Group Time Observation/ Powerful Interaction Observation

1. School: Southern Highlands Preparatory School

Phone #: (702)617-6030

Teacher: Ms. Knight

Age/ Grade Level: 3-year olds/ Intermediates

2. Group Time: Starts at 10:45am 11:00am

3. Number of adults: One Teacher

Number of children: Five Children

4. Nature of Group Time: The activity that was being introduced to the children was called

Flower Sculptures. The teacher set out different colored play-doh and encouraged the

children to create one of their favorite flower/ plant. She also set out different shapes such

as squares, triangles, circles, and ovals in addition to the play-doh. The teacher asked

each child what color they would like to use to create their sculpture, and once the

children received their desired color they began their sculpture. Mrs. Knight asked the

children What do flowers need to grow tall and beautiful? One of the little boys

responded by saying water. Another child that was also participating in the activity said,

they need a mommy and daddy to love them. Mrs. Knight replied with and what would

the mommy and daddy need to do for the little flower to grow and be a big and pretty

flower. The little girl said, they need to eat food and play outside. Mrs. Knight replied

with Yes that is just like a normal plant. For a plant to grow tall and beautiful it needs to

have someone to care for it. It needs to spend time outside in the sun and it also needs

water. The children continued with their sculpture. Once they were done they smiled,

showed Mrs. Knight their sculpture, and proceeded with center time.
5. Appropriateness: For children of this age, three years old, this activity was interesting

for them, and they were engaged in the activity as well as the conversation. I believe that

this was an appropriate activity for the children because it addressed the theme that was

being taught as well as it was of interest to the children. The teacher used materials that

the children love, and utilized them in a way that is unique to the lesson.

6. How long: Group time ran for 15 minutes

Appropriateness: The amount of time spent on this activity was appropriate for this age

groups as it was not to long and was not to short. It was the perfect amount for the

children to receive effective learning and remain interested.

7. Space: The children were seated at the manipulatives table for the activity. I believe that

the space was poorly utilized during group time because there were a lot of children that

wanted to utilize manipulatives and they were not allowed to use the table while the

activities were taking place. The children that wanted to play at manipulatives were sent

to the carpet. The result was the children from both manipulatives as well as blocked

were both utilizing the carpet with different toys.

8. Teacher bring children to activity: After outside time the children were instructed to sit at

the carpet to read a story. Mrs. Knight began by reading The Carrot Seed by Ruth

Krauss. After reading the book, she told the children that they were going to so a super

fun activity. She then sat in a circle with all the children and demonstrated the activity.

After she showed the children what they were doing, she asked who would like to go

first. Many of the children raised their hands, but Mrs. Knight picked five children. She

then sent the other children to play at centers.

9. Percentage: The children were engaged in the activity for about 75% of the time. Some of

the children were very engaged in the activity and had great input into the conversation,

however some of the children also just wanted to play with play-doh rather than create a

plant like structure. I think that this was appropriate because at this age one cannot expect

a three-year-old to be completely engaged and attentive throughout the entire activity.

Therefore, 75% is a very appropriate number for children of this age.

10. Children react: The children were very excited to do the activity. The children were

engaged in this activity. They were also engaged in relevant conversations with the

teacher and their peers. They loved playing with the play-doh and getting to choose their

own color to create their sculpture out of. I think that it helped when Mrs. Knight

demonstrated the activity before hand as it allowed them to show interest in it as well as

want to complete it.

11. Flexibility: The second group of children that participated in the activity were less

engaged in the activity vs. the first group. After the first group was done, the children

were dismissed from the table. Mrs. Knight then called the remaining children to the table

to do the activity. Most of the children came to the group, however; two little boys were

playing with cars and expressed their dislike of the activity. They stated that no, no play-

doh. Mrs. Knight then asked the children what their favorite color was. One of the little

boys stated green. Mrs. Knight said well I have green play-doh here just for you. Would

you like to come and join us and use your green play-doh? The child sat and did not

respond. Mrs. Knight said, ok Payton would you like to use the green play-doh that

William was going to use? William yelled no and ran to the table to explore the green

play-doh. The other little boy, Robert, followed behind him and began to engage in the
 activity. Group time was shortened to 7 minutes of just playing with the play-doh, and the

other 3 minutes putting everything away. During group time, however, Mrs. Knight was

attempting to engage the children in conversation as the desire to physically make a

sculpture was gone.

