Written by Amy Laura Dombro
Sponsored by: BAEYC Old Colony Chapter and Bridgewater State University
Facilitated by: Dr. Greg Nelson and Dr. Sue Eliason
Finding Time for PI's
How do we make time
for powerful interactions, given the need to accommodate special needs and
classroom management in general?How
do we balance everyone's needs?How can we work with colleagues
to implement powerful interactions as a team?
With high demands of reaching the academic goals put forth by administrations, it is not always easy to find time to make time to reach the powerful interaction we hope for. I am fortunate enough to work in a special needs classroom with a variety of learning disabilities, but a staff-student ratio of 1-2, our time to individualize our attention with students can be simultaneous and wide spread. I can easily see how difficult it would be to meet the same goals in a regular education classroom where the ratio is 1-25+ and the goal of aiming for 3 PI's a day would be much more realistic.
"Making time" for those powerful interactions can be difficult to plan. Often times, those moments are unexpected, and those are the times that we must grab that opportunity to connect, and attempt to expand their minds. When working with a class, as a whole, the powerful interaction can be openly explored and discussed with everyone. It's those one on one times that I enjoy most. Children may be enjoying some open freeplay, and that's when I often see opportunities to connect with a child, and encourage thought and discovery, usually through their play.
I am very fortunate to have lots of time for powerful interations. Being a family childcare provider I can have a full house one day and 2 or 3 kids the next. Some children arrive early in the mornig while others stay late. I take advantage of such moments to go for a walk with one or two children, picking flowers for Mom or Dad, helping a nieghbor bring in groceries, or bringing a sick friend soup. I think children need to learn empathy. I think teaching children to think of and help others is a powerful interaction. Holding a baby during feeding time, talking with them during diaper changes, sitting them in your lap during storytime, all PI. I can understand where PI would be difficult in a large preschool or public school setting. It seems in that setting it was all about crowd control. I'm interested to read the input and how PI can come into play. Maybe during free playtime, pick up/ drop off, or while out on the playground ?
Also being a FCC provider I agree with Jo-Ann but we also have the times where we start what could be a PI with a 3-yr old and have to turn our attention to a just walking baby that just fell down. This can be frustrating. I am trying to be more "present" step one and quieting the static which can be all that is going on around me. I believe we all have many PI's during the day with our children but I am trying to be more focused on bringing these interactions to the next step and extending the learning a little bit more. I am also trying to focus on PI's with multiple children. All of us, in our different educational settings, have many challenges to find the time to implement PI's. The exciting part of these is that they can be spontaneous so it's just looking for that moment and acting upon it.
A powerful interaction can take only a few seconds; yet I long for more sustained time with individual students. I work within what many would consider a dream teacher-to-student ratio; it is at times 1-7. Still, the demands of classroom management/guidance and increased curriculum structure and demands, leaves me feeling like I wish I had more sustained individual instruction time. In my job as an adjunct, I work with new teachers and veteran teachers. What I hear week after week when we come together to share is how frustrated they feel in their classrooms. It is a fact that there is a high turnover rate for teachers early-on in their careers. Somehow, the joy and desire to “make a difference” is diminished. Why? What they share is this: They often feel the child that is managing behavior issues gets more attention than the majority of the students who are meeting expectations and mastering routines. I love my profession, and feel the best way to attract and keep talented people is to be honest about what the classroom will look like, give them real strategies to deal with classroom guidance positively and effectively, and provide mentors to see teachers through the rough patches and remind them why the entered the field in the first place. While the text book offers some techniques that will naturally support classroom guidance, I think it could have done more. The pictures only show what many of us would see as a positive interaction. While, honestly, even the tense moments of conflict can be powerful and positive too. I would have benefited more from the book if it incorporated all kids of interactions throughout. Because, well, that is what real life looks like! (:
I too see a lot of turnover in the field. I agree that it is important to educate teachers coming into the field about the realities of a classroom, but we also need to enlighten them as to the possibilities. I have had college students tell me that an idea for planning that I present is "only for the college classroom, that is not how it is done in the real world." And the same student will complain about the classroom management issues that she is having in her center. As I visit programs and classrooms, I am privileged to see some of the best ideas in action. There is a family child care provider who transforms her space into different environments, such as a rain forest. The children are enthralled, eager to arrive in the morning, and don't seem to have issues with their behavior. I turned to this page, to focus on finding time. In my experience, if the room is set up well, there are materials and challenges for children and they are given long periods to choose their own work, then they are so engaged that the teacher has time. If (s)he observes what is happening and looks to see what children might need, what they are struggling with, and what interests them; the opportunity for a P.I will present itself. This thought does recognize that there are times of the day when it is all about routines or settling children and there is no time. I wonder what times of the day others find the best and the worst for those interactions.
