the two-year-olds classroom seemed to do a lot of learning through play. Some of the children played with homemade cinnamon-scented play dough and used pumpkin and leaf-shaped stamps to make shapes out of it. One child stood at the easel and painted a pumpkin-shaped paper with different shades of orange paint. The child was shown that all of the jars contained a different shade when they were placed in front of him. Another child sat with the teachers assistant and played with a set of wooden paper dolls. The child was shown the policeman outfit and asked what the policeman does. The other children in the room engaged in imaginative play in the kitchen/dress up area. It was also apparent that the teacher wanted to introduce her students to things from around the world. She had classroom decorations from other countries, pictures of different buildings and structures near the blocks, and hello in different languages hanging on the wall. Commentary: The curriculum in this classroom appeared to be appropriate for two-year-olds because they seemed to learn through play. The children were presented with the curriculum on a level at which they could understand and was appropriate for their level of development. The materials offered in the classroom helped to reinforce the curriculum, which is based heavily on child development. The play dough that the teacher created allowed for the children to utilize their senses and make associations with the shaped stamps about fall. The paint allowed for the children to recognize colors and their different shades. The imaginative play let the children feed off of real-life experiences. The reinforcement of the police officers job allowed for the child to take an active role in his learning and express his knowledge based off of what he has experienced outside of school. The decorations seemed to project a lesson of diversity and encourage the children to seek out the world in which they live.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: October 5, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at 8 a.m. in the Pre-K 4 classroom. The children were arriving for the day. Their parents were getting them settled in and helped them complete the daily morning tasks such as signing in and choosing a job. Once the children got settled in, they had free play time. The classroom was a spacious room divided into different learning stations. The room featured a Reading Center, a Block Center, a Home Center, a Science Center, a Computer Center, an Art Center, and an area with tables. The overall atmosphere of the room was a cheerful one due to the disposition of the staff as well as the dcor/setup. Topic: Target Child #1: Play Observation: The child was present in the room since my arrival. She chose to play in the Block Center first. She decided to build a house with another child. She gathered toys such as baby dolls and a stroller from the Home Center to enhance her block house. Once her section of the house was built, she sat inside of it. Although the other children were playing the same game as her, she chose to play independently. Once another child arrived in the classroom, the target child ran to greet her. As soon as the child got settled in, the target child asked to play with her on the computers. They each sat at their own computer and chose to play Nick Jr. During this activity, they conversed with one another about the games that they have decided to play separately together. Eventually, another child went over to the Computer Center and sat next to the target child. He watched her play a game and proceeded to give her instructions on what to do in order to play successfully. She listened and followed his suggestions. Commentary: The child exhibited appropriate behavior because she shared with the other children and had positive interactions with them. She also showed that she needs quiet time to herself when she opted to isolate herself during block play. The child liked to vary her activities and playmates, causing her to move around the room a lot. She demonstrated that some children need to switch activities often. It appeared that she became interested in the classroom activities by moving between different types of play. This observed play was valuable because the target child demonstrated the wide range of needs each child possesses. She also showed that children can be in different moods and can prefer certain activities over others at times. The observation of the target child had positive results because she exhibited the importance of play to development. She had social interactions with her peers, while enhancing herself intellectually. Emotionally, she adapted to different play settings and her peers.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: October 11, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at 8 a.m. in the Pre-K 4 classroom. The children were arriving for the day. Their parents were getting them settled in and helped them complete the daily morning tasks such as signing in and choosing a job. Once the children got settled in, they had free play time. The classroom was a spacious room divided into different learning stations. The room featured a Reading Center, a Block Center, a Home Center, a Science Center, a Computer Center, an Art Center, and an area with tables. The overall atmosphere of the room was a cheerful one due to the disposition of the staff as well as the dcor/setup. Topic: Target Child #2: Peer Relationships Observations: The target child played independently during this time unlike the previous observation in which she was involved. For a while, she used the barrettes that were once in her hair to decorate her stuffed animals hair. Once she lost interest in this activity, she moved on to the art table. The target child sat quietly while creating her artwork, which included several projects. Her interaction with peers was very limited. She had a few interactions with staff members who asked her questions about her artwork, but her responses were reserved. The rest of the children in the room demonstrated socialization through collaborative play. Commentary: After observing a group of preschool-aged children on several occasions, it seems as if children have good days and bad days as well as introverted and extroverted days. Even though the target child had limited interactions with her peers, she still seemed to be socially healthy. She demonstrated that she could entertain herself and play independently. She appeared to make the personal decision to explore the classroom on her own, which did not seem to affect the other children in a negative manner. She did not approach them, and they did not approach her. Her demonstration of independence seemed appropriate because it appears that some children need to take time out for themselves. The target child still engaged in imaginative and creative play even though she was by herself. She did not exhibit any undesirable behaviors toward her classmates. Instead, she just kept to herself.