Teach

The Importance of Relationships

One of the most important findings from modern brain research is how critical others are to the developing brain. As Ellen Galinsky says, “there is no development without relationships.” Relationships are central to all of your work. The importance of relationships is a theme you will see in almost every course on the Virtual Lab School. Relationships will be covered in greater depth in the Families course, but they are also crucial for promoting cognitive development.

Relationships don't just happen. They take time to develop and deepen. According to Janet Gonzalez-Mena and Dianne Widmeyer Eyer, relationships grow from interactions that are respectful, responsive and reciprocal. These types of interactions build security and confidence in children and youth and support them in becoming capable learners.  

For a powerful example of the importance of interactions, consider the famous “Still Face Experiment.” In this experiment, caregivers were asked to interact playfully with an infant. Then they were asked to look away and remain unresponsive for a period of time. Researchers found that infants became quite distressed by the sudden unresponsiveness of the adult. These experiments have been used to investigate many aspects of parent-child attachment, social emotional development, and cognitive development. Daily interactions matter!

Interactions that Support Learning

Scientists have recently started to describe the “serve and return” style of interactions and their impact on brain development. Interactions literally change the brain. To learn more, you can watch Harvard University's "Serve and Return Interaction Shapes Brain Chemistry" video to see how interactions influence the developing brain.

Serve and Return Interaction Shapes Brain Chemistry The Center of the Developing Child at Harvard University http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/videos/three_core_concepts/serve_and_return/ 

This lesson, and the lessons completed by direct care staff members, covered two essential aspects of interactions: physical and verbal. Physical interactions include play. Verbal interactions include encouragement and conversations.

Physical Interactions

It is often said that play is children’s work. Play is the time when children explore their interests. This is true for infants as well as school-age children and youth. As they explore materials, interact with other children, and create new ways of playing, they are learning. Some challenges during play and learning are expected and OK. Allowing children time to work through an issue gives them time to solve the problem and builds their self-confidence. You can model something, such zipping your own coat, and then encourage them to give it a try. Providing just enough help to keep frustration at a minimum motivates children to learn new skills. This concept is referred to as “scaffolding,” a term coined by developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky. As the child learns how to avoid frustration with each step, the adult can provide less and less support.

Scaffolding is a method of support that helps a child learn a new skill. According to Vygotsky, scaffolding occurs in the zone of proximal development. ZPD is the difference between what a child can do independently and what they can do with the support of someone who is more experienced. Scaffolding requires the following, which can be obtained through thoughtful observations and interactions (Gillespie & Greenberg, 2017):

• Understanding of child and youth development
• Understanding the ways children approach learning
• Establishing realistic learning objectives
• Matching strategies to each child’s interests, knowledge, and skills

Adults can increase learning by interacting with children during play in different ways:

• Remaining close during periods of play or free time and providing occasional support or problem-solving assistance.
• Modeling complex ideas. They can build a tower with blocks. They can shake a rattle. They can experiment with mixing paints. They can create rockets with children in the school-age program. In short, they can be involved in learning experiences.
• Imitating and expanding children’s ideas. If an infant waves, the adult waves back and says “Hi.” If a toddler or preschooler begins to dance, the adult adds a movement and sings a song. If a school-age child tosses a basketball, the adult tosses it back and suggests a game.
• Helping children expand their play by offering interesting materials and by asking open-ended questions about what the child is doing or going to do.
• Modeling complex vocabulary words or focusing on key skills from the curriculum. For example, an adult might comment on the “stethoscope” in the dramatic play doctor’s office. Or an adult who knows children are working on identifying insects might provide magnifying glasses, soil, and plastic insects in the sensory table.
• Involving children and youth in decision-making and problem-solving during play.

Verbal Interactions

Children and youth want and need adults to interact with them. They desire human interaction. The amount and types of interaction they desire during play and learning will differ among children and the types of experiences they are involved in. Adults should always be available. Here are some strategies direct care staff members learned in their courses and that you can help adults use to promote learning with children of all ages:

• Use children’s names throughout the day, being sure to pronounce them correctly, and make sure children know adults are interested in their ideas.
• Use rich vocabulary and descriptive language. For example, with a young toddler a staff member might say: “You stacked two green blocks on top of the red block.” Using the word “stacked” instead of “put” or “placed” introduces new language; using color names reinforces color identification; using “on top” is a directional word; and the number “two” supports math concepts; all of these expand learning in an appropriate way. With school-age youth, a staff member might take children on a nature walk around the “perimeter of the facility” or notice the “aromas” coming from the cooking activity.
• Converse and ask questions during play, learning and everyday routines. Consider these examples from across the age span, and notice that similar scenarios across age groups require different kinds of responses from adults:

• Avoid the tendency to tell children what to do, what will happen, or what they are thinking. You may know what will happen when they pour sand through a sieve, but letting them figure it out allows learning to happen and encourages further learning. Telling them what will happen takes away that moment of discovery. A better option would be to ask what happened to the sand after it was poured into the sieve.
• Be patient after asking a question or making a statement. Allow time to process what was said. Too many questions can impede the natural learning process.
• Challenge stereotypes that children express or that are expressed in the media (race, ethnicity, language, disability, sexuality, gender, language, etc.). Create a space where staff and children feel comfortable talking about identities, differences, and similarities.

