This weeks topics have got me thinking a lot about how communication affects our relationships with the people around us. These relationships might be personal, work related, or superficial such as the "relationship" you have with the people that work at the stores you shop at, the restaurants you eat at, or the gym you work out at. The communication style you use with each of these people will determine the type of relationship you have with them.
I found a chart on http://www.cedanet.com/meta/communication_styles.htm that details four different kinds of communication styles: expressor, driver, relater, and analytical. This chart breaks the four different types down in to sections; how to recognize, tends to ask, what they dislike, reacts to pressure and tension by, best way to deal with, likes to be measured by, must be allowed to, will improve with, like to save, and for best results. I decided to look through the chart and pick the style that I think I most associate with.
I find that I relate most closely to "driver" type of communication when basically means that I'm decisive and have strong viewpoints, I dislike others trying to make my decisions for me, I try to take control if things becomes out of control or unbalanced, I'm efficient and like to manage my time effectively and I need freedom to do things my own way. I like to think I am able to make compromises but know that I like things to be a certain way a lot of the time.
My husband's communication style tends to be more "relater" which means he likes to be helpful, dislikes rejection or being treated impersonally, becomes silent or withdraws when there is pressure, is supportive, cherished friendships, is relaxed, and needs goals and specific directions to accomplish tasks.
These two communication styles are quite different so putting these two people together may cause some conflict. I have been with my husband for five years so we have dealt with our differences in communication and still do.
Since one of the focuses of this weeks lesson was communication, I started to think about how we can all effectively communicate with each other if we all have our own styles. I have found that compromise can go a long way but gaining an understanding of the various styles will help even more. Learning about the different styles will provide insight on how to communicate with each type of person which should generally make working with them a lot easier and more productive. I have decided that instead of trying to change the people with different communication styles than mine, I will try to understand them more so I can work more easily with them.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Week 2: Diversity
Diversity is defined as the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety; especially: the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.
Working in a childcare center that is mostly comprised of families that work for Boeing provides a lot of diverse interactions on a daily basis. Just in my classroom of twenty children, I have families that have moved to the greater Seattle area from as far as Austraila and New York. The backgrounds of my families are like a patchwork quilt. We have indidviduals with such diverse backgrounds; Chinese, Indian, English, German, Native American, Japanese, and Bulgarian just to name a few.
With so many different types of families in my care, the expectations they have for their children and for myself vary greatly. Some parents main concern is that their children receive a large amount of individual attention since they are work. Some parents put more focus on acedemics and others may be more worried about the social aspect of early education. Recognizing the diverse needs of each family helps me to plan out my curriculum for the week in a way that will satisfy each family.
I do think there are ways that I could improve the diversity that I bring into my classroom though. One of my goals is to create an outlet for the families to share their family's ways of life with the class. I want learn more about the families within my care so that I can understand the needs of their children.
I think that most companies will be very diverse. We live in a society today that is very diverse and I would like to improve my knowledge of different cultures and embrace the unique qualities of each culture that makes its way into my classroom.
Working in a childcare center that is mostly comprised of families that work for Boeing provides a lot of diverse interactions on a daily basis. Just in my classroom of twenty children, I have families that have moved to the greater Seattle area from as far as Austraila and New York. The backgrounds of my families are like a patchwork quilt. We have indidviduals with such diverse backgrounds; Chinese, Indian, English, German, Native American, Japanese, and Bulgarian just to name a few.
With so many different types of families in my care, the expectations they have for their children and for myself vary greatly. Some parents main concern is that their children receive a large amount of individual attention since they are work. Some parents put more focus on acedemics and others may be more worried about the social aspect of early education. Recognizing the diverse needs of each family helps me to plan out my curriculum for the week in a way that will satisfy each family.
I do think there are ways that I could improve the diversity that I bring into my classroom though. One of my goals is to create an outlet for the families to share their family's ways of life with the class. I want learn more about the families within my care so that I can understand the needs of their children.
