{"id":246,"date":"2019-06-21T23:52:15","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T23:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/?p=246"},"modified":"2019-06-21T23:52:15","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T23:52:15","slug":"ece-positivity-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/?p=246","title":{"rendered":"ECE Positivity Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<body><p><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecconsultingwy.com%2F%3Fp%3D246&amp;count=none&amp;via=bcarlin871&amp;text=EC%20Consulting\" class=\"twitter-share-button\">Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align:center\">\u00a0 <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"128\" class=\"wp-image-248\" style=\"width: 150px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/positive.jpg?resize=150%2C128\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/positive.jpg?w=596&amp;ssl=1 596w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/positive.jpg?resize=300%2C257&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I recently had a consulting contract with an early childhood program that had been going through a tumultuous time.\u00a0 The result was stress and burnout within the staff.\u00a0\u00a0 It was also creating an overall negative climate in the buildings.\u00a0 After several weeks of observation and conversations I reflected back on how I would have addressed the negative climate when I was an early childhood director.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During\nmy tenure as an early childhood director I began to present quarterly\nchallenges to my staff.\u00a0 They ranged\nanywhere from curriculum based projects to self-care and back again.\u00a0 I would present the challenge at a staff\nmeeting and as a team we would focus on it for the next 3 months.\u00a0 At the end of the challenge we would\ncelebrate successes and discuss opportunities for more growth in a safe\ncollegial environment.\u00a0 These challenges\nbecame something I looked forward to developing and watching as the staff\nthought deeply about one aspect of their practice over a period of time.\u00a0 I also loved seeing how we all supported and\nlearned from each other, creating an even stronger bond as a teaching team\nwhile strengthening our practice with children.\u00a0\nAs I reflected back on my successes using focused challenges with my\nstaff, I decided to try it with my new client.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using my\nobservations and some recommendations from another involved consultant, I\ndeveloped the <strong>Let\u2019s Get Positive Challenge.\u00a0\n<\/strong>I presented it to my\nclient\u2019s staff as a fun way to grow as a program and work as a team.\u00a0 Over the course of the month long challenge I\npresented several different aspects of positivity in an early learning\nenvironment on which to focus.\u00a0 The\nfollowing are excerpts from my weekly communications with the staff designed to\ncenter their thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Week 1 \u2013 Using Positive Feedback with the\nChildren<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research\nshows that children who hear 5 positive comments to every 1 negative comment\nfeel a sense of belonging, connectedness, and safety in their learning\nenvironment. It also contributes to a more positive atmosphere, which leads to\nimproved behavior and greater child engagement.\u00a0 When children feel\nconnected and have a sense of belonging with their teachers and learning\nenvironment, they are naturally\u00a0more motivated to take risks and\nparticipate in activities that promote learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So the objective\nof the <strong>Let\u2019s Get Positive Challenge<\/strong> is to turn your classrooms and\nbuildings into <strong>Positive Feedback Zones<\/strong>.\u00a0 This does not mean giving\nout more compliments or using the over used term \u201cgood job\u201d.\u00a0 It simply\nmeans using more positive phrasing when talking to the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One way\nto increase your use of positive comments in the classroom is to tell children\nwhat they should do rather then what not to do.\u00a0 As teachers and\ncaregivers we want children to follow our routines and directions, however if\nyou think about it, most of the time that is not how we phrase it.\u00a0\nTelling children what you want them to do is not only easier for them to\nprocess; it also falls into the <strong>Positive Feedback Zone<\/strong>.\u00a0 It is\nastonishing how it works.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some\nexamples of this are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Rather\nthen asking a child to get off the table, ask a child to put their feet on the floor.\u00a0\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>Rather\nthen asking a child to be quiet, say that is a great voice for outside can you\nuse a voice like mine now<\/li><li>Rather\nthen asking a child to stopping poking another child, consider why they are\ntrying to get that child\u2019s attention, and help them negotiate the social\ninteraction in a more positive manner.\u00a0 You can say something like, I see\nyou want to play with Mary, can I help you talk to her about that?<\/li><li>Rather\nthen saying stop wiggling in line, say everyone tap your toes while you wait.<\/li><li>Rather\nthen saying stop that, say I can see you are feeling frustrated\u00a0 (sad,\nsilly, shy, grumpy, tired), how can I help you?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simply\nrecognizing or noticing a child for doing what they are doing is also a great\nway to connect and be positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some\nexamples:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>WOW\nyou have really been focusing on the structure you are working on.<\/li><li>You\npicked the creation station again today you must really enjoy the work you are\ndoing there.\u00a0<\/li><li>I\nam glad you and John are having so much fun together.<\/li><li>I\nam so glad I get to spend time with you today.\u00a0<\/li><li>Look\nhow hard you are working.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Week 2 \u2013 Keeping it Positive with Your\nColleagues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of a\npositive classroom climate, teaching teams must have a respectful professional\nworking relationship.\u00a0 This includes\ncommunicating in a positive manner, working with, not just along side each\nother and being kind. \u00a0This is an\nespecially important piece because children learn more by watching our example\nas they do from what we tell them.