Professional Learning at BGCC
Carolina Bratlien and Erika Rodriguez attended the Bing Nursery School’s Summer Educator Session at Stanford University. Bing Nursery School, established in 1966, was described as “a national treasure” by Professor Emerita of Psychology Eleanor E. Maccoby. The mission of Bing Nursery School is to provide a laboratory setting for research where faculty members and graduate students can conduct research in child development, to provide a sound educational environment for young children, and to teach undergraduate and graduate students about young children through observation and experience in the classroom.
The 3-day session explored play as an ideal setting for engaging children’s minds and promoting intellectual growth. Through activities, presentations, classroom observation, and discussions, participants considered what it means for children to have lively minds, how play promotes intrinsic motivation and intellectual engagement, and how building knowledge and skills can be integrated within the process of play. Carolina and Erika presented their discoveries during professional development with the teachers from the Children’s Centers in October.
Erika had this to share about the experience at Bing Nursery School:
“At Bing, children are encouraged and empowered to take learning into their own hands—literally!
Blocks, paint, sand, water, and clay are not only vehicles of their unbridled imaginations, but also tools through which they shape and understand their worlds.
This opportunity provided a refreshing experience that other centers are doing what we have committed to do here at Becky Gates Children’s Center and that is emphasizing learning through play in an environment planned to encourage discovery, independence, and social interaction.”
Professional development in October provided a variety of training opportunities. Our teachers and instructional coach attended a state conference hosted by the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children and benefitted from three days of professional learning provided by experts in the field of early childhood.
The attendees had this to say after returning from the state conference:
“It was reassuring to see that practices we implement here at BGCC, other centers are interested in as well. I enjoyed attending the training and seeing various point of views on the topics we covered.”
“It was a great reminder of why I chose to be in an early childhood, it makes me look forward to furthering my education when I go back to Texas A&M University.”
“It was good to connect with different teachers and see different teaching methods. The presenters were well versed in their information and material.”
“The training was fantastic, and I learned to not get caught up in ‘adultitis.’ I had a great time. It had been 20 years since I’ve been to a conference and learned a lot of different things from different people and different parts of the state.”
Martey Heard, the Early Childhood Teacher in the Aggie Ring classroom, had the opportunity to present at the conference. Her session was entitled “Music, Movement and Transitions: Singing Your Way Through the Day.” Martey has been a teacher at BGCC since the opening of the program in 1998 and she has a desire to share her knowledge and expertise with others. The state conference provided a great platform.
Martey had this to share regarding her experience at the conference:
“It was an honor representing Texas A&M University at the conference and sharing my knowledge of music and movement with other ECC professionals.”
Early Childhood Teacher Spotlight
Meet Ms. Chelsea, the final teacher who joined us this school year.
”Howdy! I am Ms. Chelsea, and I have been having tons of fun with Ms. Becca so far this year in the Hullabaloo classroom. A little about me is that I am originally from Texas, however, my family lives in Mexico, and I love to travel. I have traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, along with various places throughout the United States. I have always had a passion for working with children. I worked at Kiddie Academy for a year before discovering BGCC. The support and stability we receive from the staff are amazing, making it easy to come to work every day. I love being able to work with the children because they are all so pure and kind. After work, I love to journal and write about what I am grateful for. This is a great reminder of all the good things that surround me every day. I am excited to see what the rest of the school year brings!”
Ms. Chelsea is partnering with Ms. Becca in the Hullabaloo classroom. Ms. Becca has been teaching at BGCC for over 17 years. Before Hullabaloo, Ms. Becca worked with toddlers in the Kyle Field classroom. She has been enjoying how preschool works and how to be the best preschool teacher to her students. She is learning new things every day and having a blast exploring this new age. Her favorite part of her job is the amazing community she is surrounded by with the children, families, and staff at BGCC.
The Hullabaloo classroom is one of four preschool classrooms with ages ranging from 3-4 years old. The children are currently interested in nature play and all things outside. The class has been exploring different textures and colors of various objects such as leaves, rocks, and pumpkins. Activities they have enjoyed include collecting leaves and discovering the inside of a pumpkin and its different parts. The teachers are working with the children on communication skills and vocalizing their needs. They have been practicing communicating with their peers during class time.
Classroom Exploration of Bees
Two classrooms have been buzzing with excitement! The children in the Aggies classroom and the Maroon and White classroom decided they wanted to learn about bees.
Explorations began with a discussion about what children already know about bees. The information in black is what the children in the Aggies classroom knew before beginning the exploration and the blue is what the children learned during the exploration.
Teachers fill the classroom with materials and plan activities that help the children find the answer to their questions. That might include reading books, singing songs and bringing in experts. The children have expanded the knowledge they have of bees by learning about the parts of the bee, the beehive, nectar, and the honeycomb. They used a variety of materials to create bees including playdough, clay, and pinecones. They used loose parts to build their own honeycomb cells, and they painted a honeycomb. Some facts they learned during the exploration were that bees don’t like rain, the queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs, they have two stomachs and five eyes.
Ask them the following questions and they will happily share their knowledge.
- How do bees communicate?
- Which bees are the worker bees?
- What happens if there is more than one queen bee?
- Why do bees need honey?
- Which bees sting?
- What shape are the honeycomb cells?
- What do beekeepers use the smoker for?
If you think you are too small to make a difference, you have never met a honeybee.
