Chat Transcripts

Topic

Chat Session 3

Date

2025-06-03

Group ID

0

Course ID

299460

User List

Amado, SarahBerres, AnnieFithian Ruby, AllisonRude, LindaSchmitt, Jo{Carter, Wendy}
User Timestamp Message
{Carter, Wendy}06:56:14 pmHey Linda!
Rude, Linda06:56:25 pmHi, Wendy
{Carter, Wendy}06:56:41 pmI hope your day is going well!
{Carter, Wendy}06:56:52 pmHard to believe it's June already!
Rude, Linda06:57:54 pmIt is. It was nice getting outside today. Glad that the air quality got better over night.
{Carter, Wendy}06:58:13 pmIt was so bad yesterday! Much better today.
Rude, Linda06:58:19 pmHow is your day going
{Carter, Wendy}06:58:40 pmGoing well, thanks! I got a couple more plants in the garden. 🙂
{Carter, Wendy}06:59:28 pmHello Jo!
Amado, Sarah06:59:35 pmHello!!
Schmitt, Jo06:59:38 pmHello!
Rude, Linda06:59:39 pmI live in an apartment so I transplanted 4 plants a couple of weeks ago.
{Carter, Wendy}06:59:44 pmSJ - welcome! 🙂
Amado, Sarah06:59:53 pmThank you:-)
{Carter, Wendy}07:00:13 pmI love plants - indoor and outside!
Rude, Linda07:00:44 pmI have the 4 outside on my deck and ! plant inside
{Carter, Wendy}07:01:14 pmNice! I think my husband may think I have a plant problem, LOL. 🙂
{Carter, Wendy}07:01:26 pmHello Allison!
{Carter, Wendy}07:02:19 pmI hope you are all doing well this evening, and that the air is a bit clearer/cleaner where you are!
{Carter, Wendy}07:02:40 pmIt's hard with little ones who want/need to go outside!
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:03:00 pmHi. I am here with mom so nursing home wifi if my responses are slow. The air quality is horrible here where I am. Had to keep kids in all day. Ay yay yay! . where are you that it is better?
Schmitt, Jo07:03:14 pmWendy. I love plants too! I am sure mine thinks the same. But I have the same idea with his fishing. Do you really need another rod?! 🙂
{Carter, Wendy}07:03:34 pmAllison - thanks for letting me know. No worries.
{Carter, Wendy}07:03:46 pmJo - haha, seems like a fair comparison!
{Carter, Wendy}07:04:19 pmLet's get started tonight. Hopefully Annie will join us soon! *
Rude, Linda07:04:22 pm*
Amado, Sarah07:04:28 pm*
Schmitt, Jo07:04:33 pm*
{Carter, Wendy}07:04:55 pmI wanted to start out by discussing the final assignment, the lesson plan with ECIPs.
{Carter, Wendy}07:05:57 pmThe assignment asks you to design a weekly lesson plan - you can use the one provided or use your own, but to include the ECIPs for the activities that you plan. There is also a question to answer on explaining how you implemented observation and assessment skills into your planning.
{Carter, Wendy}07:06:09 pmDoes anyone have any questions on the assignment?
Rude, Linda07:06:16 pmNo
{Carter, Wendy}07:06:21 pm(and Hello Annie!)
Amado, Sarah07:06:30 pmNo questions here
Schmitt, Jo07:07:13 pmAt this time I don't have a question. 🙂
Berres, Annie07:07:17 pmI don't think so!
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:07:19 pmare we ever going to see some examples? I feel like we have been talking a lot about the why's and how we observe, but I. don't feel like we have yet been given any tools to work with .
{Carter, Wendy}07:07:49 pmThat's a great question, Allison! Thanks for asking! We could talk through an example together.
{Carter, Wendy}07:08:08 pmMaybe someone could suggest an activity that you might include on an upcoming lesson plan. Let's start there.
Schmitt, Jo07:08:29 pmsensory pond theme
Schmitt, Jo07:08:45 pmor play dough for 4th of July
{Carter, Wendy}07:09:09 pmOk, let's think about sensory. What age are you planning for, JO?
Schmitt, Jo07:10:20 pmI let my toddlers play as long as I right there. But even preschoolers LOVE it and make a mess. But the learning I see is so fun to watch them.
{Carter, Wendy}07:10:23 pmAnd while we wait for her to tell us the age - what domain of the ECIPs could we tag for sensory play?
{Carter, Wendy}07:10:44 pmAnyone can answer that one 🙂
Amado, Sarah07:10:51 pmI have the ECIPS approaches to learning and science pages open right now to start haha
Amado, Sarah07:11:00 pmlet's do 3-4
{Carter, Wendy}07:11:28 pmPerfect, SJ, thanks! Let's just say approaches to learning for our example. We could look at toddlers for Jo and preschoolers for SJ.
{Carter, Wendy}07:11:59 pmIf you have your ECIPs handy - what are some components or subcomponents that would fit for sensory for those ages?
Amado, Sarah07:13:19 pmHonestly all of them. Curiosity, attentiveness, creativity, processing info