12. Individualization: This class does not have any children with special needs; however, I

did see Mrs. Knight individualize the activity with one of the children. During the first

group of children, Elyse, finished her sculpture very fast, but remained at the table. Mrs.

Knight asked, are you done Elyse? Elyse responded with can I have another play-doh

color? Mrs. Knight replied with I see that you finished your sculpture very fast Elyse.

Would you like me to take out the clay for you to use that way you can take your time

and make your sculpture with a different material? Elyse smiled and stated, yes please.

This was a great way to individualize for a child that was exceeding expectations on this

activity. She noticed that it was taking her less time to create a sculpture out of play-doh

and that this was not a very challenging activity for her, so she utilized a material that

would allow her to be challenged.

13. Gender: Throughout group time, I noticed that the boys seemed to act more

inappropriately than the girls did. For example: During the activity the girls were

participating more in the conversation vs. the boys. One little boy did not want to create a

sculpture. Rather he created a sword. After he created the sword, he would go around and

cut down the other childrens sculptures.

14. Management techniques: During the activity with the little boy that knocked down a

couple of the sculptures with his sword Mrs. Knight asked him would you like it if

Paige smashed your sword that you worked hard on? In response the little boy said no.
 The teacher then said I can see that you are not interested in the activity. Would you like

to go and find a center, or would you like to take the play-doh to the other table to play

with it? The little boy chose to play at centers rather than do the activity. I think that this

was both effective and appropriate as the teacher did not scold him for knocking over his

friends structure, rather she related what he did back to him and asked him how he

would feel. She then told him that because he did not want to engage in the activity at the

time, hat he could find a different activity to utilize. I believe that this was a good tactic

at handling his behavior as he did not shut down from being yelled at and he took

something out of the lesson being taught. The girls also benefited, at the table, because he

had to option to make a better choice at another center.

15. End Group Time: The teacher ended group time by saying something she liked about the

sculpture, and asking them if they would like to keep it out to dry and take home. She

then told them that they could go and find a center to play at.

16. Activity Followed: Center time followed the activity. I think this was appropriate because

it gave the children a free range of motion and allowed them to have a say in what they

wanted to do next. They did not have to sit again and participate in say a reading, but they

were able to play and enjoy their unguided center time activities.

17. Evaluation: Some aspects of this activity were not DAP appropriate. For example, there

should have been concrete elements in the discussion such as real objects or at least

pictures, so that they children could base their sculpture from something. As regards to

hands-on activity, this was a hand on activity in perspective to using the play-doh;

however, the children did not explore the actual plant or engage in the real experience

before attempting to do the activity. The activity did however show relevance to the
theme. The theme focused on the interests of the children and it directly tied to childrens

real-life experiences because it came from the childrens immediate environment. They

see plants and flowers every day, so this theme is relevant to their every day life. The

teacher had appropriate interactions with the children regardless if they were engaged in

the activity or not. If the children were engaged the teacher would engage in meaningful

conversation, however if the child was not showing appropriate behavior then Mrs.

Knight would kindly dismiss them from the activity to make a better choice at another

center. You could tell that this would a part of their every day routine because the

children did not seem taken by surprise when an activity was presented to them. The pace

of the activity was fast but meaningful and the perfect amount of time for children of that

age.
 Powerful Interaction Observation

Date: 11.6.2017

School: Southern Highlands Preparatory School

Teacher: Mrs. Knight

Age of Child: 3 years old/ Intermediates

Time: Center time. Positive interaction was noticed at 11:16 and ended at 11:23

Setting: The children were engaging in play while using the block area. The children are

all three years old, and there are three boys and one girls playing.

