Dorian de Haan

‘Use Your Words’ A Sociocultural Approach to the Teacher’s Role in the Transition from Physical to Verbal Strategies of Resolving Peer Conflicts among Toddlers

In resolving peer conflicts among young children, a sociocultural approach stresses the importance of creating a Zone of Proximal Development through the teacher’s use of dialogic tools. This approach is questioned and modified following a review of studies of toddlers’ peer conflictsand of language acquisition. In the early years, the non-symbolic, social function of speech predominates. Only gradually do toddlers learn to understand the decontextualized, symbolic function of language that teachers tend to use when they try to discuss feelings, intentions or causes of a peer conflict. Teachers are easily deceived by toddlers’ formulaic phrases. Teachers are advised to respect young children’s (non-verbal) logic-in-action and to use interactive strategies that foster togetherness. Young children have to experience dialogic tools as meaningful moves in conflict resolution that can be integrated into the (non-verbal) strategies they already have developed.

The relationship between young children’s linguistic ability, home language, and their adaptive modifying strategies in peer conflicts

This article presents the results of a study of conflict strategies in 96 two- and three-year-old children in multiethnic childcare centers. The main question was whether young children’s use of psychologically complex strategies in conflict management depends on language development. It is hypothesized that 2-year-olds rely on verbal adaptive modification strategies less often than 3-year-olds; and that children with a home language different from the dominant one in the childcare center also use verbal modification strategies less often. The overall conclusion is that the use of psychologically complex strategies in conflict management does not totally depend on language development. Age seems to contribute most to the use of psychologically and linguistically complex modification strategies. A description is given of the diverse forms of verbal adaptive modifying behavior that was found in 2- and 3-year-olds.

Social pretend play: Potentials and limitations for literacy development

SUMMARY Social pretend play is considered to be beneficial to literacy development. However, observations in the case study of social pretend play by a boy from the age of 3 to 5 years, showed that at this young age the childrens play may also have its limitations with regard to literacy-related features. On the one hand, children create a reciprocal support system for each others imagination, and develop a metalinguistic capacity by their negotiations. On the other hand, the situation bound nature of this kind of play offers a limited opportunity for planned, extended discourse. It will be argued that a well-defined pedagogy should involve a broad narrative approach to address both potentials and limitations. The analysis as well as a pedagogy of play may benefit from Vygotskyan concepts.SUMMARY Social pretend play is considered to be beneficial to literacy development. However, observations in the case study of social pretend play by a boy from the age of 3 to 5 years, showed that at this young age the childrens play may also have its limitations with regard to literacy-related features. On the one hand, children create a reciprocal support system for each others imagination, and develop a metalinguistic capacity by their negotiations. On the other hand, the situation bound nature of this kind of play offers a limited opportunity for planned, extended discourse. It will be argued that a well-defined pedagogy should involve a broad narrative approach to address both potentials and limitations. The analysis as well as a pedagogy of play may benefit from Vygotskyan concepts.

Day Care Experiences and the Development of Conflict Strategies in Young Children.

This paper presents a study of learning experiences in peer conflicts among two- and three-year-olds in Dutch daycare centres. Data were collected from individual sampling of 96 children during their free play. As in earlier studies, the results we obtained showed that three-year-olds used fewer unilateral strategies and more bilateral strategies than did two-year-olds. Bilateral strategies increased the likelihood children would play together after the conflict, but decreased the likelihood one of them would win. Unilateral strategies increased the likelihood one of them would win the conflict, but the use of physical force decreased the likelihood they would play together afterwards. Teachers often focused on the (alleged) perpetrator of the conflict and on punishing the use of physical force. But they were seldom focused on helping to reconcile the opponents. This study suggests that the childrens interest in peer relationships is a strong incentive to use bilateral strategies. Therefore, teachers should value and support peer relations rather than focusing on the perpetrators.

Learning to Communicate in Young Children’s Classrooms

This chapter addresses the process of communication in Developmental Education. Teaching children how to construe meanings through communication with others is the core of Developmental Education (DE). Communication is at the heart of DE activities. From a Vygotskian point of view, the chapter describes some interactive processes in the development of young children’s abilities to collaboratively make meaning and exchange communicative intentions. The chapter addresses questions like: How do educators communicate with young children in the context of their cooperative activities? How can they encourage children to communicate with each other? On the basis of classroom research of children’s communication and the roles that teachers take in this communicative activity with the children, different strategies of communication in children’s play are discussed, particularly with regard to vocabulary and narrative structure.