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Nicky Burt
Kindergarten native English teacher and also a TEFL teacher for teenagers to adults.
Location Budapest, Hungary
Activity
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Nicky Burt made a comment
This was such a wonderful course where I have taken on board so many new ideas. The most successful thing so far has been the 'Learning time with Shaun and Timmy' app I passed on to the parents at my teacher/parent meetings. They were so happy that I could finally recommend a really suitable and age appropriate app for their children to continue with their...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I gave all the parents in my group on the first week the link for "Learning time with Shaun and Timmy" which has been successful.
I will definitely be purchasing the certificate at the weekend once I have completed the course fully and am certainly interested in doing more courses.
Will there be any more courses related to Kindergarten age again?
What plans... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
•Children can’t really learn a language if they are playing. DISAGREE
•Never force a child to speak, they will when they are ready. AGREE
•Children learn best when they are interested in something. AGREE
•Children pick up languages best if there is a context and reason to use it. AGREE -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Another informative week. I really enjoyed unit 6.7 Asessment in Early Childhood where it is mentioned that we should base assessment on what a child can do rather than what they can't do and not be assessed through tests and exams but rather through free play where they can express themselves freely.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
The video is really informative with lots of visual examples. The variation of the observations was also interesting. I really liked the idea of the tracking sheet.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I agree with James that there are many things we can't assess, like open mindedness, curiosity, determination, resilience, self-belief. Those are many things that would be very, very difficult to assess. Therefore the danger is, that when we focus on assessments, especially within the early years, we start to narrow the field, narrow what we value. We all want...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
As always emphasised, each child is unique. Some children respond quicker to the English language than others. It is important to make ALL the children feel safe, secure and valued in the classroom, giving them time to adjust.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
When I introduce a new activity, I always demonstrate and model the words. Then I pretend to forget the words so that the children have to 'help' me and eventually take control of the activity. It is always important to have a back up activity as sometimes the preferred activity doesn't always work so it is vital to engage all the children to benefit their...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Sharing information is vital. If a child is shy and reluctant to speak English in the group setting but at home he enjoys a particular English tv programme or app game then talking about this in class is a great daily ice breaker. The child realises that you have a genuine interest about them and slowly they begin to open up and try and speak in English. I...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I agree. Assessment is not tests, reports and grading. It is making notes, observing and sharing achievements and concerns to help the child progress and further their English knowledge.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
As I detailed in the previous unit I was actually on my way out of the class to go to the art store room when I overheard two children helping another child pronounce a word in English. Whilst trying to remain unobtrusive I continued to listen to their conversation. I was thrilled to hear them speaking just in English when their native language is Hungarian....
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I was actually on my way out of the class to go to the art store room when I overheard two children helping another child pronounce a word in English. Whilst trying to remain unobtrusive I continued to listen to their conversation. I was thrilled to hear them speaking just in English when their native language is Hungarian. Not once did they switch to their...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Encouragement and praise is a key word in our class. It is also important to show and express genuine praise when they have achieved or done something worth praising.
I agree that parents love to hear about their child's English development and something that they may have done well in that day. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I totally agree with Lucy Lau's comments.
In my class we have 27 children, many of them with some form of problems/disabilities so observing them regularly helps me to understand and emphasize which areas of development need more focus. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I agree that young children don't need the stress of a formal assessment. By giving children art and craft activities you can measure their progress by observing and listening to them and how well they communicate with other children. Remember that every child is unique and will learn at their own pace.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Each child should have their own file where notes of assessments and observations can be recorded. The files should also be available to the parents to view about their child's progress and discussions can be had on how to help and improve areas of their child's development.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Another great week with so many interesting points.
I also liked the link "Don’t Expect Toddlers To Behave Consistently — They Literally Can’t" by Annie Reneau as it explains so much.
I also am pleased that my "all about my child" form was mentioned in the video and also liked and commented by other learners, thank you :) -
Nicky Burt made a comment
As always, I found the videos interesting and informative. I particularly enjoyed unit 5.10: Enabling Environments.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Useful and interesting links again, thank you.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I totally agree and children feel a sense of belonging when they know that their culture and background are valued.
