Communication and professional relationships with children

Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults Task 1 links to learning outcomes 1 and 2, assessment criteria 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1 and 2.2. Working in an educational environment gives you the opportunity to develop communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults. To raise your awareness of these areas: Children and young people

1.1 Describe how to establish respectful, professional relationships with children and young people You need to give detailed information of how this is achieved, looking at children of all ages, cultures and abilities. Relate to how you achieve this and procedures in your setting.

To gain a good professional relationship with both young people and children, we have to become aware of everyone’s different cultures, backgrounds and abilities. This works by getting to understand the children and letting them know you value and understand this and give them support in fulfilling their needs. To get a respectful relationship the best approach is to make all children aware that we need to work together and understand that all children have different needs, strengths and abilities and everyone will get help with everything they need. From the start of meeting the children we need to let them know that there are rules they have to follow and being in control of the situation will help this, it also makes the children respect you as a teaching assistant. The best way to build a relationship is changing our behavior and also communications both verbally and non-verbally to suit the situations you are in.

1.2 Describe with examples how to behave appropriately for a child or young person’s stage of development Split into 3 headings, foundation stage and key stage 1, key stage 2, key stage 3/4 Giving detailed information and examples from practice. State the communication levels for each age range and how you will need to adapt communication. Foundation stage and Key Stage 1

Children at this age need to be spoken to on their level, we do this by kneeling down and being at the same eye level so you can communicate and not make them feel scared by standing over them. With them being so young we have to be understanding in the fact that they are still learning and trying to understand communication. They also need a structure to follow and an understanding of the rules they have been set, in times they may forget this and need to be reminded. When speaking to them we need to continuously check they are taking it all in and understanding it. For example this can be done by asking them to copy what you have said to them. Key stage 2

Key stage 2 pupils are at a different level of development they are more understanding when we are communicating and understand direction when completing tasks. They will be better at listening to others but they will still need boundaries and rules so they respect and listen to other students. At this age we still need to get down to their level so we are less intimidating and they know we are willing to listen and cooperate in helping them with all that they need help with. Key stage 3 and 4

At the stage the students are teenagers and are capable of understanding all types of communications. Some of the student’s maybe increasingly confident and willing to participate in communicating in discussions and in front of others, also at the other end of the scale some students may not be willing to participate in class discussions as they don’t feel comfortable in doing this. These students still need to be given the chance to speak out in order to gain more confidence and become comfortable in doing discussions and answering questions. At this age all students have different personalities and are individual so we have to respect this and support them in being who they are in order for them to grow in to confident, respectful people.

1.3 Describe how to deal with disagreements between children and young people Ensure you show knowledge of how children develop the skills to deal with conflict. Give information on different conflict situations and how to deal with them. Relate to your settings policies on behavior where appropriate.

Disagreements occur on a regular basis between pupils. These situations have to be acknowledged straight away. They could happen at any time of the school day. Depending on the circumstances of the problem not all of the problems have to be solved straight away as we have to be able to devote enough time to solving the issue. Issues can be solved at a later time, the best way to do this is to let the pupil know the time and place the discussion will take place. Some problems for example fidgeting in class can be solved immediately, quickly and efficiently by letting the pupil no it isn’t right to do straight away. Another issue for example pupils talking over one another and not putting their hand up to speak can be dealt in an effective way. Louise Burnham the writer of Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools book states that “One effective way of encouraging children to understand and respect others feelings is through discussion and activities such as ‘circle time’” This would work appropriately as this means they can understand the meaning of respecting each other and taking it in turns to talk. This would mainly only be beneficial to the older student as the younger students may find it difficult and get distracted easily.

To deal with a problem the best thing to do is speak to all the pupils involved and get everyone’s side of the story and listen to everything they have to say. The importance of this is making all pupils feel respected and listened to. Some discussions may need to be dealt with in private rather than in front of the class. Some children may get rather upset or angry and need a time out just to chill. Children are either very willing to be outspoken and will deal with the issues at hand and talk one on one with the other people involved and come to mutual agreement on solving the issue. Were as other pupils who struggle expressing themselves are very quiet may need a bit of help from us to get the opinions across. The next would be deciding if any of the pupils or all pupils have to give an apology. We would also have to let the teacher know as we may not be able to solve the issue again or it might need to be investigated if it’s a re-occurring problem with the same pupil. While working at my placement I came across a disagreement between two children.