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:13:39 pmimmersion, self direction diligence, pretty much most of them.
Amado, Sarah07:13:50 pmAL1.7 Investigates and experiments with materials with enthusiasm
{Carter, Wendy}07:13:53 pmYes - I think you will find that there are a lot that fit!
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:14:18 pmthis is where I get caught up. good preschool activities are not broken down like that. they are most holistic in nature
Amado, Sarah07:14:19 pmAL3.5 Engages in play with peers for extended period of time
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:14:31 pm"more
{Carter, Wendy}07:14:42 pmYou might choose to focus on something that your children are working on in that area. Maybe you are really focusing on fine motor skills, and playdough is an activity you want to use to work on that.
{Carter, Wendy}07:14:54 pmSo then you would tag a fine motor ECIP. Does that help?
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:15:05 pmok thanks
Schmitt, Jo07:15:11 pmIt would include I think all the domains. Social & emotional - self concept; approaches to learning - refection/persistence at pouring; Language - listening/speaking talking to friends; Arts- crafting; Cognitive - math measures; fine motor using a scoop or picking up rice or chickpeas.
Berres, Annie07:15:13 pmyeah seeing the same.... "demonstrates curiosity and a willingness to try new things.... "
Amado, Sarah07:15:19 pmYeah, you can mix ECIPS. In fact, you should!
{Carter, Wendy}07:16:03 pmThere are always LOTS of ECIPs that can fit with an activity - because development doesn't happen in just one area at a time - there are always SO many skills going on in many areas. So just choose one that fits with the goal you are working on. You don't have to try to name them all!
Amado, Sarah07:16:21 pmYou could probably go through all the ECIPS and pick out at least one for that one activity. Or if you're trying to work on certain skills start with the domain you're focusing on and build a lesson from there based on children's interests
Berres, Annie07:16:23 pmI see
{Carter, Wendy}07:16:41 pmYes, SJ. Good point!
{Carter, Wendy}07:16:55 pmDoes that help Allison? Or anyone else have questions?
Schmitt, Jo07:17:04 pmwould the assessment tool work for which area is the "important" one?
Schmitt, Jo07:17:27 pmor the one the needs to be observed?
{Carter, Wendy}07:18:06 pmCan you say more, Jo? You can just choose an ECIP subcomponent that fits with what you are wanting to observe in that particular activity. Your assessment tool should align with the ECIPS as well.
Amado, Sarah07:18:30 pmYes, our assessment tool (Work Sampling System) is one of those checklists, but it helps you see gaps and interpret what your children might need more support with. For example, we had a lot of children "still working on" conflict resolution. So we can look at the Social emotional ECIPS and build from there!
{Carter, Wendy}07:19:01 pmPerfect example, SJ. Does that help, everyone? *
Berres, Annie07:19:05 pmso cool!
Rude, Linda07:19:17 pm*
Schmitt, Jo07:19:23 pmthat makes better sense.
Schmitt, Jo07:19:33 pm*
Amado, Sarah07:19:44 pm*
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:19:47 pm*
{Carter, Wendy}07:19:48 pmGood. If you have lingering questions as you are working on it, please don't hesitate to email me. Happy to help!
Berres, Annie07:20:00 pmdo you ever just use the ecips as the "checklist?"
{Carter, Wendy}07:20:10 pmAnd, that assignment is due by Thursday next week - 2 days after our last chat.
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:20:36 pmthank you for giving the heads up.
Amado, Sarah07:21:01 pmWe don't use the ECIPS as an assessment tool at my school, Wendy, have you heard of that being done for assessment?
{Carter, Wendy}07:21:12 pmAnnie - some programs do something like that. But assessment tools have more detail than the ECIPs. They are based on /aligned with the ECIPs.
{Carter, Wendy}07:22:06 pmI think it is good practice to use the ECIPs as you are planning - it helps us to know what skills are developmentally appropriate for each age, and what skills are coming next. But I would recommend using a research-based assessment tool for actually doing assessment.
Berres, Annie07:22:33 pmlike what one?
{Carter, Wendy}07:22:58 pmAssessment tool? Work Sampling, Teaching Strategies Gold, DRDP, etc.
{Carter, Wendy}07:23:54 pmAWESO
{Carter, Wendy}07:23:58 pmOops!
