Monday

I started my English practice 5 March 2018. I arrived at 8 o'clock and I left the kindergarten when they finished their lunch and washed their faces and they went to nap. I was in the Tulip group. The Hungarian teacher's name is Katalin Berghold and the English teacher's name is Hannah Kristine Dakoske. I can observe her for two days because her family visited her on that week and she took her vacation day when I was in the kindergarten. She was substitute by Debby and Jenette (excuse me but I do not know their last name). 

 I made an observation diary using Judit Kovács's and Éva Trentinné Benkő's book. The book's title is The World at Their Feet and in this book from page 174 we can find many many points whic are helping us to observate an English teachers. In my opinion this part helped me a lot because I surmised what should be in the focus. 

On Monday I choose the following point: 

• How the teacher motivates children to join in
• Children's vocabulary
• The length of repetitions (words, phrases, sentences)

As I mentioned earlier, I arrived around at 8 o'clock. They were shy at the beginning because they did not know me and they are small group. On the first day I observed Hannah. When she arrived the group she was so happy. The children really love her. All members of the group greeted her when she stepped in the room. What I realized that children rarely respond to her in English. It happened a lot when Hannah asked something they responded in Hungarian or in body language, so my conclusion is children understand what Hannah said in English. 

I tried to make friends among the children so I asked a girl what is her name and ahe aswered in a full English sentance: "My name is Tami." (Tami is a nickname from Tamara.) But Tami has a very very good language sense. The other children tried to answer in the shortest way. There were another child who can speak very well in English. His name is Boti and his mother talk to him in English at home, despite his mother is Hungarian. 

Hannah used very simple words and she spoke really slowly so the children got the chance to understand what their teacher said to them. If it necessarly Hannah repeat herself. 

Children if they speak in English repeated the teacher's words. They are know the colours and can count to ten with help. 

In this kindergarten the Hungarian teacher and the English teacher do the activities together. They start with Hungarian activity after that Hannah continue with the English session. On Monday the theme was nature in connection with spring. Hannah brought pictures and stick them on walls, furnitures with bluetech. She used coloured paper and she brought spring cards too and showed them to the children one by one and named what they can see on the picture. After that everyone got a card and they had to match the picture with the colour. For example water belonged to blue, tree belonged to green, ladybug belonged to red etc. 

After that they played a game which improved their memory skills. Three children sat on the carpet next to Hannah. She invited those children who were quiet (of course everyone had been invited than, but the quiet children could sit next to Hannah sooner). She asked one child from the circle to come and memorise the children's cards who were sitting in the middle of the carpet. After the child memorised Hannah asked him/her to close his/hers eyes and she changed one of the card. And the child had to find out whose card was changed. 

I really enjoyed my first day because everyone was so kind to me. I find this game useful because it is really complex. Hannah improved children's vocabulary, memory skill and self- discipline.