Review your classmates’ posts and respond.

· Discuss how your plans are similar and how they differ.

· Do you think you and your chosen peer have similar or different teaching styles? Explain.

· Do you think you and your chosen peer could team teach? Explain.

PEERS POST:

Hello Class,

This week, I would love to continue talking about Jose! To develop a healthy and long-lasting relationship with Jose, I will start by greeting him every morning. With a warm and welcome greeting, Jose will know that he is wanted and that I am excited he came to school today! Building my connection with Jose will start with the morning greetings, because children who are welcomed and greeted every day will start to feel loved and important. I will then take the next steps of building my relationship with him by having a one-on-one session with him during small group time. This will ensure that he and I have plenty of time to bond and work together with things that may seem challenging to him. Next, I would like to have a fun way of ending the day with him by allowing him to select a sensory bin to play with before mom picks him up. 

I think that each of these strategies will allow for him and I to bond by building trust, happiness, and love. When students are happy with their teachers, they tend to listen and understand on a higher level and challenging behaviors tend to decrease. 

When it comes to Jose’s parents, two strategies that I will suggest furthering this bond will be to have Jose on time everyday so that he stays on a routine and that they share and talk about his day after pickup so that they can understand what I am doing to make his transition easier.

After watching the TED Talk by Rita Pierson, I have to say that I had a smile on my face the whole time and I enjoyed the video so much that I shared it on my Facebook for all of my teacher friends to watch! One of my favorite parts from this video is when Pierson says, “I think Stephen Covey had the right idea. He said, you ought to just throw in a few simple things, like seeking first to understand, as opposed to being understood” (Pierson, 2013, 02:14). This means, to me, that when you understand a child first, then everything else will fall into place.

-Courtney

Reference:

Pierson, R.[TED Talks Education]. (May 2013). Every Kid Needs a Champion [Video]. YouTube. 

MY POST:

There can be no significant learning without a meaningful connection. Some individuals believe that you either have or cannot form a relationship. Therefore, the student of my choice is Jose. The first strategy I will use to ensure I build a connection with my student is to keep the lines of communication open (Pierson, 2013). Apart from getting to know my student, I should stay in touch with him throughout the semester or school year. By scheduling one-on-one sessions with Jose to check in on a regular basis, I will be able to improve the classroom's accessibility for everyone constantly. Jose might discuss whether or not he felt a part of the classroom culture. The other strategy is allowing Jose some leeway and flexibility. Because the essential lessons are typically gained through a student's personal experiences, allowing Jose some autonomy in the course increases more engagement with the material. I should also let Jose read and deliver his resources related to the core lesson to approach the subject from his point of view.

 The last strategy is to recognize and value Jose as a student. Jose must also value and appreciate his various backgrounds and those of his peers. Learning how to discuss other cultures respectfully is critical for success in life beyond the classroom. I would suggest that his parents build their bond by playing games with their son. Play is crucial to a child's growth. The power of play can help young children acquire a variety of skills. It can enhance Jose's language skills, emotions, creativity, and social abilities, in addition to being fun and helping them develop their bond with their child. They must also be available (Cavanaugh, 2013). They need to set aside time to speak with their child without interruptions; even 20 minutes per day can make a significant difference in developing excellent communication habits. An example from Rita Pierson's TED Talk that will help me explain why I think it is so essential to create a relationship with every young child is that one should just add a few simple things, such as wanting first to understand rather than be understood. Things as simple as apologizing. Every child deserves a champion, someone who will never give up on them, recognizes the importance of connection and pushes them to be the best they can be.

References

Cavanaugh, S. A. (2013). Intercultural contact, communication apprehension, and social perspective taking. East Carolina University.

Pierson, R. (2013). Every kid needs a champion.