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Term-2 Assignment
1. Read the following case study and answer the question that follows:
It is 8:30 a.m. in Mrs. Nelson's early childhood program. Jason, a four-year-old,
comes running in yelling, “I’m here!” On his way across the room, he knocks over
Sarah's tower of blocks with his arms because they are spread out like airplane
wings. He then moves on to the child-size workbench, where he decides to stop and
pound some nails with a hammer. Not satisfied, he wanders off to the block area
where he finds a fire truck on a shelf above his head. As he pulls the fire truck off the
shelf, it drops to the floor, hitting his foot. He yells "ouch" loudly and hops around.
At 8:40 a.m., Mrs. Nelson tells the children to put away what they have been using
and come to the rug for circle time. Jason turns away and looks out the window.
When Mrs. Nelson comes to tell Jason to join the other children, he kicks over a
LEGO® house another child had built and throws his body on the floor screaming,
"no!" Mrs. Nelson places Jason in time out as the other children complete clean up.
It is now 8:50 a.m., and the children are seated on their rugs in the circle area. After
five minutes in time out, Jason is invited to come join the other children in the circle,
which he does. As Timothy walks to the window to report the weather, Jason blurts
out, "It's sunny, sunny, sunny." Mrs. Nelson reminds Jason that it's Timothy's turn to
talk, but Jason continues to interrupt. Each time, Mrs. Nelson stops the activity and
says, "Jason, it's not your turn to talk." This approach does not appear to impact
Jason's behavior, for he continues to disrupt the circle activities by talking or by
making noises at inappropriate times.
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Question 1:
Many children are impulsive, oppositional, and have inappropriate peer
interactions. How can early childhood educators use proactive approaches to
prevent some of the problems these children experience and create?
(450 to 500 words)
Ans 1: Kids need to have goals. What’s the point? What are they working
toward? Why are they participating? Do grades matter? Unbelievably, we fail
to talk to kids about these big questions. We put them in activities, send them
off to school, and encourage them to join clubs, but never tell them how
they’re going to benefit themselves or others through their participation. Kids
needs to know how today’s behaviors affect their future. If they don’t, they
will go into everything with a short-sighted attitude and therefore, a lack of
internal motivation. They will question working hard on something, and
making sacrifices for it, if they don’t see the value.
Kids need to know that every action has a consequence. Science teaches us
that for every action, there is a reaction. Every decision or indecision, both
good and bad, leads to an outcome. Kids struggle with understanding this
concept, even as they age and go on to college. Witness some of the behavior
of young twenty-somethings and there’s no doubt that they still haven’t
grasped the concept of consequences. But the sooner you talk to your kids
about this, the better chance you have of getting through. Discuss how a
decision about homework, or quitting a team, or running for office will have
long-term implications. Have your kids walk through various scenarios and
really think through each decision they make.
Kids need to realize that staying ahead of the game is easier than playing
catch up. Every person alive has let a job or responsibility slip and then
scrambled at the last minute to try to minimize the damage. And every
person alive has dealt with the repercussions of procrastination. Teaching
your kids to work ahead and to plan their schedules will positively impact
every area of their lives. As I tell my students, “If you control your schedule,
it won’t control you.”
Kids need to experience how good it feels to be proactive. Once kids begin
to plan, work toward goals, and think through decisions, they will see a
noticeable change in their lives. They will experience less stress and their
confidence will grow as they gain control of their responsibilities. Research
shows that kids crave structure, rules, and boundaries. Recording homework
in a school agenda, breaking large assignments down and working on them
each night, and keeping a personal calendar of upcoming events are all ways
kids create structure in their lives. Positive results breed internal motivation,
so the more proactive kids are, the more motivated they become to take
control of and responsibility for their decisions.
Question 2:
You as a teacher need to counsel the parents on the following topics. Each answer
should not exceed 150 words
a. First day separation anxiety
Ans:
Preparing your child for school before his first day can greatly reduce any
separation anxiety your child may feel when you leave. Here are some ways to
familiarize your child with his new environment:
Introduce your child ahead of time to common school activities, such as
drawing pictures or storytelling.
Visit your child's classroom a few times before school starts to familiarize her
with the space.
Have your child meet his teacher.
Don't minimize the importance of easing your fears as well as your child's. If you
feel guilty or worried about leaving her at school, your child will probably sense
that. The more calm and assured you are, the more confident your child will be.
To prepare yourself for the upcoming drop-off:
Ask your child's teacher what her procedure is when children are crying for
their parents. Make sure a school staff member is ready to help your child
with the transfer from your care to the classroom.
Find out how the school structures its daily schedule. Many preschools begin
with a daily ritual, such as "circle time" (when teachers and children talk
about what they did the day before, and that day's activities), to ease the
move from home to school.
b. How to use computer effectively at home
Ans : The goal is to help the parent get comfortable with the technology, so
they can get involved and engage with their child’s use of the computer, to
see it as a learning tool, instead of a pacifier or a babysitter.”
Young children … are growing up at ease with digital devices that are rapidly
becoming the tools of the culture at home, at school, at work, and in the
community, With guidance, these various technology tools can be harnessed
for learning and development; without guidance, usage can be inappropriate
and/or interfere with learning and development of kids
c. Story telling as bed-time bonding
Ans: Helping your child cultivate a reading habit can work wonders for her.
Bedtime stories are a wonderful way of fostering this habit. The experience of trips
into imaginary worlds shared with your child before she drops off to sleep each
night will prove truly valuable, not only for your child’s growth and learning, but for
you as a parent as well.
A book has the power to bring alive characters, their lives, conversations and
emotions. It captures the imagination of the reader. A bedtime story is
particularly enthralling. From a child’s perspective, the bedtime story is a
very special element in his life. These stories are something to be looked
forward to at the end of the day, when he’s tired, and snuggles up in bed with
his favourite soft toys. They enable him to connect with a different set of
‘friends’ along with Papa or Mamma as they read to him from the books
about these friends.
