Evaluating Communication

The thing that surprised me most about how others evaluated me is that I seemed to be harder on myself than they were when answering the questions. For the most part, I ended up in similar groups when evaluated by others and myself. I think that this surprised me because I tend to be harder on myself than others tend to be.

This week, I learned that we communicate by how we perceive things. In order to avoid a negative communication encounter, we must be aware of how we perceive things, ourselves and the people that we communicate with. In the early childhood field, it is important to be aware of these things in order to have effective communication.

Communicating

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

            I do find that I communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures. I speak differently when I am surrounded by people of my own culture than when I am not. There are cultural ways of speaking that I tend to use more around people that belong to the same culture as I do. For example, it would be appropriate to use slang words if I wanted to.  If I am communicating with people that I am unfamiliar with, I tend to not speak very much. If I do need to speak, I do not use slang words. I tend to use a more proper English.

 I also communicate differently with people in professional setting versus a nonprofessional setting. There are terms and ways of communicating that each work setting uses to communicate among its employees. I have learned the ways that my current job uses to communicate among my colleagues.

Three strategies that I could use to communicate better:

·         I could get to know others and how they communicate

·         I could utilize the Platinum Rule to communicate more effectively with people of other groups and cultures.

·         I could also take more time and learn about my own communication styles to learn how to communicate more effectively with others.

Nonverbal communication

Watch the show with the sound turned off.

I watched a show that my husband chose for me that I have never seen before. Its called Gavin and Stacy. It’s a British show.

·         What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

o   There is a guy and a girl on the phone together. They seem to know each other very well. They are laughing and seem to have a good relationship.

o   The girl gets off the bus and is greeted by an older woman. They seem to know each other. They may be neighbors.

o   Girl goes home to roommate/mom and has dinner. They have a regular dinner conversation.

·         What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

o   I think that the girl is feeling happy and she seems to have people around her that support her and care for her.

Now, watch the show with the sound turned on.

·         What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

o   I assumed that the guy and girl on the phone were close friends and that they knew each other well. They have never met before. They only spoke on the phone and are going to meet for a blind date.

o   I assumed that the older woman was having normal neighborly conversation with the girl. I was right about them being neighbors, but the old woman had a bit of a foul mouth.

o   I also assumed that the girl went home to a roommate, but it was her mother and they do have a good relationship. The dinner conversation was a normal one that could have been between a mother and daughter. It was a very comedic conversation though.

·         Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

o   I do think that my assumptions would have been correct if it had been a show that I know well. I would have known the relationships between the characters and may have been able to guess what the conversations would have been about.

·         I found that reading body language/nonverbal communication is not very hard when the sound is off, it is easier to focus on facial expressions and gestures. When the sound is on, I found that I paid more attention to the dialogue.

Communication

For your blog this week, think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

My dad is someone who demonstrates competent communication within a business setting. He is very smart and has a wealth of knowledge about the topics he discusses at work. He uses good communication skills and maintains eye contact and uses good body language. He is able to listen to others and work with them to come up with solutions to problems.

I would like to model some of my own communication behaviors after him because I feel that they are effective. He is able to communicate with many different people in many different settings. I think that this is a great quality to have.

Professional Hopes and Goals

A hope that I have when I think about working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is that I can play an important role in celebrating their diversity. I hope that celebrating diversity becomes contagious and it gets passed from child to family. I would like to see some of the areas of concern with regard to diversity, diminish over time.

One goal that I have for the Early Childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that these issues become  discussed in more and more early childhood settings. I did not know of many of the issues that the early childhood field faces until I began my course of study. I would like to see more early childhood educators informed on the issues and willing to make changes.

I want to say thank you to all my colleagues in this course! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and stories with me! It was a pleasure to learn such a diverse group of people. I appreciate your feedback on assignments and  I wish you all the best in your future courses! Maybe we will meet again! Thank you! I have really enjoyed this class!

Welcoming Families from Around the World

My new family's country of origin: Greece

5 ways I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive:

1. I will research Greek family culture and traditions
2. I will prepare the classroom and make sure that culturally appropriate materials are visible so that the child can feel welcome in the classroom
3. I will speak to the class about Greece and the upcoming arrival of the new student
4. I will find out as much information about the student as I can prior to their arrival
5. I will do anything else that I can to make sure the student and the family feel comfortable

In doing all these things in preparation, I hope to make the family and child feel comfortable and welcome as much as possible. I want them to realize that we are educating ourselves on their traditions and customs and will respect them. I think that doing all of these things will be a great benefit because, if the family feels comfortable, we can communicate about their child and education. This will also help the student and family's transition to be a smoother one into a new school. This will also benefit me as a caregiver/teacher to speak honestly and openly with the parents and feel comfortable in doing so.

The Personal Side of Prejudice, Bias and Oppression

1.      What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression?

I was teaching a Spanish class one summer to inner city youth in my area. Over 80% of my class had some sort of Spanish background. I remember the kids who were Puerto Rican, Dominican, or Cuban, always made fun of the kids who were Mexican. It was an everyday occurrence. I would hear “It’s because he’s Mexican” or “Don’t listen to him, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he’s Mexican!”

2.      In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

In this case, equity was diminished by the other kids making the Mexican students feel that they are not important. This could lead to internalized oppression for the Mexican students. If they are constantly put down by their peers because of their ethnicity, they may try to disown their heritage and their culture.

3.      What feelings did this incident bring up for you?     

This incident made me upset and I felt sorry for the Mexican kids. I did not understand why the other students felt this way about Mexicans. Everyone in my class spoke Spanish at home and they had this in common. I just did not understand.

4.      What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

I think that the mindset needs to change. The non-Mexican Spanish students should not feel that they are entitled or better than the Mexican students. Everyone should have an equal chance. They should celebrate all the things that they have in common.