\u00a0 It is\nimportant to model the type of respectful behavior and relationships we would\nlike to see the children have in our program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following\nare some questions to ask yourself as you reflect on the relationship you have\nwith your teaching partner and how that might be affecting the climate in the\nclassroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How are\nyou building relationshipswith\nyour fellow teachers? <\/li><li>Do\nstudents often see you supporting each other in the classroom?<\/li><li>How are\nyou displaying positive affectin\nyour interactions with other teachers? <\/li><li>Do\nclassroom interactions between teachers regularly demonstrate enjoyment or\nwarmth?<\/li><li>Are communicationsbetween teachers\npositive? <\/li><li>Do\nteachers express kindness or affection to each other when appropriate?<\/li><li>\u2028Do interactionsbetween teachers\nconvey respect? <\/li><li>Do\nteachers make eye contact, speak calmly and respectfully, and cooperate with\neach other when the need arises? <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Danner, 2017)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<strong>Week 3\u2013\nPositive Interactions with Families<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you ever considered how the relationships you have with\nfamilies affects your classroom?\u00a0\nResearch shows that children have better outcomes when there are strong\nfamily\/teacher relationships.\u00a0 Here are\njust a few reasons why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teachers and\nfamilies who participate in respectful two-way relationships serve as models\nfor the children to create positive relationships with other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Families and\nteachers each have unique knowledge about a child.\u00a0 Teachers and families can only see the \u201cwhole\nchild\u201d if they hear the unique perspective that only the other can provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Families can help resolve the mysteries of behavior by\nsharing insight into a child\u2019s home life with teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Positive relationships between teachers and families have\nbeen shown to support higher\nlevels of pro-social behaviors in the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the following questions to reflect on the relationships\nyou have with the families of the children you serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Have you taken the time to get to know each\nfamily?\u00a0 <\/li><li>Do you know what hopes and dreams they have for\ntheir children while they are in your care?\u00a0\n<\/li><li>Is there two-way communication where you share\nmore positive moments then negative?\u00a0 <\/li><li>Do you provide one-way communication in multiple\nforms?\u00a0 <\/li><li>Do you touch base everyday with a child\u2019s family\nat drop-off or pickup?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Week 4 \u2013 The Negative\nAffects of Gossip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gossip brings\nnegativity to the work environment. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One\ndefinition of gossip is \u201ca conversation or reports about a person or\npeople that haven\u2019t been confirmed as true. Gossip is generally negative and\ncan be embarrassing for the person or people that are the subject of the\nconversation\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People often\ngossip because it can create a sense of\u00a0intimacy with our co-workers.\n\u00a0It can make us feel better about ourselves when we focus on someone\nelse\u2019s misfortune. \u00a0And is gives us a false sense of power. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gossiping\ncauses a negative vibe in the culture of the work place because\u00a0negative\nenergy breeds negative energy. \u00a0Gossip erodes trust, distracts us from\nwhat we are supposed to\u00a0be doing, isolates individuals or groups, is\nharmful to our health, and is just plain mean.\u00a0(Aivana, S)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are a\nfew questions to reflect on to create a no\u00a0gossip zone in your work\nenvironment. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Can\nyou refrain from entering into conversations that include gossip?\u00a0 <\/li><li>Can\n\u00a0you request that others stop gossiping? <\/li><li>Can\nyou shift conversations away from negative gossiping to something positive and\nfulfilling? <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In Conclusion and the Celebration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the my\nvisits and in my conversations with staff after introducing the <strong>Let\u2019s Get\nPositive Challenge <\/strong>I could see a\nshift in thinking and behavior.\u00a0 Staff\nwould email me with related questions and ideas.\u00a0 Children were being communicated with in a\nmore positive way.\u00a0 Teams were working together\nmore functionally.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week I visited the program during their staff meeting to recognize\nand celebrate their work and success.\u00a0 We\nhad snacks and applauded each other\u2019s work.\u00a0\nI could feel a more positive climate in the room!\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Resources<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aiyana,\nS <em>\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youngandraw.com\/how-to-deal-with-negative-people-gossip-in-a-positive-way\/\">http:\/\/www.youngandraw.com\/how-to-deal-with-negative-people-gossip-in-a-positive-way\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Danner, A,\n2017 \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/info.teachstone.com\/blog\/how-positive-negative-climate-among-teachers-affect-children\">http:\/\/info.teachstone.com\/blog\/how-positive-negative-climate-among-teachers-affect-children<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tweet \u00a0 I recently had a consulting contract with an early childhood program that had been going through a tumultuous time.\u00a0 The result was stress and burnout within the staff.\u00a0\u00a0 It was also creating an overall negative climate in the buildings.\u00a0 After several weeks of observation and conversations I reflected back on how I would &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/?p=246\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">ECE Positivity Challenge<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,7,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-families","category-personal-growth","category-teaching-and-learning","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=246"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":250,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions\/250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecconsultingwy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}