Relationships with Families, Communities, and Professionalism

Relationships, Structure, Ethnicity, & Culture

The Harried Woman’s Survival Kit

Equipment needed: M&M’s

At the first sign of hot flashes, eat a RED one.

Eat the ORANGE to minimize depression.

The GREEN calms your frustrations when you want to be left alone.

If you feel a headache coming on eat the ones.

The BLUE ones reduce bloating.

You can eat the BROWN ones ANYTIME!

IF ALL SYMPTOMS OCCUR AT THE SAME TIME, EAT THE WHOLE BAG!

Family Structure

Traditional Nuclear Family

Extended Family

Today’s Families

(Handout) – Family Examples

Trusting information to make important decisions

Family Values

Parents and Family Life

Ellen Galinsky has studied work and family life she did a recent study and looked at children’s perspectives. Over 1,000 children and 600 parents were interviewed about parental employment.

The children were asked; “If you were granted one wish that would change the way that your mother’s/fathers’ work affects your life, what would that wish be?

Study Continued

56% of the parents thought the children would wish to have more time with them.

The Children, however, wished that their mothers (34 percent) and fathers(27.5 percent) would be less stressed and tired. Eight themes emerged from the study.

8 Themes

1. Working is not good or bad for children it’s the parenting that makes the difference.

2. It’s not just mothering that’s important; fathering is important too.

3. It’s not quality or quantity time that make the difference; both make a difference

4. Parents’ jobs affect how they parent.

8 Themes Continued

5. Children are worried about parents

because of the stress they bring

home.

6. Children aren’t aware that their parents like their jobs as much as they actually do.

7.Child care does not supplant parent care. If properly done it supports the families.

8. A large number of parents don’t know what goes on in their children’s lives.

Family Awareness

1. Activity on Family and Community Reflection.

2. Community Mapping Discussion and handout.

Praxis Review

How could a preschool program use community resources to enhance student learning? Indicate 5 ways to access community resources and 5 ways in which students could contribute to the community.

Family Socialization

Development of trust

The development of independence

The tendency to take initiative

The sense of competence and ambition

Decisions about who one is

Relationships with others

Decisions about future generations

Reflections on one’s life

Praxis Review

How is a child’s learning affected by family and community characteristics, such as family structure, socioeconomic conditions, home language, ethnicity, religion, or culture, and stresses and supports, such as special needs, births, deaths, or divorce? Indicate 5 ways in which a teacher could be informed of these characteristics without violating the privacy of the individual families.

Family Structures

Activity: Let’s explore the types of families we deal with every day.

Matriarchal Organizations :Mother is the primary adult with the authority.

Patriarchal Organizations: Father is the primary adult with the authority.

Egalitarian Organizations: Authority is shared by both adults.

Contemporary Challenges Faced by Families

Child Stress:

Separation anxiety

Sibling rivalry

Transition to school

Peer pressure

Learning to develop independence

Challenges Cont.

Parent Stress:Economic pressuresCrimeTrafficJobChild responsibilitiesChild care stress

** What are some symptoms of a stressful family? Discussion

Divorce

Disruptive to the family

Heightened anxiety and stress

Child feeling “stuck” in the middle

Realistic understanding of the situation

Developing healthy relationships

Teacher and parent supporting the child or children

Fathers

Involving the father

Head Start – Mandated to become “father friendly”

Two parent conferences

Inviting fathers to “Donuts for Dad”

Dealing with the binuclear family situation. (parents share custody)

Poverty

Activity: Could you survive in poverty?20% of children under the age of 5 living below the poverty line.Black children 34%/Hispanic 30%Early childhood poverty can disrupt cognitive development and is associated with social and emotional problems

Poverty Cont.

Parenting, care giving, and interactions with children may be jeopardized by the stresses of povertyThe median income of families with children hasn’t kept up with inflationChild care expenses and other work-related benefits are shrinking and employers don’t provide many fringe benefits.

