On Your Mark' Get Set PLAY

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On Your Mark. Get Set PLAY!!!

• Katy Roques Ashley Johnson
  Stefanie Harrison

Louisiana State University
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Opening Activity

• Choose a chair at the table that corresponds to
  the color/shape that you were given.
• Goal You must try to figure out the word that is
  on your back by asking others at your table
  questions.
• Rules
• Ask only Yes/No questions
• Ask at least one question from each person before
  asking one person twice.
• When you have determined your word, remove
  sticker.

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Explanation of game

• Game allowed you to use important life skill-
  SOCIAL COMPETENCE
• Shows importance of being able to communicate
  with others as a problem solving technique
• Communicate with others to help ourselves

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What is Social Emotional Development?

• Social Emotional development includes the ability
  to initiate and maintain secure relationships.
• During this development a child learns how to
  approach other children, how to negotiate issues,
  how to take turns, and how to communicate
  effectively.

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Who is involved with this form of development?

• Theorist Erik Erikson defines eight stages of
  social emotional growth from infancy to
  adulthood.
• In the early childhood years, three of the eight
  stages are addressed. They are
• To trust others outside their families
• To gain independence and self-control
• To take initiative and assert themselves in
  socially acceptable ways

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Focusing on the Individual Childs Social
Development

• Before we are able to focus our abilities as a
  teacher on enhancing the social competence level
  of our entire class, we must first focus on
  social characteristics of the individual child.
• Key areas of focus- What are they How can we
  enhance them
• SELF CONCEPT Young children develop their
  self-concept very early in life. We can assist
  in enhancing a childs self-concept by
  recognizing unique qualities that the child
  possesses. We must pay attention to the childs
  temperament to make sure that personalities are
  compatible.

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Self-concept building activity

• I am special.
• I am special.
• Take a look.
• You will see.
• Someone very special,
• Someone very special,
• And its me!
• And its me!

• You are special.
• You are special.
• Take a look,
• Yes its true.
• Someone very special,
• Someone very special,
• And its you!
• And its you!

To the tune of Frere Jacques
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SELF CONFIDENCE Children with self-confidence
have a feeling of internal worth which in turn
makes it easier for them to face challenges and
to work with others. When children lack this
confidence, their focus tends to be on failure
rather than success. SELF ESTEEM Compliment
children often. Encourage students to make nice
comments about their peers. Show appreciation
for your students. Encourage students to make
choices. Show importance in a childs opinion
by using active listening while they are
speaking. Explain reasons for your actions.
Encourage children to try new and challenging
activities. Self Booster Activity Make a
positive comment about your neighbor.  
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Key Characteristics that Enhance Social Growth

• HONEST RECOGNITION AND PRAISE We must focus on
  being more specific when praising our students.
  For example, instead of saying good job, draw
  attention to something specific that the child
  has done. Make students feel worthy to let them
  know they have a place in the classroom.
• RESPECT Show respect by offering choices and
  by respecting students decisions. By showing
  confidence in students ability to make decisions
  we are able to build their self- esteem. Make
  sure to explain reasons behind rules or decisions
  that are made. Do not talk about children in
  front of them unless they are included in the
  conversation.

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  COMPETENCE Encourage students to make their
own choices and to be independent. Provide
experiences and activities that foster success.
Provide opportunities that are challenging, but
not frustrating. Never be stereotypical. Allow
equal access to all things in the classroom.
Offer activities that foster creativity which
allows students to express themselves. Present
opportunities for students to interact with
others and to discover how to get along with
them. Building Blocks of Competence
Activity At your table, communicate with another
group member to determine two qualities that you
share and two qualities that you do not.
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Appropriate Social Environments

• The environment should be set up in ways that
  allow the children to feel safe and encourage
  them to explore materials and relationships with
  peers and adults.
• A few tips on doing this includes
• Furniture is child-sized and in good condition
• Attractive displays of materials invite children
  to use them
• Open spaces so children can move around freely
• In classroom centers, have multiple seating areas
  so a small group of children are able to enter
  the center at the same time.

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  Present challenges for the children and
encourage them to ask their peers when in need of
help- this also encourages cooperative
learning. Opportunities to be classroom
leaders- as children are given a chance to be
leader of the classroom, they are able to take
control. Frequently allow students to choose
their own groups.
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SOCIAL COMPETENCE- COOPERATIVE PLAY

• After paying close attention to the needs of each
  individual, focus on assisting the class as a
  whole.
• Childhood gives children a chance to learn about
  the world including learning about others-
  parents play a big role in development of social
  competence. When possessing social competence,
  children are able to be cooperative, generous,
  expressive of their feelings, and are able to
  empathize with others.
• MODEL BEHAVIOR Model the behavior you would like
  to see as it is the best way for students to
  develop socially, including being respectful
  (saying please and asking for students assistance
  with tasks). Make sure to comment on students
  who are showing desired behaviors.

