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 appear in almost every course in 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. It is for this reason that mixed-age groups should be advocated for all programs serving children and youth; most importantly infants and toddlers.

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

• Adults can remain close during periods of play and provide occasional support or problem-solving assistance.
• Adults can model 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.
• Adults can imitate and expand 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.
• Adults can help children to expand their imaginary play by asking questions about what the child is doing or going to do.
• Adults can use play to model complex vocabulary words or focus 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.

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 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.

The Role of Culture in Interactions

Each child comes to your program with unique experiences, expectations, and abilities. No two humans interact the same way! This means staff members must be ready to interact appropriately with children who have different backgrounds from their own or who enter the programs with special needs.

The first step is for staff members to recognize the influence of their own culture. Among staff members, culture may express itself in ideas about how children or youth learn, how people should interact, how children should be disciplined, how much children should direct their own experiences, how boys and girls should behave, and myriad other ways. Clearly, these day-to-day ideas influence the experiences children have and, in turn, their cognitive development. To guide staff members as they reflect on culture, you can be prepared to observe interactions, ask questions about assumptions, and facilitate discussions.

One common way culture manifests itself in interactions is during conversations between staff members and children. Staff members often may find themselves responding to questions from children about diversity. Help staff understand how to respond in ways that promote understanding, awareness, and honesty. Help them avoid bias or judgment in their answers. For example, they should avoid answers like, "William uses a wheelchair because his legs are broken" or "Big boys don't cry like that." Encourage children to notice how we are all alike and different. Also watch for biased language. Staff members might call children "baby girl," "big boy," or "cutie" rather than their given names; talk with them about the importance of using names. Additionally consider:

• Do staff members comment equally on girls' and boys' appearances and accomplishments?
• Do they make comments about play that apply differently to boys and girls? For example, do they say things like, "Oh, don't get your dress dirty!" to girls on the playground? Do they comment more on girls in dramatic play and boys in blocks?
• Do they praise African American boys for their athleticism more than their academic achievements?
• Do they comment on children's size (e.g., "He's going to be a football player")?
• Do they encourage girls and boys to play sports or lift weights? Do they encourage girls to "be careful" while saying "boys will be boys"?
• Do staff members encourage peaceful solutions for all children (e.g., avoid giving directions like not hitting kids with glasses)?
• Do staff members have conversations with all children-including those who may have speech and language difficulties or who are learning English?

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 the 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 the 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.