Developing Guidance Skills 14 Developing Guidance Skills

Key Concepts The goal of guidance is to help children learn self-control. Guidance may be direct or indirect. Guidance techniques should promote a child’s positive self-esteem.

Objectives continued Identify goals of effective guidance. List personality traits of effective early childhood teachers. Describe principles of direct and indirect guidance. continued

Objectives Explain various techniques for effective guidance. Summarize ways to promote a positive self-concept in each child. Objectives

Discipline: Guidance Versus Punishment Discipline is training that develops self-control Early childhood teachers refer to this definition as guidance, a positive form of discipline A second definition is strict control used to enforce obedience; this suggests punishment Punishment should not be used in a child care setting continued

Discipline: Guidance Versus Punishment Guidance is direct and indirect actions used by an adult to help children develop appropriate behavior patterns Punishment is a form of discipline that hurts or humiliates continued

Discipline: Guidance Versus Punishment Builds self-esteem Lowers self-esteem Respects Degrades Gives hope Angers Encourages Discourages and embarrasses Is loving and caring Denies affections

Goals of Guidance Maintain child’s self-esteem and produce a desired change in behavior Promote prosocial behaviors, which include accepting and respecting others’ feelings verbally and physically comforting others expressing strong emotions in acceptable ways cooperating with and helping others sharing toys, materials, and affection showing concern; care how actions affect others

Your personality affects the behaviors of the children in your care Teachers should interact often and ask open-ended questions Nurturing teachers have children who interact easily in the classroom Guidance and You

Preparing for Guidance Observe the children and your reactions to them Make sure you are free from bias about culture, gender, personality, or appearance continued

Preparing for Guidance Learn about family and cultural variations in children’s nonverbal behavior Facial expressions, eye contact, touch, and gestures Sharing observations Plan with other teachers Avoid talking to other staff while teaching Sit with the children whenever possible

Direct Guidance Indirect guidance involves outside factors that influence behavior Direct guidance involves nonverbal (physical) and verbal actions Facial expressions can communicate a variety of messages

Use Simple Language Young children have limited vocabularies Use language they can understand

Speak in a Relaxed Way Speak in a calm, quiet, relaxed tone of voice Use high, loud-pitched voices for emergencies If your voice is raised, the children raise theirs

Guide children by telling them what to do, as opposed to what not to do Be Positive

Offer Choices with Care Children should be offered a choice only when you want them to have a choice Do not try to get children to change their minds because you are telling them that there really was not a choice

Encourage Independence and Cooperation Give children the least amount of help they need Children only become independent if allowed the opportunity Encourage children to work together

Be Firm Be firm when disciplining children At the same time, speak in a quiet voice Do not give in to temper tantrums Effective guidance requires firmness

Be Consistent Children are good at testing adults Will repeat bad behaviors if not consistently firm Be consistent from child to child; fairness

Provide Time for Change Young children need time to change activities Without it, children become confused Time allows children to prepare themselves for new activities and new surroundings Putting on and taking off coats, hats, boots, gloves, etc.

Consider Feelings Children need to recognize, understand, and express their feelings Feelings are best discussed in small groups or individually Young children need to learn how to handle mistakes

Intervene When Necessary Interrupt only when you can add to the students’ knowledge or promote their safety Safety intervention requires words and action For health purposes, such as when warm clothes or cooking instructions are needed The children need to respect others and their property

Indirect Guidance Physical setup of a center is a form of indirect guidance Well-planned setup makes supervision easier- Children feel safer Large open classrooms are the best Encourage independence regardless of age Set up spaces for children to easily find what they need

Part 2: Guidance

Discuss Discuss some personality traits of effective early childhood teachers.

Techniques for Effective Guidance Positive verbal environment Positive reinforcement Using consequences Warning Time-out I-messages Effective praise Suggesting Prompting Persuading Redirecting Modeling Listening Ignoring Encouraging

Positive Verbal Environment The verbal environment includes all the communication that occurs within the setting Also includes nonverbal communication of actions rather than words Eye contact Facial expressions Gestures Touch

Positive Reinforcement Positive reinforcement: rewarding positive behavior Only reward behaviors you want repeated

Using Consequences Consequence is a result that follows an action or behavior Natural consequences: experiences that follow naturally as a result of a behavior Logical consequences: consequences deliberately set up by an adult to show what will happen if a limit is not followed- Children must be made aware of the limits

Warning When children do not follow limits, remind them they are misbehaving and their behavior will have consequences Warn only once If the behavior continues, proceed with the consequences After the warning, provide children time to comply

Time-Out Time-out is used when a child’s disruptive behavior cannot be ignored Need time to calm down Gain self-control Not all teachers use it Should never be used as a punishment

I-Messages An I-message tells a child how you feel about their behavior in a respectful manner Statements include three parts The child’s behavior Your feelings about the behavior The effects of the behavior

Effective Praise Effective praise is sincere and constructive It is specific and individual to a situation Recognizes child’s positive behavior Make the praise age appropriate Give praise immediately Establish eye contact when giving praise Do not overuse praise

Suggesting Suggesting means placing thoughts for consideration into children’s minds This in turn leads to action Always make suggestions positive

Prompting Prompting may be needed to stop an unacceptable action or to start an acceptable one Make prompting simple and noncritical Can be nonverbal, such as frowning or placing a finger over your lips to indicate quiet is needed May need to be repeated

Persuading By persuading, you encourage children to act or behave in a certain way by appealing to their needs and wants Link behavior with the children’s feelings

Redirecting Redirecting: diverting, or turning, attention in a different direction One way is through distraction Redirection encourages children to express themselves in more socially acceptable ways

Modeling Modeling is how you speak and move, which can be imitated by children Verbal and nonverbal actions Set an example by modeling prosocial behavior

Listening Listening involves giving the children your full attention More effective at their eye level Active listening: listening to what is said, then repeating it

Ignoring Do not encourage inappropriate behavior If a child’s behavior is not dangerous, avoid giving them attention Do not look directly at the child Ignoring is inappropriate if the behavior is harmful or damaging property Tell the child what behavior you are ignoring and what behavior you desire

Encouraging Encouraging is a guiding technique that helps children believe in themselves Examples include the following phrases: You can do it all by yourself You know how it works I know you can fix it You were able to do it last week You must be pleased

Brainstorm Give some examples of I-messages, effective praise, and encouraging.

Promoting a Positive Self-Concept A child’s self-concept includes the qualities the child believes he or she possesses Reflects the feelings others have for them and the confidence they have in themselves Self-esteem is mirrored in their behaviors Children with positive self-concepts perceive themselves as able and important continued

Promoting a Positive Self-Concept You can promote or undermine a child’s self-esteem with your words and actions Plan activities that make children feel good about themselves and their abilities