You’ll need to change your behaviour and method of communication when establishing respectful, professional relationships with children and young people.
This can be done making yourself more approachable so that they feel safe to talk to you and ask for help. Its also important that you make them feel valued by listening to what they have to say and not rushing them or cutting off their sentences and also maintaining eye contact to let them know they have your full attention.
It’s important to be fair. Setting up ground rules at the beginning then making sure you stick by them for each child is important. This will also help children and young people understand why they’re being punished, as they would have been made aware of the rules and what the consequences are when they break the rules.
2) Describe with examples how to behave appropriately for a child or young person’s development.
In order to behave appropriately for a child or young person’s development you need to be aware of their particular stage of development as they’ll need different levels of support and attention.
When communicating with pupils in early year foundation stags it’s importing to get down to their level as they are still very small and can find it very intimidating when adults tower over them. It’s also good practice to sit with them at their table or on the floor when playing with them.
Their level of concentration is still very low therefore it’s always important to check if they have understood what you’ve said. You can check if they’ve understood what you’ve said buy asking them to repeat what you’ve said or asking them what were the important points that they have to remember from what you’ve just said. If not you may have to explain again and/or show them.
They may also find it difficult to concentrate and manage during times of excitement therefore you should be aware of what’s going on around them and try to calm the environment down or make transitional periods flow a lot smoother into the next activity.
Remember to stay calm and use a non-threatening voice and try not to shout. Getting into a routine of capturing their attention by getting them to follow a pattern of hand clapping is an effective method.
In regards to young people will be more mature and can participate in a more formal conversation although they my still need to practice waiting for their turn to speak in coversations.
3) A description of how to deal with disagreements between children and young people
Children
Approach them with a calm nature but with authority. Ask each child to explain what happened. To let them know that you are treating each one fairly by giving both of them a chance to explain what happened.
After hearing what they’ve had to say and depending on the dispute it may call for you to explain to them the difference in right and wrong. Alternatively, the dispute may call for apologies. If that is the case help them to understand why they need to apologies by explaining that if they were put in the same position as the other person how they would feel.
Young people
At this stage young people would have developed their own personalities and have their own views and ideas and as a result can clash more often with others. Therefore its very important that they learn to accept and respect others views and opinions and to respect this.
To discourage disputes its good practice to use debates in class to allow them to practice sharing their opinions with others in a diplomatic way, which should encourage them to discuss issues and come to a mutual agreement when disputes arise.
As they’ve matured they’re able to independently solve disputes themselves therefore adults should give them the chance to work it out between themselves before they intervene.
4) Describe how your own behaviour could promote effective interactions with children and young people AND impact negatively on interactions with children and young people.
Our own behaviour can have a positive and negative influence on interactions with children and young people as they look up to adults as role models and learn behaviours by copying us. Therefore it’s important to be aware of this and treat others fairly and have a professional approach by dressing smart.
For example, using in-appropriate language and swearing in front of children teaches them that bad language is acceptable. It’s impossible to prevent children from doing something if do it ourselves.
ADULTS
1) Describe how to establish respectful, professional relationships with adults
To establish respectful, professional relationships with adults you have to
treat others with respect. Its good practice to introduce yourself to others whenever the opportunity presents itself, for example if there is a new staff member joining the team, visitors coming into the workplace or to visit a child at school.
Increase the trust and respect others have for you by being honest, competent and working hard. Communicate with your co-workers with candor. Avoid behaviours that could threaten your reputation such as talking bad about colleagues. It’s also important to dress smart and look professional.
2) Describe the importance of adult relationships as role models for children and young people
It’s important for us as role models to model the kind of behaviour we expect from children and young people, because they look up to us and learns behaviours from. Therefore we need to show children and young people how to get along with one another by showing we value and respect others.
As a role model we should demonstrate positive behaviour by showing children and young people how to get along with one another by valuing and respecting others. If we do not show ourselves as good role models we will have a negative impact on children’s and young peoples development. If they see us behaviour un-professionally this could make them feel uncomfortable but even worse they may repeat bad behaviour and hinder their positive development.
Reference
Baker. B & Burnham, L (2010) Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, Pearson Education Ltd, United Kingdom
