Online Companion: A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom, 4e

Chapter 10

APPLICATION ACTIVITIES

Application activities allow students to interrelate material from the text with real-life situations. The observations imply access to practicum experiences; the interviews, access to teachers or parents. Students may compare or contrast observations and interviews with referenced ideas from the chapter.

  1. The decision to intervene.
    1. Observe a situation when a teacher had to decide whether to intervene. Respecting the privacy of the teacher, how did the decision correspond to the discussion about intervention in the chapter? Refer to the issues of with-it-ness, the intensity of the mistaken behavior-marginal to serious-and the degree of firmness of the intervention. Compare your findings to ideas in the chapter.
    2. Interview a teacher about how he decides whether intervention in a situation is needed. Does having one or two children or a larger group involved make a difference in the intervention strategy he likely would use? How does the teacher decide how firm to be during the intervention? Compare your findings to ideas in the chapter.
  2. Four quick intervention strategies.
    1. Observe one of the four strategies in use. How did the teacher use the strategy? How did the child or children respond? What did you learn from the observation and the text about the intervention strategy?
    2. Interview a teacher about which of the four strategies he regularly uses. What are the teacher's thoughts about each strategy? How comfortable is the teacher with each strategy? Why? For any one strategy, compare your findings from the interview with the text.
  3. Mistaken behavior reported by children.
    1. Observe an instance of child-report. Referring to the text as a guide, what seemed to be the motivations of the child in making the report? How did the teacher handle the situation? What seemed to be the effect on the child who reported?
    2. Interview a teacher about "tattling" or child-report. How does the teacher handle child-report? How do the teacher's views compare or contrast with the material on child-report in the text?
  4. Strategies when interventions require follow-up.
    1. Observe an instance of serious mistaken behavior. Which of the follow-up strategies did the teacher use? How did he use them? What did you learn about working with serious mistaken behavior from your observation and the text?
    2. Interview a teacher about his approach when intervening during serious mistaken behavior. What does he try to accomplish at the point of the conflict? After the parties involved have cooled down? Which of the four follow-up strategies did the teacher discuss? How did his comments about them compare to the text?
  5. Why take the time.
    1. Observe an instance when you believe a teacher took a problem-solving approach to mistaken behavior. What seemed to be the outcome for the children involved? Using your observations as a guide, explore the text position that problem-solving mistaken behavior is worth the time.
    2. Interview a teacher who takes a problem-solving approach to mistaken behavior. What are the priorities of the teacher when he intervenes? What does the teacher want children to learn when he intervenes? How do the teacher's priorities compare with principles from NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct in Appendix A?
  6. Cooperation with parents.
    1. Observe, and if possible participate in, an instance of teacher-family communication outside the classroom-a conference, family meeting, home visit, and so on. How did the teacher's practices compare with those of the chapter? What seemed to be the result in terms of teacher-family cooperation?
    2. Interview a teacher about a family that he was uncomfortable working with or had trouble understanding. How did the teacher communicate with the family to build cooperation? How satisfied was the teacher with the success of the effort? Compare your findings with ideas from the text.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS

Coie, J. D. (1996). Prevention of violence and antisocial behavior. In R. DeV. Peters & R. J. McMahon (Eds.), Preventing childhood disorders, substance abuse, and delinquency (pp. 1-18). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Dodge, K. A. (1991). The structure and function of reactive and proactive aggression. In D. J. Pepler & K. H. Rubin (Eds.), The development and treatment of childhood aggression (pp. 201-218). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Klass, C. S., Guskin, K. A., & Thomas, M. (1995). The early childhood program: Promoting children's development through and within relationships. Zero to Three, 16, 9-17.

