Positive Guidance (4 hours) Overview

1 1 Intro to Child Care Course (Learning Plan 3) Positive Guidance (4 hours) Overview : Children need Guidance in order to be safe, stay physically and emotionally healthy, develop social, intellectual and language skills, and develop self-concept and self-control. This Learning Plan explores various Positive Guidance strategies. Target Competency 3: Analyze techniques of Positive behavior management for young children. Learning Objectives: a. Review Wisconsin s Administrative rules and regulations concerning child Guidance b.

2 Examine written policies on child Guidance c. Differentiate between discipline and Guidance d. Identify ways in which the environment affects children s behavior e. Examine direct and indirect Guidance f. Give examples of Guidance principles g. Summarize the effect of Guidance on children s self-esteem h. Use active listening skills i. Use affirmations with young children j. Explore personal actions and words that promote growth and development and model Positive Guidance k. Identify Guidance strategies appropriate for different developmental ages and individual child needs l.

3 Identify strategies for responding to children with different temperaments m. Identify strategies to use when a child s behavior is disruptive Required Resources: Internet links: Positive Guidance and Discipline Principles: Description and Explanation Wisconsin Administrative Licensing Rules and Regulations for Family Child Care- Wisconsin Administrative Licensing Rules and Regulations for Group Child Care- Handouts: Factors that Create Discipline Problems Guidance and Discipline with Infants and Toddlers Developing a Child Guidance Policy 2 Introduction.

4 Positive Guidance is a framework in which children can learn acceptable social practices and ways to express their feelings. Children need Guidance in order to be safe, stay physically and emotionally healthy, develop social, intellectual and language skills, and develop self-concept and self-control. The goal of Positive Guidance is to develop children s self-control, encourage children to assume responsibility, and assist them in making good decisions. As a professional in the field of early care and education you must value childhood and understand that this is a time of learning.

5 Children will make mistakes and it becomes the job of the teacher, parent or caregiver to assist the child in learning how to respond or express themselves in a socially acceptable way. All behavior, Positive and negative has meaning. With understanding of why a child may be behaving in a particular way, the teacher, parent or caregiver then becomes better able to provide a child with what s/he may need and later teacher the child a skill to get his/her needs met in a more acceptable way. 3 Assignment: Review Wisconsin s Administrative rules and regulations concerning child Guidance After reviewing these rules and regulations make note of any that you would like to research further to learn more about.

6 4 Discipline vs Guidance To be effective in guiding children to make meaningful changes to their behaviors it is important to understand the difference between punishment and discipline. Review the chart below, from Focus on Family web article, Punishment vs Discipline by Chip Ingram. PUNISHMENT DISCIPLINE Purpose To inflict penalty for an offense To train for correction and maturity Focus Past misdeeds Future correct acts Attitude Hostility and frustration on the part of the parent, teacher or caregiver Love and concern on the part of the parent, teacher or caregiver Resulting emotion in the child Fear and guilt Security Understanding the difference between discipline and punishment makes all the difference in terms of attitude and results.

7 Punishment is negative. It is intended to hurt. Piaget described punishment as arbitrary, with no relation between the content of guilty and the nature of the punishment. spanking, writing lines, standing in the corner. Punishment conveys revenge or vindictiveness. In contrast, the purpose of Guidance is to teach children to behave appropriately. Discipline is part of child Guidance , punishment is not. Punishment is not allowed in early childhood settings. Direct and Indirect Guidance Basic Guidance techniques include both indirect and direct strategies to use in preventing, resolving, and correcting behaviors.

8 Indirect Guidance refers to strategies that are used in establishing a Positive classroom environment including room arrangement, consistent routines, group rules, and developmental activities. A Positive classroom environment meets the needs of the children and provides a foundation for building Positive relationships between the child, the teacher, and other children. Direct Guidance includes techniques that build on a Positive classroom environment by focusing on the individual child, setting realistic 5 expectations, and recognizing appropriate behaviors.

9 Direct Guidance techniques include verbal Guidance , natural consequences, redirection, and problem solving The Problem Solving Approach, which was adapted from Guiding Young Children, is a set of principles which can help to prepare an early care and education provider to support children in solving their own problems. These principles include; active listening, modifying the environment, negotiation, setting limits, and affirmations. Active listening: Really listening to what a child is saying shows a child s/he is cared about and that the teacher is interested in what s/he has to say.

10 Active listening is the process of listening for feelings, interpreting them and reflecting them back to the child. When children are able to express themselves and feel they are being heard, they are more likely to be prepared to face the feelings associated with the problem at hand. Negotiations: During negotiations it is the teacher s job to help the child identify the problem, discuss many possible solutions, choose the best solution, and supervise the implementation of the solution. Setting limits: limits are boundaries that are set, yet they are negotiable (in contrast to rules).