Using Communication Skills to Enact Change

Embodying the Message Effectively

Although I am not the best speaker when it comes to communicating a message, I feel the most effective ways to embody a message is the 7 C’s of communication:

11.      Clear

2.      Concise

3.      Concrete

4.      Correct

5.      Coherent

6.      Complete

7.      Courteous

Respectively, when conveying a message to an audience, it is important that one helps the audience understand without reading between the lines (clear). Likewise, being concise means that what is said is straight to the point and all unnecessary thoughts are omitted. Third, when the message it is conveyed, it is detailed; however, the message does not overwhelm the intended audience (concrete). Fourth, being correct (error-free) is important so that what is said fits the measure (educational background and age) of those in your audience. More important, one must consider the coherence. Moreover, does what the message make sense? Is the topic flowing consistently? While checking for coherence in the message, completeness is needed to ensure the audience receives what is being sold (i.e. the proposal for change). Lastly, the courteous nature of one’s message sends the message of respect. When one’s message is courteous, the audience is not caught off guard with negativity. Further, one addresses the needs of the audience.

Opportunities for Improvement

              For me, I lack a little in each of the 7 C’s of Communication. I feel I would benefit a great deal from taking my time when determining what I would like to say to my intended audience. Also, it is important that I remember that everyone does not think as I do. To convey a stronger message to others, I have to take a seat in their shoes and remember that they want the truth as well as their needs met. After stumbling in my recent assignments, I now understand that it is important to have succinct and concise material. When one communicates a message clearly, concisely, concretely, correctly, coherently, completely, and courteously, it makes our messages more credible to others. 

References

Mind Tools. (n.d.). The 7 Cs of communication: A checklist for clear communication. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_85.htm

Social Media's Influence on Policy Issues

Connected Educators

In the past few weeks, I have developed my policy issue focusing on behavior intervention and how educators and administrators can become more consistent in implementing strategies that work best. To broadcast this issue, I suggest a forum such as the forums created on Connected Educators (connectededucators.org) because it influences professional learning in and outside the school setting. The creators of Connected Educators (connectededucators.org) further promote the use of resources that increase sustainability.

Facebook

A second media source I would use to communicate my policy issue is Facebook. I choose Facebook because it has several organizations (e.g. Walden University, WUECO; Georgia Association of Teacher Educators, GATE) that educators throughout the United States are connected. Through Facebook established organizations, I can post information relevant to the policy issue. Also, I can consult with educators that are members about their conflicts with school strategies to create a safe and positive learning environment.

Pros and Cons

            On the one hand, Connected Educators (www.connectededucators.org) and Facebook are easily accessible. Connected Educators (www.connectededucators .org) provides a community directory that lists other web pages relevant to educators needs. More important, it is recognized through the United States Department of Education. The down side of using Connected Educators is you have to register to access specific discussions, forums, or community features that require such registration.

            On the other hand, Facebook allows freedom to share, causes, and ideas in the process of joining groups around the world. However, the down side to Facebook is that the freedom to express opinions can be misused. Thus, if I choose to market my policy issue on Facebook, I have to be cautious as to which organizations I am approaching and how I word my message. 

Early Childhood Systems and Public Policies

For several years, I have worked with children ages birth to 18. The policies I’ve followed are outlined by the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL).  Under DECAL’s guidelines, I have often wondered how other ECE providers felt as well as how they incorporate the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS) through their lesson plans. The GELDS provide an awesome array of activities that have sparked the interest of each of my Pre-K kids. Under these standards I have helped increase vocabulary (helping children link sounds of letters to words) and expand awareness of print. With the help of agencies like Child Care Resource & Referral, I have learned how I can operate more effectively in the classroom (through Quality Rating trainings) using the Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) (the introduction) and the Infant and Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (ITERS).

Though I have had training in ERS and ITERS, I am not familiar with the revised Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) and the School-Age Care Environmental Rating Scale (SACERS) (GOAL #1). Because I work in a licensed facility that enrolls children up to age 12 years, it is important that I learn how I can provide the basic needs (e.g. protection of health and safety, building positive relationships, and opportunities for stimulation and learning from experience) of each age group. As I have little to no experience and/or training in these rating scales, I desire to learn what makes the rating scales different for the learning environment in child care learning centers and head start facilities (the core of my career learning experiences in early childhood) (GOAL #2). Learning the differences in how each learning environment should be organized and managed can reduce chaos as well as increase positive learning experiences.

