Who Am I as a Communicator

     For this week's assignment, we were asked to evaluate ourselves as a communicator as well as have two others evaluate us as well.  This exercise allowed me to self-reflect on not only how I behaved in situations but how others viewed my behavior as well as my ability to listen to what others had to say.  I was surprised by some of the results and it has helped me to reflect on areas in which my communication abilities can be improved.  What I found in the "Communication Anxiety Inventory," (Rubin et al., 2009) was that although I do feel anxious in some situations, it is not obvious to everyone around me.  This was a relief because I do tend to get nervous in some situations but not in all communication but there are areas I do need some work.  In the "Verbal Aggressiveness Scale," (Rubin et al., 2009), I evaluated myself much harder then how others see me, significant to be exact.  What a relief to find out that the two individuals that evaluated me do not see me that way and that even though I may be thinking something, I am hesitant to say it!  In the " Listening Styles Profile," (Rubin et al., 2009), I fell into the people-orientated group each time which just reconfirms that I am too trusting of others, which I am always being told.  But what do we have in the world without faith and trust in one another?  I know it sounds naïve but it is that blind faith that allows me to go into communications with others without judgment.
       The insights that I learned about communication this week is that I have to have more self-esteem and confidence in what I am saying and not be so afraid to speak up.  I also learned that I let my emotional side get the best of my listening abilities.  This is not a terrible thing when relating to families and children but it may cause me to miss important details that will be beneficial in helping children and families.  The thing that surprised me the most was that I did not seem more anxious or nervous when speaking amongst a group of people.  Giving a presentation in my old job was one thing but joining in on conversation with a group of people that could essentially criticize everything I have to say or believing that others would really want to listen to me is another!  I will really have to work on this.  Overall, this exercise taught me things about myself I never knew.

 

Rubin, R.B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H.E. (Eds.) (2009).  Communication research measures: A sourcebook: New York: Routledge

Rubin, R.B., A.M. Graham, E.E., Perse, E.M., & Selbold, D.R. (Eds.) (2009).  Communication research measures II: A sourcebook: New York: Routledge.

 

Communication and Culture

     Culture is all around us whether it be the choices of television programs, the media, the internet, the radio or even in our everyday life.  I think that we have just become so accustomed to the diversity all around us that we may not even realize that it influences how we behave, interact with others and communicate both verbally and nonverbally.  Even something that we may see as simple as eye contact with another individual can mean different things to different cultures.  (Gonzalenz-Mena, 2010)  But the question is are we really aware that we are behaving differently with people of differing culture ?  Research suggests that when we communicate with others of different cultural background than our own, we tend to share less information.  (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011) 
     After reflecting upon my own behavior, I found that I do communicate differently with different groups.  A perfect example is when I am within the school community.  My children attend a modest size Catholic school and the families and the teachers are very personable and often show kindness in conversation by standing closer, touching your arm or shoulder, making eye contact, and sharing information about family.  In contrast to this, when I would be among collegues in my last profession,  most individuals kept their distance, some did not make eye contact, and there was definitely no human contact or in most cases sharing little or no personal information. This was a professional community or work place environment so I did understand the differences in behavior.  I did find some variation between different cultures though, the scientist from Poland would often say hello with a hug and the one from France would kiss on the cheek and always talk about his little ones. I felt in these cases their cultures did influence their behaviors.
      In essence, I do feel that our culture and upbringing influences how we see the world and how we behave with different individuals in different situations.  Three strategies that I would use to help me communicate more effectively is first to educate yourself about an individual or families cultural background in attempts to not only offend or alienate them but to build strong relationships.  Second I would observe not only the individuals but the environment and adjust my interactions to be appropriate for that situation.  And third I would use politically correct language, stay clear of profanity, stereotypes & labels, as well as words and expressions that may be rude or disrespectful. (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012)  In order to be competent communicators, we must communicate in a way that is appropriate for the situation, and continually evaluate and assess our own behavior.  (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012)

References

 





Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S.J., & Redmond, M.V. (2011).  Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

 

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010).  50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Education, Inc.