I work in a bilingual kindergarten in Budapest, Hungary and many of the Hungarian and English traditions differ. The Hungarian's don't really celebrate Halloween, but because it is a big tradition in England, we have a Halloween week in the... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
My ideal setting for a child-friendly environment would be to have lots of natural light with bright coloured walls. There would be an art corner where children could paint, model with plasticine, draw and to also include a sand tray and water tray with plenty of materials. Another corner would be a reading corner with a fake grass carpet that children could...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
'When you use songs and nursery rhymes, help children understand the words by using actions as well'.
I always try and use actions and/or puppets to go with the songs or verses. If I am teaching a song for the first time, I have the children sit on the carpet all facing me. I sing the song complete with the actions a few times by myself and then ask the... -
Nicky Burt replied to Nicky Burt
Thank you Sheona :)
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Nicky Burt made a comment
It is important to have a strong relationship between families and early childhood settings because with communication, teachers can adjust the environment or the program if necessary. The physical setting should be equipped with play items and free from risks to encourage children to explore and play.
At home an enabling environment would most likely be the... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Before a child starts at our kindergarten, there is a form for the parents to fill in about their child called 'All about my child'. This forms details things like favourite colour, toy, food; if they have any pets or siblings; do they know any English etc. The form is emailed to the parents before the children start and the parents email it back. This way, it...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Firstly, the teacher is at eye level with the children.
The children appear to be happy and participating. The teacher relates to the children personally by praising them individually at the end so that they feel valued. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
The key person's role is very important. If a child can't or doesn't trust you or feel safe and secure then the child will very unhappy and not learn and could even become withdrawn. The same could be said with the parents, if there are issues between yourself and the parents, this can also reflect badly upon the child. Any issues arising with parents should...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
In the kindergarten I work at in Hungary, I am the English teacher working daily alongside two Hungarian teachers (one in the morning and the other the afternoon, but both are there from 11.30-13.30). Although every group has a head Hungarian teacher, we are all equal when it comes to being a key person. We all have equal contact and good relations with the...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I come from a family with lots of first and second cousins and other relatives. I always felt safe and could enjoy myself with all of them, even the sleepovers at various great aunts, aunts and uncles, great grandparents and grandparents.
As a child I would love to watch my dad paint and for my 3rd birthday he bought me a proper paintbrush and we would paint... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Happy children make for happy learning. The more the child feels safe, secure the happier they are to learn by joining in activities with confidence and not feeling afraid to explore or try something new.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
This will be my lunch hour so fingers crossed I'll be able to make it this time :)
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Nicky Burt made a comment
A positive relationship is to build a secure environment for the children to feel safe. It is all about building trust and enjoying yourself with the children so that they feel the same way.
An enabling environment plays a key role in supporting children's learning and development. It is well recognised that children learn and develop best in caring,... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I went to pre-school almost 50 years ago so things were very different then. however, I do recall looking at the art easel and thinking that giants come here because the easels were so tall! But we actually stood on little stools to reach them to be able to paint.
I also developed new friendships and learnt about social skills and sharing. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I have had my group of children since the age of three and this is my third and last year with them before they move to school. They still love the story of the Hungry Caterpillar by Erik Carle. We are at the stage now where the children pretend to be the various fruits and one child is the caterpillar and they tell the story.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I always find the video's useful and interesting. I know my role of a native English kindergarten teacher is benefitting greatly from this course.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
At my parents meetings, i gave each parents the link for the Learning Time with Timmy app. It has been really successful because the children love playing it and the parents are happy that the children are furthering their English language education. I have downloaded the 'chocolate cake' song from the British council site. I am going to change the words to...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I always try to make the activities as meaningful and interactive as possible with a warm and secure environment. I don't like to have the children sitting for too long so I break up the activity with interactive movements and sometimes allow the children to take control of the activity or lesson especially when telling a familiar story. If the children have...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I work in a kindergarten where everything is project based. A project last between 4-6 weeks and covers everything that was mentioned in the video. The project was "Autumn treasures". Each day we focus on something particular ie: Monday is environment (we went outside and collected autumn leaves, chestnuts and sticks. Tuesday is art so we painted some oak...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I had some of the ideas but Sarah highlighted many more. I had forgotten about the use of spatial awareness, so thank you.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
The first activity has the children learning the word 'tent' as they use their colouring book to colour just the tents. This is helping their fine motor skills.
