OMG! I wanted to delete spam and then accidentally deleted about 20 others non-spam comments! 20 over latest comments gone… So sorry.

As for Mark, I’m so so so sorry, I replied and now the comments are gone. However, here’s my reply to you for your latest comment:

Mark, only if I have the mood I will update this blog with my notes ;p

In fact I have a job now and I’m doing this part time so it really doesn’t matter much unless I loss this job then maybe venture into this field since computer/IT skill now is one skill that many young children must master. So you can see that it supplements current qualification.

Why as competitor hahaha… Just doing this for fun and one very important thing in this field is to interact with each other more to learn new skill and share.

Go ahead and post as much you like ;p

Phonics – the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language

Phonemes – smallest units of speech

Phonics is a method of teaching speakers of English to read and write that language.

Phonological awareness:

• teach children to attend to and manipulate speech sounds in words
• effective under a variety of teaching conditions and with a variety of learners
• teaching sounds in language helps the children to learn to read
• decode novel words, remember and read familiar words
• boost reading comprehension
• learn to spell
• instructions should be suitable for child’s developmental level
• teach in small group and bits by bits
• aware that alphabet letters is important
• blend phonemes
• important to lean letter shapes, sounds, and names
• let them know the importance of phonics in their life
• instructions does not need to consume long periods of time to be effective
• computer can be used
• understand and use alphabetic system to read and write
• critical foundation piece
• short and as relevant as possible
• cannot guarantee later literacy success

Phonemic awareness training exercise:

• directing children’s attention to rhyme
• segmenting morphemes and syllables
• categorizing sounds
• identify syllables
• illustrating phonemic contrasts
• experience relevant articulatory gestures
• using segmentation and identification games at the phonemic level

Different phonics approaches:

• Synthetic phonics
• Analytical phonics
• Analogy phonics

Parents roles:

• read to children
• talk and read to the children about their surrounding or books
• have regular story time
• let children read newspapers, magazines, books etc.
• do activities together and talk about it
• sing to or sing with the children
• surround children with opportunity to play with words
• encourage children to draw
• tell children family stories
• write to the children
• let the children see you write

Teachers’ roles:

• Teacher as a model
• Teacher as a provider
• Teacher as an interactor
• Teacher as balancer

How to work with children:

• Children need “envelop of language”
• Children must use language to learn it
• The most verbal chidlren tend to monopolize language interactions
• Adults should know the individual child
• Home language are to be invited into the classroom
• Dialect differences expand speech community
• Some children may have speech and language disorder
• The language of the teacher influences the classroom

Possible child competencies and understandings promoted by storytelling, experiences include developing a sense of:

• personal story
• curiosity about others stories
• drama
• a story’s power
• phonemic awareness
• cultural similarities and differences
• social and group enjoyment during story telling
• gestures and acting actions effective in communication ideas, feelings and moods

Selecting story for storytelling:

• Age appropriate
• Plot
• Style
• Values
• Memorable characters
• Sensory and visual images
• Additional selection criteria
• Themes and story structure
• Storyteller enthusiasm

Many people have misconception that studying Early Childhood Education be it in diploma or degree or other level are people who will ended up becoming an early childhood educator, it’s far beyond this. The following are the career options that those studying this course can pursue:

• Teacher in early childhood program
• Director of childcare facility, nursery school
• Family day care provider
• Nanny/au pair
• Foster parents
• Social worker/adoption agency
• Pediatric nurse/school nurse
• Family therapist/parent educator
• Pediatrician
• Early intervention specialists
• Recreation leader
• Play group leader
• Home visitor
• Curriculum specialist
• Instructional specialist, e.g. computer
• Child developmental researcher
• Early childhood education specialist
• Program consultant
• Consumer advocate
• Teacher trainer
• Consultant
• Resource and referral program
• State and national departments of education and/or human services
• State/local licensing worker
• Legislative advocate
• Child care law specialist
• ECE environment consultant
• Interior designer for children’s spaces
• Government planning agent on children issues
• Consultant in bilingual education/multiculturalism
• Nutrition specialist for children
• Child care referral counselor
• Communications consultant
• Script writer/editor
• Freelance writer
• Children’s book author
• Children’s photographer
• Microcomputer specialist/program consultant
• So on and so forth…

Effective Professional Development:

• Uses an integrated systems approach
• It is an ongoing process
• Part of a coherent system that provides a continuous program of study
• Must be evidence based
• Provides opportunities to apply knowledge promotes teacher reflection and provides opportunities for feedback
• Provides a system for collaboration
• Includes sustained leadership
• Continuous assessment
• Include a variety of methodologies

The desirable and valuable features a children book should have:

• character development
• color
• with human courage, cleverness or grit as examples
• suspense
• humour/wit
• fantasy
• surprise
• repetition
• hope
• charm
• sensitivity
• realistic dialogue
• cultural insight
• action
• predicatability

Benefits of illustrations:

• Provision of pleasure
• Nourishment of the imagination
• Promotion of creative expression
• Development of imaginary

Categories of children books:

• Story books (picture books)
• family and home
• folktales and fables
• fanciful stories
• fairy tales
• animal stories
• others
• Nonfiction books
• Wordless books
• Interaction books
• Concept books
• Predictable books
• References books
• Alphabet and word books
• Novelty books and magazines
• Teacher- and child- made books
• Therapeutic books
• Seasonal and holiday books
• Books and audiovisual combinations
• Toddler books and board books
• Multicultural and cross-cultural books
• Oversized books