Problem solving in early childhood education environments is done mostly in groups rather than individually. One person is not responsible for coming up with all the answers, but rather with synthesizing information to help implement the best solutions for a child.

A discussion in this unit asks you to work in small groups to address the issues of Case 14, “Tomasito Is Too Big to Hold Hands” (Weiss et al., pages 149–157). After participating in the discussion, individually create your own analysis to the following questions:

• How do family processes influence Tomasito’s development?
• How does Tomasito’s sense of connectedness affect his motivation to learn? How does it affect those around him and the way they support his learning?
• If you were sharing the results of math work and math assessments with Tomasito and his family, how would you go about doing that to optimize his future success in the subject?
• What are the possible ways of building reciprocal relationships with this family? Which do you think are the most appropriate and why? What support can be offered and how can parents be encouraged to be more involved?

As with any analysis, your report should provide the reasons behind your assessments and recommendations. Use examples from the case study and other appropriate reading to support your responses. Your final report should be 3-5 pages long and be written in scholarly and APA style.