The second activity has the children learning the name, sounds and actions of animals in this physical activity. This is helping their gross motor skills.
Both activities allow the children to gain... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
The teacher is modelling the words WET and DRY and also the name of the animals. She also uses the actions to describe the words so the children can understand better. The children really enjoyed this activity as it was hands on.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Every opportunity is important to communicate with the children in English.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
1 Paint: I would use vocabulary regarding texture and colours.
2 Musical instruments: I would use vocabulary such as sounds and naming the instruments.
3 Plasticine: Here I would use vocabulary regarding colours, shapes and sizes.
4. Dress up: I would use vocabulary regarding clothes, sizes, colours and where on the body do they go? -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I think that the role of the adult is essential in children learning English as a second language. We should act as guides to help maximise their potential learning whilst providing them with a natural environment as possible where they are free to express by themselves comfortably.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Outside play or using small puppet theatres can provide a vast opportunities of language development.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
All of the activities shown in the video provide opportunities to acquire not only the specific language required, but also to enhance the child's cognitive development through imaginative and personalised additions in the arts and crafts lesson.
1. Blocks: talking about colours, shapes, sizes
2. Dressing up: clothes vocabulary, words related to the... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I use a lot of puppets when telling a story. I repeat a story for 1-2 weeks and after a while, I have the children interact with the puppets then eventually have the children retell parts of the story or the whole story. they absolutely love it as I then have to sit on a small chair and be in the audience.
Songs are also a great way for children to learn. I... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Ensure you create a comfortable and happy environment. In my experience, children in my group have learned most of their English through free play. Breakfast time has become an important part of their language development because we have time to talk and discuss many general and basic things. At first it was simple things like 'I am eating porridge with honey....
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I remember watching my mum and also my nan baking from a very early age and began to help them stir the cake mixture before being allowed to later crack eggs and eventually doing the whole process myself. The skills I learned especially at first was concentration followed by verbal instructions. Fine motor skills were developed and this was also a maths...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
A nice summary to end an informative week :)
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Another really useful and interesting week with lots of learning points to take into the classroom. I really found James Nottingham's video on labelling the action and not the child the highlight of my week and something which I was able to put into action today.
I still enjoy the British Council references and video's to Learning Time with Timmy. The classes... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Such an interesting video from Carol Dweck.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
The afternoon in the kindergarten is just free-play with no planned activities. I approach all children playing in their separate groups and sit and listen to them. most of the time they start interacting with me and so conversations begin. But Fridays have now become "Nicky hair time"! There is a separate play area with many home comforts and one of those is...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I enjoyed the link to the video to listening skills for Staff in Early Years. We did something similar to the profile book (profile wall) when we returned at the start of September and all the children had to bring in 2-3 photos of their summer holiday. The children would tell the rest of the class about the pictures and their holiday. The finished product is...
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Nicky Burt replied to Nicky Burt
Hello Maria,
Yes, I tried all of these things. The parents even bought in his favourite cuddly toy one week. I even sat the toy at the breakfast table with us and interacted with the toy as well. All I managed from the child was huge amounts of laughter, which was still great to see that the child was happy and enjoying himself. -
Nicky Burt replied to Nicky Burt
Hello Maria. The child was age 4.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I also do this in my class of children aged 5-6. I will hold up an object or toy and ask 'is this dog blue?' and they will all call out ''No Nicky, it's a white horse". At the moment we have been reading the story of Goldilocks and the three bears so at the end of end or even the beginning of the story I will ask something like 'Was this story of Rainbow and...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I liked the use of songs and the repetitive language, this was great.
However, maybe it is just me but did the female teacher ignore the other students and concentrate only on her student? One little boy was speaking and repeating a short sentence trying to get approval of his picture, but he was just ignored. The children seemed unclear at times what to do... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
As always, so far I agree with James Nottingham. Children actually like it when you watch them playing and show an interest and before long they are allowing you to join in with their play but must never take over the play.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
In my comment in 3.6 I was fortunate enough not to be labelled.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I loved the way in which James Nottingham explained himself in this video. Empowering and disempowering a child lies with the adult. It is very important to label a child in a positive way rather than the other way round. This is because it helps the child to alter their attitude and they take control of their actions.
