SEEC Week 1/2

The first day we were at SEEC was the day the Museum Experiences Director was working with our group. They had gone to see some works from Picasso's "Blue Period" and were talking about how color can show emotion. It was a cool lesson; well-structured, and appropriate for their age group (4-5), there were however, a few snags. I think the first issue was that it is very hard to convince kids that painting in only one color is fun- especially in tempera paint. If I had to do it over I might have them work in watercolors so that they could have layered the color and gotten more variants in light and dark.

By week two the kids were used to seeing newcomers to their classrooms. Being more used to their classroom as well, I could start to see the effectiveness of how the teachers at SEEC operate their classroom. The children alternate between group learning and activity areas of their choice. Each child is given the freedom to do what inspires them at the time. Overall, the kids stay engaged in the activity they have chosen until it is complete and then they move on to a new one. We see them right before lunch, a time when you could expect kids to get a little restless, but it is very clear that the kids know what is expected of them throughout the day. There are a lot of really great things going on in that classroom; but one that I really noticed is respect for their teachers, their supplies, and each other. They take turns, help the teachers, sit quietly (for the most part) when told to, and (so far) I haven't seen any of the kids have any outbursts.