Lexi Olinger

ECE 495
Stluka
8/16/18

Connections Paper

At my practicum site, the teacher makes a point to speak with every parent at drop off.

She asks about the child’s night, how they slept, what their wake up was like, if they have been

sick or feeling ill, and how their day has been so far. Because of this, the teacher is able to

gauge how the child is going to behave during the day and understand why they are behaving

that way. She also makes a point to ask if anything big or new is happening in their life. For

example, two of the students (brother and sister) had to make a quick move to a new house for

legal reasons. Police were involved and it happened very abruptly. If the teacher had not asked

if anything was going on in the student’s lives, she would not have understood why those two

students were acting differently in school that day.

In previous courses such as ECE 220 Health, Safety, & Nutrition for the Young Child, I

learned about the importance of daily health checks with the child and parent to get a better

understand for the child. Daily health checks are important because they help teachers to

“establish baseline of typical behavior and appearance for each child, note when changes occur,

identify of health impairments that may interfere with learning, and promote children’s well-

being” (Marotz, 2016). It is important to include families in the daily health checks because it

helps teachers gain a better understanding of the child while building trust and positive

relationships with families. Asking parents about their child’s behavior is also important

because it gives teachers an insight as to why the student is behaving the way they are. When

teachers understand why a student is behaving the way that they are, it is easier for the teacher

to respond to the student’s behavior. As discussed in ECE 364: Parent/Child Relationships in a

Lexi Olinger
ECE 495
Stluka
8/16/18

Professional Context, allowing parents to give input on their child’s day also increases family

efficacy, the families confidence in their ability to help their child succeed in school tasks (Grant

& Ray, 2012).

The teacher at my practicum frequently uses redirection to help her students. When

students have conflict, misuse toys, are not following the directions or are not participating in

group activities, the teacher redirects the child to a positive activity that the student will enjoy.

For example, two students were fighting over a Batman toy, and the teacher talked to the

students, found out who was playing with the toy first, and redirected the other student to an

activity she knew he would enjoy. This allowed each student to be happy and content without

taking anything away or punishing either student.

In previous courses, I have learned about the importance of redirection as a form of

classroom management. In ECE 371 Infants and Toddlers: Developmentally Appropriate

Practices, we learned that redirection is to “take a child away from an activity he should not be

doing, and redirect him/her to an activity that is okay to do” (Gonzalez-Mena & Widmeyer,

2012). This is exactly what the teacher at my practicum site did. Moved a student from

something they should not do, to something they should. According to our text from ECE 328

GUIDANCE AND LAB, redirection is a positive form of classroom management which can be

used in place of time-outs so that students’ time is used effectively, allowing her to be engaged

and learning instead of sitting in a chair and doing nothing (Fields, Meritt & Fields, 2014).

Teachers can also redirect students who are misusing materials in certain centers to find a new

place to play so that others at the center can use the materials properly. Or, if students are
Lexi Olinger
ECE 495
Stluka
8/16/18

doing something in an unsafe way, the teacher can redirect them to a similar activity that is

safe, or a safer way to do what they were doing in the first place. Redirection is a great

approach to guidance because it understands that students are not trying to be bad or unsafe,

they are simply exploring. Redirection lets teachers help students be curious and explore in a

safe, positive way.

As a future teacher, I can use the learning from the courses and the experience within

the classroom to shape my classroom environment. Because of what I have learned and

experienced, I understand the importance of engaging families at drop offs to assess the child

and understand exactly who they are, how they feel, and what they are experiencing at the

moment. This allows me to better understand the child and where they are coming from, but

also allows the family to be a part of the child’s school day and feel confident about their ability

to help the child.

Similarly, my learning and experiences have shown me that redirection is a powerful

tool that I can use in my own classroom. Instead of placing students in time-out, or taking away

the toys or tools they are using, redirecting children to a safe, positive activity can make the

most of their time in school. Positive redirection also builds a better relationship between

teacher and student, allowing for trust, an important aspect in learning.

Lexi Olinger
ECE 495
Stluka
8/16/18

References

Fields, M. V., Meritt, P. A., & Fields, D. M. (2014). Constructive Guidance and Discipline: Birth to Age

Eight (6th ed.). Pearson.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. & Widmeyer, Eyer, D. W. (2012). Infants, toddlers, and caregivers (9th ed.).

Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Grant, K.B., & Ray, J.A. (2013). Home, school, and community collaboration: Culturally responsive family

involvement (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing

Marotz, L. (2012). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child (8th ed.). Cengage Learning