Thanks to James, I will now be... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I was always fortunate when I was a young child that I was never compared to anyone. But I do know that my sister was constantly compared to me (she is ten years younger) and it really used to annoy her.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
It's very true that we must praise children, but we also have to be careful not to over-praise as made clear in the point James Nottingham made about external motivators.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
How do you solve the problem of a child who can speak English as their L2 but refuses? The child has now actually left the kindergarten as they moved to another district. The child would only just say the very basic like 'please, thank you, yes, no, water, toilet'. They sang all the songs and verses but all my ideas and methods have so far failed. Yet the...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
The possible answers in question 3 are interesting. We have been taught in my Hungarian kindergarten that we must NEVER ask "is that daddy", "that looks like a hat" etc because if we are wrong, it can hurt their feelings and possibly destroy they enjoyment of drawing. Instead, we ask questions like "wow, what a beautiful picture with lots of blue and green...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
The happier the child, the more likely they are to develop their communication skills. That is why is it crucial to always make the child feel valued, loved and appreciated in the classroom. In our group, we have a an autistic child and some children that are very shy yet have no problem now communicating with me, even if they don't know the words in English....
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Another enlightening week which provided so many ideas that I am taking putting into practice within my class. I especially enjoyed the reflection back to my childhood and found myself laughing aloud at these memories.
The overall point I learned this week is that play is universal. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
This week reinforced just how important learning through play is and how to overcome and remove any doubts. I have download from unit 2.17 the PDF on different types of play and why play is important and also typed up the points from unit 2.7 children need time to play and from unit 2.5 twelve features of free-flow play to my fellow English colleagues in the...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Yes, model useful language in the correct way.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Loved how the teacher created a campfire :)
The teacher remained confident throughout the activities and constantly repeated the key words before building on some new ones. A fun and enjoyable activity for the children. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Rule #1 in our group is to meet and greet with a smile while saying 'good morning'. Creating a happy, warm and caring environment upon arrival is so important. The children now automatically respond to me every morning with this greeting. Using makaton sometimes is also a good way to help children in the silent period as they can express themselves by...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I also agree with everything Sarah says and also with Nuria's comment about showing an interest in what the child is saying and encouraging them. Always praise the child for speaking in English, even if the sentence is not grammatically correct or has a word from their native language in the sentence.
I found that when the children in my group were first... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
In my kindergarten class in Hungary, children are introduced on induction mornings with their parents before they start in September. I found that some of the children were fascinated by the English speaking teacher, whilst others took a little while to warm up. the children stay in the same group for three years and now my group are in their last year. Not...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Keeping the classroom safe is one the most important classroom management rule. Children always have to play within my sight. When I am doing activities, singing etc, the children are facing me.
It is also good to have a risk assessment regularly on the classroom including all the toys, clothes and games so you can discover if anything has been damaged and... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Photo loaded under the title 'Kindergarten playground'.
I use many materials and items both inside the classroom and in the playground.
I find that flashcards/memory cards are really useful and helpful for the children to learn words and images, especially when they beat the teacher by getting more cards! -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I just love the daily activity board that Pauline uses and the layout of the room was really good. I also use puppets when telling a story and sometimes have clothes for the children to help out in the story. I see there was a 'Learning with Timmy' book, where can I find more information on this?
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Now I know that learning through play really is the best way to teach children.
Children need time to play whether it is adult-led, child-led or adult-initiated. Children can learn so much through stories and songs and receiving positive feedback from parents that their child is always singing in English or acting out/reading a story to their toys is just so... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
The video of "How they do it in Sweden" was interesting. As a teacher, to discover that the teachers have little paperwork was very surprising. It allows the teachers to concentrate more on the children and create a happier working environment. In England, they are 'paper-mad' and with so many unnecessary rules and regulations, that the Swedish educators scoff...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
No, I am not surprised by anything I've read here. Children love pretending to be adults. We have a hair salon stand that the children play with regularly (I am often the customer) and they imitate the whole scenario of being at a hairdressers.