Sometimes I work the end of a ten hour day after the children have been there all day and they need a change. An activity I like to share with them is to take out our pet guinea pig, Oreo, from her cage. I have the children sit on the floor in a circle with their legs out, touching each others feet. I put her in the center and we let her walk around the children. It's amazing how long children will sit for this activity. Sometimes I give each child a small piece of lettuce or shredded carrots and they wait for her. As a group we observe her and pet her. They talk about how soft she is and we count the toes on her front and back feet. A pet is a wonderful soothing addition to the room. Over the years we have found the classroom pet to be a great transition object during morning separation. One year we had a child who cried at rest and we put the hamster cage beside him at that time of day. The pet can be an object that helps the teacher establish a bond with a child.
How wonderful that you have a pet in your classroom! There is so much to be said for animal therapy amongst not only children but also seniors and really, adults in general! While not everyone may be an "animal" person, I for one love them. There is a television show on Animal Planet that I have actually found to be very calming and therapeutic for me which I did not think was possible in a television show! I came across it one night while flipping channels. It is called "Too Cute" and it just shows a variety of puppies or kittens interacting with each other. There is very little shown of them with people with the exception of the narration. Just seeing them play and watching them grow from birth to puppy/kitten relaxes me! I did use to have a cat and a dog and they were unconditional in their love. I believe that animals even as small as a guinea pig are a great addition to the classroom and are a source of learning, love, happiness and joy for those who enjoy interacting with them.
One of the things I struggle with currently is feeling that I am always going at a break-neck speed. I feel as though children, teachers and assistants are constantly pulling me in so many directions throughout the day! I sit down to engage with a child and find myself needing to leave to take care of another need. Some of that has to do with the dynamic of our classroom but I honestly feel as though part of this has to do with the time that I arrive. Our center opens at 7:30 and I come in at 9:30 so I feel as though the day is already in full force. When I come in, the “morning meeting” when we introduce the day and the centers has already taken place. Most of the children are there and engaged with their friends. In the past, I would open the center and I miss being able to come in early to set my classroom up, greet children as they arrive and have those moments to talk with parents at the beginning of the day. I felt as though I was able to set a calmer pace to the day for myself. I do have those moments of quiet at the end of the day but by that time, honestly both child and teacher are running out of energy and those interactions are not what they would be in the earlier morning hours. On page 140 the authors speak of keeping your cup filled and I find that because I am a morning person, my cup of energy is at its best in the early morning hours! PI’s can happen at any time. Some of the most powerful interactions I have are not at the times I think they will be! Sometimes they are at snack or lunch or at rest time or even when I am changing a pull-up! Truthfully, PI’s can happen at any time – we just have to be open to allowing them to happen and to filtering out the noise that can occur in the background so to speak…but the filtering - that is the hard part.
I, too, have those mornings when I come in as late as 11:00 when the children have already played outdoors, had Circle Time and are at the end of Choice Time. I often wonder about what I have missed. What discoveries did the children, especially in my small group, make that I was not there to observe and document. I have two students in my small group who are only there two half days, the days that I come in late. Because of this, I make those intentional individual connections so that I can extend their learning. I also work with a great team who will share their observations so that I know what to look for and build on that.
Eileen could you switch with staff members to rotate the shift one day a week so you could come in the early morning? In the morning meeting, is it written down, so you can glance at it before interacting with staff and children?
I wish that it would be possible to change our schedule but we are not able to be flexible in that way unless someone is out sick and we are asked to come in early. In the past, we would alternate "closing days" so that the schedule rotated but that is no longer the current schedule. As for the morning meeting, that time is not a "planned" time where we write out what is discussed. My co-teacher does write out a poster size greeting that we have on our group wall that introduces what we will talk about but I miss hearing what happens and how the children respond.
One thing I have learnedly through this process is that I really am having more power interactions than I thought. One thing that I think will help me to recognize the powerful interactions and not to take those small moments with the children for granted is note taking. We use notes when doing our observational assessments I think if I make note of those interactions it will force me to be more aware of my powerful interactions also it will give me another way to document what the children are doing and saying.