One off the children had hit the other child in the face, I did witness the altercation so I knew exactly what happened. I got the two children together and asked them both what happened, they both told me different stories. But I was aware what happened I asked the child that was in the wrong if they understood why I was upset with them, they responded and told me that they were sorry. So I asked the child to apologize to the child who was upset and they did and then they shook hands and both children were then happy. But as the child did wrong we have to move them onto “the cloud” in which they lose out on time to play in “privilege time”. I then took both the children to their teacher so she could hear what happened and to show her the mark the other child had her face. The teacher then agreed I had solved the disagreement properly and the teacher then reported everything in the appropriate way.

According to the schools policy for positive behavior the school set certain rules for the children to follow for example: Always walk in school, help each other tidy up and be polite and friendly to everyone also care for everyone. The also set the children 5 manner to follow, the school are very supportive in promoting positive behavior in any way possible. This school work by using an incentive scheme, every child is given a reward chart and if the child does well they can earn the chance to move up and gain stickers and stamps as a way of rewarding them. The class as a whole also use a marble in a jar scheme and for every good move they make they receive a marble and once the jar is full they receive a reward as a whole class. This school does not tolerate any kind of bullying. They also have many procedures for the staff to follow in case anyone does do something to another student or staff member.

1.4 Describe how own behaviour could:
– promote effective interactions with children and young people – impact negatively on interactions with children and young people.

Our own behavior can impact both negatively and positively on a child or young people. All children learn by copying us in many ways i.e. body language, facial expressions and verbally. If we have a positive attitude for example being chatty, showing an interest in a pupil and having a friendly appearance and very smiley. Then the children are more likely to open up to us and enjoy the day and tasks set as they use our energy to keep themselves motivated and focused on the tasks set. So on the other end of the scale if we have a negative attitude towards children like a bad attitude, not paying attention and being loud and demanding.

Pupils are likely to find us intimidating and not wanting to listen to us. Also we need to show pupils that we are good role models as they are very likely to copy all that we do. So having a negative manner may make a student believe it is an appropriate way to act. Our job is to make a child feel welcome and enjoy school and learn, they need to be taught to be respectful and understanding to others so a good way to do this is to be positive and show the children you acting in this way and they are more than likely going to follow our lead.

2.1 Describe how to establish respectful, professional relationships with adults Alike 1.1 you need to give detailed information of how this is achieved, looking at different cultures and abilities. Relate to how you achieve this and procedures in your setting.

When working in a school we have to have relationships with other adults this could include, other members of staff, parents and other professionals that come into school for example ofstead. We need to give all the people we come in contact with that we are friendly, approachable and offer support and advice were needed. We need to communicate in an effective way and help and support others when needed. If having a conversation with a child’s parent and they give us important information, we need to pass on the information to the correct person that needs the information.

We need to be considerate when dealing with other adults and take into consideration different cultures and abilities and work with other them to support them when needing to either talk to someone or needing something from the school. 2.2 Describe the importance of adult relationships as role models for children and young people. Give information on the importance of you being a good role model. Give examples of good/bad practice.

When working in the school environment we are closely watched by the pupils and need to be there as good roles models. We have to show them how to positively communicate and work with others at all times. Children are very impressible and will copy and take in everything we do. We have to behave professionally in school some good examples of good role models would be showing the children how to be respectful to others, helping children can be positive as it makes the children aware that it is a good thing to be helpful. Also being consistent for example in the school where I am set we had to do a math’s worksheet which included writing down some letters, the students were told that once they had completed the writing part of the sheet they could colour the animal in on the bottom of the page.

But one of the children didn’t want to do the top part and only wanted to do the colouring. We have to be consistent in the children finishing the set work first if they are not willing to complete it they are not allowed to do the colouring. I was consistent in trying to get the child to complete the work and came down to the child’s level and offered the child help and support to do this. It took a few attempts to get the child to do this but the child did eventually complete this and the child was then very happy as they got to do the colouring part of the task.

We can also impact on a child negatively if we are known for being loud and demanding, don’t show an interest and ignoring people, the children will think this is acceptable behavior. Being inappropriate and swearing or being ill mannered is not appropriate as children do tend to copy us in everything we do.

To be a good teaching assistant and a good role model I think the main thing for us is being passionate about helping the children grow and become respectful people.

Task 2 links to learning outcome 3, assessment criteria 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5. Communicating with children, young people and adults in an educational environment is an important part of a professional relationship. To raise your awareness in this area: 3.1 Describe how communication with children and young people differs across different age ranges and stages of development Links to TDA 2.1 (1.1)

Using developmental charts to guide you document how communication develops in children from 0-19 years. Give examples to strengthen your answer.

