Child maltreatment response

Child maltreatment—whether it be through abuse or neglect, is something I am concerned with as a future educator. I know I am obligated to report abuse where I find it, but what I’m worried about is: how will I make that call?

For one thing, I understand that I must take anything a child says to me as at true. I have no real problem accepting this, although when the time comes I fear it will be an anxiety-inducing process.

But what about when the child doesn’t say anything, and it is up to me to look for the signs? What counts as neglect, versus just having parents that are in poverty? Both may result in children going hungry sometimes or not having the proper clothes. I want to make the best choices to protect children, but also to protect the integrity of families who may be facing challenges I can’t imagine. The gravity of this responsibility is not lost on me, but honestly I’m not sure how exactly to deal with it. How much can I help? How much can a poor decision on my part end up hurting a family?

Then, what about children who are abused in ways that don’t leave a mark? This whole aspect of being not only a teacher, but a caregiver in some ways, for my future class just reemphasizes for me the importance of being in touch with the students. I’ll have to attune myself to them so I can notice when things are off. 

Sociocognitive conflict response

One concept I think has a lot of application for my future elementary classroom is that of “sociocognitive conflict,” defined as interactions with age-mates that involve wrestling with contradictory viewpoints. Piaget and Vygotsky, my two favorite characters, both saw the importance of peer interaction in learning and development.

What does this mean for me as a teacher?

I need to give students opportunity to interact with each other, not relying on a routine of whole-group instruction and independent practice. I need to give students different opportunities and contexts (in the whole group, in small groups, just with a partner) to work together and sometimes just to discuss.  Considering my age group, I will probably want to include some explicit instruction for them on how to disagree respectfully, take turns speaking, and contribute to a discussion without talking over one another. Beyond building their understanding of whatever topic they are focusing on, this also gives them social skills that will be useful to them in their maturation in academic and non-academic contexts.

Another thing I must be mindful of in order to promote sociocognitive conflict and give students that learning experience is how much time I give students to be wrong. As a teacher, it will be important for me to overcome my natural instinct to immediately correct misconceptions. I should first let students rely on other students. Again, this may be something I need to explicitly teach depending on my students’ prior experiences in the classroom. I’ll need to learn for myself at what point my intervention is necessary.