I have to disagree with the second statement. I think that the more fun the children have, the more they learn. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Playing contributes to cognitive, social and emotional well-being.
Children in my class really enjoy role play, building with Lego and playing chase games outside. Because we had been reading the story of the three little pigs, the chase game has turned out to me being the big bad wolf and the children the little pigs, running to the safety of their home. the... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Children most definitely learn English through play. Even when doing something as simple as colouring, they are learning the colours of the pencils without realising it, e.g. 'you have a green pencil'; my pencil is red'; 'can you pass me a blue pencil please?'; where is the purple pencil?' By the end of children's first week in the kindergarten, all the...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Adult- led activity is important as it enables us to accomplish a certain task or aim we wish the child to achieve.
Adult - initiated activities are also a good way of children learning because an adult is the main person who will motivate and engage children into a form of play.
Child-led play is also a good way of learning because here the child is the... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
Learning through play is a natural and enriching way to develop in every area. Playing with my cousins taught me social skills and sharing, cooking with my mum and nan learning about ingredients, fishing with my dad and learning about the environment. At the time you don't realise just how educational and instrumental these things are.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
This first week has been so beneficial. I had parent/teacher meetings this week and gave them a handout of very useful points from various units (e.g. unit 1.14 children need time to process a language), which they were grateful for and can now better understand the reasons for their child's 'lack of speaking English at home' and many more. I also gave them a...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
This first week has been really great. It reinforces what I do in the kindergarten and shows I have got it right so far. The most interesting and valuable piece of knowledge I acquired this week was in unit 1.15, Recommendations and Advice: A child who is not speaking may be actively listening and may need time to process what they are hearing before saying...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
It's very interesting to know that so many connections are possible in a babies brain by simply exposing them to language.
Some great links, thank you. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
It certainly enforces the statement that every child is unique, learning in different ways and at their own pace.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
My responses remain the same in 1.11. It is so true how repetition hardwires their brain (or plants the seeds) to remember structures, language, vocabulary, sounds and pronunciation for future learning success.
I also liked the links - thank you. -
Nicky Burt made a comment
I also agree that children don't necessarily know they are learning a different language especially when they are learning just through play. I work in a bilingual kindergarten where one teacher speaks only in Hungarian (mother tongue) and myself in English. It is so surprising to see how quickly the children got accustomed to this arrangement and began...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Everything Catherine said is so true. The children don't feel threatened by the English language when they are learning through play.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
•Babies understand language about twice as fast as they speak. - agree
•Children can’t really learn a language if they are playing. - disagree
•An adult’s brain is far more active than a three-year-old child’s brain. - disagree
•Children learn best when they are interested in something. - agree
•Children pick up languages best if there is a context and... -
Nicky Burt made a comment
This checklist runs the risk of expecting the child to have reached a certain level by a certain and that we are expecting more from them than we ought to. Remember that every child is unique and learns at their own pace.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
This is why we need to take in different learning styles and the stages in order for children to flourish and learn in a comfort environment. Although trying to explain and get some parents to believe this is a constant battle.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Every child is individual but I think the age range is 2-5.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
All children learn in different ways. I find that involving the children in everything rather than at times just listening, works much better. I don't just read a storybook, I get the children to act it out and be involved in the telling of the story. This is just my opinion, but based on my three years of a kindergarten teacher, learning through play works...
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Nicky Burt made a comment
The definitions are now in my observation journal :)
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I find that young children learn so much more through play and interaction. As an educator, it is my responsibility to motivate them through various meaningful and exploratory paths which enhance their knowledge and learning experience.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
Unfortunately I won't be able to join as I have parent/teacher conferences that afternoon. I will try and read the comments at the weekend.
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Nicky Burt made a comment
A great idea and a useful as a reflective tool. :)
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Nicky Burt made a comment
I am a parent of one. I am an early childhood teacher in a kindergarten where I work 40 hours a week in my group. I also teach students privately from teens to adults 4 evenings a week for 60 - 90 minutes.
