Daddy & me

Daddy & me

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Observing Communication



The observation I made was of a teacher and a two-year old boy.  The teacher was trying to get the two year old to help the other children clean up so that everyone can go down stairs to the gym and ride bicycles.  The young boy wanted to continue to play so the teacher removed the toy from his hand and physically got down to his level and looked him in the eye and said “it is time to clean up”.  She began to sing the clean-up song.  The two year old also began to sing the song “Clean-up Clean-up everybody everywhere” and bent down and began to pick up the toys and put them on the shelf.  The teacher clapped her hand and said look at Jacob he is cleaning up and Jacob smiled.  When he was finished he went and sat near the door waiting to go down to the gym with his class.

The teacher was very appropriate with Jacob she got down to Jacob’s level and used simple words and sentences as she redirected him to clean up.  Mooney (2005), for example suggests getting down to children’s level, using simple words and short sentences and remembering the importance of body language and tone of voice (Rainer Dangel & Durden, 2010).  The teacher was firm with Jacob, but what I liked about the interaction was she offered Jacob a reminder of what happens next when she began singing the clean-up song.  This was very effective because Jacob joined in singing and finally began to clean-up.  Sharp (2005) recommends activities such as songs, poetry and role play to help children access the language of school (Rainer Dangel & Durden, 2010).

Reference:

Rainer Dangel, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81.

4 comments:

  1. I love that the teacher praised him for doing a good job in front of the others. The positive feedback was wonderful! I also like how she got on his level and reminded him of what needed to be done. She then sang a song that he was obviously familiar with to help redirect him as well!! What a great example to observe! Thank you for sharing.

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  2. This is a great example of a teacher who understands child development and the importance of adjusting to the child's level as well as to the child's cognitive skills and development. The teacher did a great job of being firm without being harsh and disrespectful, Jacob will benefit from these types of interactions. Jacob as well as the other children will become accustomed to this type of positive interaction from the teacher which will enhance the child-teacher relationship making for a meaningful early childhood education experience for all involved!

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  3. This is a great example of effective communication between the child and the teacher. Although a conversation was not had, the child listened to the teacher's requests and began singing with the teacher while the toy was being put away. Using song to lighten the mood of the child as well as make cleaning up a little more exciting or fun was a good strategy to use on the teacher's part. Thanks for sharing!

    Caitlyn

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  4. What a great example of effective communication. I really like the idea of using the songs to get children cooperating and changes the tone of the situation. Thanks for sharing.

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