Like everyone else I feel our jobs are just so on all the time and non stop that we really don't fully see our all the powerful interactions that we really are having with the children. Sometimes we take for granted the interactions; as just part of our day and what we should be doing that we don't really realize that the little moments that we do have we are impacting the kids more then we think. I too work in a setting with many different age group so it is hard sometimes to really stop for an length of time and try to fully engage in one child to make that interaction more powerful. I am going to try to see if there is some way to be able to take those moments and really make them powerful not only for that child I'm working with but myself and maybe other children around.
Today we signed up a new boy and I expect he'll keep us pretty busy. He's coming from a school in which he has not had a good experience. He was already testing the limits on his visit. I said "Well, the honeymoon is over" as we've been having a relatively easy year. We are already talking about how this child will need a 1 on 1 for a while when he starts. It made me consider how we get those Powerful Interactions working as a team. The first thing we need to do is establish a good rapport with this child. The administration will help staff for this to happen. We can also take shifts with the child to eliminate burnout and because we all need to develop positive interactions with him as we will all be working with him. We know this child will be a challenge but our team is up for it!
I think like with a lot of things making time for PI takes practice. We have all done this to some degree but I know I have not in the past made a concerted effort to on a daily basis. It becomes part of the days routine. Although I feel I probably always have had PI with children I didn’t know or have a label for it. I am trying to be more intentional and look to have PI with more children. Everyday we have small group with 6 children at each table. I have found this is a good time for PI because it is a quieter time of the day. Another time is during outdoor play. There is more opportunity to be with children one on one and have conversation.
I agree that finding the time for powerful interactions are really tough if you have lots of children especially if some of them have behavioral issues that needs to be addressed. We currently have one child who has to have one adult with her all the time and even then she is still hitting, pulling hair and biting. She even will bite and hit herself. I constantly feel bad that most of my energy is on this one kiddo. On the other hand - we have made a powerful interaction with this child For example, when she first came she would not even come near us. We started with high fives with the kids and staff and now she is asking to be held and will hug the kids. We still have a long way to go with her but even tough behavioral situations are still learning experiences. We are working on using words and labeling feelings, etc.
How do we find time for anything in addition to all that we accomplish daily in our classrooms! Actually this is part of why this book appealed to me. On pg 8 the authors quote" The whole of Mrs. Pat's Powerful Interaction with Jo-Jo for example, might have lasted just a minute or two..." A minute or two, I have that. I am at a point in my career that I don't feel I need a huge makeover, but if I can just extend that child's learning by one small step and learn to do this as a daily skill set, I'll take that success.One of the things that I've made myself aware of since reading this book is changing my body position to "deliver and engage" in a P.I. Sit at a table with a small group, bend down to talk at eye level, sit down on the rug. This gives me the cue I need to stop and pay attention for that moment, to that child. As a team when I see a staff member doing the same, I keep my eyes on everyone else to allow them to have that uninterupted moment. It seems to be working.
I liked the books ideas of keeping track on a chart to make sure you reach all of the children each week. We have 18 children in our class, so if I try to reach 4 children each day I should be able to accomplish my goals. I think, like anything else in life, if you break it into small pieces and track your progress it will be attainable. Once I become familiar with the process, it will become much easier to perform the task. The first few weeks I'll consider practice, then hopefully it will become second nature. I understand the benefits involved in creating a friendlier and happier place for the llittle ones involved in my care, therefore it is something I will pursue . This week we are off for scholl vacation, so when we come back is a perfect time to re-group and try something new. I'm looking forward to positive results. I'm lucky my co-worker is in the book discussion group and hopefully she will be onboard. Also, I think this will tie in well with our evaluation system. We us a program called worksampling to evaluate the children's progress. It is online if anyone is interested-www.worksampling online.com.
After reading many of the posts at first I started thinking and was really concerned that I did not have as many positive interactions as I would like to have on a daily basis. I then really thought about it and because we are moving so fast during the day that it really does seem like a blur because kids are moving from activity to activity and we are moving from small groups of kids to individual kids, etc. I realized that I need to keep a small notebook and document so much more that the little small moments really make a difference. Pam - I love your idea of breaking it up so you are not so overwhelmed by trying to get to everyone everyday! It really seems doable and your goals seem reasonable.
