Fill it up Friday
Each Friday we will look at an article to fill up on the whys of teaching.
As you may have noticed by now I am a huge believer in positive guidance. I feel that young children need to be taught how to behave and manage emotions instead of being punished for not innately knowing how to behave. It is our jobs as nurturing, caring adults to give them the social and emotional skills that will lead them through a productive and satisfying life. I just have to share a book I found that encourages the same ideas.
In “Education for a Civil Society: How Guidance Teaches Young Children Democratic Life Skills” Dan Gartrell writes the book I’d love to have written myself (seriously, this guys hits on all the major points!). He starts by looking at the development of early childhood education’s beginnings. He then strolls us through the psychological and neurological development of our tiniest of humans. He uses this background to show best practices in guidance.
I love what he introduces as “Democratic Life Skills”. Mr. Gartrell identifies 5 Life skills that we need to be successful. They are as follows:
- DSL 1- Finding acceptance as a member of the group and as a worthy individual
- DSL 2- Expressing strong emotions in non-hurting ways
- DSL 3- Solving problems creatively-independently and in cooperation with others
- DSL 4- Accepting unique human qualities in others
- DSL 5- Thinking intelligently and ethically
Each skill receives a chapter that discusses what the skill looks like and how to promote it within your classroom.
I cannot do this book justice with a short blog post so please check it out yourself! As a NAEYC publication you can buy it from their website here and remember that members get a discount!