Public speaking has always been something that I struggle with. I get really nervous before getting up in front of a group of people. The group can be big or small and I still don't like it. I always seem to stumble over my words and I feel as if I get really hot and my face becomes flushed and I feel generally ill.
I have a graduation ceremony coming up for the kids in my pre-k class in a few weeks. Every year, my co-teacher and I work with the kids on learning songs, poems, and a dance to perform for their parents. The kids wear miniature sized caps and gowns and are presented with diplomas. The parents come prepared with video cameras, regular cameras and usually a collection of grandparents, aunts and uncles. We actually get quite a large turnout each year. This large group of people with all eyes on my (and other electronic devices) is enough to make me a a bit more than a little nervous. My co-teacher and I start out with a speech an then get the kids going with their routine they've been working on.
The textbook focuses on "Characteristics of Effective Delivery" in chapter 12. There are four general principles three other considerations when preparing a presentation. I will attempt to use these tips for a successful graduation ceremony this year.
General Principles:
1. Effective delivery is intelligible: Volume and rate re important when delivering a message. I want to make sure that I am not speeding through my delivery so that the parents can hear what I have to say about their children and their year in my classroom.
2. Effective delivery is conversational: Conversational implies that I need to speak with my group of parents rather than at them. I can achieve this by making eye contact and speaking openly and honestly about my time in the classroom.
3. Effective delivery is direct: Directness also involves eye contact. I want to make sure that I don't look at my notes too much and keep a relationship going with my audience.
4. Effective delivery is unobtrusive: The parents should be focusing on what I have to say and not what I'm doing. I want to make sure I'm not fidgeting or doing anything distracting while I am speaking.
Other Tips:
1. Appearance: Since graduation is the most important time of the year, I want to wear something nice but still keep it practical since I work with children and will be directing them throughout the ceremony. I will wear a dress that is both nice and functional and shoes that are easy to move around in. No high heels here!
2. Use of visual aids: My visual aids will be my children! We will set out the chairs for the parents in a way that they can get a good look at their children during the ceremony.
3. Timing: Practice makes perfect! We have been practicing the songs and dance but we will be setting up the chairs in advance to a few days before to make sure all the children know exactly where they need to be. This should help avoid some chaos during the actual ceremony.
Using these guidelines and tips, I should be able to present my piece to the families in an effective and fun way!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Week 7: Communication Technologies
Communication technologies greatly affect the way I connect with the families within my care at work. I have twenty children in my classroom who get dropped off at various time through out the day. I may not see all the parents who bring their children in or have a limited amount of time to speak with them before they have to be somewhere. Luckily I have access to the Internet and the telephone. I am able to call these families on the phone is something important comes up or use email if I have a quick question I need to ask them. I can able to essentially stay connected to these kids parents through out the day even I don't physically talk to them. In today's fast paced society, it can be hard to always reach someone to find out certain information but technology provides me with an option.
I think back to when I was in school and realize that the relationship my parents had with my teachers was very limited. Conferences were held during the fall and in the spring and lasted for a short amount of time. Unless there was a major problem, there wasn't much more interaction between teachers and parent. I think this caused for a lot of small problems to go unnoticed which resulted in students not getting all the necessary help they may have needed or being ignored for their positive actions.
I realize that I have such a advantage compared to other generations. I work with families that travel a lot and have many commitments outside of their families, but I am still able to stay connected with these families.Even if I go days without seeing a parent at work, I know I have access to the telephone or email and can reach them quickly if I need to. Communication technologies have greatly improved the relationships I have within a larger group of people and made my job a lot easier.
I think back to when I was in school and realize that the relationship my parents had with my teachers was very limited. Conferences were held during the fall and in the spring and lasted for a short amount of time. Unless there was a major problem, there wasn't much more interaction between teachers and parent. I think this caused for a lot of small problems to go unnoticed which resulted in students not getting all the necessary help they may have needed or being ignored for their positive actions.
