readings

Article:Applied Language Studies Title: Negociation a new culture of doing learning? A study of interaction in a web learning environment with special focus on teacher approach.

Even if the article does not link directly with the subject I found it very intersting because it presents a new way of teaching which allows the student to participate more.

Notes: The study is done on high school students and the goal is to include internet in learning and teaching. " For newcomers the purpose of learning is to learn to talk, not to learn from talk." Found it very intersting even if I am working with children. They study French 1 hour a week and the aim of the teacher is to teach a little French so they can go to France. " Teacher needs to arrange opportunities for students to fully participate in learning interaction" That's why it is important to COMMUNICATE in the classroom and as Sinclair & Coulthard wrote it is not only the Initiation, response and feedback. The research also proves that Dialogue between the teacher and the students is important. The article points out the teacher roles: " -facilitators - tutors -resource people -learning consultant" (Numan& Lamb) The teacher has to become a Reflective Practitioner ( Schoan 1987) who examines her teaching practise and develop it further. She also needs to be a Co-Learners which means that she has to do collaborative research with students, all the participants assisting each other throughout the process and learning from it as equal participors. More the child feels include the more his learning progress, his motivation and his engagement.

As a conclution the article encourages the teacher and the students to get both involve in the teaching process. To do so there is the need to develop a new culture of doing learning together with the students.

I wrote down what I think could be useful for me and I ignore the part concerning internet teaching. However even if out of its context I found that the analysis of the teacher's role could be helpful. With little children it's important to have their intersted during the all lesson. A good way to have their intention is to make them participate, to involve them in the teaching process. I do not know yet how I will do that but I am working on it.

Article 2: (ECRP) Quality Improvement in Early Childhood Teacher Education. Faculty perspectives and Recommendations for the Future.

Studies was done in the United States.

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, teacher needs five standars:
 * 1) Knowing how young children develop and learn ( being able to create an environments in which all children thrive)
 * 2) building family and community relationship
 * 3) using assessment responsability (knowing about observation and documentation)
 * 4) teaching to promote children's learning ( making evidence, based decisions about curriculum, using a range of appropriate, effective, teaching practises, having essential content knowledge in area such as literacy and maths)
 * 5) becoming a professional in the early childhood field.

Article 3: Observing Children's Stress behaviors in a kinder garden Classroom. Study was made on a group of 16 children aged 5 or 6 in the United States. 9 children exhibited stress behaviors at some point.

Stress is expressed through nail biting, thumb or finger sucking, hair twirling,physical hostility.

The result shows that children stress when interacting with their teacher, Mrs Walker, in a one on one situation or when they were expected to either perform a task in front of a large group or reading the word-wall or standing in front of the class retelling story or during individual work time. They also stress when the teacher compliment or reprements a child. Basically everytime the child is the center of attention. The origine of stress comes from the task itself ( too difficult) or to perform it in front of the other children. Teacher's words, tone or expressed expectation cause the child to feel embarrassed.

Why are some children stress and other are not? The article ask the question but does not answer it.

What a teacher should do to avoid stress in her classroom:
 * highly structured classes
 * large group work
 * paper/pencil tasks
 * rote learning
 * direct teaching of discrete skills
 * punishment
 * extrinsic rewards
 * standardised assessment
 * predominance of congrete experience
 * positive guidance
 * interactions that promote healthy self-esteem