{Carter, Wendy}07:24:12 pmAwesome questions everyone! I hope this is helpful.
{Carter, Wendy}07:24:25 pmAgain - reach out if there are additional questions on any of this!
{Carter, Wendy}07:25:07 pmPlease share some things you are learning about the children in your program through your observations.
Rude, Linda07:27:26 pmI have learned what things they like to play with, their imagination and what they can come up with. I have also learned what they know as well.
Amado, Sarah07:27:50 pmWhat children are interested in, how they interact with peers, where they are at developmentally (cognitive, speech, etc), what they want to know more about...
{Carter, Wendy}07:27:57 pmGreat, Linda! Can you give some examples?
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:28:00 pmhow settled they are in their bodies, how they are interacting with an activity or materials, sometimes they do have a totally different take on the materials than what I intended and things go in a different direction.
Amado, Sarah07:28:15 pmwhat challenges they are experiencing...
{Carter, Wendy}07:28:19 pmWhat are some specific things you have noticed just this week as you observed a child?
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:28:20 pmpretty much everything comes through observation seems to me
Amado, Sarah07:28:23 pmhow they problem solve
{Carter, Wendy}07:28:57 pmOoh - SJ - what was a challenge you noticed a child have?
Schmitt, Jo07:29:01 pmWhat their interests are. - this week is has been playing house with dolls. interesting but when its too much or had them a few weeks I put them away and get out a new play for dramatic play.
Rude, Linda07:29:08 pmPlaying with cars and trying different ways to make the cars move. I have also learned that they can count as well
Rude, Linda07:29:57 pmAlso learned that they know their colors as well
{Carter, Wendy}07:30:29 pmThese are great examples! As you make these observations, has anyone made a change to an activity because of what you observed?
Amado, Sarah07:30:31 pmAll my kids graduated on Friday last week, but last week on the last day of school one child was very sad that she couldn't find any monarch eggs and she was frustrated that she *really* wanted one and she talked about how there isn't any milkweed at her house. Previously she had expressed sadness about graduating and going to kindergarten so it was interesting to me that these feelings about the monarch eggs came up that day. That's just one example off the top of my head.
{Carter, Wendy}07:31:20 pmThanks SJ for the example.
Schmitt, Jo07:31:21 pmYes, many times if not engaged Ill move on to a new activity or play.
Rude, Linda07:31:16 pmJust yesterday they were interested in bubbles so I did the volcano experiment and they loved it
{Carter, Wendy}07:31:42 pmPerfect, Linda - I bet they were really engaged in that!
Amado, Sarah07:32:05 pmI feel like as preschool teachers we have to be experts at pivoting and being flexible
Rude, Linda07:32:04 pmI had to continue to do it until there was no vinegar left
{Carter, Wendy}07:32:28 pmLOL Linda! That's so wonderful! Sounds fun!
Rude, Linda07:33:03 pmIt was fun to watch their expressions.
{Carter, Wendy}07:33:44 pmWhat might be some changes to the environment you have made or could make, based on your observations?
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:33:51 pmI have a new student. she is kind of all over the place, so much new she doesn't settle into one thing for very long. I see a lot of how her old school was for her. she was with a lot of very young children so activities were not challenging to her. she has not learned how to function in a more age appropriate setting yet. she loves it but in some ways interacts with it like a 2 year old would tho she is 4.
Berres, Annie07:34:02 pmThis week we had some new families join our community, and I have been observing friends, and how each of them handle this change, we previously talked about this last week and acted it out and read books and talked about it, so its been fun this week observing everyone and watching them interact with these new friends and form these new friendships because the last year all the children have been together and they all know each other so well, but now we have new friends and new relationships are being buit
Amado, Sarah07:34:03 pmI also love when you plan something and it totally fails, but in that failure you figure out a way to change an element to fit what the children need/want to engage with. I don't have an example coming to mind, but it happens all the time *laugh*