The Role of Culture in Interactions

Elements of culture affect every part of our life. Think about your childhood and the way you were raised. Did your family value independence or family loyalty? What were your parents' attitudes and beliefs about how children should interact with adults? What were your family's views about the role of parents in their children's education? Did your family believe that parents should take an active role, or did they think that a child's education is best left in the hands of teachers and other educators? How you answer these questions is influenced by your culture and upbringing and will likely influence how you interact with children.

Children enter our programs with unique backgrounds and experiences. Knowing children's backgrounds and preferences is the heart of developmentally appropriate practice. You can use this information to send the message, "You belong here." By acknowledging, respecting, and celebrating the cultures and traditions of the children, parents, and staff in your own program setting, you promote a sense of belonging and community. For example, some children and staff may enter your program with a first language other than English. Be prepared to build upon the language assets that these children and staff bring. See the Supporting Language Diversity focused topic for more ideas and information.

Be aware of how your interactions- and those of staff- support the learning of all children. Watch for evidence of bias like:

• Do you comment equally on girls' and boys' appearances and accomplishments?
• Do you praise African American boys for their athleticism more than their academic achievements?
• Do you comment on children's size (e.g., "He's going to be a football player")?
• Do you encourage girls and boys to play sports or lift weights? Do you encourage girls to "be careful" while saying "boys will be boys"?
• Do you encourage peaceful solutions for all children (e.g., avoid giving directions like not hitting kids with glasses)?
• Do you have conversations with all children-including those who may have speech and language difficulties or who are learning English?

When it comes to being culturally relevant, children and youth need opportunities to learn about their world and their community. Their community includes their families, staff and their other caregivers, your program, and their neighborhoods. Consider working with staff to implement the following strategies across your program:

• Support the home language of children and their families by learning a few words from the child’s native language to help them feel more comfortable. Work with staff to identify resources for learning common words and phrases of the languages spoken in your program.
• Maintain open communication with families on what materials you are providing to support their child’s cognitive development. Work with staff on newsletters, resource libraries, and other communication. Be available to answer families’ questions.
• Ensure each classroom or program library features books with children of many different races, religions, and cultures.
• Work with management to ensure the program’s displays reflect a commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity. Choose artwork, posters, and decorations that honor global traditions.
• Ensure staff have access to paint, paper, and crayons that represent the range of human skin tones and that children can choose materials they want to use.
• Talk with other staff about how the program honors holidays. If staff talk about Christmas or Halloween, for example, make sure they also know and discuss additional holidays that are important to families like the Lunar New Year, Ramadan, and Diwali.

When you and staff offer culturally relevant activities and materials that are based on children’s real-life experiences you are supporting their cognitive development.

Model

Take the time to model the following behaviors that support cognitive development:

• Get to know the children in your programs by name. Greet them and their families. Notice their efforts and accomplishments.
• Join activities, play with children, or read to babies whenever you have a chance. Structure your schedule so you have opportunities for quality time with children and staff.
• Show staff that you enjoy your job and enjoy spending time with them! Have rich and interesting conversations with staff members throughout the week.
• Model an inclusive attitude. If you see any examples of bias in your programs, say something. Model unbiased language and interactions. Make it clear that men and women can be equally strong and nurturing, that we all benefit from a range of experiences, and that our labels do not define our interests or abilities.

Observe

Remember your role is to empower staff members. You support them as they grow professionally. It can be tempting to jump in and "fix" problems for staff members. It is important to take a long view of staff development. It is your role to help them build skill and confidence in their work. They can only do that if you empower them to solve problems, make decisions, and reflect upon their own work. You play an important role in helping them think about how their interactions promote development.

In the following video, you will see several scenarios that involve interactions between children and staff members. As you watch, think about how you might empower the staff members to think about ways to strengthen their interactions and support cognitive development. How might you support each staff member?

As you move through the program and interact with staff members, watch staff members’ interactions with children. As you observe, watch to see if the teachers and children enjoy being with one another, if they demonstrate respect for one another, if teachers are responsive to the needs of the students and provide extra support when necessary. Equally important is to recognize when children and youth are not being supported emotionally. If teachers are angry or disrespectful or have to use threats to maintain control, the teacher is negatively affecting children and youth development, and it needs to be addressed immediately.