Our third entry was written by Claudia, who is on the far right here. She is joined by her mom, her sister, and her niece. Happy reading!
Chapter one in the book, Mind in the Making by Ellen Galinsky was about the first of seven skills that she says are essential for the successful development of a child. The first skill is focus and self control. Galinsky says a child needs to learn to concentrate on a task in order to succeed academically The child needs to not only concentrate but finish the task and learn to use knowledge to problem solve. She also says that self control is necessary because children learn to delay gratification and thus can patiently wait.
When I read this chapter I thought of several children whom I had worked with that had trouble focusing on one task and would float around the room from one activity or center to the next. Some teachers thought that those children had a form of ADHD, which is a very common concern for teachers and parents with whom I have worked. They fear that because their child can not stay still they may have this learning disability. I have learned that if the child is not engaged in activities that interest them or strike curiosity they will not pay attention. It is up to parents and instructors to engage students in a creative way in order to sharpen this skill.
In my eyes being able to have self control is not only important in childhood but in adulthood. If an individual has self control they will be more likely to develop patience, which, like the saying goes, is a virtue. Being self controlled means that you can delay gratification and will be more likely to think before acting on an urge. I feel this is very important to teach children, especially because a child may feel the urge to retaliate if they have been hurt or upset. If it’s difficult for a child to have self control during childhood, it will be more difficult in adulthood when they have to be in situations of more severity and complexity.
This chapter has really made me think of different ways to foster the skills of focus and self control in my students. I really liked the examples of different games that the book gave. I feel that circle time is a good time to teach children to stay focused and have self control at the same time. I have several methods that I used which I never thought were teaching children these skills. When I do circle time I always have a toy microphone. When someone wants to talk they raise their hand, and I will call on them and hand them the microphone. This gives the children the ability to talk and express themselves. The other children know that if they want to talk they have to wait their turn and respect who is talking at the moment. This allows for the children to wait their turn and not interrupt a student or a teacher who is talking. Whenever I read a book I try to ask the children questions before, during, and after reading the book to see if the story interested them. I love to read stories because I love to use different voices and props in order to engage the child’s attention. I never force a child to stay in circle time if he is not interested, like I have seen several teachers do. I feel this makes the child not look forward to circle time or any activity if they are forced to have to stay and complete it. I feel that these two skills are very important and reading this chapter has really made me want to further develop these skills in my students.
I, too, believe that we sometimes falsely jump to the conclusion that young children have ADD or ADHD. Unfortunately, at younger and younger ages in our school system, we are requiring children to engage in long periods of "seat work" that really are developmentally inappropriate. Young children are incredibly curious, and can learn SO MUCH, but their environment must be conducive to letting them actively explore concrete materials, rather than exploring abstract ideas from a passive position.
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