 

O'Hair, D. & Wiemann, M. (2012).  Real communication: An introduction.  New York: Bedford/St. Martin's

Communication Skills: Language, nonverbal, listening

      For this exercise I watched the show "Dance Moms."  It's not something that I ordinarily watch but being a dance mom myself for years, I figured it would be happy, exciting, and show wonderful bonding between parents and children.  Well I can't say it was totally what I expected.....
      The first time I observed the show, the dance teacher, Abbey Lee, looked very unhappy most of the show whether it was in communication with the children or the parents.  Her facial expressions were disgruntled, angry, and even intimidating at some times.  You definitely knew that she was in charge!  As I watched the show further, I observed the mothers talking to each other and there was very few smiles or laughter.  One mother whom I later learned was named " Holly" used hand movements and gestures as if to try to explain things to someone or be understanding.  It was harder then I thought to read everyone without sound but she seems sympathetic and kind.  There was also a few moms that just seemed dis-concerned with facial expressions that really did not change that much.  "Melissa"  who just looked like she was on the defense by how she held her arms close to herself and barely made contact with others, almost as if the other parents were talking to the side of her face.  And then there another mother in tears, this did not seem like a happy place. 
     As I observed the children, none of them really smiled.  They looked as though this was not fun at all but almost worried that they would mess something up and by observing the dance teacher waving her arms with mouth wide open and pointing her finger, it looked like their thoughts were accurate.  Even at the competition and for the bus ride the children and parents were not happy and laughing, nor was the dance teacher.
      As I observed the show for a second time, this time with the sound on, I soon realized that my first assumptions of the characters was accurate.  The disgruntled look on Abbey's face for most of the show along with the raised arms and pointed fingers was very informative on how her overall attitude was.  Her use of insulting, rude, and disrespectful comments to the children and parents reconfirmed the climate surrounding the students where they seem worried or concerned to mess up.  This use of profanity, words and or expressions seemingly rude and insulting, (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012)  gave the emotional impact that she wanted to have the children be completely focused on winning at dance competitions and nothing else. When the children spoke to each other, it was just to confirm what they needed to do on the dance floor, focusing only on the issue at hand as if it was a workplace environment.  (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012)  Abby's use of accenting, or emphasizing her verbal information with hand gestures and pointing, (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012) definitely confirmed her position of authority.  As for the mothers communication I observed, Holly is an educator and my first premonition about her was right.  She was trying to be expressive, kind, and caring.  The others like Melissa just gave me this feeling of isolation and unfriendliness, with or without words.
      I think watching a show that I knew well would have made this exercise easier in the respect that you get to get more of  a background on a person's personality rather then just a one time observation.  Maybe this dance teacher shows great empathy skills and is kind to her dancers and this was just a bad day or maybe the moms are great friends but this was a high pressure week for the team.  I guess I will never know unless I continue watching but overall not the happy show that I thought it would be!

References

"Dance Moms"  Lifetime network, 9 pm on Tuesdays

O'Hair D., & Wiemann, M. (2012).  Real communication:  An introduction.  New York: Bedford/St. Martin's

Competent Communication

If I had to chose one person whom I admire for their communication skills, it would be my children's school principle Mrs. Jackson.  I say this for many reasons.  My children attend a Catholic school of about 200 students, the families and community are very close which we absolutely love for our children.  Mrs. Jackson sends out notices over emails all the time and it is strange but she has a way of addressing the needs of all the families but on a personal level where you can understand how it pertains to just your children.  When you visit the school, she always greats you by name and makes you feel welcome.  This is actually her first year at this school and she has made it her priority to get to know all of the individual families and the children.  When I review the NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct, I cannot find any ideals that she does not follow but there are certainly ones that she has mastered.
I 2.2 " To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve." (NAEYC, 2005)
I 2.3 " To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program." (NAEYC, 2005)
I 1.12 " To work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and families move from one program to the next." (NAEYC, 2005)

