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.  

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

What I have learned. and special thanks..

Throughout this course I have learned so much about children and diversity. One hope that I have when working with children who come from diverse backgrounds is to be able to build a special bond and relationship so that they are comfortable.  I want every child and family to feel like they belong and are understood by me especially as an educator.  I want them to be open and trust me fully and that will be the foundation to make a real impact on a child's life.

One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field in issues related to social justice, diversity, and equity would be to be more of a leader and begin to build my own community of people who are for children and diversity and their growth and development also to spread awareness.  Helping others recognize their biases all while working on my own.  A lot of people don't know the impact we as adults and educators have on children and their growth and development and I want to make it my job to let it be known.

Throughout the course I have learned so much from my fellow colleagues and gained a lot of insight to things and I want to say thank you to all of you for your input and as well as your insight to me.  I wish you all much success in your continued Journey here at Walden and beyond!

Art and Diversity Go hand in hand.

This course we learned a lot about the anti-biased approached and spoke on our own different biases we may have in the course as well as the many challenges that children face in a world of diversity.  I decided to put together a collage representing children and diversity and what it means to me as well as some biases that I may have and am overcoming and what I have learned in this course with pictures as a representation. Whether it be adopted children, same sex families, single family homes and people from all over. The world is full of many different people of many colors, shapes, sizes, sexuality, religions and it is important for me as a future educator to recognize those things and embrace them and learn about them as I continue on this journey in early childhood.


 

We Don't say those things.

I do recall a time that I personally witnessed a child being reprimand for something they thought was different.  I was a young kid and we were on a field trip to the zoo and there were other schools visiting the zoo on the same day there was a group of kids from one school that had a child that had down syndrome.  One of the children in my class saw him and immediately said "He looks weird" One of the teachers said to my classmate that is not nice to say and she pulled him to the side and had a whole conversation with him about how we cannot judge others for looking different and accepting others.  

The message that might have been communicated to the child is that pointing out a persons difference in a negative way is mean and not the right thing to do.  I believe she did the proper approach in pulling him to the side instead of in front of everyone, she also did a general message to the whole class as well so that it was not to happen again.  The teacher resolved the issue quickly as soon as it happened and didn't yell or use excessive force she simply talked with him in a way he would listen and so she could get her point across.  

Using the anti bias approach is what should be practiced is all situations with children and learning.  An anti-biased educator may have asked more questions to the child and gained more info on why the child thought the other child looked weird, Also explaining to the child how diverse the world is and how everyone is different in their own way.  An anti-biased educator may have done some exercises to help the children in dealing with and accepting someone different, being open asking and answering questions and preparing the child for the world of diversity.  

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families.

I do not agree with this idea of of avoiding the inclusion of books and things that depict gay or lesbian individuals.  Gay and lesbian individuals are apart of the society and world that we live in that is reality.  Avoiding having that in books won't stop the fact that children will learn about it someday.  What better way for them to learn and really understand the meaning of it than in school and with people who can really explain to them what it means at an early age instead of them being confused about it later on in life.  There are certain things that I understand adults want to protect children from, but this shouldn't be one of them a person and their sexuality is just who they are and should not be discriminated against or hidden from the world, Although children still may not fully understand all aspects of it until they are older, don't hide it from them and allow for them to come across it one day and be confused.

If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children?

I have never used offensive terms such as fag, gay, homo, sissy and so on.  I have however witnessed it being used with a close friend of mine.  He was always into musicals and shows that involved singing and he would always hang out with more girls than guys and in high school we had the typical bullies that would call you names or make fun of you and I remember one time this kid came up to him and asked him why he hangs around all these girls and he called him a "fag" and during that time that was a bad word to us and everyone was in shock that he called him that and my friend didn't know what to say so he just ignored it and the boy laughed and called him a sissy and walked away.  At the time I did not know that my friend who is still my friend was gay and he was struggling with coming out to everyone and that just set him back even more and it took him a while to actually tell people that he was gay because of how our society is and was towards gay individuals and by the time he finally came out we all that are close to him knew it we were just waiting for him to tell us.  It was great that we all supported him in his sexuality and didn't judge him even his family was really supportive because it was something that we all always suspected he just never said it.  Now he is more comfortable and open with his sexuality and doesn't hide it at all and although he may still get some discrimination towards it, it is not nearly as bad.  

professional thanks!!

      I want to say a special thanks to all of my colleagues that have supported me up until this point in my journey and in this class specifically.  I have learned so much from each and every one of them and taken so much away from the experience from learning about collaboration and communication and how important it is in this profession specifically.  I have also learned so much about myself and my own communication and what I need to work on to make my communication skills better for when  I do work in groups of people and collaborate on different ideas.
     Again I want to thank all of my colleagues for their insight and feedback on my own Ideas and also sharing their ideas that have also inspired me and help me along the way in this course.  They have allowed me to think about things in a different light and viewpoint and I truly appreciate that.  I hope for nothing but the best of success to you all as you complete your journey here at Walden and as you each go into your professional fields, I am sure you will all do amazing things in the field.  I also want to thank the instructor for your valued input and allowing us to expand on our ideas and adding to our ideas with great feedback and questions, they have really helped a lot and I will take what I have gathered on with me as I continue on this journey.

Best Wishes!