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WEB LINKS

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Parent Resources

  1. Parents as Teachers http://www.parentsasteachers.org
  2. Child Fun http://www.childfun.com/
  3. Parenting http://www.parenting-resources.com
  4. National Center on Fathers and Families http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/
  5. National Parent Information http://npin.org
  6. The Administration for Children and Families http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/
  7. Children, Youth, and Families Consortium http://www.cyfc.umn.edu/
  8. National Center for Family Literacy http://www.famlit.org/
  9. Children, Youth, and Families Education and Research Network http://www.cyfernet.org/
  10. Connect for Kids http://connectforkids.org
  11. Global SchoolNet Foundation http://www.gsn.org

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AUDIO-VISUAL RESOURCES

[Body Language: Introduction to Nonverbal Communication] www.insight-media.com

[Building Parent Involvement: Elementary Schools] www.store.sunburst.com

[Cultivating Roots-Home/School Partnerships] www.naeyc.org

[I'm Telling: A Tattler's Tale] www.store.sunburst.com

[Positive Discipline-Positive Children] www.earlychilded.delmar.com

[Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems] www.insight-media.com

AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Body Language: Introduction to Nonverbal Communication. In this clear, fast-paced introduction video, viewers learn how gestures mirror inner feelings and how posture sends messages. This video examines eye contact and the concepts of personal and public space. It also considers how these concepts differ across cultures. #UR478. Insight Media, 2162 Broadway, New York, NY 10024. 212-721-6316.

Building Parent Involvement: Elementary Schools. Video, handouts, and leader's guide in three-ring binder. #2445-PE. Sunburst Communications, Dept. PE27, 101 Castleton Street, PO Box 40, Pleasantville, NY 10570. 1-800-431-1934.

Cultivating Roots-Home/School Partnerships. Young children benefit when relationships between parents and teachers are a two-way process of collaboration and communication. In this video, you will learn ways to foster partnerships, including communication, support, learning, teaching one another, child advocacy, and decision-making. #870. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1509 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. 1-800-424-2460.

I'm Telling: A Tattler's Tale. This combination of video, audiocassette, teacher's guide, and workbooks helps the youngest students understand the difference between appropriate telling and inappropriate tattling. Sunburst Communications, Dept. PE27, 101 Castleton Street, PO Box 40, Pleasantville, NY 10570. 1-800-431-1934.

Positive Discipline-Positive Children. A basic and traditional approach to positive discipline, this video is geared to preschool and child care settings. Straightforward discussion and illustration approach. #1-57078-592-9. Discipline Series, Thomson Delmar Learning. Thomson Delmar Learning, Executive Woods, 5 Maxwell Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065. 1-800-998-7498.

Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems. Focusing on the diagnosis and prevention of classroom problems, this video presents practical methods for handling disruptive students that do not require revamping the entire school system. #UR826. Insight Media, 2162 Broadway, New York, NY 10024. 212-721-6316.

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RELEVANT WEB SITES

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Parent Resources

  1. Parents as Teachers http://www.patnc.org/
  2. Child Fun http://www.childfun.com/
  3. Parenting Resources and Articles http://www.parenting-resources.com/
  4. National Center on Fathers and Families http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/
  5. National Parent Information Network http://npin.org/
  6. The Administration for Children and Families http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/
  7. Children, Youth, and Families Consortium http://www.cyfc.umn.edu/
  8. National Center for Family Literacy http://www.famlit.org/
  9. National Network for Family Resiliency http://www.nnfr.org
  10. Connect for Kids http://connectforkids.org
  11. Global SchoolNet Foundation http://www.gsn.org

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GUIDING QUESTIONS

  • What goes into the decision to intervene?
  • What are four quick intervention strategies?
  • How does the teacher respond to mistaken behaviors reported by children?
  • What are four strategies when interventions require follow-up?
  • Why take the time to problem-solve mistaken behavior?
  • How does the teacher build cooperation with parents?

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DISCUSSION ACTIVITY

Recall an incident when you or a teacher intervened in a situation that required follow-up. What strategies did you or the teacher use that are identified in the chapter? How did one or two principles from the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct (Appendix A) apply to the intervention?

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