Let’s Say You Have Been Reflecting On Your First Few Weeks ✓ Solved

Let’s say you have been reflecting on your first few weeks as a

Let’s say you have been reflecting on your first few weeks as a preschool teacher. You often find yourself asking yourself things like, “Is this child just grumpy, or is there something more going on?,” “Why aren’t the children cooperating?,” “How can I manage this negative behavior that is occurring? Is there something more I can do?” With that in mind, consider the scenarios in Part A and Part B.

Part A: Three-year-old Tommy is crying and upset because he can’t draw a truck like Sam’s. For this scenario:

  1. Determine the cause of the behavior. Provide one supporting fact to justify your answer, citing your source.
  2. Develop a guidance approach that you might use to address the cause of the behavior. Provide one supporting fact to justify your approach, citing your source.

Part B: The block area is a popular area within the classroom. By the time clean-up arrives, nearly every block is on the floor. As clean-up is announced, children move to other areas, refusing to assist in clean-up of blocks. For this scenario, describe two possible causes and two possible guidance strategies. Justify your strategies.

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Effective guidance in preschool settings requires understanding not only the behavior itself but also the context in which it occurs. A robust framework for analyzing behavior integrates developmental expectations, classroom routines, relationships, and the broader ecological system in which the child operates. In examining Tommy’s frustration over not being able to draw a truck like Sam’s, the most plausible cause centers on the intersection of emergent self-regulation, peer comparison, and task demands. From a developmental perspective, preschoolers are learning to regulate emotions as they pursue mastery of new skills. When a child perceives a gap between his own ability and a peer’s success, frustration and distress are common responses, particularly during tasks requiring fine motor control, hand-eye coordination, and representational drawing (Gottman & DeClaire, 1997). The emphasis on mastery and perceptual comparison makes this scenario ripe for an intensity of emotion that manifests as crying or withdrawal. This interpretation aligns with ecological theories that stress how micro-level experiences (the child’s perception of the task and the social comparison) interact with meso- and macro-systems (teacher support, classroom norms, and available resources) to shape behavior (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Grounding the analysis in these theories helps explain why simply telling a child to “try again” may miss the core dynamic—emotion regulation in the service of goal attainment within a social context (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning [CSEFEL], n.d.; NAEYC, 2020).

For Part A, a defensible cause is that Tommy is experiencing mismatch between exertion and outcome, amplified by peer comparison. One supporting fact is that preschool children typically lack mature self-regulation that would allow flexible adjustment of strategies when facing a challenging task (Denham, 2006; Durlak et al., 2011). In addition, research on teacher-student relationships and classroom climate demonstrates that supportive guidance and emotion coaching by the adult can attenuate negative affect and facilitate adaptive responses in the face of challenging tasks (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Therefore, the proposed cause is tempered by the social context: Tommy’s frustration emerges from the combination of striving for a drawing appropriate to his goal and the visibility or comparison with Sam’s achievement, not merely from a standalone motor deficit (Weissberg & Cascarino, 2013; Bronfenbrenner, 1979).

In addressing the cause, a guidance approach rooted in emotion coaching and scaffolded practice is recommended. The approach rests on naming the emotion, validating the feeling, and providing a manageable next step that aligns with Tommy’s current skill level (Gottman & DeClaire, 1997). An evidence-based strategy is to model problem-solving language and offer a brief, fixed-behavior target (e.g., “Let’s try drawing the truck in three small steps: first the wheels, then the body, then add the roof”). This is consistent with the broader SEL (social-emotional learning) literature, which shows that teacher-implemented strategies focused on emotion identification, problem-solving, and supportive relationships improve self-regulation and task engagement (Durlak et al., 2011; Jones & Kahn, 2017). Furthermore, the guidance should be embedded in a warm, supportive classroom climate that reinforces safe expression of frustration and gradual mastery (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Weissberg & Cascarino, 2013).

Applying evidence-based elements, the guidance plan for Part A would include: (1) explicitly labeling the emotion ("I see you’re upset because you can’t draw the truck yet. It’s okay to feel frustrated."); (2) validating the child’s effort and persistence while acknowledging the goal; (3) offering a brief, targeted set of steps to accomplish a smaller goal (drawing the truck in parts); (4) providing immediate, specific feedback on progress; and (5) arranging a brief, supportive peer or adult model demonstration. Supporting facts for this approach include research demonstrating the efficacy of emotion coaching and SEL-based interventions in early childhood settings (Gottman & DeClaire, 1997; Durlak et al., 2011; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Additionally, the ecological framework reminds us that supportive teacher behavior and structured routines modulate children’s responses by shaping opportunities for successful mastery while reducing social comparison-driven distress (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; CSEFEL, n.d.).