I realize that I have such a advantage compared to other generations. I work with families that travel a lot and have many commitments outside of their families, but I am still able to stay connected with these families.Even if I go days without seeing a parent at work, I know I have access to the telephone or email and can reach them quickly if I need to. Communication technologies have greatly improved the relationships I have within a larger group of people and made my job a lot easier.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Week 6: Group Communication
The textbook focuses on the relationships within a group. Groups can be made up of just a few people or can be made up of many people which will include smaller sub groups within the larger group. I feel as though my work is one large group which is made up of about sixty-five employees. Within this large group though are smaller groups which consist of teachers that work within the same age group, even smaller groups that work within the same suite and then the smallest of the sub groups which is made up of teachers that work within the same classroom.
There are three wings within my building, A-wing which includes infant and toddler classrooms, B-wing which includes two-year-old classrooms, and C-wing which is made up of preschool and pre-kindergarten classrooms. I work in C-wing with the pre-k kids. I am part of the C-wing group, the pre-kindergarten suite, and my classroom group, Pre-K 2 which consists of myself, my co-teacher and our support teacher.
I am a member of each of these groups but I feel that as the group gets smaller, more focus is put into those relationships. I spend a good chunk of my day with my co-teacher and my support teacher, a little bit less time with my suite mates, and a little bit less time with the other C-wing teachers. I don't spend much time at all with the teachers from the other wings or with the leadership team.
The textbook defines a group in six ways. 1. The participants know each other by name or role. My co-teacher, support teacher and I are aware of our roles within the classroom and know each other on a personal and professional level. We know about each other families and understand differences and similarities in our personalities. 2. There is a considerable amount of interaction among the participants. Since we are in a classroom together all day, the three of us speak to each other about the topics we will be focusing on for the day, any troubles we may be having with the children, funny things the kids say, or upcoming projects we have to work on. 3. Each participant has some degree of influence on each of the other members. Our support teacher asks for direction within the classroom to know what she should be doing for the day with the kids. My co-teacher and I will discuss decisions as a team when it comes to planning classroom parties, the end of the year graduation, or classroom activities. 4. Each participant defines himself or herself as a member of the group and is also defined by outsiders as a group. The other teachers in the building know which classroom I work in and who my co-teacher and support teacher are. 5. The participants share some common goal, interest, or benefit by holding membership in the group. Our common goal as teachers in the classroom is to educate and care for the students. 6. There is leadership. Co-teachers are treated as equals within the classroom and are able to make decisions within consulting the other (although communication is most effective when the decisions are made as a team) and the support teacher will consult the primary teachers (co-teachers) before implementing something new into the classroom.
Before reading this chapter in the textbook, I wasn't aware that I am part of so many groups each day. My role in my job is defined by group members as well as those outside my group.
There are three wings within my building, A-wing which includes infant and toddler classrooms, B-wing which includes two-year-old classrooms, and C-wing which is made up of preschool and pre-kindergarten classrooms. I work in C-wing with the pre-k kids. I am part of the C-wing group, the pre-kindergarten suite, and my classroom group, Pre-K 2 which consists of myself, my co-teacher and our support teacher.
I am a member of each of these groups but I feel that as the group gets smaller, more focus is put into those relationships. I spend a good chunk of my day with my co-teacher and my support teacher, a little bit less time with my suite mates, and a little bit less time with the other C-wing teachers. I don't spend much time at all with the teachers from the other wings or with the leadership team.
The textbook defines a group in six ways. 1. The participants know each other by name or role. My co-teacher, support teacher and I are aware of our roles within the classroom and know each other on a personal and professional level. We know about each other families and understand differences and similarities in our personalities. 2. There is a considerable amount of interaction among the participants. Since we are in a classroom together all day, the three of us speak to each other about the topics we will be focusing on for the day, any troubles we may be having with the children, funny things the kids say, or upcoming projects we have to work on. 3. Each participant has some degree of influence on each of the other members. Our support teacher asks for direction within the classroom to know what she should be doing for the day with the kids. My co-teacher and I will discuss decisions as a team when it comes to planning classroom parties, the end of the year graduation, or classroom activities. 4. Each participant defines himself or herself as a member of the group and is also defined by outsiders as a group. The other teachers in the building know which classroom I work in and who my co-teacher and support teacher are. 5. The participants share some common goal, interest, or benefit by holding membership in the group. Our common goal as teachers in the classroom is to educate and care for the students. 6. There is leadership. Co-teachers are treated as equals within the classroom and are able to make decisions within consulting the other (although communication is most effective when the decisions are made as a team) and the support teacher will consult the primary teachers (co-teachers) before implementing something new into the classroom.