These are three that just really embrace the level of communication that she exhibits.  We trust that she will do the best for our children.  She is always encouraging parents and other family members to participate in the program and in many cases grandparents are a huge part of the programs.  And when it was time for our oldest to apply to high school, she handled the applications and sent them out with the teacher recommendations personally to make sure all of the students information made it on time.  This was something I did not expect.  Many times in education as parents we feel like we are alone in the process, it is truly a blessing when educators make extra efforts to remind us that we are all in this together.  As an educator, I strive to my best to be honest, caring, trusted and respected, all characteristics that she embraces.  It is my hope that I will have the same impact on my families that she has on us, her communication behaviors are definitely a model to strive towards.

Reference

National Association for the Education of Young Children.  (2005, April).  NAEYC code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment.  Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Personal Research Journey

     The general topic that I have chosen to research in the early childhood field is if there is any information out there on the possible long term side effects of ADHD/ADD medication on children and how the ongoing development of assessments and a more stringent curriculum will play a role in the amount of children diagnosed not only with ADHD/ADD but sensory processing disorder as well.  My journey into researching this subject so far has brought me to three subtopics of interest including what genetics tells us about the inheritence and gene expression that are predictors of ADHD and ADD and the prevalence of males versus females, do universal assessments take into account phenomenons such as right-handnessness, left-handedness and the differing learning abilities between males and females, and what medical information is currently available about the long term effects of ADHD/ADD and SPD medication on young children into adulthood and what are the alternatives.
    I have many reasons for choosing these particular areas to research.  With advances we have seen so far in early childhood, and the emergence of universal standards, it makes individuals accountable for their part in early education but what is also creates the field of " expectation" for some parents and education is race and as a result full day kindergarten has become a nationwide event. (Elkind, 2009)  But how does the emergence of more rigourous standards and this need for specific outcomes affect our children?  First legislation brings forth the "No Child Left Behind Act," which ensures that children get the help they need to move on to the next grade but as a result disorders such as ADHD and ADD become more prominent and children who are exhibiting problematic or inability to sit still are often being medicated to make it through the school day. But is this just a short fix that will ultimately cause further problems in a child's future not only academically but possibly medically? 
     I have seen and educated children with ADD/ADHD and and a child who the school system had misdiagnosed and encouraged the parents to medicate their child even though he was only in preschool and after six months, assessments,  and progress reports I, at the time not having any knowledge of sensory processing disorder, encouraged the school to re-evaluate and with the help of specialists came to conclusion that he had SPD and the help he needed was with a therapist not medication.  I was so facinated by this discovery and to find out that in his medical file, being from an orphanage in a poor, underdeveloped country whose mother was victum of malnourishment and no pre-natal health care that he chances of having this disability were very much increased.
     I have chosen an area which engulfs many areas of research and has an immense amount of information to offer.  I will still research what I can find out about how children progress in the years after taking medication for ADD and ADHD but I have chosen to mainly focus on what genetic predictors are out there in recognizing children who are successtable to this type of behavior and what other options there are for parents of these children in hopes that as an educator I will learn valuable information that will help in my quest in creating and running a more inclusive program that will adhere to these needs.  I hope in my quest I will take from it key aspects that will also help me in creating curriculum appropriate and adjustable to varying needs of individual children.
    What I have learned so far is that the knowledge of this particular subject requires the specialization of the fields of not only education but neuroscience, genetics, and psychology and I hope that in the years to come information like this will be used in appropriately assessing children.  I would love any suggestions any one has or research studies that they would recomend or suggest, it is not a small topic.