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: October 25, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at 8 a.m. in the yellow two-year-olds classroom, which is an inviting classroom with a cheerful dcor. The teacher had music playing, and the children had free playtime while the other children were arriving to school. The classroom was not divided into stations like the other classrooms at the Student Day Care Center, but it was still wellorganized. The toys were placed on low shelves around the room as well as in the corners. The two tables in the classroom were set up with activities for the children. One had magazines to cut up, while the other one featured puzzles. The room included a reading area, a science table with a goldfish, a sand table, an easel, and a music shelf. Topic: Teacher Interaction Observations: The teacher assisted her students with tasks throughout the morning. She provided the children with markers so that they could draw on the easel. She gave them instructions on the proper way to utilize the markers while she removed the caps. Also during the free playtime, the teacher sat with some of her students while they did puzzles. Since her class was the first to eat breakfast, the teacher ended the free playtime rather quickly and instructed the children to clean up the books, puppets, and toys they had been playing with. One child chose to ignore the teachers request and continue coloring. The teacher simply instructs the child to stop and warns her that coloring on the board is not appropriate. After the children washed their hands, the teacher instructed them to sit in front of their cubbies. She also asked the children who did not place their pictures on the schoolhouse poster to do so. This served as their attendance for the day. Once all of the children were ready, the teacher walked them to the lunchroom for breakfast. She seated them at the tables designated for her class. She poured glasses of milk for her students and made sure that they were eating. While the children ate their food, she sat with them and talked. Once they were all finished, she announced that they would go outside after they cleaned up their cups and plates. The teacher led her class outside and assisted with the zipping of their coats. She gave them instructions on where to play while reminding them of the safety rules. Commentary: The teachers interaction with her students appeared to be very effective. She spoke to the children in a clear, yet kind, manner. She made sure that her instructions were understood, but did not seem harsh when doing so. She appeared to exhibit a lot of patience in each of her interactions and spoke on a level her students could comprehend. She also looked them in the eye and got down on their level so that they could see her when she was speaking to them. Overall, her strategies and mannerisms seemed developmentally appropriate because the tasks that she asked the children to do were completed successfully.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: October 13, 2011 Setting: This observation took place at 8 a.m. in the Pre-K 4 classroom. The children were arriving for the day. Their parents were getting them settled in and helped them complete the daily morning tasks such as signing in and choosing a job. Once the children got settled in, they had free play time. The classroom was a spacious room divided into different learning stations. The room featured a Reading Center, a Block Center, a Home Center, a Science Center, a Computer Center, an Art Center, and an area with tables. The overall atmosphere of the room was a cheerful one due to the disposition of the staff as well as the dcor/setup. Topic: Target Child #3: Theorist Observations: The target child brought a Barbie doll to school and made it the main focus of her morning. She wandered around the classroom in an independent fashion until she decided to engage in imaginary play with her doll. She positioned herself in the Block Center, where she created a home for Barbie. She occupied herself with this activity for quite some time. When she became bored, the target child began to wander around the classroom again. She continued to have some sort of interaction with her doll until a child who had been absent for a few days entered the classroom. The target child ran to this child with excitement. After she greeted the child, she offered her doll to her. The child declined, but they continued to play together until the end of the observation. Commentary: The target child appeared to represent Eriksons third developmental stage, which is the play age for three to five year olds. The ego development outcome for the child at this stage is Initiative vs. Guilt. This stage includes creative play, which the target child did through the imaginary world of her Barbie doll. She gave her doll social roles and carried them out. She appeared to have knowledge of the adult world in which her Barbie lived, so she acted upon those situations. Overall, the target child seemed intuitive and creative, demonstrating the desire to explore her world. She also seemed to want to pull her friends into her curiosity and engage them in her imaginative world.