Statistics Each Day in America

1 mother dies in childbirth.4 children are killed by abuse or neglect.5 children or teens commit suicide.77 babies die before their 1st birthday.367 babies are born without prenatal care.888 born at low birth weight.1,154 born to teen mothers.1701 born without health insurance.2252 born to mothers with no H.S. education.2,482 children are confirmed as abused or neglected.

Activity

Resources: What resources does a child need to attend school? Let’s look at some scenarios…

Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education

Significant research over the last 25 years has demonstrated that “family involvement is critical to the educational success of children” (Kniepkamp, 2005, p. 16).“When schools acknowledge the relevance of children’s homes and cultures and promote family involvement, they can develop a supportive environment for learning through meaningful activities that engage and empower families” (Ramey, 1999).

Benefits to Students

Higher grades and test scores

Better attendance and more homework done

Fewer placements in special education

More positive attitudes and behavior

Greater enrollment in postsecondary education

Everyday Families

Studies have shown that families whose children experience success in school found the following in their home life:

1. A daily routine that includes chores.2. Modeling the value of learning, self-

discipline through family conversations.3. Setting high but reasonable expectations4. Encouraging children’s efforts and

progress in school5. Using family resources for family needs.

Praxis Review

Design an activity that would create a welcoming environment that promotes family involvement and partnerships.

Building Partnerships with Families

NAEYC guidelines recommend the following:

1. Mutual respect in relationships between teachers and families.

2. Early childhood educators work in collaborative partnerships with families establishing regular and frequent communication.

3. Parents are welcome in the program and participate in the decisions about their children’s care and education

Partnerships Cont.

4. Early childhood educators acknowledge parents’ choices and goals for children and respond to those concerns.

5. Teachers and parents share their knowledge of the child and understanding of children’s development and learning as part of day-to-day communication and planned conferences.

Praxis Review

Design an outline for a parent conference concerning one of your students. Indicate 5 strengths that you have observed in the student. List three areas that parents could reinforce at home. Be specific concerning the parental support, indicating materials and methods that the parents could utilize.

Basic Tenets of Successful Programs

The first is that parents are their children’s first teachers and have a lifelong influence on their children’s values, attitudes, and aspirations.

Children’s educational success requires congruence between the values that are taught at school and the values expressed in the home.

Basic Tenets Cont.

Most parents, regardless of their level of education, economic status, or cultural background, care deeply about their children’s education and can provide substantial support if given specific opportunities and knowledge.

Schools must take the lead in eliminating, or at least reducing, traditional barriers to parental involvement.

Epstein’s 6 Types of Involvement

1. Parenting2. Communicating3. Volunteering4. Learning at Home5. Decision Making6. Collaborating with the CommunityActivity: Get into groups and fill out the

following chart.

IDEA

In 1990 IDEA replaced the Education of the handicapped Act.

IDEA 1997: It shifted the focus to improved teaching and learning through the I.E.P. It increased the parent’s role as a decision maker and promoted meaningful access to the general curriculum.

IDEA Cont.

It also strengthened “preference for children with disabilities to be educated and receive services with their non-disabled age-mates in typical early childhood settings” (Smith & Rapport, 1999). Part B of this law provided resources and services for children ages 3 through 5 with developmental delays or a certified disability. (IFSP)

IDEA 2004

Highly Qualified TeachersIndividualized education programs must contain annual goals that are measurable along with a description of the child’s progress in meeting those goals.Specific learning disabilities – A new provision releases schools from the current to show a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability to determine if a child has a specific learning disability.

Praxis Review

What are the responsibilities of a teacher in serving as an effective advocate for children?

Chunking

Chunking: The process by which the human brain combines individual bits of information into more complex sets for more rapid recall and application

What is automaticity? Can we discuss some examples that have been experienced?

Chunking Cont.

