My parents have always
told me that you learn a lot when you look and listen. Thus, observation can be a powerful tool for increasing
ones understanding of mindful communication and taking note of which communication
strategies seem to work well and which ones do not. For this blog assignment, I
observed my son and his coach communicating at my son’s basketball practice. While my son was practicing, his coach noticed
that he did not have much skill and kept getting frustrated. So, his coach pulled him to the side and
expressed to him that no one was perfect and that the object of getting better
at basketball was to be determined and to practice, practice, practice.
It was at this moment that I noticed Jalen was
happy and no longer frustrated. He felt relieved
that his coach showed interest in him. Based off of the communication strategies
that we learned this week, I feel that the coach was more concerned about my
son and his feelings as a whole verses winning. “To form a caring learning
community where all children can learn and thrive means forging a working
partnership based on what families wish for their child and what you believe is
important for children” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011. pg. 39). My insight with regard to how the
communication interactions I observed may have affected my son’s feelings and
had an influence is that he was more willing to listen to the advice and any constructive
critism that the coach had to offer because, the coach did not yell out loud (causing
any open confrontation). Thus, my
parents always said you get more bees with honey (when you are kind to someone,
they respond better to that than hollering or being rude).
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc., (2011). Strategies
for working with diverse children: Building on children's strength.
Baltimore, MD: Author
Neketha,
ReplyDeleteI liked your post about how the coach took your son to the side and talked to him about no one is perfect and yes practice does make perfect. I have learned that some teachers are not aware of how they talk to children and they are not learning or forming relationships. I also have learned to change the way I talk to the children, I make sure that I say simple words to were they can understand me and I have developed a great rapport with my children and families.