In addition, it is important that as an early childhood professional, I learn what makes a Pre-Kindergarten classroom most successful (GOAL #3). Yes, I am implementing some activities and curriculum that helps the children think. However, I am still unsure of other possibilities that enhance my performance as a teacher. Training in and use of the rating scales can increase my awareness of what captivates the age group I serve. Further, I can determine the best practices (what should be included and excluded) for the classroom setting.

References

http://www.decal.ga.gov

http://ers.fpg.unc.edu/about-environment-rating-scales

EDUC 8853 Final Thoughts/Reflections

The Influences of Family, Culture, and Society in Early Childhood course has helped me develop a stronger appreciation for research and writing. At the beginning, I had intentions of improving writing skills. However, I am now more motivated to use my research skills to conduct more adequate research. While in this course, I have learned from colleagues, and the plethora of knowledge that I have gained from colleagues and learning resources has strengthened my wanting to teach more effectively. More important, I now understand that what I do and how I do it makes a difference in the eyes of the children and families I serve.

From the learning resources, I have gained a sense of what others have faced being from different cultural backgrounds. Media sources with information on Marsha Hawley and Shaun-Adrian Chofla helped me appreciate my unique differences and understand that I can move pass hardships of former years. In contrast, literature resources by Sanchez, Walsh, and Rose (2011) increased my awareness of how educators can "create more meaningful school ad home communication" (p. 20). Other literature resources like Edwards and Graham (2009) have heightened my awareness of family and the importance understanding family communication. Hence, the family is the social unit that takes responsibility for the socialization and nurturing of the child (Edwards & Graham, 2009).

As an early childhood professional, using these resources will help me approach children and their families with an open mind. Moreover, I can attend to their concerns culturally competent, respecting their manner of approaching the concerns. More important, I understand that I must assess and/or reflect on personal beliefs and values that include biases and prejudices as well as how I view diversity and culture (in connection with my relationships with others) (Lee, 2010).

References

Edwards, A. P., & Graham, E. E. (2009). The relationship between individuals' definitions of family and implicit personal theories of communication. Journal of Family Communication, 9(4), 191–208.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Lee, S. (2010). Reflect on your history: An early childhood education teacher examines her biases.Multicultural Education, 17(4), 25–30.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Sanchez, C., Walsh, B. A., & Rose, K. (2011). DVD Newsletters: New ways to encourage communication with families. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 39(2), 20–26.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Course Project (Major Assessment): The Interview Process

As a part of the course project in "Influences of Family, Culture, and Society in Early Childhood," I contacted one professional that works with foster families on a regular basis, and one former foster parent. To begin with, initial contact with the interviewees was not so bad. I began to develop questions and noticed that each question seemed too forward. I tried rewording the questions, and this proved to be even more challenging. Eventually, I decided on a set of questions for both interviewees (some questions were quite similar). However, I was nervous as the days of the interviews approached. On the day of my first interview, I had butterflies out of this world. Once I reached the office of my interviewee and we greeted one another, the butterflies went away. The interview went better than expected. The interviewee responded to each question with more than enough information. She even connected questions which extended the conversation beyond expectation. The one thought left in my mind after this interview was how she was able to reunite a family despite the struggles presented by all parties involved. It was rewarding to hear the story because volunteers work helped the family reach the goal of reunification.

In contrast, my second interview was quite intriguing with a story told by the former foster parent. The foster parent expressed the joys of fostering. She expressed how she helped a young lady reach reunification. In her work with the parent, she realized the young lady had not been taught the right way of self and others. The former foster parent expressed that helping individuals that have had there children taken reach a goal of reunification was the ultimate goal for her fostering experience. More important, the foster mother worked with the parents by inviting the parents to events and visitations to help the parents see what is needed to meet the reunification goal.

