Monday, May 29, 2017

Observing communication

  • Provide an account of your observation.
I went to a local park and I observed a mother and what looked like a 3-4 year old girl interacting on the playground.
  • Describe what you noticed and learned.
During my observation I noticed the mother was very attentive to the child which is great, she also was vocal and engaged with the child in play, but when the child would try something a little risky like hang from the monkey bars the mother was extremely cautious she stood there and told her to "be careful" and she then told her after a while to come down she doesn't want her to fall.  Even though she was standing right there that could still happen.  She was very nurturing and cared a lot she followed the little girl around the park to make sure she was okay and she was very little so it was necessary.   
  • Make connections between what you observed and the effective communication strategies presented in this week’s learning resources. What could have been done to make the communication more affirming and effective?
With the interaction I noticed the mothers communication was very effective, the child was listening to her and responded positively to the mother, I would have been more playful with her because the mother seemed very tense at times and you could tell she was extremely cautious which could have scared the child to fall or something.  She could have been a little more playful and not so much watching the child but more so playing with her.  She as doing this at first, but it turned as time went on from playful to just monitoring and following the little girl to make sure she didn't get hurt.  
  • Share your thoughts with regard to how the communication interactions you observed may have affected the child's feelings and/or any influences it may have had on the child's sense of self worth.
In this instance I feel the mother showcased a lot of care, but it also could have put fear in the child that maybe she will fall.  This is why I mentioned the mother could have been more playful still interacting and watching the child but in a less stressful and cautious way so that it does not distract the child from play.  
  • Offer insights on how the adult-child communication you observed this week compares to the ways in which you communicate with the children. What have you learned about yourself this week with respect to how well you talk with and listen to young children? In what ways could you improve?
I am somewhat similar to the mother when I am observing children, but I am more playful and interactive with the child.  I have learned this week that I am very attentive to children for the most part, I like to ask them questions and address things that I see.  I do however want to work on being more attentive to listening to their curiosity and addressing what I observe.  Sometimes as adults we overlook things as kids being kids and it is important to know some things are more than that such as gender associations or curiosity and questions on race.  As adults we have to be attentive to this and ask our own questions that could help the child in the long run to better understand and to approach things differently.  

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Creating Affirming Environments

            For my Early childhood setting I would want it to be looked at as a place of comfort and Anti-bias.  I want it to be a place where culture is honored and respected as well as diversity.  The media segment we watched this week of exploring the early childhood educators home daycare really inspired me to think of how I would want my own setting to look like.  I would want a specific wall we dedicate to Culture and diversity on that wall we would study different countries each month and learn about them from what they wear, how they look, their own language and whatever else it is that makes them unique.  We would start with the cultures of the children and families I serve and then we will move on to Cultures outside of what they know and are familiar and accustomed to.  "An environment rich in Anti-biased materials invites exploration and discovery and supports children's play and conversations in both emergent and planned activities" (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards (2010).   
          Another area I would like to have is the play area and in this area we would have dolls and toys that were diverse, I'd want to have different races of the dolls to incorporate and show culture and so children could start seeing the diversity that is in the world Also I would want to have different costumes such as Firefighters, nurse, doctor, princess, police officer etc so that he children can begin to dress up as different professions and learn on them.  Another area would be a story time area where I would have different books that would speak to all cultures and help children to learn on cultures in the world.  I would put a world globe in this area as well as a map on the wall for us to study and begin learning the names of different countries.  This is a great way for children to begin thinking on the many different people all around and learn about countries they don't know about and even incorporate and talk about their own.  
       
          Another section would be a wall we dedicate to different careers and professions.  Not only is diversity in how we look and our cultures, but it is also in where we work and make a living from.  So it will be important to me for us to study those different professions no matter what and get the children to learning what they do and how they dress and the impact and importance they have in their field.  I want my environment to be rich in culture and be a great learning environment to diversity and explore the world.  There will be different colors and different flags that represent the countries of my own students and of countries that we learn about.  The activities we do will also incorporate Anti-bias such as drawings and paintings that I would display on the walls.  I would have pictures of the children and families in an area probably in the front of my setting so it is the first thing you see when you walk in and you get a feel of who is inside and the different children I work with.  The media segment inspired me for this because she had a wall of the children and families which is great, because it is important to incorporate the children and families so they feel more at home and welcome when they come inside.  

References:

 Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

 Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author