Observing Communication

This week I had the opportunity to substitute in a preschool classroom. Today the children were finishing up a three day project of building their very own cars out of cardboard boxes. The children had already painted their cars, placed headlights, and license plates. Today the final portion of the project was to decorate the steering wheels, attach it, and take a drive to wherever they’d like.

During my observation, I chose to listen in on the interactions between the aide Ms. Linda and Rashad. Rashad is five years old and has a humorous character. The words that he chooses and says surprised me. As Rashad was decorating his steering wheel, Ms. Linda sat at the table with him and a few other children. While Rashad decorated his steering wheel, Ms. Linda gave Rashad her undivided attention. Rashad kept telling Ms. Linda to look at the steering wheel that he had created for his box car.

Observation:

Rashad- Ms. Linda, imma make my car look like my mommas car.

Ms. Linda- Rashad what does your mom’s car look like?

Rashad- Her car is fast and she has a trunk for my stuff.

Ms. Linda- What kind of stuff do you have in her trunk?

Rashad- My clothes, my toys, my church shoes for grandma’s house.

Ms. Linda- Oh Rashad you go to church with your grandma?

Rashad- Yeah, I go to the brown church “rising star”.

Ms. Linda- What do you like about the brown church?

Rashad- They feed us at that church.

Ms. Linda-Wow that’s great to be able to eat at church.

Rashad- Yeah I know! They give me and my sister breakfast.

Ms. Linda- Rashad are you gonna really drive fast in your car?

Rashad- No, you can get a ticket from the police man.

Ms. Linda- Oh yes it’s not safe to drive very fast.

Rashad- Yeah, you can get hurt and brake your bones.

Rashad- Ms. Linda I’m done with my steering wheel. Can I put it on my car?

Ms. Linda- Yes, where does the steering wheel go?

Rashad- It goes in the front cus you have to see where you going.

Ms. Linda- Oh ok!

What surprised me about this observation was the amount of time Rashad was able to participate in back and forth conversation with Ms. Linda. Earlier today, I noticed that Rashad is not shy in holding conversations with his friends and teachers. During circle time, Rashad was one of the students who asked and answered the most questions of the entire group. His comprehension and language skills are very advanced.

What I did notice during my observation was how both Rashad and Ms. Linda were very comfortable with communicating with one another. Ms. Linda sat at eye level near Rashad and listened closely to all that he had to say about his mom’s car, the trunk, the church, and other things that were on his mind. I noticed that it was Rashad who initiated the conversation. Ms. Linda did not have to ask a question to get the conversation started. She just sat near Rashad and allowed him to take the lead which worked out very well.

The connections that I did notice right away were the fact that Ms. Linda chose her questions to where Rashad would expand his language in the conversation. It’s like she piggy backed off of what Rashad would say and it would lead Rashad’s conversations to expand further. The types of questions and statements teachers use with children can have an effect on children’s thinking (Fowell & Lawton 1992; Massey 2008). I also recognized that Ms. Linda listened to Rashads responses. His responses did not just blow over but she responded to his responses which again lead to further language in his conversation. Listening is paramount (Stephenson, 2009).

I believe that if Ms. Linda had used more statements instead of all questions, the communications between her and Rashad could have been more effective and moved to a different level. Ms. Linda did not really say much about the steering wheel that Rahsd was decorating. She could have made a statement referring to the steering wheel that could have extended or shifted Rashads language in the conversation. Giving children feedback that extends the thinking that leads to more language Rainer Dangei & Durden, 2010).

I believe that the interactions between Rashad and Ms. Linda were positive. Rashad appeared to feel well in his spirit. He was comfortable with converating with Ms. Linda. He was proud to talk about his mom, sister, and church. He shared how he enjoyed eating at church. He was able to share his feelings.

