Arizona Head Start TTA Office Summer Webinar Series: Child-Adult Interactions

1. Head Start Arizona Head Start TTA Office Summer Webinar Series: Child-Adult Interactions Mary Kramer Reinwasser, M.Ed. Arizona State-Based TTA Manager

2. Agenda • Components of quality interactions • Research in teacher-child interactions • Parenting/caregiving styles • Temperament and Interactions • Positive child-teacher interaction strategies

3. Learning Outcomes • Participants will be able to name the components of quality interactions • Participants will be able to identify outcomes of positive adult child interactions • Participants will be able to describe common parenting/caregiving styles • Participants will be able to describe several strategies to enhance positive child-teacher interactions

4. Overview The developmental appropriateness of an early childhood program is most apparent in the interaction between adults and children. • National Association for the Education of Young Children

5. Research Close teacher-child relationships and quality classroom practices are related to: • higher social skills of preschoolers • lower symptoms of anxiety, depression and social withdrawal in first grade • more letters known, higher math scores and advanced language and literacy skills while in preschool • better language and cognitive skills among preschoolers • higher reading skills when coupled with a structured and disciplined home environment • better receptive language • good peer interactions and positive relationships with teachers and peers in elementary school • lower levels of challenging behaviors and higher levels of competence

6. Components of Quality Interactions • Teacher-Child Interaction and Student Learning • Teacher-Child Communication • Teacher-Child Interaction and the Promotion of a Positive Self-Image • Teacher-Child Interaction and Disciplinary Styles • Authoritative • Authoritarian • Permissive • Neglecting/rejecting

7. Teacher Beliefs • sensitivity of interactions with children, • involvement (both verbal and nonverbal) of interactions with children, and • play style adopted when interacting with children Results • 22% reported that they were able to always practice their beliefs • 65% indicated that they were able to practice their beliefs most of the time • 4% claimed that they were able to practice their beliefs only some of the time, and • 7% reported that they were seldom able to practice their beliefs.

8. Promoting Positive Teacher-Child Interaction • Engage in one-to-one interactions with children • Get on the child's level for face-to-face interactions • Use a pleasant, calm voice and simple language • Provide warm, responsive physical contact • Follow the child's lead and interest during play • Help children understand classroom expectations • Redirect children when they engage in challenging behavior • Listen to children and encourage them to listen to others • Acknowledge children for their accomplishments and effort

9. Treat each child with warmness and respect • Do you warmly greet children when they arrive in your classroom? • Do you give the children a hug? • Do you pat children on the back when they have done a good job? • Do you comfort children who are in distress by providing prompt support and assistance? • Do you maintain eye contact with children when engaged in a conversation? • Do you smile often? • Do you carefully consider your tone of voice when talking with the children? • Do you acknowledge the children’s point of view by actively listening?

10. Create a positive emotional climate • Do children enjoy coming into your classroom in the morning? • Do they feel safe and secure? • Is the physical environment conducive to learning? • Are conversations pleasant for the most part? • Are the expectations you have for children fair? • Does your non-verbal behavior convey that you are happy to be in the classroom?

11. Get to know each child on an individual basis • Do you engage each child in one-on-one conversations on a regular basis? • Do you listen to each child’s opinions? • Do you seek to learn more about a child’s likes and dislikes? • Do you make attempts to get to know the child’s family? • Do you understand the child’s cultural background? • Do you consider each child’s unique needs, interests, learning style, and abilities? • Do you regularly evaluate each child’s progress and vary your interactions accordingly?

12. Engage children in cognitively stimulating activities • Do you talk to children on a frequent basis? • Do you respond to children’s questions and requests? • Do you engage in meaningful and extended conversations with • each child? • Do you read books aloud to children on a daily basis? • Do you ask children meaningful questions related to the books that you read? • Do you engage children in tasks and activities that offer children a real challenge? • Do you provide children with feedback that helps them think and expand their understanding of concepts covered in class?

13. Utilize an authoritative approach in guiding • Do you take into account the age, developmental stage, and temperament of each child? • Do you communicate your expectations for children’s behavior clearly and directly? • Do you hold children responsible for their behavior? • Do you implement consequences for negative behavior in a fair and consistent manner? • Are you firm, yet loving toward the children in your care?

14. Impact of Positive Child-Teacher Interactions • Problem-solvers • Language learners • Negotiators • Communicators • Social partners

15. Temperament and Interactions • Task Orientation/Task Attention is composed of activity level, persistence, and distractibility. • Personal-Social Flexibility (Social Adaptability) includes items from the dimensions of withdrawal/approach, adaptability, and positive mood. • Reactivity contains items from the dimensions of intensity, and threshold of response, and negative mood.

16. Programs can… • Create a warm, nurturing, welcoming physical environment that fosters the development of trusting relationships15 • Understand that trust is foundational to positive interactions and the development of relationships15 • Establish a working environment that reflects respect for individual teachers and children • Model communication that is direct, supportive, and respectful of parents, teachers, and children

17. Programs can… • Re-visit the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and emphasize practices and approaches that integrate cognitive learning and social development • Promote the understanding that social competence is culturally determined • Identify strategies that accommodate and support culture and language backgrounds of staff, families and children • Understand that meaningful relationships require content

18. Practitioners can… • Provide learning environments that are positive, sensitive, responsive and include frequent individualized interactions • Structure the physical environment, equipment and materials in ways that promote quality social interactions among children, parents and teachers • Implement an engaging curriculum that includes opportunities for each child to participate • Respect and validate children’s cultural and language backgrounds • Plan and implement experiences that are of interest to children and include content that promotes and sustains the development of positive child-child and adult-child relationships • Provide classroom routines that are consistent and predictable

19. Practitioners can… • Use effective well-timed transitions that include warnings about transitions that preview what is going to happen next, and communicate clearly what is expected of children • Provide positive attention that encourages each child • Find ways to validate how children are feeling and what they are experiencing • Be actively engaged in learning new things with children • Identify ways to reinforce children’s positive behaviors and learning • Maintain high expectations related to children’s behavior and learning across all developmental domains identified within the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and state and local curriculum standards

20. Children are developing the capacity of… • trust • autonomy • initiative • creativity …through positive relationships with adults.

21. Questions

22. The Arizona Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Office and STG International thank you for joining our webinar today! Please continue to join the 2010 Summer Webinar Series occurring every Tuesday and Thursday during the months of June and July at 3:00 Pacific Daylight Time. Please contact Mary Kramer Reinwasser at mary.reinwasser@stginternational.com for more information.