Part B concerns the block area and the block-cleanup dynamic. Two plausible causes emerge from the classroom ecology perspective. First, the block area may act as a high-value, high-engagement activity that competes with cleanup, especially if transition cues are weak or if cleanup is perceived as a loss of valued play time. Research on early childhood behavior emphasizes that transitions are often challenging; if not scaffolded by clear cues and predictable routines, children may resist moving to another activity (NAEYC, 2020; CSEFEL, n.d.). A second possible cause involves social dynamics around cooperative participation. When children perceive a lack of equitable access to materials or feel uncertain about how to participate, they may disengage from shared cleanup tasks, selecting other activities instead (Weissberg & Cascarino, 2013; Jones & Kahn, 2017).

Guidance strategies for Part B should focus on two complementary approaches: (a) structured, predictable routines and visual supports for cleanup and (b) positive reinforcement and shared responsibility for the outcome of the classroom. A practical plan could include visible timers or a picture schedule indicating the cleanup steps and expected timing (e.g., “Two-minute warning,” “Put blocks back in the bin,” “All set to move to the next area”). Evidence indicates that PBIS-informed routines and explicit behavioral expectations improve compliance with classroom tasks and reduce resistance during transitions (Durlak et al., 2011; Jones & Kahn, 2017). A second strategy is to assign small, rotating cleanup roles (e.g., “block captains”) and use simple, motivating reinforcement tied to the collective goal (e.g., a group sticker or a class certificate). Research on teacher-student relationships and classroom climate suggests that teachers who cultivate supportive, collaborative environments foster greater student engagement and willingness to participate in group tasks (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Weissberg & Cascarino, 2013). Finally, ensure that the guidance aligns with the developmentally appropriate practices that honor young children’s autonomy while providing clear expectations (NAEYC, 2020).

In sum, the two-part scenarios illustrate how a careful analysis of the ecological context and the child’s developmental trajectory can inform targeted, evidence-based guidance. The core principles—emotion coaching, structured routines, peer-sensitive supports, and a warm, responsive teacher–child relationship—are consistently associated with improved self-regulation, greater cooperation, and deeper engagement in preschool settings (Gottman & DeClaire, 1997; Durlak et al., 2011; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Jones & Kahn, 2017; Bronfenbrenner, 1979). By anchoring explanations in these theoretical and empirical strands, teachers can design responsive interventions that promote both emotional well-being and productive learning experiences for all children (CSEFEL, n.d.; NAEYC, 2020).

References

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press.
  • Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Theoretical Models of Human Development (6th ed., pp. 793–828). Wiley.
  • Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL). (n.d.). The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Development in Early Learning Settings. Retrieved from https://csefel.fpg.unc.edu
  • Jenings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The Prosocial Classroom: Teacher Social and Emotional Competence and Student Outcomes. American Psychologist, 64(10), 915–926.
  • Jones, S. M., & Kahn, J. (2017). The Evidence Base for How We Learn: The Case for Social and Emotional Learning. The Future of Children, 27(1), 73–84.
  • NAEYC. (2020). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/DAP
  • Raver, C. C. (2013). Emotions matter: Making the case for social and emotional learning. American Educator, 37(1), 16–21.
  • Weissberg, R. P., & Cascarino, J. (2013). Academic social and emotional learning: An integrated framework for school success. Educational Psychologist, 48(3), 170–193.
  • Weissberg, R. P., Durlak, J. A., Domitrovich, C. E., & Gullotta, T. P. (2015). Social and Emotional Learning: Past, Present, and Future. In J. A. Durlak, C. E. Domitrovich, R. P. Weissberg, & T. P. Gullotta (Eds.), Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice (pp. 3-19). Guilford Press.
  • Gottman, J., & DeClaire, J. (1997). Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child. Simon & Schuster.
  • Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). The Science of Early Childhood Development. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu
  • Denham, S. A. (2006). Social and emotional development in early childhood. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development (6th ed., pp. 311–349). Wiley.
  • Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. J., & Schellinger, D. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432.

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