Linking to criteria 1.2, children communicate differently across all different ages and stages of development. According to Louise Burnham in the Supporting Teaching and Learning in schools she says “Children of different ages will require varying levels of attention.” We need to take into consideration different factors like maturity as children mature at different times. Children also may have communication difficulties and we should act upon this sensitively and respect every child and support them in communication difficulties or issues they have.

3.2 Describe the main differences between communicating with adults and communicating with children and young people Give examples of how you would adapt communication with adults and the different techniques you would use.

When communicating with children, we have to understand how to maintain a carer to child relationship. We have to keep it too a formal level and we need to be continuously seen as the teacher and not a friend. We have to be very clear and understanding when speaking to children, we need to keep it simple and easy to take in. We have to make sure they all understand what has been given to this and the best way to do this is to ask them if they understand. Were as with adults we can talk to them in a more adult nature, including longer words. We have to show children that we can communicate effectively and properly as many children copy our mannerisms and the way we talk. They take in both negative and positive attitudes so we need to keep a positive look.

There are some similarities between talking to children and adults, firstly always maintaining eye contact and showing a keen interest. The way this would differ from children and adults would be that with children we get down to their eye level and the way we talk when we are showing interest by using positive and happy language. With adults we respect them by looking at them while there talking. Both adults and children take interest in our body language and can tell a lot by this for example if were coward and arms folded we will look reserved and not approachable. Respect is a main similarity as both children and adults deserve this. We do this by listening continuously and responding immediately when spoken to and show a keen interest in what people have to say and not being judgmental on people’s opinions.

3.3 Identify examples of communication difficulties that may exist You can create a list of communication difficulties and expand on 3 or 4 to show further knowledge.

There are many different communication difficulties we come across and may occur on an individual basis or in a group. The difficulties would be: Poor communication: This is where communicating between people has not been effective or has been misunderstood. The best way to sort this is to find the area of concern and discuss with the people involved the way to solve this. Opposing expectations: People don’t always understand a task set and confusion may set in. So to solve this we need to make sure everyone has an understanding on what has been set. Lack of confidence: Both adults and children may suffer with a lack of confidence issue. They could either become upset, stressed or angry and may need time to calm down. So we need to be considerate and understanding and give them the support they need. Individuals with special needs: We have to show care, understanding and support to individuals with special needs.

We need to give them the time they need to complete the work or the extra equipment or support they may need. Cultural differences: In schools today both adults and children may have different cultural backgrounds. So we have to show respect and understanding to this and communicate in way that respects there culture. Different values and ideas: Every child or adult has a different personality and we need to understand and respect this and different ways of doing tasks and communicating maybe be needed. External factors: All humans have a separate life at home and people do have extra pressures and responsibilities. The more we work with people the more understanding we can give to them and realize when people n eed extra help or someone to talk to.

3.4 Describe how to adapt communication to meet different communication needs You can link to 3.3 for ease and show how to adapt communication, giving examples.
Linking to 3.3 we need to adapt our communication methods to suit everyone that we come in contact with. We need to take numerous issues into consideration for example the age of the person involved, how mature they are, what the conversation is about and if the individual has any needs, these needs may be due to a special need or just lack confidence. We have to think about everyone we come in contact with like the parents/carers of the students as for example some may has a visual impairment or a hearing impairment so we need to change our body language or give eye contact to them person involved. We have to be sensitive on the fact that children or parents of children may have a struggle communicating in English. So we need to be sensitive and either get a translator or use picture cards to get an understanding of what they need or we need them to know.

3.5 Describe how to deal with disagreements between:
– the practitioner and children and young people
– the practitioner and other adults.
You are the practitioner in this case and you will need to give detailed information on procedures to follow according to your settings policies and procedures.

Disagreements do occur in the workplace but they need to be dealt with efficiently and effectively. A main cause of disagreements between the practitioner and other adults is down too miscommunication, so we should solve the issues at hand immediately and come to an agreement on how to solve the miscommunications also we need to realize that every person is entitled to an opinion and we have to respect this. The line manager needs to be notified incase it’s a re-occurring problem or if we need help in solving the issue. The procedure we need to follow is understanding the nature of the issue and see if it can be solved between the two people involved.

If not then it needs to be taken further to the next person up and they need to find out the issue and try to resolve it. It also gets passed on the head teacher and we speak to them to try and solve the problem we have. When it comes to disagreements between the practitioner and the children, we need to try and not be taken in by the disagreement and keep calm. We may need to find assistance as some children may not want to listen to you and talk it out. If the child is being angry and shouting we may need both people to take a time out and discuss it at a later time in the day. When solving the issue later we may need a mediator to be there to listen to the parties involved discussing what has happened and how to solve the issue there is.