Observing Communication

I often watch and listen as my eight-year-old son, Cutler, and my husband have conversations about a variety of different topics.  My husband does a great job of listening to Cutler and getting his ideas and perspective about different situations.  Many times when Cutler wants something or wants to do something my husband will not say no right away but will give Cutler a chance to explain why.  I watch my husband get on my son’s level, stop what he is doing and really listen to Cutler.  “Listening is the process of recognizing, understanding, accurately interpreting, and responding effectively to the messages you hear” (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 158).  I see Cutler’s satisfaction and eagerness to explain what he is thinking.  I can tell that Cutler really appreciates his dad’s willingness to be a good listener and I can see how it encourages effective communication between them.

My husband also does a good job asking Cutler questions.  He really challenges Cutler’s thinking about different issues by asking questions and encouraging Cutler to look at ideas from different perspectives.  One of the recent conversations I observed was when Cutler and his neighbor friend across the street wanted to have their own yard sale.  Instead of saying no right away my husband took the time to listen and ask questions about their idea.  My husband also did a good job of educating the children on what a yard sale actually involves and how much work goes into doing one.    

There are times when I need to practice my husband’s communication skills.  I know I need to be more patient and truly listen to my children instead of saying no to an idea right away.  My learning this week has reinforced the reasons for needing to be a better listener.  I also need to make sure I give my children a chance to really express their feelings and ideas before responding to them.  I know I do a much better job of this at school but I also want to be an effective communicator with my children at home.

Reference

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Creating Affirming Environments

“An environment rich in anti-bias materials invites exploration and discovery and supports children’s play and conversations in both emergent and planned activities” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 43).  In my family child care program I would have a sign-in area where the parents sign the child in each day.  I liked Adriana’s idea of having an area in that sign-in where parents can say how the child slept the night before or any concerns they have about their child for that day (Laureate Education, 2011).  This helps the teacher get a better understanding of the child’s home environment and gives parents the opportunity to share how their child is doing at home.  I would include a schedule for the day’s activities.  I liked Adriana’s scheduled that included pictures for the children and parents to see (Laureate Education, 2011).  I would include pictures of the children and families from my program, which would help children, and families feel more included and involved in the program. 

I would of course have a variety of anti-bias materials.  I would have a book area with a variety of books that displayed all types of abilities and similarities and differences.  I would have a dramatic play area with a variety of clothing, food, dolls and toys.  I would have a block area with a variety of blocks and Legos.  Also there would be a variety of wooden people who came from different races with a variety of different abilities.  I would have an art area with many types of art materials.  I would have a writing center with a variety of writing materials and puzzles.  I would also have a listening center where children can listen to books and different sounds.  I would have a texture table that would include materials consisting of different textures.  All of these areas will be changed up depending on what our area of focus is for that week.

I liked Adriana’s idea of a special place for children to express their emotions (Laureate Education, 2011).  I would have an area in my program where children could go when they were have big feelings.  This would be a place where children could learn how to calm themselves down and talk about their feelings.  My program would also be covered with pictures of the children attending my program.  Children love to see themselves and their friends in pictures.  “Relationships and interactions with children and families, the visual and material environment, and the daily curriculum all come together to create the anti-bias learning community” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 51).    

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

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