Communication and Proffesional Relationships Essay

1 Information from supporting teaching &learning n schools by Louise Burnham To establish respectful, professional relationships with children and young people you should adapt your behaviour and communication accordingly. You should also be able to show that you are approachable and able to work in an environment of mutual support. When working with children or young people, it is important to earn their trust to enable an honest relationship to develop. This can usually be done by ensuring that your behaviour is professional, relationship and fair at all times. Children of all ages, cultures and abilities must feel secure and valued. In order to get these relationships correct from the start you should all discuss rules and how they will be important when working together. Always respect others at the beginning and remember that this is crucial, start by talking about how you are going to work together and what each individual wants out of it. This will enable that you develop a mutually respectful relationship. All of teachers / assistants need to be aware of the kinds of issues which are vital to pupils and always be able to take time in talking these through when necessary. To show children they are part of the school community you should positively communicate and involve pupils. This however is not the same as giving pupils attention when they demand it! HOW TO BEHAVE APPROPRIATELY FOR A CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON’S STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT 1.2 Information from supporting teaching & learning in schools by Louise Burnham and internet. Communication with children and young people differs across different age groups and stages of development, which may require varying levels of attention at different times. The younger the child, the more reassurance is required, especially when first starting school. They also may need to have more physical contact as a result. As children become more mature, they may require more help with talking through issues and reflecting their thoughts. For example, in Key stage 1 the manner in which I communicate in is being more adapted, to come down to the child’s level of speaking and repeat what is said for them until it is clearly understood. Where as a child in key stage 3 or 4 the language is used informally and formally depending on their confidence to communicate what they think and as technology as evolved emails and text are used as a form of communication. To have patience, act sensitively and take care with children who have  communication difficulties, as they will need a lot more time to understand and comprehend what the task in hand is. Also to feel a reassurance that they don’t feel pressurized when speaking. Some children or young people may not have many opportunities to speak or may be anxious or nervous. The level of communication is adapted to the needs of the individual. For example, if they have a speech disorder, such as a stammer, which makes it difficult for them to speak aloud, then extra time should be allowed, for them to collect their thoughts. Also trying not to finish their sentences, or guess what they are trying to say, to give the child independence of their speech, to encourage self-esteem and confidence. HOW TO DEAL WITH DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE . 1.3 Disagreements between children and their peers will often happen regularly and teachers or assistants will have to deal with these situations. This can happen in the classroom but is usually in the playground or while having lunch. It is very important for pupils to know that you have listened to their view in what has happened. Always make sure you hear from all sides of the story and find out exactly what has happened from the beginning. Then you should decide whether anyone was in the wrong and if apologies are required or any further steps. For example referral to head teacher. Children and young people should also be able to understand how their own feelings may influence their behaviour and this might have to be discussed. For example saying to a child‘ I understand you are upset today because you could not do baking today’ will help them link between emotion and behaviour. This will able them to understand how to think about others. An effective way of encouraging children to understand and respect others feelings is discussing this as a whole class or making it an activity such as ‘circle time’. Circle time is very effective for older children however very young children may not be able to sit for a length of time and be able to wait for their turn before speaking out. Some schools use strategies such as the restorative justice programme. Which is taken from the criminal justice system and have worked well as a method of resolving behaviour issues.