In light of my interviews, I can say the research for scholarly peer-reviewed articles is going better than expected. Before this course, I was having a hard time finding articles that were meaningful to my topic. However, I am now better able to search the Walden database by subjects like Human Services or Social Work to find articles. Also, the use of a specific database like Sage Premier is helpful. I am wondering, are there other sources I have not tried that might be of assistance outside of Walden library and google scholar?

Family Constellations: Foster Families

In efforts to examine difficulties of children in out of home placement, I have chosen family constellations as a challenge for my course project in Walden University's Influences of Family, Culture, and Society in Early Childhood doctoral course.  I have decided upon foster families, as children in foster care  reside with foster families experience many changes that affect their well-being. KidsHealth (2015) asserts, "Foster parents take kids into their homes, and take care of them for as long as kids need" (para. 3). Because I have seen children in foster care and worked with them in the past, I am curious to find out how different is home structure versus being with birth parents. I believe children and families in this family constellation face several challenges that often make it difficult to keep consistency. According to Dozier, Zeneah, and Bernard (2013), "In 2011, more than 650,000 children were identified as victims of child abuse and neglect, almost half (47%) of them age 5 or younger" (p. 166). I want to know, what is the hardest challenge for foster parents when working with children in foster care? Also, what determines the longevity of the child's placement?

References

Dozier, M., Zeneah, C. H., & Bernard, K. (2013). Infants and toddlers in foster care. Child Development Perspective, 7(3), 166-171. doi: 10.1111/cdep.12033

http://www.kidshealth.org

Noticing What Matters Most in the Classroom

As an early childhood professional, I have encountered many situations that have made me recognize the importance of well-rounded teachers in the classroom. Thinking back on when I first began my journey working with young children has me pondering, how many of those children did I inspire?

It is most beneficial as an educator to leave a long lasting impression on a child. However, most recently, I have encountered educators that lack the positive support children need, especially those with different learning levels. Contrary to what I have experienced, Clifford and Crawford (2009) contend, “Educators are paying increasing attention to the alignment of educational experiences for children from age three through eight both developmentally and academically” (p. 4). It is to my knowledge and experience that some educators are not as committed to improving early childhood experiences for children.  Clifford and Crawford (2009) assert, ”Educators are committed to responding to both the demand for making preschool the first part of school and the desire to maintain the emphasis on individual child needs and relationships with families” (p. 5). However, individual child needs as far as inclusion is concerned, have been overlooked based on a conversation with a student teacher in one of Georgia’s public schools. Mrs. C exclaimed to me “The school said he does not qualify for special education assistance. His father feels the child is lazy. The father shows lack of concern for the child having to repeat the third grade” (personal communication, Mrs. C., March 25, 2015).

From this experience/conversation, I was pretty determined to do what I could to assist the children within the county’s school system. I was determined from that day to take out more time to assist struggling elementary children included in inclusion, as well as those not included. I say this because I recognize that “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela, n.d.). I honor this quote because it speaks to everyone inspired to promote social change. If we educate our children, at no matter what developmental level they exist, we are impacting their outcome effectively. It is correct that every child we meet has a background unlike our own. However, we must rethink how children are educated (Clifford & Crawford, 2009) in order to provide for them the right services to improve their development and learning abilities.

Respectfully, Clifford and Crawford (2009) have a global perspective that recognizes the need for change in educating young children. The researchers honor the importance of inclusion in the classroom, as well as the need for educator’s professional development (such as cultural competence). Further, Clifford and Crawford (2009) acknowledge global perspectives on appropriate practices and encourage the move towards exposing children to more appropriate instructional practices. The researchers recognize that grades like kindergarten in the United States have to be careful in not becoming too academically focused. On the one hand, Germany is gradually connecting kindergarten with elementary school to promote a more unified transition for young children (Clifford & Crawford, 2009). The global perspective on education in early childhood is very broad. Thus, as we grow more in tune with local/global challenges and resolutions in perfecting best practices, let us remember “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn” (Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada, n.d.). Moreover, we must educate by understanding how the child learns best (such as through interactive games).

References

Clifford, R. M., & Crawford, G. M. (2009). Issues in education for children three to eight in six countries. Retrieved from http://firstschool.fpg.unc.edu/sites/firstschool.fpg.unc.edu/files/six_countries.pdf