Outcome 2.1

 

(http://vickistirling.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/critical-literacy-wordle1.gif)

 

Week 12 Portfolio Post

2.1 Provides a thorough account of these developmental influences, supported by key theorists, frameworks, literature &/or research

An action plan

This week I have been particularly interested in increasing my knowledge of theoretical applications of learning and teaching in relation to encouraging social awareness and emotional intelligence in young children. I feel this kind of development can be enhanced by using literacy and numeracy concepts by helping children to develop important reasoning techniques to be able to reflect, analyse and compare the concepts they face within their daily lives. I think the concept of self-regulation relates to critical literacy and numeracy as emotional awareness relates to being critical of the feelings we experience and how we could use them to help us learn. Below is my action plan detailing the resource I would use to guide my practice in relation to developing learners who are aware of their thinking.
One of the most important theories of social development comes from Lev Vygotsky and the relationship between constructing meaning in social situations and developing thought processes (Smagorinsky, 2007). An important theoretical application of Vygotsky’s work that I would use in my future centre or classroom would be the ‘Tools of the Mind’ program for developing self-regulation and emotional intelligence in young children:

 

http://www.toolsofthemind.org/

 

 

The applications I would use from this program in my preschool room would be:

• Helping children to become involved in their daily experiences by making ‘plans of the day’ as a group and individually using drawing and writing (at any age regardless of drawing/writing ability, simply promoting the act of drawing or writing)
• Encouraging drawing and thinking about emotions, using stories that depict different emotions and discussing them in the context of children’s lives
• Use scaffolding questions that help children to think and reflect about their play, for example ‘why did you choose this toy? How did it make you feel?’ 
• Actively model thinking processes associated with emotional reasoning, during group times we would discuss and read stories about how to manage emotions and how to help and support others around us
• Use sensory based activities that promote expressive language development in describing objects or feelings

 

I believe that being aware of how we think and work through problems (in literacy and numeracy) aids the development of critical literacy skills as children begin to notice how they can be responsible for their thinking, helping them to use their communication with others in the shared construction of knowledge (communicative-linguistic) and prior experiences (memory) to create meaning in more abstract, symbolic (perceptual-sensory) concepts such as emotions.

 

References:

Smargorinsky, P. (2007). Vygotsky and the Social Dynamics of Classrooms. English Journal, 97(2), 61-66.