I think that most companies will be very diverse. We live in a society today that is very diverse and I would like to improve my knowledge of different cultures and embrace the unique qualities of each culture that makes its way into my classroom.
Week 1: Poor Communication
"No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
I found this quote and thought it was great for capturing how miscommunication is so prevalent in the workplace these days. I feel as though so many people spend so much time expressing their own ideas and opinions that they rarely listen to what others have to say or check to see if what they are saying is really being communicated in the way they intended for it to be.
Recently, I ran into a problem at work with one of the parents of the children in my class (I'm a preschool teacher) and I think the root of the problem was miscommunication on my part. For as long as I have been a lead teacher in my classroom, I have not allowed for toys to come in from home. I had chosen to implement this rule in the beginning because the toys were causing a distraction and were constantly getting lost or broken and really just causing unneeded trouble in the classroom. I worked with the same co-teacher in the classroom for two years and we worked together to enforce this rule. All of the families understood why the rule had been put into place and abided by it. This past fall, a new co-teacher started in my classroom at the same time many new students were starting in my classroom. I didn't clearly communicate to my new co-teacher that I wasn't okay with having the toys in the classroom. Since we never discussed this rule, she allowed the students to bring in their toys but I wasn't aware that she had told them it was okay. I couldn't figure out why the children kept bringing in their toys.
Last week, one of the parents came to me with concerns that her son had lost numerous toys or had let other children borrow them and now she wanted the toys back. I told her that in reality, the toys should not be in the classroom. She then let me know that my co-teacher has told her toys were fine. I then realized there had been poor communication between myself and my co-teacher.
Once my co-teacher got to work that day, I discussed with her why I really didn't want the toys in the classroom and she actually agreed with me completely. That day, we sent out an email and a letter home to the parents stating that the original classroom rule had been re-established and that toys from home would not be allowed in the classroom unless there was a specified request from the teachers for an item to be brought in from home.
Once the lines of communication were opened, my co-teacher and I were able to come to agreement. I guess I should have discussed my concerns with her sooner and we could have avoided this mess!
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
I found this quote and thought it was great for capturing how miscommunication is so prevalent in the workplace these days. I feel as though so many people spend so much time expressing their own ideas and opinions that they rarely listen to what others have to say or check to see if what they are saying is really being communicated in the way they intended for it to be.
Recently, I ran into a problem at work with one of the parents of the children in my class (I'm a preschool teacher) and I think the root of the problem was miscommunication on my part. For as long as I have been a lead teacher in my classroom, I have not allowed for toys to come in from home. I had chosen to implement this rule in the beginning because the toys were causing a distraction and were constantly getting lost or broken and really just causing unneeded trouble in the classroom. I worked with the same co-teacher in the classroom for two years and we worked together to enforce this rule. All of the families understood why the rule had been put into place and abided by it. This past fall, a new co-teacher started in my classroom at the same time many new students were starting in my classroom. I didn't clearly communicate to my new co-teacher that I wasn't okay with having the toys in the classroom. Since we never discussed this rule, she allowed the students to bring in their toys but I wasn't aware that she had told them it was okay. I couldn't figure out why the children kept bringing in their toys.
Last week, one of the parents came to me with concerns that her son had lost numerous toys or had let other children borrow them and now she wanted the toys back. I told her that in reality, the toys should not be in the classroom. She then let me know that my co-teacher has told her toys were fine. I then realized there had been poor communication between myself and my co-teacher.
Once my co-teacher got to work that day, I discussed with her why I really didn't want the toys in the classroom and she actually agreed with me completely. That day, we sent out an email and a letter home to the parents stating that the original classroom rule had been re-established and that toys from home would not be allowed in the classroom unless there was a specified request from the teachers for an item to be brought in from home.
Once the lines of communication were opened, my co-teacher and I were able to come to agreement. I guess I should have discussed my concerns with her sooner and we could have avoided this mess!
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