I like how Eileen used an example form the book on page140 to gather more insight into PI. I also work ten hour days and make time for PI more so in the morning and afternoon. We all live in a hurried society, sometimes we need to think of Fred Rodgers and his PI when talking to a child or a group of children or a friend or parent. His manner is slow and soothing and not hurried because he knows the value of not rushing children,parents and staff when engaging in a PI's.
Over the past two days I have really slowed myself down at certain times of the day and have really tried to enjoy my PI with a child or group of kids and have made it a point to really make that time count with the interaction. It is hard to always do this when we have such different ages groups but with some practice I am hoping it will just get a bit easier. Thanks for some of the suggestions.
Another topic where it hit a nerve, but good ideas emerged. I think one thing mentioned several times is there is an awarenesss component - we have more of these interactions than we remember, because they fade into the background noise of the day. Making those moments visible to OURSELVES by such means as taking notes changes our sense of the day. I was also struck by Therese's comment on how even little things like PHYSICALLY being more present and in the moment can make a big difference. I see too many engagements with children being from up high, far away, or with restless eyes continuing to scan the room. Finally, I wanted to suggest that PI's CREATE more available time. When a class settles in, when a sense of wonder is driving the children's activities and interactions, the adults are freed from a lot of behavior management. I also see too many activities set up in the classroom in ways that lock an adult in staying with those children, guiding their work. Better preparation for independence shifts the balance from guiding activities to engaging in close observation and meaningful PI's.
I agree with Greg that so many of the activities are not only teacher initiated, but require a teacher to do so much of the "project" that (s)he doesn't have time for any interactions. I remember walking into a kindergarten classroom where the children took great pride in showing me the owls that they had created using cornmeal, oatmeal and a variety of seeds to create texture in the feathers of the owl. I looked at all of them, including the model that the teacher had done and they were identical. I could not have created 15 identical owls, but this class did. I can only imagine the amount of time that the teacher spent "helping" children to create their owls. If the children had only been given glue and several shakers of different materials and encouraged to create designs using different textures and colors, the teacher would have had a lot of time for those "powerful interactions."
I do think that good planning and a nurturing, explorative environment are key in creating PIs, but in reality, one or more children with real developmental delays or serious behavioral issues can derail those plans in a moment, which is where frustration comes in. I also agree that proximity to the child is important, and that educators getting down to a child's level helps a child understand his or her importance.
With high demands of reaching the academic goals put forth by administrations, it is not always easy to find time to make time to reach the powerful interaction we hope for. I am fortunate enough to work in a special needs classroom with a variety of learning disabilities, but a staff-student ratio of 1-2, our time to individualize our attention with students can be simultaneous and wide spread. I can easily see how difficult it would be to meet the same goals in a regular education classroom where the ratio is 1-25+ and the goal of aiming for 3 PI's a day would be much more realistic.
ReplyDelete"Making time" for those powerful interactions can be difficult to plan. Often times, those moments are unexpected, and those are the times that we must grab that opportunity to connect, and attempt to expand their minds. When working with a class, as a whole, the powerful interaction can be openly explored and discussed with everyone. It's those one on one times that I enjoy most. Children may be enjoying some open freeplay, and that's when I often see opportunities to connect with a child, and encourage thought and discovery, usually through their play.
ReplyDeleteI am very fortunate to have lots of time for powerful interations. Being a family childcare provider I can have a full house one day and 2 or 3 kids the next. Some children arrive early in the mornig while others stay late. I take advantage of such moments to go for a walk with one or two children, picking flowers for Mom or Dad, helping a nieghbor bring in groceries, or bringing a sick friend soup. I think children need to learn empathy. I think teaching children to think of and help others is a powerful interaction.
ReplyDeleteHolding a baby during feeding time, talking with them during diaper changes, sitting them in your lap during storytime, all PI.
I can understand where PI would be difficult in a large preschool or public school setting. It seems in that setting it was all about crowd control. I'm interested to read the input and how PI can come into play. Maybe during free playtime, pick up/ drop off, or while out on the playground ?
Also being a FCC provider I agree with Jo-Ann but we also have the times where we start what could be a PI with a 3-yr old and have to turn our attention to a just walking baby that just fell down. This can be frustrating. I am trying to be more "present" step one and quieting the static which can be all that is going on around me. I believe we all have many PI's during the day with our children but I am trying to be more focused on bringing these interactions to the next step and extending the learning a little bit more. I am also trying to focus on PI's with multiple children. All of us, in our different educational settings, have many challenges to find the time to implement PI's. The exciting part of these is that they can be spontaneous so it's just looking for that moment and acting upon it.