Before reading this chapter in the textbook, I wasn't aware that I am part of so many groups each day. My role in my job is defined by group members as well as those outside my group.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Week 5: Interviews
One of the discussion board posts this week spoke about an interesting interview that someone had where the company conducted a water gun fight just to see how the interviewee would react! I know this might seem a little crazy to some but I absolutely love the idea. I like that the company chose a unique activity to get to know the employee and see what their reaction would be in a crazy situation.
My work conducts panel interviews as the first step in the interview process. If the leadership teams gets a god first impression, they will send the interviewee into three or four classrooms. Most of the time, the interviewee comes in and will observe the classroom and not really get involved. It's difficult to see how they would do in the classroom on a normal day because we don't see a lot of interaction while they are there.
I would love to try some sort or silly/crazy scenario with those interviewing to see what they do. I work with kids so a lot of days do involve chaos. It wouldn't be completely off the wall to create a scene that may happen on any given day.
Some things that have occurred in the classroom in the past include the ten gallon fish tank getting knocked over, red paint footprints all over the classroom, children climbing over the six foot high fence into the parking lot, and one of the kids chasing the teachers with a hose. These are just a few of the funny, crazy things that have happened but they are not that unheard of. I say we invite our potential employees to our classrooms on a day when we can seem them get their hands a little dirty!
This would be a great way to really get to know the interviewees and see how well their personality would fit in with the other teachers as well as the children. It is important to stay calm under pressure, especially with kids so I'm going to suggest this to my leadership team to see what they think!
My work conducts panel interviews as the first step in the interview process. If the leadership teams gets a god first impression, they will send the interviewee into three or four classrooms. Most of the time, the interviewee comes in and will observe the classroom and not really get involved. It's difficult to see how they would do in the classroom on a normal day because we don't see a lot of interaction while they are there.
I would love to try some sort or silly/crazy scenario with those interviewing to see what they do. I work with kids so a lot of days do involve chaos. It wouldn't be completely off the wall to create a scene that may happen on any given day.
Some things that have occurred in the classroom in the past include the ten gallon fish tank getting knocked over, red paint footprints all over the classroom, children climbing over the six foot high fence into the parking lot, and one of the kids chasing the teachers with a hose. These are just a few of the funny, crazy things that have happened but they are not that unheard of. I say we invite our potential employees to our classrooms on a day when we can seem them get their hands a little dirty!
This would be a great way to really get to know the interviewees and see how well their personality would fit in with the other teachers as well as the children. It is important to stay calm under pressure, especially with kids so I'm going to suggest this to my leadership team to see what they think!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Week 4: Work Relationships
Difficult coworkers are most likely to be in every company and each person will have to deal with working with a difficult coworker at some point in their work lives.
The textbook breaks difficult coworkers into eight categories; the independent other, the soap opera star, the bully, the adolescent, the self-promoter, the mild annoyance, the rebellious playboy/playgirl. and the abrasive, incompetent harasser.
I work with a woman who I would place into the "soap opera star" category. For privacy reasons, we will give her the name "Wanda". Wanda spends a lot of time complaining about her personal life or work related issues, distracts other employees from their jobs because of her questions and/or complaints about how they are doing their job and s constantly asking very personal, inappropriate questions.
I had read over the "Steps for Improving Relationships with Others" in the textbook and thought I would try the tips out with Wanda. I will list each step and explain how I applied each one to my working relationship with Wanda.
