For this blog assignment, I observed a tee
ball team practice. My friend’s daughter is on the team that I observed. During
practice, the head coach was very hands-on with the team. As each child practiced
hitting the ball off of the tee, the coach kneeled down on one knee to help
each child hold the bat properly and swing at the ball. I was close enough to
hear the coach explain to each child exactly what he was doing. This reminded
me of the article, Communicating with
Babies, when Kovach
and Da Ros-Voseles (2011) discussed the importance of talking directly to each
child and talking to children before touching them. I learned that there are other
people besides early childhood educators who know about and implement the
principles we learned about this week. I think that the coach did an
outstanding job communicating effectively with each child. I also think that
the way the coach communicated with the children affected each child in a
positive way. I believe that the children felt safe, respected, cared for by
him. I believe they all trust him due to the way he communicated with them.
Reference
Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011).
Communicating with babies. YC: Young
Children, 66(2), 48-50.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI believe the coach that you observed demonstrated effective communication. When I first read the article, I was surprised to read that you must talk to a child first before touching them. I guess I really did not realize that it is apart of effective communication with young children. It is all beginning to make sense though because children should feel comfortable with your conversation before they become comfortable with you touching them. I enjoyed reading your post.
Latasha
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this story with us. It brought back memories of when I was in younger playing tee ball. When coaches are involved with the children and show enthusiasm for the sport, it makes playing much more fun. I can see the clear correlation between the coaches language and the Communicating with Babies article. The coach also did a great job at fostering positive communication with the children by explaining to them what steps they needed to take and allowing the opportunity to ask questions. I enjoyed reading your post.
Shayla
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI also thought about a time or two where I saw other professions use the power of communication to engage children. I noticed this when I had to take my son to the doctor. Just like Magda Gerber watched her mentor Emmi Pikler talk to her daughter about what was wrong with her, my son's doctor talked to him about what was bothering him. At first I felt a little disrespected because when she walked in she immediately started talking to my son. As the conversation when on, I was impressed how well he spoke about hat was going on with him. She got a lot of information out of him. At the end of the visit, I admired the way she acknowledged him as an individual that was present in the room. We didn't discuss him like he wasn't there. I also appreciate the interest that other professions are taking into respecting children's ideas and opinions about what is happening to them.