Reference:

Elkind, D. (2009).  The Wisdom of Play.  How Children Learn to Make Sense of the World.  Retrieved from http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/RoomPlanningWisdomofplay.pdf.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

  For this week's assignment, I have chosen to share studies from the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) and available at www.childrenandnature.org.  I am huge advocate of children having the ability to explore and learn about nature first hand.  I think often with many of our busy schedules, just finding the time to play outside with our children can be a bit of a challenge and the unfortunate consequence of this is that our children sometimes miss out on self directed learning and exploration.  Don't get me wrong, the time spent learning in the classroom is a must but simple things like studying the shapes of clouds, or watching flowers bloom and lets not forget what of the most important benefits of fresh air is it's great for our health!
   The first study I found interesting is about called "School gardens positively impact children's learning and behavior,"a study by D. Blair from Penn University. (childrenandnature.org, 2010)  Gardening takes place in schools throughout the nation and D. Blair did her research on evaluating the relationship between school gardening and it's relationship to children's learning and behavior. The study targets on on the many reasons school gardens exist which includes providing children experiences with natural ecosystems, enhancing children's understanding of food systems, helping children develop environmental attitudes and behavior , and serving as a basis for experimental learning. (childrenandnature.org,2010)  Out of 12 qualitative studies reviewed it was found that 9 of the 12 studies found significant positive impacts from gardening in test measures,which included children's science achievement and food consumption behavior.  And of 7 of the qualitative studies reviewed it was determined that students enjoyed and were highly motivated by gardening, students demonstrated improved attitudes and pride as a result of the gardening,enhanced bonding between the students along better teamwork skills and more learning opportunities.  (childrenandnature.org, 2010) Based on the results, the research indicates that gardening had an overwhelming positive impact on student's achievement and behavior.
     The next study I found interesting is "Nature-smart kids get higher test scores,"by the American Institutes for research. (childrenandnature.org, 2010)  The study observed at-risk youth, 56% of whom reported never having time spent in a natural setting and then comparing them to students who had experienced an outdoor education program.  The results were staggering, major findings illustrated a 27% increase in measured mastery of science concepts, enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills, gains in self esteem, gains in positive environmental behavior, as well as problem-solving motivation to learn, and classroom behavior. (childrenandnature.org, 2010).
    And a third study titled " Green School Gyms improve children's health,"by the BTCV,which is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that created Green Gyms to improve people's health and the environment. (childrenandnature.org, 2010).  As part of the project, individuals participate in a large range of outdoor conservation and gardening projects and as part of the School Green Gyms an average of 1 to 1.5 hours sessions are provided for 10 weeks for 10 children at each school.    As part of the evaluation process,questionnaires were filled out before and after participation in the program.  In analyzing the results, researchers found that the children's psychosocial health along with their overall health improved; weekend physical activity levels significantly increased after the program and children exhibited positive feelings about the program,  (childrenandnature.org, 2010)  The program provided valuable data information about the impact of an innovative outdoor program on children's health.  (childrenandnature.org,2010)
    These were only a few of the studies from the website but there was so many more interesting ones to view and can be found at:

http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/EducationsynthesisMarch2010Final.pdf

Additional references for the full articles:

Blair, D. (2009).  The child in the garden; an evaluative review of the benefits of school gardening.  Journal of Environmental Education, 40(2),15-38. http://www.heldref.org/pubs/jee/about.html (Volume 4)

American Institutes for Research (2005).  Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California.  http://www.sierraclub.org/youth/california/outdoorschool_finalreport.pdf(Volume1)

BTCV.  (2009).  Evaluation findings: health and social outcomes 2009.  BTCV. http://www2btcv.org.uk/display/greengym_research (Volume 4)

Quotes about children

"Children see magic because they look for it." ~ Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

" A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~ Carl Sandburg

" Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to always and forever be explaining things tho them." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

" Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls, the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands.  Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith.  When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much." ~ Lisa Wingate

" The soul is healed by being with children." ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

" Nothing you do for children is ever wasted." ~ Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home

" Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."~ Emilie Buchwald

Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/children