Assistant Professor May Lim Deputy Head LEAD Deputy Programme - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Assistant Professor May Lim Deputy Head – LEAD Deputy Programme Director – Occupational Therapy Singapore Institute of Technology

 Growth mindset  Praise and criticism  Social skills and emotional intelligence  Tuning into child’s emotion

So what if he’s a genius?  Out of 210 gifted children, only six had tremendous success as an adult  Having a gift or talent is helpful , but hard work, perseverance and resilience are important too.  Emotional intelligence is a significant part of the puzzle

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, Random House.

 People with two mindset invited to brain wave lab at Columbia  Answered hard question and got feedback  Fixed mindset: only interested when feedback reflected ability, brainwave showed paying attention only when told right or wrong ; not interested in information that can help them learn  Growth mindset: paid close attention to information that could stretch their knowledge; learning was a priority

http://michaelgr.com/2007/04/15/fixed-mindset-vs-growth-mindset-which- one-are-you/

These individual may plateau early and achieve less than their full potential A deterministic view of the world

http://michaelgr.com/2007/04/15/fixed- mindset-vs-growth-mindset-which-one- are-you/

These individual may reach ever- higher levels of achievement, giving them A greater sense of free will

 Positive regards facilitate mastery as it dispel fear and allows exploration  Good things happen when I try  It is safe to try  Positive regards when making an effort

 YES, children love praises  They especially love to be praise for their intelligence, talent, unique traits  Such praises really does give them a boost BUT only for the moment

 Fixed mindset  “When I am not successful, I am dumb”  “When I fail, I am designed to be that way”  “I should stop trying anything hard, so I can keep getting it right”  “I am only good in….”  Praising a child’s cleverness doesn’t necessarily make them work harder – make them feel they are born that way

 “I like the way you practice writing your name, it is getting nicer!”  “This picture has so many beautiful colour. Tell me about them”  “There are many long words in this spelling list. I admire the way you concentrated to learn them”  Everyone learns in a different way. Let’s try to keep finding the way that works for you.

 You learned that so quickly! You are naturally smart!  You are brilliant! All your spelling right without even studying!  My son is naturally outgoing and friendly to everyone  So clever, you changed into your pyjamas all by yourself ACTIVITY: How will you change each these praises to focus on process and growth?

 Failure is a delicate matter  When children are already discouraged and vulnerable, what do we do?

 “I like the effort you put in, but let’s work together some more and figure out what is it you don’t understand”  “Everyone learns in a different way. Lets’ try to figure out the way that works for you”

Pessimistic Optimistic  “Tim, what is wrong with  Tim, you are really you? You are always so misbehaving today . I don’t naughty. like it at all.  You never seems to play  You seems to have a hard well with other kids. You are time joining the group of always so shy. kids. What can we do about it?  That’s ok, Jimmy. You are clumsy like your mum  That’s ok Jimmy. You’ve got when it comes to sports. I’m to learn to keep your eye on horrible at sports too the ball.

 Criticize the behavior – not the person  Be specific  Suggest what can be done or the right behaviour  Keep a look out for opportunity to praise effort and develop growth mindset

 Ability to identify, assess and manage the emotions of self and others Other related traits -  Good social skills  Optimism  Resilience

 identify and understand your own emotions  successfully use emotions during social interactions  use your emotional awareness to guide you when solving problems  deal with frustration and be able to wait to get what you want  keep distress from overwhelming your ability to think  be in control of how and when you express feelings

Model of Social Competence-Revised (MOSC-R) within Early Childhood Environments (Lim, Rodger & Brown, 2013) Temporal Experiences (Past and • Interpersonal social skills Environments and • Learning-related skills Ongoing) • Compliance • Group social interaction influencing Temperament Attachment Cognition, Motor, Language Affect Motivation Sensory Processing Foundations

FOUNDATION FACTORS Temperament Attachment Cognition Language Sensory processing Motor

Foundation factors Recent study with 475 children between 4-6 years old (Wilson, Piek & Kane, 2012) Motor ability increase --- internalising symptoms (e.g. depression, anxiety) decrease Motor difficulties ---- less likely to display social skills needed for effective interaction, children avoid play

Foundation factors Unstructured outdoor play helped children's physical and emotional development and improved their resilience and problem-solving skills.

Temporal experiences Children’s affect and motivation can change from time to time and are influenced by temporal experiences

Temporal experiences STRESSFUL EVENTS IN FAMILY UNAVOIDABLE HELPING CHILDREN UNDERSTAND, COMMUNICATE AND REGULATE THEIR EMOTIONS EXPRESS INSTEAD OF SUPPRESS Sadness

Temporal experiences Negative emotions

Temporal experiences ACKNOWLEDGE THE FEELING • DISAPPROVING OF YOUR CHILD’S FEAR OR ANGER WILL NOT STOP HIM FROM HAVING THOSE FEELINGS. • REPRESSING NEGATIVE FEELINGS CAN RESULT IN NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

FEELING VS ACTIONS FEELING ACTION • IT IS OK TO FEEL ANGRY • IT IS NOT OK TO HIT • IT IS NORMAL TO FEEL UPSET • IT IS NOT OK TO SHOUT AT SOMEONE

Environment  Home  Preschool Nursery comfort

TUNING INTO YOUR CHILD’S EMOTION

 Help your child name his feelings  Listen with empathy  Validate your child's emotions  Be mindful of your own emotion  Look for opportunity for problem solving

 notice the emotion  clarify with a question  reflect the emotion  locate emotion in the body  empathise  explore

 Personality factor – introvert vs extrovert  Generally quiet, but has few friends  Encourage social participation  Provide added opportunity e.g. play dates If he seems quite happy and contented with his friendship and social skills, accept him as he is. Not every child needs to be a social butterfly.

 Limited language  Avoid social interaction – not interested in other children  Limited play skills, especially pretend play  School anxiety  Concern raised by different teachers

 Adopt a growth mindset and help your child develop one  Attend to your praise and criticism on your child  Tune into your child’s emotion  Develop emotional intelligence holistically