So yesterday it was a Monday and we had PD until 6pm. I had the feeling that it would be exhausting and I would be dying for the rest of the week. Long hours on a Monday? Oh no... I love when I am wrong! Here I am, alive and writing about the great experience I had yesterday with my team and the others that make part of this school teachers board.
The theme was the same one we had during planning sessions before coming back from Christmas break: personal, social and emotional development in children (which is part of PSPE training). We talked about how a child should feel in the classroom (and at home!) and then Mrs. L showed us this chart*:
According to a child’s perspective:
• I feel confident when...you praise me for my efforts and encourage me to keep trying when I’m learning something new.
• I feel heard when... you look me in my eyes, tune into my thoughts and feelings or notice the things I’m looking at or pointing to in the world.
• I feel secure when...I know what to expect in the day and when we cuddle up to talk, read, and sing together.
• I feel happy when...we play games and do fun activities, laugh and act silly together, and share fun stories.
• I feel calm when...I am in a warm, nurturing environment and cuddled when I need to be comforted.
• I feel loved when...you take care of my needs, hug me often, use gentle words, and show care and patience.
The greatest thing about this discussion and the practice I want to share from Mrs. L is that she just heard as many voices as she could in that room. All the teachers could try to defend their idea about the assumptions shown on the chart. In a room full of teachers from different nationalities, I believe that listening to others’ point of view was crucial at this stage.
After all the ideas were shared, Mrs. L posed a question: “Is it necessary to physically cuddle a child, as it says in many different situations above (chart)?” The answers were carefully appearing. Some said that as we were all teaching in the same country (Brazil) in which cuddling is not a problem, therefore we should all do it. Others said they did not feel comfortable touching kids (foreigners - especially male teachers). Then the amazing answer sprouted! Cuddling does not have to be done only with hands, it can also be done with words.
The biggest take away from this part of the PD we had was that teachers can cuddle with words and that might bring even better results than the touch itself. In this crazy world we are living in where any misplaced word can lead to serious judgement, we have to be careful with our attitudes and the way they might be interpreted.
Teachers were separated in groups and had to think about actions that they already do for their level grade and share them with the rest trying to find a continuum. Great exercise Mrs. L proposed for the second part of the 2 hours that were flying fast! We all know that teachers together reinvent the wheel, always with a little detail that was never thought before. The share out Mrs. L suggested after the conversation was the richest one. We did reinvent the wheel!
Teachers agreed that human beings in general struggle to name their feelings. So, how do we expect children aged 4 or even less, say what they feel after losing a game? Teaching how to name the feelings would be the next stage of our PSPE lessons. We googled the wheel below and thought that if we all work together as a school, we can easily teach kids first part of the wheel for the little ones and then use the rest as they grow. Isn’t that a nice practice?
Below you will find some of the articles Mrs. L shared with her staff and highly suggested that everyone read. I also suggest that you, reader, go through these amazing resources and start thinking about our responsibility as teachers to teach students that talking and managing feelings are part of our routines. No one can learn if there is a mess inside, right?
Resources
*Damon E. Jones et all, “Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between
Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness,” American Journal of Public Health 105(11) (2015): 2283-2290.
http://whatshappeninginpyp.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/2/0/19200297/p_0_psexx_sco_0911_1_e.pdf
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário