Outside of parents, teachers are the driving force behind social and emotional development in young children. The teacher’s own social and emotional regulation and competence strongly influences their ability to respond to the needs of their students.

　Early childhood programming that emphasizes relationships, and family connections can be an important contributor to a child’s success. The trainings that show the most encouraging results are the trainings which incorporate elements of reflective practices and mindfulness.

Mindfulness, as defined by the Association for Mindfulness in Education is “…paying attention [to the] here and now with kindness and curiosity”(Meiklejohn, et al, 2012). Teachers who learn and practice mindfulness have been shown to exhibit increased social and emotional competencies including flexibility and self-regulation.  These competencies support the teacher’s ability to manage their own stress levels, build relationships with children and their families, and teach social and emotional competencies to their students, through modeling and coaching.  The important concept learned is “empathy and compassion for self and others” (Meiklejohn, et al, 2012). 

　Reflection in teaching is the act of recognizing thoughts, reactions and feelings in oneself, and in others. This often takes place in small groups of educators, on a regular basis.  Teaching children often brings up many emotions and powerful feelings, both positive and negative.  Utilizing reflection and mindfulness allows the teacher and the child the space to respond to these feelings, rather than react ( Meiklejohn, et al, 2012). 

　Teachers with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness had statistically significant closer relationships with the children in their care, underscoring the idea that teachers who practice mindfulness and reflective practices may interpret challenging behaviors with more composure, and may face fewer challenging behaviors due to their attention, classroom structure and proactive guidance (Becker et al, 2017).

Biography:

Professor Patricia Doelitzsch is the chair of the Child Development Department at Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California, US.  She is a proud wife and proud mother of two teenage children.

Prof. Doelitzsch has been a professor of early childhood since 2002 and has worked with both typically developing and developmentally delayed children and their families for over 30 years.

Prof. Doelitzsch’s focus has always been on young children with challenging behaviors, and the family and teachers in their lives.  Her current doctoral work: Roses and Thorns: Early Childhood Educators’ and young children’s unique social and emotional needs in center-based care, focuses on the need for reflective practices as part of teacher training and professional development for early childhood teachers in the United States, specifically California.

She is honored to share this information with anyone who is interested in the neuroscience behind children’s behaviors, and behind teachers’ relationships with the children in their care.

2024/9/20（Fri）

9:30～11:30

During this school visit, we’ll be divided into two ECEC centers for the morning session. There, we’ll observe children actively playing and evaluate the center environment firsthand.Then, in the afternoon session, we will join together for a discussion based on the specifics and environmental configuration of the sites.

　The ECEC centers to be visited are Chiba Meitoku College Affiliated Kindergarten and Meitoku Toke Kodomoen. Please refer to the websites of the two ECEC centers and select which one you would like to visit when registering for the tour.

Click here for the homepage URL

・ Fuzoku Kindergarten Attached Chiba Meitoku College（https://chibameitoku.ac.jp/youchien/）

・Meitoku Toke Kodomoen（https://meitokutokehoikuen.wixsite.com/website）