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• SHARING FROM THE HEART Create an environment of
  kindness and generosity as children will then be
  able to naturally share from the heart. Talk
  with students about being generous. Explain how
  sharing and being considerate makes others feel
  happy and good too. Be generous to your students
  by providing satisfying materials and
  experiences.
• Singing Activity
• The More We Get Together
• The more we get together, together, together.
• The more we get together, the happier well be.
• For your friends are my friends and my friends
  are your friends.
• The more we get together, the happier well be.
•  

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• FAIRNESS Explain rules to students, pointing out
  
• that they apply to everyone in the classroom.
  To be fair, we must respect the feelings and
  choices of our students. Never insist one to
  stop crying when sad, or to apologize when not
  truly sorry. We can help our students by making
  the situation more clear for understanding.
• COOPERATION VS COMPETITION Provide lots of
• opportunities for children to play cooperatively
  with one another as play helps children learn how
  to relate. During play time, children will
  discover that cooperation is less frustrating
  that competition as competing has only one winner
  and the remainder are losers. Help students
  learn problem solving skills and how to negotiate
  and compromise with one another.

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How to Foster Social Emotional Development?

• Children learn to trust their environment when
• Given positive comments on their work
• Following a consistent schedule
• Encouraged to explore new materials
• Children develop a sense of competence when
• Provided with challenging materials
• Encouraged to complete tasks
• Play activity or work is valued by others
• Children develop a sense of initiative when
• Encouraged to make-believe
• Freely explore materials
• Allowed to get messy during art activities

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Classroom Scenarios
Read along with us as we discuss a classroom
scenario. Pay close attention to the actions of
the students and the teacher. Also, be very
observant of the classroom environment.
Scenarios will be evaluated.
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Classroom Scenario 1

• Kevin is 5 years old and loves to play with
  cars in the block center. When other children
  come to the center, he moves to the corner all by
  himself and looks at the other childrens play
  from a distance. Stage 1 Children wander and
  watch others play. Do not participate or talk.
  While Kevin is looking at the children play with
  their cars, the teacher comes up to him and says,
  Kevin, cars go in the block center. If you
  cannot play with them in that center, then put
  the car up and go to a new center.

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WHAT PART OF THE SCENARIO SHOULD BE ALTERED?
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Suggestions/Tips

• OBSERVE THE CHILD to see where their interests
  are (cars).
• PLAN AN ACTIVITY that will interest the child and
  build on that.
• READ STORIES about how shy children get along
  with others.
• ENCOURAGE SOCIALIZATION by inviting the child and
  a more sociable child to help you complete a task.

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Classroom Scenario 2

• Jessica Sanchez is a kindergarten teacher who
  loves to have a quiet classroom and encourages
  SOLELY independence in her classroom. In each
  center there are multiple materials of the same
  kind which enables each child to play with their
  own materials. Ms. Sanchez always brags that her
  students are always quiet and on task. As Ms.
  Sanchez observes her class cooperative play
  during outside recess she sees that they are
  lacking in skills of social competence.

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WHAT IS LACKING IN CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT?
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Suggestions/Tips

• LOOK FOR REASONS why the students are not
  interacting cooperatively.
• REARRANGE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT by including a
  smaller amount of similar materials to encourage
  social competence.
• PROVIDE A GREATER OPPORTUNITY FOR GROUP WORK by
  encouraging students to play with one another.

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Classroom activities that can encourage positive
self-esteem

• Ask children to look in the mirror and say one
  thing that they like about themselves.
• Have a star student each week and have them
  tell the class what they like to do and a little
  information about their family.
• Ask children to complete the sentence, I am
  special because .
• Line the children up in two rows facing each
  other and have them say positive things about the
  person across from them.

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Phrases of positive reinforcement

• As teachers, we sometimes get caught up using the
  same positive reinforcement words for our
  students, such as good job.
• Here are a few other words and phrases that you
  can use when praising a child
• Fantastic Great Wonderful Fabulous Much
  Better Perfect Way to Go
• I am proud of Neat I like the way..
• It is also helpful to be specific when commenting
  on the work of students.

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References

• A Guide for Supervisors Trainers on
  Implementing the Creative Curriculum in Early
  Childhood (1993)
• Diane Trister Dodge
• Marylyn Goldhammer
• Child Development (2006)
• Laura E. Berk
• A Survival Guide for the Preschool Teacher
• Jean R. Feldman
• PBS www.pbs.org/wholechild

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Conclusion

• Stages of Development
• Copy of presentation can be on the
• LSU Preschool Website http//www.preschool.huec.
  lsu.edu/Index.html
• Evaluation forms
• Thank you for your time!!