It was a conversation between a child and teacher at the playground of a pre-school. The child was sitting on the ground looking very disappointed. The teacher walked up to him and asked what the matter was? The child said that his bike was taken away by another child. Teacher asked which one his bike was. Child pointed to a bike that another child was riding on. The teacher asked the child how he knows that it was his bike. The child said “because” and stopped. The teacher encouraged the child to get off of the spot where he was sitting because his pants would be wet due to the wet ground. Then the teacher repeated the question to him. But the child had a hard time figuring out how to prove that bike was his bike. So the teacher took her time to explain that the bikes are belonging to all the children not just one child. But the child was not happy with the answer. So the teacher encouraged him to try a different bike. But the child refused to try a different bike so the teacher moved on.
The teacher noticed the child right away. She walked up to him and talked with the child. She tried to encourage him to try another bike but the child did not agree with the suggestion. She asked questions but did not help much when the child was struggling to find an answer. The teacher did not help by extending the discussion to make sure that the child understood all the bikes are the same and everyone can use any bike they like.
Teacher talk is a powerful classroom tool (Rainer & Durden, 2010). It is a powerful tool if the users use it properly. Mooney C. (2005) indentifies four different functions or purposes of teacher language, they are: providing direction or instruction, correcting or redirecting behavior, developing concepts or skills, and discussing classroom or family life (Rainer & Durden, 2010). In the above scenario, the teacher used the teacher language to the extent of providing directions and instructions, redirecting the behavior, and discussing the situation but did not use the teacher language to the best possibility of developing the concepts or skills. In the article of the nature of teacher talk during small group activities by Julie Rainer Dangel and Tonia Renee Durden(2010) discuss a lot about the importance of Teacher Talk, with young children. Mooney C. (2005) suggests that getting down to children's level, using simple words and short sentences, and remembering the importance of body language and tone of voice as guideline to talk with young children. In the above scenario, the teacher did not get down to the child’s level but she used simple words and sentences in her conversation with the child. But, we have to remember every time there is a possibility that the teacher does not remember all the rules about teacher talk as well.
Teachers are human beings and they always have so much in their plates and too less space to make a mistake. So, the teachers have to be mindful about the precious moments that they get to spend with the young children. I believe that it does not matter whether they are playing a game, having a discussion about life moments, or doing a science experiment, what is important to the children is total attention towards them. I believe that is what is happening in the classroom of Mrs. Moilie and Mr. Max, Their language is encouraging, extending, descriptive, and relevant to children's lives (Rainer & Durden, 2010 ).
My goal is to do my best to remember the seven primary functions of the language that Mr. Max and Mrs. Mollie use in their classrooms. They are:
· encouraging participation
· responding to children's needs and ideas
· managing the class or providing a necessary instruction
· fostering children's language
· conveying ideas
· assessing children's knowledge
· promoting children's thinking
Reference:
Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74–81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47964033&site=ehost-live&scope=site
No comments:
Post a Comment