EDUC- 6358- 1 Observing communication.

For this week’s blog, I was asked to observe an interaction between an adult and a child communicating. Since most of my time is spent behind the toddler/two year-old doors, I decided to observe in the preschool class.

The encounter I observed was between the teacher and a five year-old girl, both standing on the porch looking onto the playground. I heard the child ask her teacher why the rain boots that were inside a plastic bin, always stayed out on the porch. The teacher looked at the child, and said; “I don’t know, I guess because they are muddy”. The child looked up at the teacher and said;” last week they were clean, how did they get dirty? Was it from being out here?” The teacher looked down at the child, and pushed at her shoulder, “we did an activity, the day you were absent” she then told the child to find an area to play in. In this week’s media segment, Lisa Kolebeck philosophy in regards to communicating with children is as follows; “Sensitivity, respect, acceptance, reflective listening, and providing the space for each child to be her unique self” (Laureate Education, 2011). The teacher displayed a lack of respect, by providing short answers to the child’s questions, there was also a lack of sensitivity displayed by the teacher when she told the child that she missed an activity, while using the “muddy” boots, when the child missed a day at school. It was clear the child was interested and concerned about the “muddy” boots. And from observing the child’s non-verbal cue, as she was pushed away, seemed sad, disappointed, lost, and lonely.

During my observation, I first could not help but to think, how much dialoguing could have happened between the child and the teacher, even in such a brief one on one moment. Even if there was no communication between the two, the teacher could have helped the child by helping her to engage in an outdoor activity.  As the child asked the teacher the first question, the teacher seemed as if she did not want to be bothered. After the child stated that the boots were clean the week before, at that point the teacher could have reversed the conversation, making it more inviting, by asking open-ended questions, about the “mysterious muddy” boots.

The end of the observation for me was after the final comment made to the child, that there was an activity that took place using the boots, when the child was not at school, as well as pushing the child off, telling her to find a place a play.” Sociocultural theories suggest the power of language to convey and construct meaning. Because Language has cultural and psychological functions communicating and thinking—teachers' words and the way they use them create meaning for children as well as for themselves” (Mercer, 1995).

Children are often interested and curious about things in their environment. In this particular scenario, the class generally takes hikes on a certain day of the week. The young girl that stood beside her teacher was absent the day of the hike, due to a fever. What particularly made this hike day special, was the amount of rain, and mud accumulated, making for not only a hike day, but mud day! As the educator receiving this child’s questions, I would first come down to the child’s level, so that she will know I am listening. I would use patience in trying to help find an answer for her questions, and involve the child in the conversation about the hike days she was able to participate in, to ensure that yes, you missed that day on the hike, but there are more to come, as well as more opportunities, for a mud a mud day.  

 

Reference:

 

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating with young children. Baltimore, MD: Author

Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site