How Can Teachers Engage in More Authentic Conversations with Children - Literature review Example

How can teachers engage in more authentic conversations with children? Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name 28th May, 2013 Part A – Literature Review Teacher and Student interaction is an important part of the learning system and many scientists and researchers have undertaken study on the topic. One of the critically acclaimed experts in this field is Professor Lillian Katz who has undertaken numerous studies on child growth and development. One of the topics that the professor took on was on interactions between teachers and students. It is true to note that children have different abilities which make them unique and thus these abilities must be harnessed in the classroom (Katz, 2000). Most teachers make use of directive communication whereby they issue instructions and determine the content that will accessed by young children (Epstein, 2007). According to Epstein, (2007, p. 1) teachers teach and communicate with children based on specific outcomes and intensions for the child. As a result, the relationship between children and teachers is not the same as that of between children. The interaction between the teacher and student is very important since it forms that basis under which skills and knowledge can be developed among children. Application of intentional teaching makes it easy for teachers to interact with children (Epstein, 2007). Interaction within the classroom is quite important for the dissemination of education. This is best explained by Lillian Katz who contended that in the process of teaching around one-third of the students already know what is being taught while another third will get what is being taught while the other third will probably not understand what is being taught. As a result, the teacher has to come up with activities and methods that ensure children maximize on their skills, abilities and knowledge. However, for interaction to occur between children and teachers it is important for certain factors to be examined. One of the key factors that should be examined closely is children’s dispositions which influence the actions that children undertake within the classroom. Disposition are habits that influence behaviour and thinking and thus these dispositions are environmentally sensitive (Bertram & Pascal, 2002). Dispositions are greatly influenced by adults such as teachers and parents as witnessed in the Reggio Emilio schools where teachers integrated materials from nature into activities. Dispositions are important in ensuring that relationship between teachers and students are strengthened through nurturing the positive dispositions. Dispositions are important since they differ from habits, traits and habits since the last two are actions which are performed without conscious attention. In any environment it is important for the educator or teacher to encourage the student or child to develop a certain disposition that is positive. According to Lillian Katz, the input of the adult or educator is important in moulding children’s dispositions. For instance, in the process of educating a teacher could make use of activities and methods that foster the development of skills through use the three main dispositions of inborn, social and intellectual dispositions. As a result, since teacher and student interactions are directive then it is important that teacher expectations should not only focus on skills and knowledge acquisition (Blimes, 2008). This is because reliance on drill and de-contextualized activities in the pursuit of mandated learning outcomes then children tend to lose their dispositions. It is important for teachers and educators to understand children dispositions and techniques of nurturing the development of these dispositions. Through the nurturing of positive dispositions, teachers and educators can easily communicate to young people and students. Research was conducted in the area of development of curriculum based on the behaviour and communication between children and teachers. Creation of an enabling environment for children to learn needs lots of interactions as witnessed within the Reggio Emilio schools (Bertram, 2002). This institution was successful in creating an environment whereby students get to learn through experiences imitated by the teacher/educator. The relationship between the teacher and the student is witnessed in the research undertaken by Pianta, (2003, p. 47) who talks of interest and passion. Educators should understand that the best way of influencing your students is to become passionate with your work or career. A passionate educator will take time in ensuring that his/her students take time in interacting with their teachers. A case in point is a teacher who involves children in different activities will likely get attention from his/her students. This characteristic is evident among young children and adults within the learning system. The education system is designed in a manner that the educator or teacher is the one undertaking teaching most of the time. As a result, educators get a chance to interact with students in the process of information or knowledge exchange (Hatch, 2002). Due to this, educators need to understand several aspects concerning the character and environment under which to impart knowledge. Educators who exhibit passion, enthusiasm and energy have the ability of influencing their students into undertaking certain activities. Understanding the character and how to undertake activities that nurture the disposition of the child makes it possible to develop positive relationships. When an educator or an adult takes a keen interest in the child then his instructions or directions will assist greatly in the process of the child developing psychologically, mentally within the academic or school setting (Murray, 2000). In the process of establishing relationships with students it is important for teachers and educators to ensure that they understand the different needs of students. Research on teacher-student relationships has shown that understanding the different needs and coming up with a differentiation plan enables students to learn better. The classroom environment is made up of students with different skills, academic capabilities, physical or mental challenges. Consequently, it would be difficult to undertake teaching through the use of the common skills and methods that are deployed in a normal classroom (Ros-Voseles, 2007). In such scenarios it is important for the educator to come up with special programs that ensure differentiation