It's really hard to choose just two subjects in each chapter which I liked the most. these three chapters have been very informative and enjoyable for me to learn. Each chapter has so many important topics that foster children's learning and behavior and friendship that I will be able to be a better facilitator and help children to rely on themselves.
Chapter 8
Friendship Selection:
Children choose friends by the following: physical appearance, race, gender, age, behavior characteristics, play behaviors, and attitudes. I thought it was interesting to read that children gravitate more towards other children that look like themselves. They want a friend that they think are beautiful. Adults play a part in if children include children of other races. If they know their parents are accepting of other races they are more willing to play with a child of a different race. I found it funny that by age 2 girls are already choosing girls to play with but boys not until 3 but even then it's not set until age 5. Children also choose other children of their same age to be friends with unless their is a child who they are able to interact with easier of a different age. Behavior characteristics was interesting to me. In this section it talked about how children choose friends who have similar behaviors as them, such as both have a stamp collection. It also sad that some become friends with those who have an attribute that they lack. Children don't choose friend that are opposite of them, yet this is what I thought when I first read it. I learned it's more that they have found more similarities than differences in one another. Children who play similarly also like to play together. Attitude is also a factor in a child's selection in friendship. Children who may not have similarities in many area may have like attitudes and because of this they become friends.
Knowing that children are going to make their own friendship choices and are going to make them better than I could make for them give me a little more peace of mind. I know I can't go in a force a child to play with someone else, I can't make one child like another just because I think they would be good friends. I will need to make sure that I can be open minded and let the process develop on its own.
Unsuccessful Types of Peer Interactions:
Even though children choose their friendships there are some who get left behind. Peer neglected children and peer rejected children. As adults we need to watch for children who fall under either of these categories. Peer neglected children usually stay out of the play. They aren't less skilled socially they may just feel that they are and don't feel comfortable in play with others. They may not know how to enter play or get someone else to play with them. Peer rejected children can be put into one of two types, rejected-withdrawn and rejected-aggressive. Rejected-withdrawn children are usually the children being bullied. They are socially awkward and don't have the self esteem needed to ask to join in play. Rejected-aggressive children are the opposite of rejected-withdrawn, they are usually the bullies. They try to dominate the play and are critical of other and uncooperative. They usually do not understand that the other children do not want to play with them because of what they are doing, the child thinks it's the others fault.
Chapter 9
Structuring Space and Materials:
One of the most informative topics in this chapter was structuring the environment. Although I won't talk about all the areas of structuring the environment I will touch on a few. I had never thought about sound in a classroom, it had always been one of those things that I have taken for granted. I loved the idea that was given in class to put quilts on the walls. It adds softness to the room but mostly it takes away the sound bouncing off the walls and disrupting learning. Also how you arrange furniture and equipment can make a huge difference on how well a child can learn. They need spaces that they can learn as a large group, as a small groups, and also be able to go to different centers and focus on those centers, they also need to have a private space in which they can escape and feel comfortable.
Pitfalls to Avoid:
There are many pitfalls to avoid. Some of the ones I want to focus on are: adhering rigidly to the plan, planning inadequately, and making too many changes at once. I chose these three because these are the ones that I can see myself doing if I'm not careful. It would be so easy to see something you don't like and just change it and do what ever you like with your classroom and think that the kids aren't going to care. Really they will notice and it will probably have an effect on their learning. Children should be an active part in choosing new or changing things in their classroom. Plan with your children what should go where, and tape it out to make sure it will work before you actually move heavy objects. Adhering rigidly to the plan is also something that would be easy to fall into. As I've written lesson plans I have in my head how things are suppose to go but when you get to do the lesson it turns out completely different. As a teacher you have to be able to be flexible and do what is in the child's best interest. If they need more time and want to keep exploring, let them. If they are done and don't want to do it, don't force them. The most important thing is to do what is in the child's best interest.
Chapter 10:
Out of all the chapters so far this is my favorite. There is just so much in here for a teacher, or parent to learn how to help and talk to children. It helped me understand so much more where a child is coming from. It has helped me get on there level and try to see the situation from there level.
Self-Discipline:
Amoral Orientation are children who have no concept of right or wrong. Adherence are children who need to be told and have help in doing what is right. Identification is when a child identifies with someone they admire and imitate their self-discipline. Internalization is when someone can make right choices on their own, they are able of self-regulation. Knowing these stages in self-discipline has helped me to know where children are at. I have always wondered why some children have to have me tell them over and over again not to do something. Now I know that they were not at the development stage to do it on their own and that I was going about not having them do it all wrong. I am so glad to have learned this and as I look at children and watch their behavior and their responses to adults I can figure how best to create my personal message to them.
Personal Message:
In using a personal message I love that there is a format for me to use that helps children get to the internalization stage of self-discipline. The 4 R's will help me know mainly what to say so a child knows that I really do want to understand and that I care about what is going on with them. It will help me to first think about what is going on and to formulate in my mind how best to help them solve their own problems. I like how personal message puts the outcome on themselves instead of me as a teacher. I am just there to facilitate that they learn how to do things for themselves.
