Building emotional literacy: groundwork to early learning.

Building emotional literacy: groundwork to early learning. A child has a sensitive period which lasts until he is almost fiveyears old and which enables him to assimilate as��sim��i��latev.1. To consume and incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion.2. To transform food into living tissue by the process of anabolism. images from hisenvironment in a prodigious pro��di��gious?adj.1. Impressively great in size, force, or extent; enormous: a prodigious storm.2. Extraordinary; marvelous: a prodigious talent.3. fashion. He is an observer truly activelyreceiving these images through his senses. --Maria Montessori (1966) My 30-year journey as an educator, with extensive observations ofyoung children from diverse backgrounds, helps me understand the socialand emotional needs of children. Having this array of experiences withyoung children, I often reflect upon what can be done to build a youngchild's skills in expressing his or her feelings, how we canpromote children's well-being, and how we can create environmentsthat enhance children's learning potential. Part of social andemotional development is a child's emotional literacy. Literacy isa multi-dimensional construct. It is diverse, complex, and intricate. Nodoubt, the current emphasis in early childhood highlights the need for achild to develop literacy skills. Such a foundation may promote laterschool success. Bocchino (1999) defines literacy as the ability todecode (1) To convert coded data back into its original form. Contrast with encode.(2) Same as decrypt. See cryptography. (cryptography) decode - To apply decryption. clues, whether they are the printed clues on a page of text orthe subtle clues of interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication is the process of sending and receiving information between two or more people. Types of Interpersonal CommunicationThis kind of communication is subdivided into dyadic communication, Public speaking, and small-group communication. . Moreover, literacyincludes the ability to create meaning and the ability to apply thatunderstanding to our own lives. Bocchino posits that being literate mustinclude a constellation of cultural and personal maps that help uscomprehend not only the outside world, but also ourselves. It is timefor those with an interest in school readiness to consider that afoundation in literacy must include the construct of "emotionalliteracy." Goleman (1995) clearly states: Emotional life is a domain that, as surely as math or reading, callbe handled with greater or lesser skill, and requires its unique set ofcompetencies. And how adept a person is at those is crucial tounderstanding why one person thrives in life, whereas another, of equalintellect, dead ends: Emotional aptitude is a meta-ability, determininghow well we can use whatever other skills we have, including rawintellect. (p. 83) In preparing for young children's entry to preschool and toaid in the transition into that environment, early childhood teachersmust plan lessons that include activities addressing the building ofvocabulary, concepts, and social skills. These activities should provideopportunities to practice negotiating, problem-solving, andcommunication skills with peers and adults. Giving young children theappropriate vocabulary and role-modeling behaviors to use in conflict orstressful situations will help to create a working classroom communityin which the learning environment embraces children's voices.Songs, rhyming rhymealso rime ?n.1. Correspondence of terminal sounds of words or of lines of verse.2. a. A poem or verse having a regular correspondence of sounds, especially at the ends of lines.b. poems, games, chants, and word play based on feelings,emotions, and experiences support children's phonological pho��nol��o��gy?n. pl. pho��nol��o��gies1. The study of speech sounds in language or a language with reference to their distribution and patterning and to tacit rules governing pronunciation.2. andsocio-emotional development. Storytelling StorytellingAesopsemi-legendary fabulist of ancient Greece. [Gk. Lit.: Harvey, 10]MünchäusenBaron traveler grossly embellishes his experiences. [Ger. Lit. contributes to youngchildren's vocabulary growth, cognitive skills cognitive skillPsychology Any of a number of acquired skills that reflect an individual's ability to think; CSs include verbal and spatial abilities, and have a significant hereditary component , and sequencingskills (beginning, middle, and end). These learning activities helpsupport children's social-emotional development. Shonkoff andPhillips (2000) suggest that what young children feel is as significantas how they think, especially with regard to school readiness. Theyposit that emotional development occurs on a parallel path to earlyliteracy development in the context of positive relationships. Childrenare more likely to learn important cognitive skills when they areconfident and engage in interactions with other children as well as withadults. Storytelling, in particular, offers a unique opportunity tosupport and enhance young children's social-emotional developmentby building self-esteem and giving authenticity to cultural practicesand traditions. In addition to creating specific activities in emotional literacydevelopment for children, it is crucial for teachers to reach out toparents. In this way, educators can understand parents' beliefsabout their children's development