Early Childhood Education: Week 5

Blog 5

• Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at lest two strategies you have learned about that might be effective.

I am currently experiencing conflict with one of my managers. I am calling a meeting with her on Monday when we get back from spring break. This week has helped me have a better understanding of how I can handle conflict. The first strategy that I have learned that could help me with this conflict is really listening what the other person has to say and what they think. The second strategy that I have learned this week is do not imply judgment. Keeping an open mind during a conflict with help you resolve or come to a compromise during the disagreement.

If anyone else has some advice to give me for my meeting with this employee on Monday please advise your thoughts or inputs.

Week 4

Blog Week 4

·         Think about the similarities and differences between how you evaluated yourself as a communicator and how others evaluated you. What is the one thing that surprised you the most? Why?

The one thing that surprised me the most was that my husband evaluated me similar to what I evaluated myself. I speak out a lot more when I am around him so I thought that my communication anxiety would differ from his.  Another surprise was how different my husband sees me as a communicator than my coworker. My coworker sees me more comfortable in a larger group than myself and my husband. I need to work on my public speaking and becoming more comfortable with it because my job requires me to speak in public often and in large groups. I am working on gaining confidence to help calm my nerves down when speaking in large groups!

·         What other insights about communication did you gain this week?

I learned that I am a people pleaser and that could hurt me in my professional career. I am too trusting and need to keep my guard up a little because if not then it could bite me in the butt J Knowing this will help me in my professional life because I will be more aware of letting people run over me. I have also learned that I do not need to judge a book by its cover! I need to get to know someone before I make assumptions. I will be more aware in the future of doing that. Understanding both of these will help me in my professional and personal life.

Week 3

·         Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

·         If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

 

·         Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified

I do find myself communicating with differently with different groups of people. For example, when I go into the classroom and interact with the children I am soft spoke and motherly sounding. When I interact with my colleagues I am more professional, and when I speak to my employees I am compassionate yet demand respect.

1.       Using the Platinum Rule

2.       Don’ t just withhold judgment from people who are obviously from a different culture than your own.

3.       3. Understanding culture differences

 

Reference:

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010).  50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. 

Week 2

For this assignment, again consider you have been learning about communication skills and styles. Then record an episode of a television show you do no normally watch. Watch the show with the sound turned off.

·         What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

The show that I choose to watch is big bang theory. I have heard others talk about the show but I have never watched it. I turned off the sound. There are 4 guys and 3 girls that were mainly on the show when I was watching it. It seemed as all of the characters were just friends. It looked like 4 of the guys lived in an apartment next door to one of the girls. They all hung out in the guy’s apartment.

 

·         What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

The girl that lived across the hall often rolled her eyes at one of the guys on the show. She seemed to be annoyed by him. All of the characters laughed together and one of the guys had a confused look on his face at times.

 

Now, watch the show with the sound turned on.

·         What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication being observed?

Once the sound was on there were only 2 guys that lived in the apartment beside the girl. The girl was dating one of the guys that she lived by. The other two guys just hung out at the apartment frequently and the other two girls dated the other guys.

·         Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a how you know well?

If the sound was on I would have understood that the girl was rolling her eyes at the guy she was dating because he was asking her if she was cheating on him. I assumed she was annoyed I just did not know why. The guy that I thought was confused did not speak English very well.

 

My “aha” moment was thinking about we often make assumptions about someone before we really talk to them and get to know them. We need to carry this lesson in life and really communicate with the families that we come into contact with.

WEEK 1

For your blog this week, think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

The person that demonstrates competent communication is my father. He is a retired principal now but when I would watch him work I could see that his communication was effective with the students as well as his teachers. My father was the principal at my school so growing up I had it tough. One thing my father had with everyone he came into contact with is respect from his employees and his students.  They knew what he expected and they also knew that he cared. He was always there to listen.  I have always looked up to my father (I am a big daddy’s girl J). I try to model the person that he is and the morals that my dad shows. I try to communicate with my co-workers and the families that I come into contact with much like him. I want them to know where I stand but also to feel that they can come to my about anything.

 

WEEK 8 BLOG

·         One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds

I hope that each and every family does not have experience some of the “isms” that we have discussed these past 8 weeks. I hope that our society does not set a certain norm and think that is the way we should live. I hope that one day our world can see as God does, that is that we are all equal.

 

·         One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice

The goal that I would like to set is that we educate our young children on these issues so that we can work toward a society that works as a team and in different groups. I want our young children to not be taught “isms” and to love everyone for who they are.

 

·         A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I would like to thank each one of you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. It has helped me grow personally and professionally. I look forward to continue learning with each of you.

WEEK 7 BLOG

 

·         The name of “your” family’s country of origin.

Australia

·         At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family.

I will have each month a different country theme day. I will make sure that I educate the other children on Australia so that the child will feel at home.

I will bake some favorite dishes from Australia Anzac biscuits (cookies); Chiko Rolls (a sort of large spring roll); dim sims (Chinese-style meat dumpling).

Australians feel that it is important to make direct eye contact with them while talking so I will ensure when communicating with the families I will have direct eye contact with them.  They also do not like to feel that you are in their space. I will ensure that I am not invading their space.

I will communicate with the family to see what values and beliefs that they have and want me to carry on in the classroom for their child. Even in the US our children vary in what values are held in the house hold.

I will make sure that any holiday’s that we celebrate their family celebrates as well. If the child has a different celebration faith then we could talk about having a special time with the child for that certain celebration.

·         A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

I hope that these preparations will help make my family and the child feel that they are welcomed and comfortable in my classroom.  It will help the child start off feeling a little more comfortable about the transition to a new country. Being prepared will help reduce the uncertainty of having a child from another country in your classroom.