The document discusses mistaken behavior in children. It defines mistaken behavior as actions that occur when children haven't yet developed the skills for more mature responses. Mistaken behavior is viewed as something to be corrected through teaching rather than punishment. There are three levels of mistaken behavior - experimentation, socially influenced mistakes, and mistakes that stem from strong unmet needs. The teacher should understand mistaken behavior may be accidental or intentional, communicate respectfully with families, and adjust their response based on the individual child and situation.

1. Chapter Three
“Mistaken Behavior”
©2014 Cengage Learning.
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2. Guiding Questions:
• What is inappropriate about the term
misbehavior?
• What is the concept of mistaken behavior?
• What are patterns of social relations?
• What are the three levels of mistaken
behavior?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

3. Guiding Questions:
• Are mistaken behavior, aggression, and
challenging behavior different or same
thing?
• Cultural Responsiveness: If a classroom
conflict is due to “culture factors,” do we
still consider it a mistaken behavior?
• Family Partnerships: How does the
teacher communicate with parents about
mistaken behavior?
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

4. Terminology is Important
• Misbehavior implies willful wrongdoing and
invites labeling of the child
• Children have a tendency to internalize
negative labels and act out the expected
behaviors
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

5. Mistaken Behavior
• In the process of learning any difficult skills,
children make mistakes
• When children experience conflicts it is
because they haven’t developed the
cognitive and emotional characteristics
needed for more mature responses
• Mistaken behavior is viewed as something
that should be corrected through teaching,
not punishing
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

6. Relational Patterns
• Encounterer
– Child’s concerned with maintaining an individual sense
of centrality, wholeness, and initiative
• Adjustor
– Child’s concerned with learning what’s expected by
others and producing that behavior
• Survivor
– Child’s concerned solely with getting through time and
space without disturbing established ways of getting
needs met
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

7. Harlow:
3 Levels of Mistaken Behavior
• One: Experimentation
– involvement—the child unintentionally causes a conflict when a situation
unexpectedly gets out of hand.
– curiosity—the child intentionally causes a conflict to see what will happen.
• Two: Socially influenced
– learned--parents or other adult family members; siblings or other relatives;
friends and neighbors; other children in the center or school; the teacher
or caregiver; other adults in the center or school; and media
“superheroes” from television movies or computer games
• Three: Strong needs
– created by vulnerability--prenatal alcohol and drug exposure; other
complications during pregnancy such as parental malnutrition or
depression; premature delivery or difficult delivery; malnutrition during
infancy
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

8. Understanding Mistaken
Behavior
• Mistaken behavior can be accidental or intentional
• Mistaken behavior can range from less to more serious
• Physical and psychological aggression are two common forms of
serious mistaken behavior for young children
• Challenging behaviors interfere with children’s learning, development,
and success at play; are harmful to the child or others around them;
and put a child at high risk for later social and academic problems
• Challenging behaviors often accompany strong needs that haven’t
been met
• The teacher should adjust their intervention according to the
characteristics and context of each incidence of mistaken behavior
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

9. Family Partnerships
• Seek to understand the family’s view of
their child
• Use compliment sandwiches
• Communicate to parents that mistakes will
be made in the lifelong learning process
• Partnership between teacher and families
helps the child learn from his/her mistakes
©2014 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.