1. Make sure you are not the difficult person: I tried to be friendly each time Wanda spoke to me and make sure that I don't roll my eyes or make comments about her after she has left the room
2. Ensure that you are doing your job: When Wanda asked me about why I spent a few minutes outside after my assigned time, I owned up to the fact that I had taken an extra few minutes instead of getting frustrated with her.
3. Ascertain the goals of the "difficult" person: Although it may seem annoying at times, I realize Wanda is following the rules laid out by my job and is trying to ensure that others are doing so as well.
4. Assess perception levels: Wanda is much older than me with a different working style and her beliefs differ from mine differently. I tried to understand where she was coming from when she was asking me so many questions and realize that she may be wanting to provide advice or encouragement because she is older.
5. Accept the difficult person for what he or she is: Since the things that Wanda did to frustrate me this week were trivial, I decided to just let most of them go.
6. Confront the person: When asked a few too personal questions, I simply explained to Wanda that I felt as if that information was private and I did not want to share it with her.
7. State how you feel: To make it clear that I thought her questions were a little invasive, I explained to her that I would like to keep parts of my personal life separated from my work life.
8. Give recognition when the other person deserves it: I thanked Wanda for holding open the door for me at work. I know this is very minor but it still deserves recognition.
9. Maintain a professional demeanor during interactions: Instead of talking about anything personal when she is around, I stuck to work related topics to avoid having her ask more personal questions.
10. Seek mediation if all else fails: I did not feel the need to seek any mediation because my interactions with Wanda can be easily handled.
Working with others whose personalities differ so greatly from mine can be quite frustrating. Using these simple steps can help decrease the amount of conflict I have on a normal basis though.
The textbook breaks difficult coworkers into eight categories; the independent other, the soap opera star, the bully, the adolescent, the self-promoter, the mild annoyance, the rebellious playboy/playgirl. and the abrasive, incompetent harasser.
I work with a woman who I would place into the "soap opera star" category. For privacy reasons, we will give her the name "Wanda". Wanda spends a lot of time complaining about her personal life or work related issues, distracts other employees from their jobs because of her questions and/or complaints about how they are doing their job and s constantly asking very personal, inappropriate questions.
I had read over the "Steps for Improving Relationships with Others" in the textbook and thought I would try the tips out with Wanda. I will list each step and explain how I applied each one to my working relationship with Wanda.
1. Make sure you are not the difficult person: I tried to be friendly each time Wanda spoke to me and make sure that I don't roll my eyes or make comments about her after she has left the room
2. Ensure that you are doing your job: When Wanda asked me about why I spent a few minutes outside after my assigned time, I owned up to the fact that I had taken an extra few minutes instead of getting frustrated with her.
3. Ascertain the goals of the "difficult" person: Although it may seem annoying at times, I realize Wanda is following the rules laid out by my job and is trying to ensure that others are doing so as well.
4. Assess perception levels: Wanda is much older than me with a different working style and her beliefs differ from mine differently. I tried to understand where she was coming from when she was asking me so many questions and realize that she may be wanting to provide advice or encouragement because she is older.
5. Accept the difficult person for what he or she is: Since the things that Wanda did to frustrate me this week were trivial, I decided to just let most of them go.
6. Confront the person: When asked a few too personal questions, I simply explained to Wanda that I felt as if that information was private and I did not want to share it with her.
7. State how you feel: To make it clear that I thought her questions were a little invasive, I explained to her that I would like to keep parts of my personal life separated from my work life.
8. Give recognition when the other person deserves it: I thanked Wanda for holding open the door for me at work. I know this is very minor but it still deserves recognition.
9. Maintain a professional demeanor during interactions: Instead of talking about anything personal when she is around, I stuck to work related topics to avoid having her ask more personal questions.
10. Seek mediation if all else fails: I did not feel the need to seek any mediation because my interactions with Wanda can be easily handled.
Working with others whose personalities differ so greatly from mine can be quite frustrating. Using these simple steps can help decrease the amount of conflict I have on a normal basis though.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Week 3: Communication, Listener Anxiety & Nonverbal Skills
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.
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 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.
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