Parents Response Reflection - Essay Example

In answering the questions of the parents, I believe that I should be armed with the thorough knowledge and understanding of these preset standards in order to provide them with an adequate and accurate comprehension of their children's development. I choose to base this reflection in the national standard in science from grades K to four which can be downloaded at EducationWorld.com and is attached as an appendix. According to this standard, these grade levels should be able to grasp seven concepts of understanding: science as inquiry; physical science; life science; earth and space science; science and technology; personal and social perspectives; and history of nature and science.

It should be noted that these concepts should be thoroughly taught by the teacher through the use of different activities, techniques, and communication style which are suitable to the age and level of understanding of students. Teaching science is one of the most interesting and equally challenging tasks of a teacher who is handling children at very young ages. In answer to the parent's question of how his child is performing inside the classroom, it is very much important to consider the preset standards against the perceived understanding, reception, participation, and output of the student.

The child's performance should of course be in consideration with his age and the performance of his peers. It should be noted that a six year old child cannot be expected to memorize the entire periodic table or name all the bones in the body. Thus, the performance should be based on his ability and knowledge acquired from attending the classes. A good measure of a student's performance will be his grades in activities like recitations, quizzes, examinations, and home works. All of these should be mentioned to the parents in order to them to generate an adequate level of understanding on their children's performance.

Another measure will be to compare the performance of the child to his classmates. This will give an idea the development of the child with his age group. The question of how I am helping the child to meet the national standards should reflect my recognition of the differing needs of each student and how I specifically tailor my teaching style in order to accommodate these differences. It will also be very important to highlight the various activities which are provided to the class in order for them to readily grasp an understanding of the concepts which are taught.

For example, lectures are important but this will rather be boring for small children. Thus, they should be complemented with simple experiments, exercises, field trips, among others. Experiments will allow students to unlock the scientific concepts through firsthand experience while making them familiar with the process that scientists need to conduct first in order to validate their claims. In addition to these explanations, it will also be important to stress the difference of each child and how their specific needs are being met.

In my experience, students learn at their own pace which is usually different from their peers. Also, some students learn through different techniques and circumstances. Thus, there is a need to have various activities and teaching techniques which will benefit everyone. In