Observing Communication

The observation that I observed happened in the Reading computer lab at the school I work in. The teachers in the school bring their children into the lab to take AR tests. AR tests are tests given on books in which the teacher, the child, or someone else has read to the child. On this particular day, a 2nd grade class was taking tests on the computer. What I noticed the most was the patience and the praise in which she was giving each individual child. She was so encouraging to them to be successful on taking the test. What caught my attention was, her words, and her tone. She would say to them I like these 100's, good job boys and girls, and you all are so smart. I just loved it.

Lisa Kolbeck stated in the media segment that it is important to let children have the space they need to learn and develop (Laureate Education,2011).  She also stated that that people that work with children are those who are starting to work with children it is very important that we not close children off with walls of our assumptions. We need to leave ourselves open to surprises, because they (children)  have so many surprises inside that we can learn about. This is so true, from my professional and personal experiences of working with children. If we just stand back and observe, and listen to what they are saying, not just during play, but any given activity, we can learn a lot.

I think the children in the 2nd grade class were very happy. Some of them would say to me, look Ms. Hollis, look what I made. Teacher talk is powerful in the classroom. It is very important in the development of children, especially when the language is used that they can relate to or understand ( Dangel& Durden,2010).

It is very important as educators that we watch our choice of words when we are communicating with children. The power of a hurtful word or comment can damage a young child for the rest of his/her life. I try to respect their opinions, and I always listen to what they are saying, because what they are saying is important too. Words shape our attitudes, feelings, and our thoughts (2010). The main purpose in my opinion when teaching and talking to children is to support their learning and development,  to not bring any hurt, harm or danger to them ., but to keep them safe, to nurture them, and to bring joy into their learning experiences in the classroom.

References
Communicating with Young Children. (Laureate Education,2011). Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/lait/Content.jsp?course_id=_419753

Rainer, D. & Durden, T.R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database: http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://searchebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site.