1. Developing Guidance Skills14
Developing Guidance Skills

2. 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.

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

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

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

14. 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

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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

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

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Part 2: Guidance

25. Discuss
Discuss some personality traits of effective early childhood teachers.

26. 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

27. 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

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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

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

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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

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

43. 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

44. 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