Project name: Conflict Resolution and Early Childhood Development
Essential Question: What are the most effective methods of conflict resolution for young children?
Statement of Definition
For my senior project I will conduct independent research on early childhood development and strategies for different methods of conflict resolution for young kids. In addition to the books I’ve chosen for research, I will take an online Yale Psychology 101 class. I will then observe my little siblings and use these strategies on them. I will keep a journal where I will take notes on my research, psych 101 class, and the effectiveness of the strategies when used on my siblings.
Overview: Describe your topic and project to the committee
Originally I wanted to assist in an LREI kindergarten class and observe teacher’s methods of conflict resolution (i.e. what they did when a kid was being disruptive, when two kids were fighting, etc.). Instead I will be taking care of my little siblings (10 and 7), helping them with their school work, and observing their experiences with remote schooling. Additionally I will be reading books directed towards parents and teachers that outline strategies for dealing with various conflicts/situation. While taking care of my siblings on a day to day basis I will try some of these strategies and record their effectiveness in my notebook. When I am with my other parent, and not with my little siblings, I will be taking on online intro to psychology college course.
How will you measure your success?
Success for this project would mean gaining the ability to productively resolve conflicts that commonly arise when dealing with kids. This project aligns perfectly with my interest child psychology because I will have 1) completed a college level psychology 101 class 2) learned a lot about how effective the strategies I learn over the course of the project are in practice and 3) learned about myself and how good I am at productively resolving conflicts when dealing with kids.
Resource List
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
- Whole Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies For Nurturing You Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
- Siblings without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
- Psychology by Peter Gray (part of the intro to psych course)
- The Norton Psychology Reader edited by Gary Marcus (also part of the course)
- Yale Psychology 110: Intro to Psychology course
Daily Plan and Schedule
On the weeks I am not with my siblings I will fulfill 20hrs/week with independent research and psychology lectures. There are 20 lectures and 2 exams in the course. The exams are long (I looked at the PDF and they are each 22 pages long) so they will probably take 2-3 hours. Each lecture is 1hr long. I will take 5 lectures a week during the weeks I am not with my siblings and the exams on sundays (whenever they happen to fall in the course whether that be a week I am with my siblings or not. (since I only have 3 weeks without my siblings, and there are 20 lectures, I will have to take a total of 5 lectures over the course of the three weeks I am with them). In addition to the lectures and homework, I will read the books that are a part of my independent research. When I am with my siblings, I will easily meet the minimum 20 hour requirement as I will be responsible for entertaining them, taking care of them, and helping with schoolwork for the majority of the day while my mom works–this will count as my time observing them. I will also log time while journaling about the effectiveness of the strategies as well as any connections I make between my research and my observations of my siblings.
Documentation Plan
A journal of my observations/reflective writing is the ideal documentation plan for my project. It will allow me to remember specific situations that I can reflect on and analyze, as well as go back to when preparing my presentation. In my journal I will also write about connections I see between the books/research and my experiences/observations of my siblings.