ReplyDeleteA powerful interaction can take only a few seconds; yet I long for more sustained time with individual students. I work within what many would consider a dream teacher-to-student ratio; it is at times 1-7. Still, the demands of classroom management/guidance and increased curriculum structure and demands, leaves me feeling like I wish I had more sustained individual instruction time.
ReplyDeleteIn my job as an adjunct, I work with new teachers and veteran teachers. What I hear week after week when we come together to share is how frustrated they feel in their classrooms. It is a fact that there is a high turnover rate for teachers early-on in their careers. Somehow, the joy and desire to “make a difference” is diminished. Why? What they share is this: They often feel the child that is managing behavior issues gets more attention than the majority of the students who are meeting expectations and mastering routines.
I love my profession, and feel the best way to attract and keep talented people is to be honest about what the classroom will look like, give them real strategies to deal with classroom guidance positively and effectively, and provide mentors to see teachers through the rough patches and remind them why the entered the field in the first place. While the text book offers some techniques that will naturally support classroom guidance, I think it could have done more. The pictures only show what many of us would see as a positive interaction. While, honestly, even the tense moments of conflict can be powerful and positive too. I would have benefited more from the book if it incorporated all kids of interactions throughout. Because, well, that is what real life looks like! (:
I too see a lot of turnover in the field. I agree that it is important to educate teachers coming into the field about the realities of a classroom, but we also need to enlighten them as to the possibilities. I have had college students tell me that an idea for planning that I present is "only for the college classroom, that is not how it is done in the real world." And the same student will complain about the classroom management issues that she is having in her center. As I visit programs and classrooms, I am privileged to see some of the best ideas in action. There is a family child care provider who transforms her space into different environments, such as a rain forest. The children are enthralled, eager to arrive in the morning, and don't seem to have issues with their behavior.
DeleteI turned to this page, to focus on finding time. In my experience, if the room is set up well, there are materials and challenges for children and they are given long periods to choose their own work, then they are so engaged that the teacher has time. If (s)he observes what is happening and looks to see what children might need, what they are struggling with, and what interests them; the opportunity for a P.I will present itself. This thought does recognize that there are times of the day when it is all about routines or settling children and there is no time. I wonder what times of the day others find the best and the worst for those interactions.
Sometimes I work the end of a ten hour day after the children have been there all day and they need a change. An activity I like to share with them is to take out our pet guinea pig, Oreo, from her cage. I have the children sit on the floor in a circle with their legs out, touching each others feet. I put her in the center and we let her walk around the children. It's amazing how long children will sit for this activity. Sometimes I give each child a small piece of lettuce or shredded carrots and they wait for her. As a group we observe her and pet her. They talk about how soft she is and we count the toes on her front and back feet. A pet is a wonderful soothing addition to the room. Over the years we have found the classroom pet to be a great transition object during morning separation. One year we had a child who cried at rest and we put the hamster cage beside him at that time of day. The pet can be an object that helps the teacher establish a bond with a child.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you have a pet in your classroom! There is so much to be said for animal therapy amongst not only children but also seniors and really, adults in general! While not everyone may be an "animal" person, I for one love them. There is a television show on Animal Planet that I have actually found to be very calming and therapeutic for me which I did not think was possible in a television show! I came across it one night while flipping channels. It is called "Too Cute" and it just shows a variety of puppies or kittens interacting with each other. There is very little shown of them with people with the exception of the narration. Just seeing them play and watching them grow from birth to puppy/kitten relaxes me! I did use to have a cat and a dog and they were unconditional in their love. I believe that animals even as small as a guinea pig are a great addition to the classroom and are a source of learning, love, happiness and joy for those who enjoy interacting with them.