{Carter, Wendy}07:34:47 pmSuch great examples!
Amado, Sarah07:35:12 pmWe've had to change our "outdoor classroom" space (a courtyard outside of the forest) a lot to accommodate big body play needs
Amado, Sarah07:35:29 pmAdding climbers, a running space, etc
{Carter, Wendy}07:35:53 pmYes, SJ! Based on what the children need, you are adding things that will allow you to meet those needs.
Berres, Annie07:35:57 pmnice, that space makes such a difference
Amado, Sarah07:35:59 pma calm corner for regulation:-)
{Carter, Wendy}07:36:31 pmThat's needed too!!
{Carter, Wendy}07:36:41 pmSo here's a big question...
Rude, Linda07:36:43 pmChanging out our Large motor items in our classroom to something differnt
Schmitt, Jo07:36:53 pmmoving the sensory table outside was fun and they played a long time with it. Since I don't have a sand area it was sand and dinosaurs.
{Carter, Wendy}07:37:24 pmHow is the experience different when we follow a child's interests and allow our observations to guide our planning, than when we have our plans set up and are more rigid? What changes for the child? What changes for the educator?
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:38:08 pmadult ideas are usually pretty one dimensional
Amado, Sarah07:38:38 pmAutonomy, motivation, buy in, engagement
Rude, Linda07:38:36 pmChildren are happier and more engaged.
{Carter, Wendy}07:38:41 pmCan you elaborate more Allison? I am interested in your thought...
{Carter, Wendy}07:39:42 pmYes! I often think that we have less behavior issues when the kids are busy and interested in play.
Schmitt, Jo07:39:56 pmThey respond better to their interest than mine. Its hard some times knowing what their interests are but good to be adapt to their needs. Kids seem the learn better then when I am tying to make a point in the learning.
Berres, Annie07:39:58 pmWhen we follow a child’s interests and let our observations guide planning, we embrace a responsive approach...........one that sees each child as an active participant in their own learning........
Amado, Sarah07:40:01 pmThe one dimensional thing makes me think about how surprising children can be, they're so creative and don't hold back to grown up conventions so they'll take play and learning into vastly different ways than adult-led activities
Berres, Annie07:40:41 pmthat autonomy like SJ said.....
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:40:57 pmadults tend to have one thing in mind and it is tidy and neat but children do not function that way. adults tend to be outcome oriented, kids are about the process
Rude, Linda07:41:06 pmMany times I will skip art because they are having fun and are so engaged in what they are playing with. I will sit with them or near them.
{Carter, Wendy}07:41:19 pmYes yes yes!
Schmitt, Jo07:41:35 pmThe kids love for me to be on the floor! 🙂
Schmitt, Jo07:41:43 pmwith them at their level
{Carter, Wendy}07:41:50 pmKids are process oriented - which is how they learn best!! Trial and error. Getting messy. Exploration.
{Carter, Wendy}07:42:15 pmYes Jo - it's so great that you do that with them. They want you to be a part of what they are doing.
Schmitt, Jo07:42:41 pmThey LOVE mess. 🙂 They will just dump everything out at once.
Rude, Linda07:42:36 pmVery much so do they want you with them.
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:42:42 pmand needs to be meaningful, so often adult instigated activities are kind of random. they have no intrinsic practical purpose beyond the activite
{Carter, Wendy}07:43:15 pmSuch good points, Allison. Thanks for sharing that! And so important for us to think about.
Berres, Annie07:43:29 pmYES LOVE that
{Carter, Wendy}07:44:21 pmWow everyone! What a great discussion! I am so excited about all that you are doing in your programs. It's evident that you GET this and are already incorporating so much in your work.
{Carter, Wendy}07:45:04 pmWe are at the end of our chat time. And already starting week 4 now! Any remaining questions before we sign off tonight?
Amado, Sarah07:45:17 pmNo questions, thanks for the great chat!!
Fithian Ruby, Allison07:45:28 pmthanks. good night all
Rude, Linda07:45:28 pmNone. Thanks for a great chat again.
Schmitt, Jo07:45:43 pmthank you! great chat.
{Carter, Wendy}07:45:49 pmThank you all for your passion and your amazing work!! Have a great evening! 🙂
Rude, Linda07:46:01 pmYou too.