Student: Sarah Viviani Date: October 26, 2011 Setting: This observation took place in the red two-year-olds classroom at 8 a.m. This classroom was smaller than the three and four-year-old classrooms. The furniture was a little smaller to accommodate the smaller children. The different sections of the classroom were focused more on play than subject areas. Everything was labeled so that the children could begin to learn to recognize words. Some baskets even had pictures of the toy on the outside to provide the children with a visual representation of the object. The play areas also were labeled as either fine or gross motor play areas. The overall atmosphere was just as cheerful as the other classrooms. This teacher, however, had many representations of things from around the world as well as from nature as decorations for her classroom. Topic: Interaction with Families Observation: Since the children were arriving for the day during the time of this observation, free play was the focus of classroom activity. The first observed child made an easy transition into the classroom. Her father walked her over to the play dough table, poked her ball of play dough, made her laugh, and kissed her goodbye. The child went right into play once her father left the room. The next child had a tougher time with her transition. She was frightened by the use of leaf blowers outside, so it took her mother a few minutes to calm her down and get her settled. Once the child was calm and comforted, her mother was able to leave with ease. Another child was attached to his grandfather when he came into the room. His grandfather encouraged him to go play and proceeded to ask him whether or not they should trade places for the day. The child remained attached until the teacher came to get him and relocate him to another area of the classroom. The next two children arrived simultaneously. One held on to his mother, while the other one had no problem walking away. The child who was attached repeated No, Mommy as his mother asked him if he was going to wave goodbye to her, give her a kiss, etc. Eventually, he let go and stood by the window to wave to her as she drove by. Commentary: The nature of the relationships between the parents and children in this setting seemed to be one of independence. Some children seemed to be in the process of learning to separate from their parents, while others appeared to be comfortable with the issue. The teacher seemed to encourage parents to deal with the difficulties on their own and only intervened when necessary. This strategy appeared to be appropriate because the children were very young and reasonably attached to their parents. It seemed to put the children at ease when their parents made the home to school transition rather than the teacher. She appeared to welcome parental involvement in her classroom so that they could feel connected to their childrens educational process in addition to making the children feel more comfortable in a school setting.

Sarah Viviani ECED 103.001 December 12, 2011 Summary of Observation Experience For my observation experience, I chose to complete my hours at the Student Day Care Center at Towson University. After spending ten hours in an early childhood setting, I learned that observing children truly is the best way to understand them as well as how a classroom works. During my time at the day care center, I had the opportunity to base my observations on various topics. Each topic allowed me to gain insight on a different aspect of early childhood education, which helped me realize that they come together to form a bigger picture. I liked observing one feature at a time because I was able to focus my attention on it and gain a deeper insight to its importance. My first two observation experiences allowed me to focus on the early childhood education environment as a whole. I was able to seek out its strengths and weaknesses on my own terms while being introduced to world of preschool from an adult perspective. I learned what was necessary for inclusion in a school facility, specifically in classrooms. I discovered what made the day care center at Towson such an impressive environment for children and why it facilitated the students learning. From this experience, I truly gained a lot of information that will be indispensable in my future as an educator. Spending time in a classroom gave me ideas on how to set up my classroom and which materials may be beneficial for my students.

The observation experiences where I took a look at teacher interaction and guiding behavior impacted my learning in a substantial way because I was able to gain insight on my future career. I thought that the teachers did a great job interacting with their students. They served as models for me, and I hope to work with children as well as they did. The teachers strategies seemed appropriate for the age and education levels of their students; which is why I believe they all worked well. After observing in the field, I plan to use what I witnessed in my own classroom because I want to be as effective as the experienced teachers I watched. Through my experiences in the classroom, I had the opportunity to increase my awareness of the significance of appropriate curriculum utilization as well as allowing opportunities for choice. I discovered that giving children choices keeps them interested in learning and helps guide their classroom behavior. I also realized how important it is to utilize the curriculum to its fullest so that the children can learn all that is developmentally appropriate for their age. The application of creative ways of teaching and learning can help achieve that goal. That is something that I discovered through my observation hours because the teachers seemed to use many means to reach out to their students. I hope to fulfill the goal of maximizing the curriculum in the same ways when I am a teacher. My observation of the target child was one of my favorite parts of the process because I was given the opportunity to put myself in a childs shoes. I learned what makes play so important for a child as well as what can be gained from it. Looking at a childs way of life from an adult perspective made me remember what it felt like to be a preschool-aged child and what thoughts and feelings came with that age. The target childs peer relationships reminded me of my own at that point in my life. I learned what makes them so simple between children, yet why

they are important. I especially liked comparing the target child to the thoughts of a theorist because it made me recall what I learned in class and let me experience it in real-life form. As a whole, my observation experience was extremely beneficial. It got me excited about becoming a teacher and learning about all that the education world has to offer. I really got to see why teaching is such a rewarding career, which made me want to take part in it even more. I realized the impact that early childhood education makes on both children and families. I thought it was a true learning experience because it brought everything from the classroom and textbook to life. Observations truly are the best way to learn about the field. I will never forget my experience because it served as a model for my future teaching career that I always will be able to look back on to help me be the best teacher that I can be.