Chapter 11: Fostering Self-Discipline in Children

Concept 1: Personal Message, Warning, and Follow-Through

1a. Personal Message

1b. Pause

2a. Warning

2b. Pause

3. Follow-Through

I have learned through doing my field work, it is very important to pause and make sure the child you are talking with understands what you are saying and if they want to say something they can. The preschool class I worked with had little to no discipline, and they were very confused. They didn't have much of a schedule so there was a lot of fighting and disruptions when they could have been avoided. I think if the teachers who worked with this class daily knew and understood personal message, warning, and follow through as well as when it is appropriate to pause their class would be more behaved.

Concept 2: Four Types of Compliance

Amoral: children have no sense of right or wrong.

Adherence: children respond to rewards and punishments; they often anticipate these and behave accordingly.

Identification: children attempt to adopt behavioral codes of admired others; they second guess how that person might behave in varying situations and act likewise.

Internalization: children govern their behavior using an internal code of ethics created from their own values and judgements.

It is so important to understand where each child is coming from. Once the child has learned self-discipline the adult needs to understand the relationship between their degree of self-discipline.

Chapter 12: Handling Children's Aggressive Behavior

Concept 1: Male/Female Differences in Aggression

-In their first year, little boys and little girls are equally aggressive.

-Between 15 months and 2 years, sex-linked differences in aggression become apparent. Both boys and girls are aggressive, but they express their aggression in different ways.

-Males are more overtly aggressive than females. They use physical force and verbal threat more than females do and are more likely to strike back when aggression is aimed at them.

-Similar differences in overt aggression are found between the sexes across social classes and cultures world-wide.

- Females are more relationally aggressive than males. They are more likely to gossip, snub, or ostracize a peer, or say mean things to assert their power or respond to injury/insult.

-Relational aggression by females appears at levels equal to the overt aggression more typical of males.

- Sex-related differences in aggression are related to: Biology, social learning. Both males and females who display high levels of aggression tend to be rejected by their peers.

Its so important to understand the levels and differences children have with aggression. Aggression in a child stems from somewhere. Its important to know why the child is aggressive, and what type of aggression they are feeling.

Chapter 13: Promoting Prosocial Behavior

Concept 1: Benefits of Engaging in Prosocial Behavior

1. Creates feelings of satisfaction

2. Builds perception of competence

3. Provides entry into social situations

4. Promotes entry into social situations

5. Increases popularity among peers

6. Increases chances of receiving help or cooperation

7. Increases academic performance

8. Leads to positive group atmosphere

Children who are prosocial are more able to ask for assistance from peers and adults, further developing their cognitive abilities and thus creating a more positive school climate for themselves. (Bandura, 1997)

Concept 2: Steps to Acting Prosocially

Step 1: Awareness When children are aware of becoming prosocial, they must accurately interpret what they see and hear. Meaning, they recognize distress signals such as; crying, sighing, grimacing, or struggling as well as verbals cues.

Step 2: Decision Once a child identifies a person in need, they make a decision to act on the need, or not.

Step 3: Action When children assume the responsibility for sharing, helping, or cooperating, they must then select and perform a behavior they think is appropriate to the situation.

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"What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?"

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778