In this course, we are learning, communication is not always straightforward. Everyone, at some time or another, makes assumptions based on messages communicated through body language and facial expressions. For this week’s assignment, I watched an episode of a television show I wouldn’t normally watch with the sound turned off focusing on characters’ relationships and ways in which they are communicating and then again with the sound on. That show was Dora and Friends: Into the City “Kate Gives Puppets a Hand” (Gifford & Valdes, 2016). The irony of this assignment is that we often require our son to watch his shows with no sound because he likes to play on the computer at the same time.
For the most part, nonverbal behavior I observed included loads of hand motions to imply togetherness. When characters are laughing, the shoulders move up while the head moves down in a repetitive way. The giant in the episode shows a scowling facial expression. The townspeople show fear through wide eyes and rounded mouths. I found it interesting that the giant seemed afraid of a butterfly shooing it with his hands and looking to shy away but then stomping his feet when it would not move.
Based on the characters nonverbal interactions, I assumed that the characters and plot were involved in a Jack and the Beanstalk/Fairytale type story about a giant terrorizing the citizens of a small town. Once watching with the sound, I learn that In Puppetland, Dora, Kate, Pablo and Sir Jim, the brave knight, rush to warn the royal villagers of el Gigante’s arrival.
Though I do not watch Dora and Friends with my son much, the storylines are typical of shows written for children with a problem that is presented and then solved by show’s end allowing viewers a chance to interact through choices and songs.
References
Gifford, C. and Valdes, V. (2016). Dora and friends into the city ! Kate gives puppets a hand. Retrieved from http://www.nickjr.com/dora-and-friends/videos/kate-gives-puppets-a-hand-s2-ep210-full-episode/
My Life in Early Education 