in order to plan effectiveinstructional programs (Goldenberg, Reese, & Gallimore, 1992). Ateacher needs to be responsive to young children's cultural andlinguistic backgrounds and, particularly, to the beliefs and practicesof each child's family. Teachers need to consider language orlanguages spoken at home, the education background of the family, andthe family's beliefs about how children should be taught and theirrole in the child's education. One of the central themes in thework of Lev Vygotsky Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (Russian: Лев Семёнович Выготский) (November 17 (November 5 Old Style), 1896 – June 11, 1934) was a Soviet developmental (1962) is that children acquire cognitivestructures from their culture and from their social interactions,primarily by listening to the language they hear around them. Accordingto according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. Vygotsky, children adopt important parts of speech and make themtheir own. As teachers, most of us will encounter students whoselanguages and cultures differ from our own. Thus, we need to learn aboutour students and their cultures, while at the same time reflecting onhow our own culturally rooted behaviors may facilitate or interfere withteaching and learning (Trumbull, Rothstein-Fisch, & Greenfield,2000). Reflecting on Emotionally Responsive Curriculum Teachers observe the themes in children's spontaneous play anddrawing, noting their behavior, observing interactions with peers andteachers, and listening to their spontaneous conversation (Koplow,2002). For example, children who cry when they enter and leave schooloften have difficulty with transitions throughout the day, and those whoseem too preoccupied to play with one another might do well with acurriculum that focuses on separation (Koplow, 1996). Koplow assertsthat resistance to acknowledging young children's emotionaldistress emotional distressn. an increasingly popular basis for a claim of damages in lawsuits for injury due to the negligence or intentional acts of another. Originally damages for emotional distress were only awardable in conjunction with damages for actual physical harm. is often school system-wide, because once such problems havebeen acknowledged, the district becomes obliged o��blige?v. o��bliged, o��blig��ing, o��blig��esv.tr.1. To constrain by physical, legal, social, or moral means.2. to address them andadministrators fear that they may lack the resources to do so. Feelingsof sadness and tension are common as young children prepare to leave afamiliar setting or situation. Children need to express how they feel.Some may stop speaking and learning their home language, or appearanxious or withdrawn. Emotionally Responsive Curriculum (ERC (database) ERC - An extended entity-relationship model. ), which isoften referred to as the "Therapeutic Curriculum" (Koplow,1996), allows a teacher to read the common-ground emotional and socialissues in her/his group and use symbols for these to modify an existingcurriculum plan. ERC also may foster language and literacy skillsbecause children are allowed to express their thoughts rather than leavetheir experiences behind in favor of the teacher's plan. Using ERCin preschool requires teachers to use best practices. Teachers carefullycover every area of early learning--intellectual, social-emotional,physical, and creative--and provide ample choices and nurturinginteractions. Teachers work with real experiences that constitute commonground for young preschoolers. The teacher who has never used ERC butwants to integrate it into her/his classroom begins by observingchildren and identifying common-ground issues that are vital tochildren. Once the teacher identifies an issue that seems relevant,and/or sometimes urgent, she/he can begin to consider ways to invitegroup exploration and individual expression on a symbolic level. Usingfocused children's literature children's literature,writing whose primary audience is children.See also children's book illustration. The Beginnings of Children's LiteratureThe earliest of what came to be regarded as children's literature was first meant for adults. , songs, and finger plays, and byintegrating cooperative projects regularly into the curriculum, theteacher can support and allow children to explore issues, expressfeelings, develop personal relationships, and move toward positiveresolutions of their inner conflicts and anxieties. Koplow (2002) confirms that in schools that heal, everyone takesresponsibility for playing a role in promoting the emotional well-beingof children. When teachers, administrators, and clinicians do not ignoresigns of children's distress and begin to examine the behavior thatthey are seeing in light of children's actual experiences, theresults are often enlightening en��light��en?tr.v. en��light��ened, en��light��en��ing, en��light��ens1. To give spiritual or intellectual insight to: and can inform professional practice.Koplow (2002) believes that if educators and administrators instructthemselves in how to read the signs of emotional distress in the earlyyears, schools can organize themselves around providing environmentsthat help to promote emotional well-being and address difficulties. The No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), commonly known as NCLB (IPA: /ˈnɪkəlbiː/), is a United States federal law that was passed in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001 of 2001 (NCLB NCLB No Child Left