Introduction
This is an observation essay carried out in a kindergarten center. The observation exercise was carried out by just observing kindergarten kids for one day. The observation exercise was conducted as soon as the children reported for school up to the time they left for their homes. All the activities that the children engaged in while in school were carefully recorded for the day. Interruptions were kept at a minimal and an attempt was made to make as much observation as possible.
The Observation Setting
This observation is carried out in a nearby kindergarten school that handles children aged between three and six years. This particular setting is chosen because they offer preschool education where the children get their fundamental foundation of education. The parents or house helps bring and collect the children from the center. One class of twenty children is selected and the teachers involved briefed on the purpose and details of the study. I acted as a new teacher for a few days before my study for the kids to get used to me and in that way my presence would not affect the observation. It was also necessary to get used to the environment such that I could make a full observation without any interruption or interrupting the kids as this could affect the way they behaved normally.
The Exercise
Having familiarized myself with the observation ground, the children, and teachers I set on a new week to make my observations. Throughout my observation exercise, I tried to be as observant as possible and on the day of the observation, I had to arrive at the school earlier before the kids arrived.
Monday Observations
It is a Monday morning and children are streaming to schools. Notably, children are showing a lot of excitement. They approach their classes and sit down to chat. I note that they seem to be quite happy and excited about nothing in particular. I realized that they have formed some small groups of friends consisting of two to three children. I noted that there was no group of more than three children together chatting except when they tried to move the teacher’s desk. I noted that the desk which was usually at the center of the class was on one side of the classroom farther away from the door. By pulling and pushing the desk, the children management to move to the central position where it always stayed.
During class time I was not allowed to make any observations as the teachers handled the students however I succeeded in getting permission to get take the students through makeup class on “becoming friends.” I used this chance to make observations as I taught them to make friendships. During my class session, the children looked very excited. I noticed that it was very to focus their attention on a given task though they were equally distracted.
There was one moment when somebody dropped a metallic object outside the class. Immediately I realized I did have the class attention as the kids all over sudden looked puzzled. It was very clear from the looks on their faces that they did like the distraction. I had been informed by other teachers that when the kids were distracted I could gain their attention by leading them through their favorite song that they had learned. I tried it out and I was surprised at how the children joined in the song with full vigor.
This made the class quite interesting as the children focused their full attention back on me. My class had very limited time however I managed to notice that children have a lot of energy and could sing out with all their energy and full attention. I realized that children could be easily distracted but when they focused their attention on something it could be intense.
During the break time, I made some exciting observations. The children were excited more than ever. Unlike in the class where they did more of the activities together such as singing and reciting, at the playgrounds the situation was a bit different. The children played more in isolation as everyone tried to have a nice time on the swing and other playing apparatus that are set up for the kids. At one moment they could join forces to move some wheel and afterward revert to work on their own. I tried to see if they were some two individuals who could be termed as a close friend but none could fit close friends. The children interacted indiscriminately with each other making it hard to point out who is a whose friend.
When the children went back to class after the break time, it was observed that the children were less excited compared to the morning session. However, the children were observed to display the same pattern as was seen in the morning. It was observed that the children easily lost their attention but unlike in the morning sessions, it was a bit challenging to get their attention back. I also preferred that they preferred singing than any other thing unlike in the morning session when they could easily learn new skills.
Generally from the day I spent at school, I had recorded very interesting observations. I observed that the school’s kids were motivated, encouraged. I also observed that the children displayed a high level of discipline. It was easy to give them instructions. I observed that after the recess time was over the children obeyed upon being told that it was time to get back to class. I could tell that the children loved visitors as I could tell this from the way we interacted with them since the day I came in as a new teacher. I had expected to find it challenging to form some friendship with the kids but to my surprise, the children were readily welcoming.
I must say that the children displayed a good level of cooperation at the classroom level and the playing ground. Though the children were observed not to engage each other easily it was very clear that they could easily work in unison when they perceived that their combined efforts were necessary. I believe that these observations are in line with the social studies carries out (NASP 1; Paul 1).
Conclusion
The observation was a success. The kindergarten site was an excellent study center as all the parties involved were cooperative. It was observed that children could be easily distracted but when they could also focus their full attention on their teachers. It was also observed that they tended to work independently as well as in unison depending on the situation at hand. They were observed not to engage others in games but they were nevertheless responsive when engaged by the others.
Works Cited
NASP. Motivating Learning in Young Children. NASP Online, n.d. Web.
Paulu, Nem. Helping Your Child Get Ready for School. Kids Source, 1996. Web.