Scenario Summary
The adult in the video “Learning to Clay Together: A young girl maintains the play with calmness and kindness” reacted to Max and Nina’s activities only towards the end, when Max’s behavior began to violate Nina’s boundaries. The boy began to behave aggressively and swung and hit the girl with modeling objects (Kanopy, 2011, 2:29).
The teacher intervened by addressing Nina, indicating to her that if she did not like her friend’s behavior, she could politely ask him to stop and move the chair to the one that was most comfortable for her (Kanopy, 2011, 2:39). This approach is direct since the teacher interacted with the children only through a couple of phrases, with explicit instructions on how Nina should behave in this situation. At the same time, the teacher gave her a choice, leaving her the primary decision to say that she was unpleasant about Max’s behavior.
Improvement #1
In this case, the primary strategy for recommendation will be “know the child.” According to Klein, the teacher must study the child’s habits, temperament, and interests to improve his work (2008). The building of relationships and successful learning outcomes depend on this factor. In this case, the girl’s temperament is highly unusual for children in general – she is balanced and calm and does not even react emotionally to ugly behavior on the part of the boy. Perhaps the teacher should have told her earlier about the opportunity to stop what she did not like since the limits of Nina’s patience and kindness were unknown, and Max, without feeling punished, went further and further (Kanopy, 2011). The recommendation still applies to the direct response shown by the teacher – it is aimed primarily at the time of intervention but not at its form.
A deeper study of the child’s interests and temperament makes it possible to build an inclusive environment through respect and better understanding between the teacher and the children. When a teacher intervenes, if it leads to a solution to the conflict or another compromise that suits all parties to the dispute, children often turn to an adult to get help or advice (Danniels & Pyle, 2023). This technique is applicable in various conditions – not only in conflicts but also in calmer environments.
Interest in the child on the part of the teacher often causes the opposite interest, and similarly, patterns of behavior are developed, for which an adult serves as an example. Accordingly, with proper training and education, educators can develop children’s sense of respect and emotional intelligence, which form the basis of any inclusive environment. As a result, the “know the child” recommendation helps the adult immerse himself in the communication process with children and allows the child to learn communication skills from the adult.
Documented reasons support this recommendation. The foundation of children’s well-being postulates, among other things, the development of a sense of self (OMEd, 2014). In this case, the teacher calls to resolve the conflict, stop the boy’s destructive behavior, and for Nina’s well-being so that she does not endure pain and other unpleasant feelings but feels better and contributes to a comfortable environment.
Therefore, the teacher appeals specifically to Nina and does not reproach the boy’s actions – such a pattern plays a much more significant role in the foundation of well-being than if Max had received punishment. In this way, the girl also receives a lesson about developing a sense of self and attitude towards herself so that in the future, she can stand up for herself, point out wrong behavior to the boy herself, and not seek authoritative help from the outside. This approach is more forward-looking; the teacher acts with certain risks but with the most significant instructive potential.
Improvement #2
Another improvement may be a better or more explicit expression of the teacher’s emotional response. In this case, the recommendation strategy based on Julie Bullard’s advice reflects sincerity and consistency in the teacher’s actions (2017). Connecting emotions in a given situation can show the child that the teacher is genuinely interested in the situation and the girl’s best condition. In addition, sincerity and consistency can also be manifested in non-verbal cues hidden in the video but can add impact when consistent with the message of the words.
The sincere behavior of the teacher, combined with such interventions, contributes to the manifestation of such sincere emotions in children who are not afraid to hide them, which prevents the development of complexes and creates even more comfortable conditions for the development of cognitive skills (Lehrl et al., 2020). As in the case of the first recommendation, the teacher sets an example that children at a given age willingly follow if the result of this behavior helps to improve the situation in the team or communication between two people.
This strategy fits several points in the code of ethics, but one fits best. The third standard, “Safety, Health and Well-Being in the Learning Environment,” reflects a sincere approach to the implementation of emotions in the atmosphere, as it contributes to the sustainability of children’s mental health and their development, which correlates with the first recommendation regarding improving the sense of self (CECE, 2017 ).
The teacher allows Nina to stand up for herself, only now from the point of view of a reminder that she can demonstrate her sincere emotions, even if they are harmful. Consequently, the boy is not even afraid to show aggression; while such feelings are alien to the girl, it is still noticeable that Max’s blows and attacks cause Nina discomfort. The teacher only reminds her that for safety and well-being, she has every right to demonstrate her sincere emotions to avoid such an attitude towards herself.
References
Bullard, J. (2017). Creating Environments for Learning. Merrill.
CECE. (2017). Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Web.
Danniels, E., & Pyle, A. (2023). Inclusive play-based learning: Approaches from enacting kindergarten teachers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51(7), 1169-1179. Web.
Kanopy. (2011). Learning to Clay Together: A young girl maintains the play with calmness and kindness [Video]. Web.
Klein, A. S. (2008). Guiding young children: 21 strategies. Early Childhood News: The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents. Web.
Lehrl, S., Ebert, S., Blaurock, S., Rossbach, H. G., & Weinert, S. (2020). Long-term and domain-specific relations between the early years home learning environment and students’ academic outcomes in secondary school. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 31(1), 102-124. Web.
OMEd. (2014). How Does Learning Happen? Web.