DEMOCRATIC LIFE SKILLS:

THE GOALS OF GUIDANCE

BASED ON DAN’S NEW BOOK AND E-BOOK:

EDUCATION FOR A CIVIL SOCIETY: HOW GUIDANCE TEACHES YOUNG
CHILDREN DEMOCRATIC LIFE SKILLS. NAEYC, SEPTEMBER 2012.
 EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR A
DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
In this age of accountability all things educational
seem to need outcomes. The 5 dLS (lower case d)
are outcomes for guidance.
 First let’s define the key term, Guidance….

 Teaching kids to solve their problems rather than

punishing them for having problems they haven’t yet

learned how to solve, and cannot solve on their own.
 Think of children as months old, not years old.

 Good teaching in the social/emotional domains.

 Teaching to sustain a democratic society

WITH A TEACHER’S GUIDANCE, THE 5 DLS
REFLECT THE CHILD’S DEVELOPING ABILITIES
TO:

 1. Find acceptance as a worthy member of the

group and as an individual
 2. Express strong emotions in non-hurting ways.

 3. Solve problems creatively--independently and

in cooperation with others
 4. Accept unique human qualities in others.
 5. Think intelligently and ethically.
WHERE DID THE dEMOCRATIC LIFE SKILLS COME
FROM? PART ONE.

Historical roots: Johann Comenius, Friedrich

Froebel, Maria Montessori and John Dewey
 New education: from limited but viable

experience of childhood to ever expanding

experience of the adult, both sustaining and
affirmed by social democracy
 The cooperative learning community—active

learning in cooperation with others.

(White handout; Dan’s book due out in June from
NAEYC.)
WHERE DID THE dEMOCRATIC LIFE SKILLS COME
FROM? PART TWO:

Psychological roots.
a.The mid 20th Century psychologists.
 Maslow: Safety needs and growth needs.

b. The neuroscience of human relationships and

stress.
c. Intelligences not fixed but develop through
human relationships.
SKILLS 1 AND 2:
REACTING TO SAFETY NEEDS

 No such thing as a bad kid, just kids with bad stress. (Kids with
high stress levels have conflicts.)
 Sources of stress are environmental, biological, and often both.
Stress levels rise with less than healthy parent-child
attachments.
 Stress causes an overload of the amygdala system in the brain’s
right hemisphere—the fight or flight reaction.
 Aggression, the most vexing form of stress expression, causes
rejection.
 Rejection in early childhood makes for long term difficulties in
school and life.
 (Columns 2,11-13,16-18,20)
SKILLS 3, 4, & 5: RESPONDING TO GROWTH NEEDS

 Healthy attachments and self-esteem

 Progress in healthy brain development
 Integration of the hemispheres
 Executive function development, not hyper-
stimulated amygdala
 Willing and able to experience life fully
 Readiness, a state of mind not a state of knowledge.
(Columns 1,2,7,10,14)
CONSIDERING THE LIFE SKILLS

•Genetic? Temperaments and experience.

•Clustered hierarchy.
•Stairsteps (for scaffolding)
•Authentic assessment…to come
•Young children’s development and the higher level
skills.
•The case of Alex and his teachers. (Thanks to
EPI, now part of Teaching Strategies.)
THE INDIVIDUAL SKILLS

•Skill One: Finding acceptance as a

member of the group and as a
worthy individual

 Teachers work hard to build relationships with

children and family members.
THE INDIVIDUAL SKILLS
•Skill One: Finding acceptance as a member of the group and as a worthy individual

•Skill Two: Expressing strong

emotions in non-hurting ways

 Teachers use guidance: are proactive with DAP for

all; intervene with guidance talks, conflict
mediation, class meetings, & comprehensive
guidance.
THE INDIVIDUAL SKILLS
•Skill One: Finding acceptance as a member of the group and as a worthy individual
•Skill Two: Expressing strong emotions in non-hurting ways

•Skill Three: Solving problems

creatively--independently and in
cooperation with others

 Teachers emphasize open-ended activities and

individual & group problem-solving over set
products and teacher “solved” problems.
THE INDIVIDUAL SKILLS
•Skill One: Finding acceptance as a member of the group and as a worthy individual
•Skill Two: Expressing strong emotions in non-hurting ways
•Skill Three: Solving problems creatively, independently and in cooperation with
others

 Skill Four: Accepting the unique

human qualities in others

 Early Childhood Professionals model and teach

acceptance of individuals and inclusion of all in
the group.
THE INDIVIDUAL SKILLS
•Skill One: Finding acceptance as a member of the group and as a worthy individual
•Skill Two: Expressing strong emotions in non-hurting ways
•Skill Three: Solving problems creatively, independently and in cooperation with
others
•Skill Four: Accepting the unique human qualities in others

•Skill Five: Thinking intelligently and ethically

•Teacher recognizes the difficulty of this task,

models and supportively encourages this skill.
Recognize that in showing it, children—like all of us,
including teachers--will make mistakes.
TEACHING THE DLS,
WHAT IS NEEDED

 DAP, including healthy adult-child ratios

 Guidance Practices consistently used
 Attachments with children, Partnerships with
families
 Professional staff working together, including
administrators
 Proactive “Affirmative action” in hiring men teachers
 Understanding the connection of the child’s
experience to the life of the adult the child becomes.