- Describe the importance of relationships to cognitive development.
- Discuss the role of culture in interactions.
- Identify ways you help staff build interactions that support play, exploration, and learning in your program.
Learn
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.
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:
See Say Do
Use the menu at the left or the pager below to cycle through scenarios
Scenario | What you see:Jeremy’s block tower is almost as tall as he is. As he reaches to add one more block, he looks at you and smiles. |
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Scenario | What you see:A 6-month-old is exploring a bin of colorful fabrics. |
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Scenario | What you see:Felix and Olivia are trying to fill buckets with water in the sensory table, but they are using cups that are designed with holes in the bottom. All the water drips out before they can pour it into the bucket. |
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Scenario | What you see:Jayla is frustrated that she can’t get the box of blocks back on the shelf. You notice other blocks have fallen and are in the way. |
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Scenario | What you see:Three children have noticed a bird nest in the tree outside the playground fence. They really want to get closer to the nest. |
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Scenario | What you see:D’Angelo and Kaitlyn are trying to build a ramp for cars to race down, but it keeps falling. They are starting to look frustrated. |
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Scenario | What you see:Jose is frustrated that he can’t get the model plane wings constructed like they look in the directions. |
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Scenario | What you see:Three children have noticed a bird nest in the tree outside the fence. They are very concerned about the well-being of the baby birds. |
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Scenario | What you see:Dominic and Ashley are playing pool. Dominic is having a hard time getting any balls into the pockets. |
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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?
See Say Do
Use the menu at the left or the pager below to cycle through scenarios
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You Do | What staff might do to support thinking skills:
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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.
Explore
Sometimes we all struggle with knowing how to respond to others. Read the scenarios in the What Do I Say Now? activity as you think about how you would respond. How would you start a conversation with the staff member? Think about how they might influence cognitive development for children or youth. After you have completed the scenarios, compare your responses to the suggested answers.
Apply
Conduct your very own scavenger hunt by looking for interactions that support learning in your program. Use the Interactions that Support Learning: Scavenger Hunt activity to help you look at your program in a creative way. An extension of this activity could include creating a bulletin board with pictures and descriptions of staff members using these strategies.
Use the Questions that Support Thinking Skills guide as a resource with staff members. Consider using it to start a discussion during a training meeting, providing it as a follow-up to an activity about high-quality questions, posting it in classrooms, or using it to provide feedback and examples during individual observations and meetings with staff.
For additional training resources, please visit the NCQTL 15-Minute Inservice Suites at http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/practice/iss-library.html
Demonstrate
American Anthropological Association (n.d.) Race: Are We So Different? Retrieved from http://www.understandingrace.org/
Barrera, I., & Corso, R. M. (2003). Skilled Dialogue: Strategies for Responding to Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author.
Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation.The Cultural and Linguistic Competence Self-Assessment Checklist for Early Head Start and Head Start Program Administrators and Managers Retrieved from http://www.ecmhc.org/assessment/admin.html
Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8, Third Edition. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J.o. (2010). Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Head Start National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning (2013). Fostering Children's Thinking Skills: Tips for Trainers. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/no-search/iss/engaging-interactions/engaging-interactions-trainer-tips-poster.pdf (p 4)
Lynch, E. W., & Hanson, M. J. (2004). Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: A Guide for Working with Children and Their Families (3 rd ed). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Co.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (1995).Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Available at http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSDIV98.PDF
National Center on Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/
Southern Poverty Law Center (n.d.). Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/
WestED (1992). Infant/Toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Language Development and Communication. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education and WestEd