DeleteOne of the things I struggle with currently is feeling that I am always going at a break-neck speed. I feel as though children, teachers and assistants are constantly pulling me in so many directions throughout the day! I sit down to engage with a child and find myself needing to leave to take care of another need. Some of that has to do with the dynamic of our classroom but I honestly feel as though part of this has to do with the time that I arrive. Our center opens at 7:30 and I come in at 9:30 so I feel as though the day is already in full force. When I come in, the “morning meeting” when we introduce the day and the centers has already taken place. Most of the children are there and engaged with their friends. In the past, I would open the center and I miss being able to come in early to set my classroom up, greet children as they arrive and have those moments to talk with parents at the beginning of the day. I felt as though I was able to set a calmer pace to the day for myself. I do have those moments of quiet at the end of the day but by that time, honestly both child and teacher are running out of energy and those interactions are not what they would be in the earlier morning hours. On page 140 the authors speak of keeping your cup filled and I find that because I am a morning person, my cup of energy is at its best in the early morning hours! PI’s can happen at any time. Some of the most powerful interactions I have are not at the times I think they will be! Sometimes they are at snack or lunch or at rest time or even when I am changing a pull-up! Truthfully, PI’s can happen at any time – we just have to be open to allowing them to happen and to filtering out the noise that can occur in the background so to speak…but the filtering - that is the hard part.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have those mornings when I come in as late as 11:00 when the children have already played outdoors, had Circle Time and are at the end of Choice Time. I often wonder about what I have missed. What discoveries did the children, especially in my small group, make that I was not there to observe and document. I have two students in my small group who are only there two half days, the days that I come in late. Because of this, I make those intentional individual connections so that I can extend their learning. I also work with a great team who will share their observations so that I know what to look for and build on that.
DeleteEileen could you switch with staff members to rotate the shift one day a week so you could come in the early morning? In the morning meeting, is it written down, so you can glance at it before interacting with staff and children?
DeleteI wish that it would be possible to change our schedule but we are not able to be flexible in that way unless someone is out sick and we are asked to come in early. In the past, we would alternate "closing days" so that the schedule rotated but that is no longer the current schedule. As for the morning meeting, that time is not a "planned" time where we write out what is discussed. My co-teacher does write out a poster size greeting that we have on our group wall that introduces what we will talk about but I miss hearing what happens and how the children respond.
DeleteOne thing I have learnedly through this process is that I really am having more power interactions than I thought. One thing that I think will help me to recognize the powerful interactions and not to take those small moments with the children for granted is note taking. We use notes when doing our observational assessments I think if I make note of those interactions it will force me to be more aware of my powerful interactions also it will give me another way to document what the children are doing and saying.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else I feel our jobs are just so on all the time and non stop that we really don't fully see our all the powerful interactions that we really are having with the children. Sometimes we take for granted the interactions; as just part of our day and what we should be doing that we don't really realize that the little moments that we do have we are impacting the kids more then we think. I too work in a setting with many different age group so it is hard sometimes to really stop for an length of time and try to fully engage in one child to make that interaction more powerful. I am going to try to see if there is some way to be able to take those moments and really make them powerful not only for that child I'm working with but myself and maybe other children around.
ReplyDeleteToday we signed up a new boy and I expect he'll keep us pretty busy. He's coming from a school in which he has not had a good experience. He was already testing the limits on his visit. I said "Well, the honeymoon is over" as we've been having a relatively easy year. We are already talking about how this child will need a 1 on 1 for a while when he starts. It made me consider how we get those Powerful Interactions working as a team. The first thing we need to do is establish a good rapport with this child. The administration will help staff for this to happen. We can also take shifts with the child to eliminate burnout and because we all need to develop positive interactions with him as we will all be working with him. We know this child will be a challenge but our team is up for it!
ReplyDeleteI think like with a lot of things making time for PI takes practice. We have all done this to some degree but I know I have not in the past made a concerted effort to on a daily basis. It becomes part of the days routine. Although I feel I probably always have had PI with children I didn’t know or have a label for it. I am trying to be more intentional and look to have PI with more children. Everyday we have small group with 6 children at each table. I have found this is a good time for PI because it is a quieter time of the day. Another time is during outdoor play. There is more opportunity to be with children one on one and have conversation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that finding the time for powerful interactions are really tough if you have lots of children especially if some of them have behavioral issues that needs to be addressed. We currently have one child who has to have one adult with her all the time and even then she is still hitting, pulling hair and biting. She even will bite and hit herself. I constantly feel bad that most of my energy is on this one kiddo. On the other hand - we have made a powerful interaction with this child For example, when she first came she would not even come near us. We started with high fives with the kids and staff and now she is asking to be held and will hug the kids. We still have a long way to go with her but even tough behavioral situations are still learning experiences. We are working on using words and labeling feelings, etc.