The brain’s working memory has two major limitations:

1. It has a limited capacity. If we teach too many chunks at one time the brain doesn’t process them properly.

2. The brain operates as a serial processor and can only process one thing at a time.

3. Do you know the chunking capacity of your students?? Discuss…

Chunking

For every 2 years the child is younger

than 15—take away 1 chunk:

Example:

15 – 7 chunks 7 – 3 chunks

13 – 6 chunks 5 – 2 chunks

11 - 5 chunks 3 – 1 chunk

9 – 4 chunks

Misconceptions

Common Causes:

1. When teachers cover too much content in too little time, misconceptions flourish.

2. Oversimplifying the complex: An example of this would be a teacher utilizing vocabulary such as “food” and “eat” when referring to the complex process of photosynthesis. This allows the students to make incorrect assumptions based on passed schema models—and the misconception begins.

Misconceptions Cont.

3. Teaching in two dimensions: When we attempt to illustrate a three-dimensional occurrence in only two dimensions, we invite misconception. Textbooks and worksheets, while often valuable and convenient, are limited to two dimensions.

Insight

A misconception “feels just like” learning. If, during a misconception, a teacher asks a student if he-she understands, the student almost always says “yes.”

Let’s share some examples of classroom misconceptions…

Myth: Field trips should be taken at the end of a unit as a “culminating experience.”

Tips for Success

The connection must be in the past experience of the learner.

The connection should be made through examples and active engagement.

Watch for expected misconceptions and correct immediately.

The critical attributes (parts of a learning objective) of the connection must match the critical attributes of the learning.

Personal Relevance

Level 1 Learning: The student is exposed but never learns the intended curriculum. Why?

Level 2 Learning: The student learns through strategies involving time and effort: highlighting, outlining, reading, answering questions, practicing, reviewing, etc.

Personal Relevance

Level 3 Learning: Learning is rapid; recall is easy; transfer is broad and creative. How often does this happen?

Myth: Interesting curriculum produces the highest level of achievement.

Truth: Personally relevant curriculum produces the highest level of achievement. (Common Core)

Praxis

Indicate 3 ways in which a teacher can use self-assessment techniques to reflect on teaching practices and the learning environment.

Self-Assessment

Portfolios – Most of the time the teacher keeps these. Why not have the student help to select work to go into the portfolio? Discussion….

Timeline Scenarios

Unit Portfolio1. Collect items for 3-4 weeks.2. Conduct conferences in the last week.3. Grade the last week

Semester Portfolio1. Collect the entire semester2. Allow 1 week for the students to select,

reflect, and organize the portfolios3. 1 week for conferences and 1 week for

grading.

Portfolios

Year-long Portfolio

1. Collect 1-2 items each week.

2. Review all items at the end of each quarter and select 3-4 items.

3. Allow 2-3 weeks for reflection, organization and conferencing.

4. Allow 1-2 weeks for grading.

Labeling

Best Work

Most Difficult

Most Creative

A Work in Progress

First Draft-more to come…

Metacognitive Reflections

Reflective Stems

1. This piece shows I’ve met standard #_____because…

2. This piece shows I really understand the content because…

3. This piece showcases my _____intelligence because…

4. If I could show this piece to anyone—I would show it to _____ because…

Reflective Stems Cont.

5. People who knew me last year would never believe this piece because…

6. This piece was my greatest challenge because…

7. My parents, friend, teacher, liked this piece because…

8. One thing I have learned about myself is…

A Shorter Version

1. What does this piece show about me?

2. What did I do well in this piece?

3. What do I still need to practice?

4. What help do I need?

Metacognitive Reflection

Teacher Reflective Questions

1. What were you expected to do?

2. In this assignment, what did you do well?

3. If you had to do this task over, what would you do differently?

4. What help do you need from me?

A Few More Questions

One idea I learned today is…

The fact that really surprised me is…

One thing I’ll remember 25 years from now is…

One idea I would like to learn more about is…

A Few Final Thoughts!

Graphic Organizers Handout

Discussion: Let’s look at the handout concerning graphic organizers and share ways we have used them in the classroom and how could they be used or adapted in a pre-school setting?

Iriscenter.com – Let’s also look at this!

Praxis

How can self-assessment improve a lesson that failed to meet the designated goals?