Giving children a safe, nurturing environment in which they are able to learn how to use the tools required to build resilience is paramount. Strategies such as being able to say no, strategies to calm themselves when they are feeling stressed or anxious, calm areas, a timer, a talk buddy, a sprint, writing in a diary are tools which can assist in this. There are many ways that we can support children's self-confidence. It is important to recognise, praise and reward, in line with school policy, their achievements however small, celebrating even the small successes. Likewise it is just as important to accept that getting things wrong is okay and to understand how we can learn from our mistakes.
'Questioning enables teachers to check learners' understanding. It also benefits learners as it encourages enitgagement and focuses their thinking on key concepts and ideas.' (Kyriacou 1995 in Desforges 1995, pg. 126) I am of the opinion that the idea children should work in mixed ability groups is not always a viable option. I feel it is important to take into account the personalities of the children, as learning may be inhibited if one child is particularly domineering or intimidating.
Assessments are a crucial part of education and there is a need to measure where student are at in order to adjust curriculum and motivation. This needs to be done carefully and with very high consideration of the student’s emotional well-being. Rewards systems and positive reinforcement are crucial to creating a supportive environment that students want to be present in. * Nurturing- Creating a love for learning will make learning easier. Finding ways to make the material fun, engaging, and easy to comprehend will nurture a love of learning.
Positive relationships enable information to be communicated far more effectively. Working in a school this will benefit pupils when you are dealing with parents or carers as they will be more willing to get involved in the child or young person’s education and care. Building and maintaining positive relationships and effective communication with pupils will help them know and understand what is expected of them and acceptable boundaries. In order to develop positive relationships with children, young people and adults effective communication is vital. To effectively communicate we must: • think consciously (everyone is an individual) • explain (be clear, use appropriate language) • listen actively ( occasional nods and eye contact) • be true to our word (say what you mean, mean what you say) • recall (repeat snippets of what has been said to you) • have empathy (non-bias understanding of others situations) • clarify and question (ask the other party if they understand what you have said ) • body language (your own and reading the other persons) Not putting the above skills into practice will create barriers to effective communication and positive
It is important effective communication with adult to be able to build a relationship of trust and understanding. Parents and adult are likely to give beneficial of supporting if the communications is strong and effective and this can be beneficial for the children. Build and establish relationships ,prevent problem,misunderstand ,stay motivate,establish mutual respect are some example. Aim children to learn,have fun ,play and engage. Children will lear and develop when ether is a friendly environment with people they trust.
Children will learn how to calm themselves, managing anger and aggressive feelings. Motivation – Pupils are able to become active and enthusiastic in their learning, perhaps taking small steps to achieve a set goal. Helping children to concentrate on positive learning skills and to overcome distractions or behaviour issues, children can also learn how to evaluate their learning for the future. Pupils can also learn how to have a positive approach to overcoming mistakes of disappointments. Empathy – Children learn how to recognise others feelings, knowing how their own views/opinions could affect others.
Constructive feedback is a way to increase self-awareness, offers options and encourages the learners development, this is a very important part of the teachers role and must be given with tact and encouragement to progress the learner. Constructive feedback does not mean giving positive feedback only. Negative feedback, if given skilfully, can be very important and useful. Destructive feedback is negative feedback which is given in an unskilled way. It can leave the participant feeling bad with seemingly no way forward.
The teacher provided physical and mental safety from insult and diminishment. Mike Rose emphasized that a good environment actually would help students do better, “And there was safety to take risks, to push beyond what you can comfortably do at the present, ‘coaxing out thinking along,’ as one of Steve Gilbert’s student put it, bringing out our best interpretive abilities” (46). These democratic classrooms also showed the amazing respect of people toward another, especially toward students of different ethnicities. They respected each other’s background, their languages, and history. They helped one another study and made them feel comfortable.
I always try to adopt positive strategies very sensitively which would bring out the best in a child. I believe that it is very important to define children in terms of their strength rather than focussing a negative behaviour. Certain behaviours which have negative connotation may be reassessed as positive attributes. I believe that each child should receive positive feedback which will make them more empowered. “Structure the programme to enhance children’s well-being and sense of belonging through such things as provision of energetic outdoor play, use of music and rhythms, calm and pleasant routines for meals and rest times”.
The important factor within the interaction is that the level of choice is appropriate for the child. Time is also a potential barrier to consulting with children. Kay (200) acknowledges that individual attention on a regular basis is an almost utopian concept in a busy ECCE setting, but stresses the fact that taking time to listen to young children may represent a step forward in their knowledge of the world around them. Regardless of the obstacles that appear (perceived or real), a supportive climate where collaboration between adults and children is encouraged is essential for learning. This involves active listening and reflection, in order to ‘…provoke, co-construct and stimulate children’s thinking and their collaboration with peers’ (French, 2007:27).