so that all students benefit the educational lesson plans. Making use of differentiation is very effective in ensuring that the needs of everyone in the classroom are ensured. According to Blimes, (2008, p. 57) developing a differentiation plan is necessary in the process of reaching out to young students. In order to communicate with these young children it is important that different skills or methods are used within schools. The use of differentiation does not look into the common activities that are developed within the common education system such as reading, writing or arithmetic skills (Zeller, 2004). Differentiation involves coming up with activities that at aimed assessing the capabilities of the students within the different classrooms. As a result, we can come up with activities and methods such as tiered assignments or varying questions in the process of disseminating lessons to the different students (Tomlinson, 2001). For instance, the use of tiered assignments on students ensures that these students explore ideas and build their knowledge and skills based on understanding and thus contributing to growth in knowledge and skills. While the use of varying questions ensures that students get to be tested on different subjects in a unique manner. This is due to the different capabilities and skills that are possessed by students. Differentiation is part of the individualized education program which allows for students to be different in the activities that they undertake (Crosnoe, 2004). The relationship between students and teachers is very important as described by Murray, (2000, p. 431) since it determines the success of a student within the educational system. One of the pillars of the development of the relationship between the teacher and student is social development. Children with poor relationship with their teachers have a risk of failure and the relationships between these adults tend to provide an avenue for children to adapt to the academic environment. The interaction between children and teachers is quite important since it helps in the independent development of the child (Pianta, 2003). This is exhibited by the support and care given to young children by teachers in the process of undertaking their studies gives them the confidence to interact with their peers and undertake different academic work without stress. The importance of the interaction between students and teachers is better underlined by research undertaken on children in kindergarten who receive support from their teachers (Sylva, 2010). Research has shown that children with weak academic or behavioural problems tend to grow independently socially and academically than those who do not receive support. Although as children grow old, the interaction with adults and teachers become salient and thus it becomes difficult for students to grow through the challenges they face as grown people. Data has shown that students who are highly connected to their teachers record low incidents of suicide and other kinds of dangerous behaviour (Eccles, 2002). As children grow the relationship and interaction with teachers become less personal and the time they spend on interaction reduces. As a result, the developmental systems theory shows that the interaction between teachers and students should be maintained in the process of ensuring social and academic growth. Part B – Research Proposal This research is supposed to study communication between children and teachers in terms of interactions. The research question that the action plan will address is: “How can teachers engage in more authentic conversations with children?" Based on the literature review, we come to understand a lot of issues that concerns the interaction between children and teachers. One of the pertinent issues that arise is how educators can undertake effective communication with students to ensure certain goals are undertaken. The issue that needs further clarification looks into the need for development of curriculum that is all inclusive and meets the needs of all young students in different schools (Hughes, 2001). When we analyze the research undertaken on young children and the development of education, we realize that several factors have to be taken into consideration. One of the areas that need careful examination is curriculum development. Current school systems should come with new systems that are superior to the traditional systems that are static and do not cater for the needs of all students. The aspect of children and teacher interaction is an important topic which goes a long way in examining several factors that affect the dissemination of knowledge in schools (Snook, 2003). Research has shown that interaction between children and teachers has assisted a lot in the development of curriculum, teaching methods and development of skills. Teachers and adults have for a long time been trying to come up with effective interactive solutions to enhancing communication with children. The interaction between children and teachers has fostered the growth of the society since children have the capability of developing their skills and capabilities under the guidance of educators who understand the need of these students (Kirk, 2005). Interactions will also assist greatly in the process of developing new curriculum since it looks into how to foster interactions that assist in building relationships. In the professional practice, understanding interactions assist greatly in the process of understanding children, their needs or dispositions and how to nurture and interconnect all these factors within the academic field. Researchers have in the past misunderstood the interactions and relationships between children and teachers. Past practices in the educational field especially among teachers and young children focussed on the development of language and reading skills. However, through interaction we have come to understand that children have different disposition and skills that ensure they develop socially and academically within an academic setting (McNair, 2007). As a result, new curriculums have been developed to target young children with different psychological, physical and mental capabilities. Several researches have been conducted on this topic of interactions and relationships between children and teachers. The questions that these researches intended to query was whether the interaction is important in fostering learning or should teachers or educators maintain authority within the educational setting. Relationships and interactions between children and teachers must exist for the proper