Behind (US education initiative)) mandates that childrenbe taught the "basics" in order to achieve well in schools, ona national level. As a result, public schools have increased programsfor 3- to 5-year-olds to cement a foundation earlier. More than 40states now invest in pre-kindergarten initiatives. States and schooldistricts have reconsidered the structure and goals of kindergarten kindergarten[Ger.,=garden of children], system of preschool education. Friedrich Froebel designed (1837) the kindergarten to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be ,implementing more full-day kindergartens and emphasizing standards-basedacademic content focused on early literacy skills (Miller, 2002;Vecchiotti, 2001). More than 25 states and other groups have developedstandards for the pre-kindergarten years, placing a strong emphasis onacademic outcomes. Squires and Bricker (2007) concur CONCUR - ["CONCUR, A Language for Continuous Concurrent Processes", R.M. Salter et al, Comp Langs 5(3):163-189 (1981)]. that improvingyoung children's cognitive and linguistic skills is an importantgoal that should receive substantial support from individuals,institutions, and agencies assigned the responsibility of caring for thenation's young, stressing that such support should account for allcritical dimensions of early development. Squires and Bricker reportthat the majority of children who have difficulty in successfullynegotiating the preschool years have social or emotional problems thatoften interfere with the learning of basic skills, such as reading."Social studies at the center of early childhood curricula offersthe hope that the focus of education will be on the development ofeffective, efficient, ethical children who will approach their worldnonsimplistically and thoughtfully. With the help of good teachers,children will not only absorb the content that focuses on citizenshipeducation There are two very different kinds of Citizenship education,The first is education intended to prepare noncitizens to become legally and social accepted as citizens. in all its permutations but also learn how to learn and how toconsider multiple perspectives" (Mindes, 2005, p. 17). In thisteaching approach, assessment is aligned to curricular goals, and themeasurement of learning relies on understanding the day-to-dayapplication of performance-based assessment (Mindes, 2006, p. 13).Teachers can help their students learn in fun ways by reducing cognitiveload Cognitive Load is a term (used in Educational psychology and other fields of study) that refers to the load on working memory during problem solving, thinking and reasoning (including perception, memory, language, etc.). and evaluating teaching strategies and methodologies. Some educators may remember kindergarten as a happy place whereyoung children explored, played with finger paints, made robots out ofLEGO blocks, and learned poems and songs. Children who enterkindergarten with curiosity, delighted engagement, and persistence atlearning tasks leave 2nd grade with better skills in reading andmathematics (National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as part of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States; conducts studies , 2002).High-quality early childhood teachers actively evaluate and promotesocial and emotional competence Emotional competence refers to a person's competence in expressing or releasing their emotions. It implies an ease around emotions which results in emotionally competent people being relaxed about other people being emotional. through classroom routines andactivities--including academic and cognitive activities. Early childhoodteachers should be able to celebrate and guide young children'senergy, fantasies, and intense curiosity (Andrews & Trafton, 2002;Davidson, 1996). They must create experiences that build concepts,vocabulary, and make engagement possible (Neuman, Copple, &Bredekamp, 2000). Furthermore, they must know how to fosterchildren's socio-emotional skills, helping children to become morecaring, responsible, and concerned citizens. Teachers can support young children's language developmentwith many different strategies, by providing classroom environments thatare full of language opportunities, including taking relaxedconversational turns with them, observing and listening while childrentake time to formulate and express their thoughts, and asking questionsin moderation so children can initiate as well as respond inconversation. Young children need to practice the rules of discourse andlisten to wide-ranging vocabulary in order to expand the languageproficiency Language proficiency or linguistic proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language. As theories vary among pedagogues as to what constitutes proficiency[1], there is little consistency as to how different organisations that underlies the other cognitive and social skills.Teachers can help young children deal with emotional and behavioralproblems in a constructive manner by encouraging interaction among youngchildren in which the children listen attentively, use facialexpressions facial expression,n the use of the facial muscles to communicate or to convey mood. , respect their peers, and converse (logic) converse - The truth of a proposition of the form A => B and its converse B => A are shown in the following truth table:A B | A => B B => A ------+---------------- f f | t t f t | t f t f | f t t t | t t with adults as theyshould at