This assignment allowed me to do a self evaluation of the interactions that I have with children. Things that I’d like to change is, not to stand when I am holding conversations with children. My knees are not as strong as they use to be so I find myself either standing or bending over to speak with children. I want to get in the habit of at least sitting in a chair so that I can be at eye level with children. I would like to use more statements in my conversations so that I am able to assist my students with expanding their language in conversations. I find myself using questions to initiate reciprocal communication. One more thing that I did notice is that I do listen to the children when they are speaking or holding conversations. Listening is very important. Stepping back and just listening to a child or children communicate is surely a learning experience. Educators can learn valuable information about the different types of words and language strengths children have.

 

 

Creating Affirming Enviornments

Years ago I owned and operated a large family home childcare. I can say that my environment was nothing compared to the family home childcare of Adriana Castillo. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to tour a portion of her childcare. She has done a very well job with the setting up and arrangement of her childcare. If I were to re-open a family home childcare, I would definitely use some of the very same ideas that Adriana has used in her business.

In my family home childcare setting, I would use the following areas of my home as my childcare. I would use my front and back yard, my patio, my living room, kitchen, my family room, and the main restroom of my home. Just as Adriana, I would clear out any personal items and furniture from the following areas that I’ve chose to utilize in my business. I would want for the children to have the appropriate amount of space to where they are comfortable and able to maneuver around in their learning environment. When I operated my family child care, I had set up my home to look just as a preschool classroom. Therefore, I would create my home to reflect an actual classroom setting with all the necessary furnishings and materials to develop a child friendly and welcoming environment.

Elements that I would like to include in my  childcare that would enhance the development of an anti-bias environment would be child size furnishings, age appropriate toys and materials, multicultural books, music, multicultural dolls, puzzles, dramatic play materials, art supplies, blocks, push cars, legos, posters, photo of children, soft pillows, puppets, bean bags, trikes, climbing structures, crawl through tunnels, and a host of other materials to help with the development and creating of an anti-bias environment. I have chosen these materials because each of them supports children’s development. For example, books as well as multicultural books help children with their language development. Books are a great way for children to develop a love for literacy and recognize the differences in people. These crucial anti-bias tools introduce children to love reading as well as to human differences and similarities (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

Just as in any other childcare setting, welcomes and greetings need to be ever present in family home childcares. I just love the idea of how Adriana uses her patio areas as a greeting area to the children and families. The area is large enough for furnishings, supplies, and learning materials. The area is neat and clean and appears to have an adequate amount of shade to where children and families are comfortable. Adriana explains that it gives both the children and parents time to separate from one another. Yeah, because most of the times the hard part for the children is the separation for the families (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). The area is furnished with activities, toys, trikes, and other play items to help the child feel comfortable when entering the family home. I would say it’s a great way to keep children’s minds off of having to separate from mommy because there are so many activities and items available to play with during this transitioning time. It also gives parents the opportunity to interact with their child in play before separating from them.

In my home childcare, to assure that parents and children feel welcome and respected, I would be sure to greet the in a warm way each morning. As for the environment, I would create an anti-bias learning environment. I would be sure to display diversity within the home through the use of posters, photos, cultural artifacts, children’s learning material such as dolls, puzzles, book, and other various materials that will help the family feel welcome and recognize their culture within the program. As for interactions between the children and families, I would make sure that all interactions are positive and professional.   

The multimedia along with the chapter reading inspired me on how to create an environment that is anti-bias. After viewing the home of Adriana, I could not help but revisit the way I had my former home daycare. On a scale from 1-10 I would say that I would have scored a 5 compared to Adriana home set up. Her home childcare was well organized, enriched with multiple items that supported diversity and individualized culture. After reading the visual and material environment portion of chapter four, I was influenced that the environment plays a key role in how children and families are influenced that the learning environment is inviting and supports their family and culture. The toys, materials, and equipment you put out for children; the posters, pictures, and art objects you hang on the wall; and the types of furniture and how you arrange them all influence what children learn (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

Resources

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. Baltimore, MD: Author