functioning and communication within the academic system (Whitted, 2008). Previous researches on the topic of interactions between children and teachers acknowledge that educators are most of the time in control of this interaction. For instance, in a kindergarten it is the teacher who initiates the activities and methods used in undertaking this interaction. Although, as children grow the interactions become salient as children undergo new challenges and in this also it is the teacher who is in control of the interactions. Teachers in most cases direct the way these interactions are conducted since, they possess the skills of encouraging and accommodating the actions and skills of different children (Wessler, 2003). These skills or dispositions are relied upon by children in order for them to become independent or mature psychologically, socially and emotionally. In the process of conducting research that was presented in the literature review, several methodologies and data gathering tools were utilized. Our action research on the other hand will focus on the issue of interactions between teachers and students in the process of establishing authentic conversations. Based on the data collected for this research we came up with several means of undertaking the research. In the process of undertaking the action plan, we will focus on the need for development of an arrangement that will be followed in the process of undertaking the action plan. What are the needs and questions that need to be address is the most important factor in the process of undertaking this research. In the process of undertaking the research, we will make use of data gathering tools such as questionnaires, interviews and observations. These methods will be effective in the process of gathering enough data and information needed in conducting the research. Questionnaires will be designed and handed out to teachers and parents since they are the closest adults to their children (Mac-Naughton & Hughes, 2009). While, interviews will also be conducted on teachers and parents as it concerns communication and interaction with their children. In the process of getting the participants to join in the research would be to ensure that they also learn from the process. Therefore, it will be easy for them to participate in the research. For instance, observing children as they play and interact in the classroom alongside their teachers will give an insight into the relationship between teachers and students. After data has been collected we will look into the data and making use of quantitative and qualitative ways of analyzing this data (Mac-Naughton & Hughes, 2009). Once the data has been collected, it will be analyzed based on the issues that arise numerously in the research. The most important factor in this research is that will look at how interactions can be better between teachers and students. Interactions between teachers and students are the building blocks towards the achievement of academic and social success. Interactions assist students in building confidence and since it known that 80% of all interactions are led by the teacher. This research will look at ways of empowering teachers in the process of undertaking communication. As a result, new teaching curriculum and skills will be developed for teachers and at the same time teachers and parents will get knowledge on how to handle to interact with children in the process of building fruitful relationships (McNair, 2007). In my opinion, this action plan should be undertaken as a means of improving the society and education system. References Bertram, T. & Pascal, C. (2002). What counts in early learning in Contemporary perspectives in early childhood curriculum. Greenwich, CT: Information Age. Blimes, J. (2008). Beyond Behavior Management. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Crosnoe, R., Johnson, M. K., & Elder, G. H. (2004). “Intergenerational bonding in school: the behavioral and contextual correlates of student–teacher relationships.” Sociology of Education, 77, 60–81. Eccles, J. S., & Gootman, J. A. (2002). Community programs to promote youth development. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Epstein, A. (2007). The Intentional Teacher: Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children’s Learning. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Hatch, J. A. 2002. “Accountability Shovedown: Resisting the standards movement in early childhood education.” Phi Delta Kappan, 1, 457–62. Hughes, J. N., Cavell, T. A., & Willson, V. (2001). “Further support for the developmental significance of the quality of the teacher–student relationship.” Journal of School Psychology, 39, 289–302. Katz, L. & Chard, S. (2000). Engaging children’s minds: The project approach. 2nd ed. Stamford, CT: Ablex. Kirk, E.W., & P. Clark. 2005. “Beginning with names: Using children’s names to facilitate early literacy learning.” Childhood Education 81 (3): 139–44. Mac-Naughton, G. & Hughes, P. (2008). Doing Action Research in Early Childhood Studies: A Step-by-step Guide. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill. McNair, J.C. 2007. “Say my name, say my name! Using children’s names to enhance early literacy development.” Young Children 62 (5): 84–89. Murray, C., & Greenberg, M. T. (2000). “Children’s relationships with teachers and bonds with schools: An investigation of patterns and correlates in middle childhood.” Psychology in the Schools, 38, 425–446. Pianta, R., Hamre, B., & Stuhlman, M. (2003). Relationships between teachers and children. In W. Reynolds and G. Miller (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychology: Vol. 7. Educational psychology (pp. 199–234). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ros-Voseles, D. & Fowler-Haughey, S. (2007). “Beyond the Journal”. Young Children on the Web, no. 1, pp. 1-7. Snook, I. (2003). The ethical teacher. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press. Sylva, K., Melhuish E. & Sammons, P. (2010). Early Childhood Matters: Evidence from the Effective Pre-school. Chicago, IL: John Wiley and Sons. Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Acacia Publishers. Wessler, S. L. (2003). “It's hard to learn when you're scared.” Childhood Education, 17(1), 56- 59. Whitted, K. S., & Dupper, D. R. (2008). “Do teacher bully students? Findings from a survey of students in an alternative education setting.” Education and Urban Society, 40. Zeller, J. J., & Pianta, R. C. (2004). Teachers’ childhood attachments and teacher-student relationships. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Publications. Read More