ReplyDeleteHow do we find time for anything in addition to all that we accomplish daily in our classrooms! Actually this is part of why this book appealed to me. On pg 8 the authors quote" The whole of Mrs. Pat's Powerful Interaction with Jo-Jo for example, might have lasted just a minute or two..." A minute or two, I have that. I am at a point in my career that I don't feel I need a huge makeover, but if I can just extend that child's learning by one small step and learn to do this as a daily skill set, I'll take that success.One of the things that I've made myself aware of since reading this book is changing my body position to "deliver and engage" in a P.I. Sit at a table with a small group, bend down to talk at eye level, sit down on the rug. This gives me the cue I need to stop and pay attention for that moment, to that child. As a team when I see a staff member doing the same, I keep my eyes on everyone else to allow them to have that uninterupted moment. It seems to be working.
ReplyDeleteI liked the books ideas of keeping track on a chart to make sure you reach all of the children each week. We have 18 children in our class, so if I try to reach 4 children each day I should be able to accomplish my goals. I think, like anything else in life, if you break it into small pieces and track your progress it will be attainable. Once I become familiar with the process, it will become much easier to perform the task. The first few weeks I'll consider practice, then hopefully it will become second nature. I understand the benefits involved in creating a friendlier and happier place for the llittle ones involved in my care, therefore it is something I will pursue . This week we are off for scholl vacation, so when we come back is a perfect time to re-group and try something new. I'm looking forward to positive results. I'm lucky my co-worker is in the book discussion group and hopefully she will be onboard. Also, I think this will tie in well with our evaluation system. We us a program called worksampling to evaluate the children's progress. It is online if anyone is interested-www.worksampling online.com.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading many of the posts at first I started thinking and was really concerned that I did not have as many positive interactions as I would like to have on a daily basis. I then really thought about it and because we are moving so fast during the day that it really does seem like a blur because kids are moving from activity to activity and we are moving from small groups of kids to individual kids, etc. I realized that I need to keep a small notebook and document so much more that the little small moments really make a difference.
ReplyDeletePam - I love your idea of breaking it up so you are not so overwhelmed by trying to get to everyone everyday! It really seems doable and your goals seem reasonable.
I like how Eileen used an example form the book on page140 to gather more insight into PI. I also work ten hour days and make time for PI more so in the morning and afternoon. We all live in a hurried society, sometimes we need to think of Fred Rodgers and his PI when talking to a child or a group of children or a friend or parent. His manner is slow and soothing and not hurried because he knows the value of not rushing children,parents and staff when engaging in a PI's.
ReplyDeleteOver the past two days I have really slowed myself down at certain times of the day and have really tried to enjoy my PI with a child or group of kids and have made it a point to really make that time count with the interaction. It is hard to always do this when we have such different ages groups but with some practice I am hoping it will just get a bit easier. Thanks for some of the suggestions.
ReplyDeleteAnother topic where it hit a nerve, but good ideas emerged. I think one thing mentioned several times is there is an awarenesss component - we have more of these interactions than we remember, because they fade into the background noise of the day. Making those moments visible to OURSELVES by such means as taking notes changes our sense of the day.
ReplyDeleteI was also struck by Therese's comment on how even little things like PHYSICALLY being more present and in the moment can make a big difference. I see too many engagements with children being from up high, far away, or with restless eyes continuing to scan the room.
Finally, I wanted to suggest that PI's CREATE more available time. When a class settles in, when a sense of wonder is driving the children's activities and interactions, the adults are freed from a lot of behavior management. I also see too many activities set up in the classroom in ways that lock an adult in staying with those children, guiding their work. Better preparation for independence shifts the balance from guiding activities to engaging in close observation and meaningful PI's.
I agree with Greg that so many of the activities are not only teacher initiated, but require a teacher to do so much of the "project" that (s)he doesn't have time for any interactions. I remember walking into a kindergarten classroom where the children took great pride in showing me the owls that they had created using cornmeal, oatmeal and a variety of seeds to create texture in the feathers of the owl. I looked at all of them, including the model that the teacher had done and they were identical. I could not have created 15 identical owls, but this class did. I can only imagine the amount of time that the teacher spent "helping" children to create their owls. If the children had only been given glue and several shakers of different materials and encouraged to create designs using different textures and colors, the teacher would have had a lot of time for those "powerful interactions."
DeleteI do think that good planning and a nurturing, explorative environment are key in creating PIs, but in reality, one or more children with real developmental delays or serious behavioral issues can derail those plans in a moment, which is where frustration comes in. I also agree that proximity to the child is important, and that educators getting down to a child's level helps a child understand his or her importance.
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