Interaction: Mrs. Knight approached the little girl in the block area and asked if she could

sit down with her. The little girl replied and told Mrs. Knight yes. Mrs. Knight said I can

see that you are taking your time and building something very nice. Can you tell me what

you are building? The little girl said that she was building and animal hospital for the

sick doggies and sick chickens. The little girl went on to describe what she had built and

why she was building it. Mrs. Knight responded with Wow you have worked very hard

on this. I can see that you have put a lot of time and effort into creating this hospital. The

little girl smiled and handed Mrs. Knight a block. She said this is the bed for the doggy

to sleep on when his tummy is sad. Where should I put the doggy bed? replied Mrs.

Knight. Here let me show you silly. Said the little girl. The little girl then took the block

and placed it next to another block on the carpet. Mrs. Knight then asked have you ever

been to an animal hospital Carys? She responded by saying yes my puppy, Teddy, went

to the hospital once because he had a toy in his belly. Im so sorry to hear that Carys. Is

Teddy feeling all better now? replied Mrs. Knight. Yea. Oh my gosh I need to get some

animals to put in the beds! exclaimed Carys. Mrs. Knight said you are completely
correct. Would you like me to go and get the animals from the basket to sleep in the

beds? Yes please Mrs. Knight. Mrs. Knight proceeded to fetch the animals from the

shelf. She then brought them back to the hospital and said oh no my animals are sick.

Help! Carys said here lie down and drink some milk. This will make your belly feel all

better. Mrs. Knight then asked Carys you know Carys my tummy has been hurting too.

Should I drink some milk to make it feel better? Carys grabs a cup and hands it to Mrs.

Knight. She says drink all of your milk and your belly will feel all better. Another little

boy that was playing in the blocks approached Mrs. Knight and asked her what she was

doing. Mrs. Knight said. I am drinking all of my milk because Carys said that when you

have an upset tummy milk will make it feel better. Mrs. Knight drank the milk and said

wow Carys my stomach feels much better thank you for taking care of me while I was

sick. I appreciate you!

PI Characteristics:

Mrs. Knight used Mirror Talk when she first approached the child. She used the

statement, I can see that you are taking your time and building something very nice. Can

you tell me what you are building? She simply observed what the child was doing and

reflected what she saw back to the child in order to start a conversation. Powerful

Interactions on page 89 it encourages us As you notice the things children are doing as

they work and play, give them feedback by telling them what you see and hear them

doing.

When another child asked Mrs. Knight what she was doing Mrs. Knight

personalized the interaction with the child by stating her name to the other child she said

I am drinking all of my milk because Carys said that when you have an upset tummy
milk will make it feel better. In Powerful Interactions on page 51 it gives us the strategy

of using the childs name as much as possible. This was a great opportunity to not only

tell the child that she was still engaged in play with her, but she also stated her name

when asked by another child.

On page 102 of Powerful Interactions it states that it is wise to engage in pretend

play with the children as they begin to recall experiences, remember detains, and create

images in their minds. As they play, they tap into their memories, re-create their

experiences, and pretend to be other people, in other places, and in other times. Mrs.

Knight did this when she went along with the play scenario that Carys was initiating, and

even assumed the role of a patient.

On page 54 in Powerful Interactions it states that showing respect is a key way to

connect with a child and strengthen a positive relationship. When you show a child

respect, the child knows you care about and value him. Your respect reminds the child of

the trust and caring between you, and it makes him feel more confident and competent to

explore and learn in a powerful interaction. Mrs. Knight demonstrated this when she

politely asked to sit and play with the child, and allowed the child to respond before she

took action. She did not just simply sit down and assume an imaginative role, however

she waited for the childs response showing that she respects her as a person. This in turn

would lead to the child trusting and respecting the teacher.

Improvements: One of the things that I think Mrs. Knight could have done to facilitate a

more powerful interaction, would be to give a better description to the other child that

noticed that she was playing. Perhaps she could have involved the other child that was

interested in playing by saying we seem to be missing animals to sleep in these beds. Do

you think you could pass us the basket of animals so that Carys can continue to create her

animal hospital? On page 87 of Powerful Interactions it states that we need to take

pleasure in the childs curiosity. Brief and powerful exchanges does not have to take a lot

of time. This will not only allow the child that is curious to explore what is being

created, it will also allow the child (Carys) have the option to engage in pretend play with

the other child if she chooses to do so.