the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten levels. Activitiesinvolving a wide range of manipulatives and materials can promote talk.The teacher ought to prepare a balance of individual activities andthose that nurture collaboration and discussion, such as dramatic play,puppetry puppetryArt of creating and manipulating puppets in a theatrical show. Puppets are figures that are moved by human rather than mechanical aid. They may be controlled by one or several puppeteers, who are screened from the spectators. , block-building, book-sharing, or carpentry. Young children canlearn much from each other, but teachers need to model conversations,questions, listening practices, and responses, and promote languagedevelopment and growth in the early childhood classroom. A balancedcurriculum is enhanced through language. Elkind (1993) recommends thatwhen we deal with young children, we must keep in mind their tendency tothink about the world in concrete ways and remember that their languageability often far exceeds their cognitive understanding. Youngchildren's emotions are simple and are expressed directly throughtheir words and actions. Children are most like adults in their emotionsand least like us in their thoughts. We must, therefore, treat childrenin the manner and with a level of respect that we would accord otheradults. Ashton-Warner (1963) developed a reading scheme for children whowere failing in school that recognized a "key vocabulary," ora set of words with special meaning, for each person. Words that thechildren recognize from their cultural home upbringing can be employedin the classroom to show the child respect for his or her culturalvocabulary, as well as to heighten height��en?v. height��ened, height��en��ing, height��ensv.tr.1. To raise or increase the quantity or degree of; intensify.2. To make high or higher; raise.v.intr. the child's self-esteemconcerning prior knowledge of people, objects, and things in theircommunity environment. The key vocabulary not only made teaching readingmore effective, but also provided insight into the working ofchildren's minds and released their literary creativity. Presently,school districts and other early childhood programs weigh heavily onproviding staff development on new techniques and procedures forteaching reading and writing to young children. More emphasis should beplaced on staff development that shows teachers more effective methodsof teaching reading and writing to young children by becoming receptiveto, and aware of, new insights into not only how children think, butalso, and more important, how they feel. What Teachers Need To Do To Develop Emotional Literacy Numerous strategies exist for the development of children'semotional and social development, and for their emotional readiness forschool. Teachers might arrange a classroom environment that is notoverly structured or regimented. The environment should reflect who thechildren are, as well as their families and their communities. Teacherscan provide activities that give children choices to play and to exploreas they learn. Children's emotional readiness can be nurtured byengaging them in literacy-focused activities, including narrativestorytelling, rhyming games, and songs in their home language thatexpress their feelings and emotions and reflect their cultures. Teachersshould model and provide situations that require sensitive andemotionally warm demonstrations. This modeling should be coupled withgiving children responsive feedback and strategies for children toexpress themselves. Children should participate in transitions bysinging, clapping, marching, and other fun actions. The transitionprocess must be clear and include successful activities that addresscontinuity across learning environments. Additional strategies, such asgroup times, present ideal occasions to facilitate children'sinteractions with each other by organizing games and activities on theplayground that encourage children's cooperative play, whileemphasizing their development of prosocial skills. A positive learning climate in a school for young children is acomposite of many things. It is an attitude that respects children. Itis a place where children receive guidance and encouragement and try outnew ideas without fear of failure. It is an atmosphere that buildschildren's self-confidence so they dare to take risks. It is anenvironment that nurtures a love of learning. --Carol B. Hilhnan (1989) Hillman Hillman was a famous British automobile marque, manufactured by the Rootes Group. It was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England, from 1907 to 1976. Before 1907 the company had built bicycles. implores us to nurture young children on all levels, withparticular emphasis on children's socio-emotional development.These proactive strategies employed by teachers help children grow astrong sense of sell recognize who they are in their world, and makesense of their own experiences and environment. Such strategiesfacilitate emotional literacy--the groundwork for early learning. References Andrews, A., & Trafton, P. R. (2002). Little kids--powerfulproblem solvers: Math stories from a kindergarten classroom. Portsmouth,NH: Heinemann. Ashton-Warner, S. (1963). Teacher. London: Virago. Bocchino, R. (1999). Emotional literacy: To be a different kind ofsmart. California: Corwin Press. Davidson, J. I. (1996). Emergent emergent/emer��gent/ (e-mer��jent)1. coming out from a cavity or other part.2. pertaining to an emergency.emergent1. coming out from a cavity or other part.2. coming on suddenly. literacy and dramatic play inearly education. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers. Elkind, D. (1993). Images of the young child: Collected essays ondevelopment and education. Washington, DC: National Association for theEducation of Young Children The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the largest nonprofit association in the United States representing early childhood education teachers, experts, and advocates in center-based and family day care. . Goldenberg, C., Reese, L., & Gallimore, R. (1992). Effects ofliteracy materials from school on Latino children's home children's homen → centro de acogida para ni?oschildren's homen → foyer m d'accueil (pour enfants)children's homen experiences and early reading achievement. American Journal ofEducation Founded as School Review in 1893, the American Journal of Education acquired its present name in November 1979. Published by the University of Chicago Press, AJE , 100, 497-537. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Bantam BantamFormer city and sultanate, Java. It was located at the western end of Java between the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean. In the early 16th century it became a powerful Muslim sultanate, which extended its control over parts of Sumatra and Borneo. . Hillman, C. B. (1989). Creating a learning climate for the earlychildhood years. Fastback fast��back?n.An automobile designed with a curving downward slope from roof to rear. Series No. 292. Bloomington, IN: Phi DeltaKappa Phi Delta Kappa is an international professional organization for educators. JournalThe Phi Delta Kappan is a professional journal for education, published by Phi Delta Kappa. . Koplow, L. (Ed.). (1996). Unsmiling faces: How preschools can heal.New York: Teachers College Press. Koplow, L. (2002). Creating schools that heal: Real-life solutions.New York: Teachers College Press. Miller, A. (2002). Full-day kindergarten. ERIC/EECE Clearinghouseon elementary and early childhood education. [Online]. Available:http://ericeece.org/faq/fullday.html Mindes, G. (2005). Social studies in today's early childhoodcurricula. Young Children, 60(5), 12-18. Mindes, G. (2006). Teaching young children: Teaching young childrensocial studies. Westport, CT: Praeger. Montessori, M. (1966). The secret of childhood (pp. 60-61). NewYork: Fides Publishers, Inc. Ballantine Books. National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). Children'sreading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten and 1st grade.Washington, DC: Author. Neuman, S. B., Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2000). Learning toread and write. Developmentally appropriate practices Developmentally appropriate practice (or DAP) is a perspective within early childhood education whereby a teacher or child caregiver nurtures a child's social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development by basing all practices and decisions on (1) theories of child development, (2) for youngchildren. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education ofYoung Children. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. (P.L. 107-110), United StatesStatutes at large The United States Statutes at Large, commonly referred to as the Statutes at Large and abbreviated Stat., is the official source for the laws and resolutions passed by United States Congress. . Washington, DC: The National Clearinghouse forEnglish Language English language,member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Germanic languages). Spoken by about 470 million people throughout the world, English is the official language of about 45 nations. Acquisition and Language Instruction EducationalPrograms. The George Washington University George Washington University,at Washington, D.C.; coeducational; chartered 1821 as Columbian College (one of the first nonsectarian colleges), opened 1822, became a university in 1873, renamed 1904. . Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons NeuronsNerve cells in the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord that connect the nervous system and the muscles.Mentioned in: Speech Disorders toneighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Washington,DC: National Academy Press. Squires, J., & Bricker, D. (2007). An activity-based approachto developing young children's social emotional competence.Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. Trumbull, E., Rothstein-Fisch, C., & Greenfield, P. M. (2000).Bridging cultures in our schools: New approaches that work. KnowledgeBrief. San Francisco San Francisco(săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden : WestEd. Vecchiotti, S. (2001). Kindergarten: The overlooked school year(The Foundation for Child Development working paper series). New York:Foundation for Child Development. Vygotsky, L. (1962). Thought and language. New York: Wiley. Magali Figueroa-Sanchez is Assistant Professor, EducationDepartment, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College Eugenio Mar��a de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York is a community college in the City University of New York system. Located in the Bronx, New York City, Hostos Community College was created by an act of the Board of Higher Education in 1968 in response to (C.U.N.Y.), andExecutive Director, Hostos Community College Children's Center,Inc., Bronx, New York.