Cyp 3.10 2.1
Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults.
1 Understand the principles of developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults.
2.1 Explain why effective communication is important in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults.
We communicate for a number of reasons, mainly in a social capacity as it is in our nature to crave the company of others, but also to pass on information to make sure we are all heading towards the same goal on the same path. Also to build confidence in people. We communicate in many ways. Physical | technological | With parents. | * Speaking – age stage appropriate language. * Different tones of voice. * Eye contact. * Sign language. * Body language. * Singing. * Clapping. * Dancing. * Shouting. * Facial expressions. * Laughing and crying. * Lip reading. * Mime. * Brail. …show more content…
* Actively listening. * Hand gestures. * Touch. * Whistles and bells. * Pointing. * Stomping. | * Email. * Text. * Phone calls. * Fax. * Skype. * Video call. * Message boards. * Leaflets. * Notes. * Letters. * Meetings – one on one or group. * Flashcards. * White/black boards. * Word of mouth. | * Open days and evenings. * Regular newsletters. In different languages if needed. * Social evenings. * School fairs. * PTA’s * School website.It is important that schools work in partnership with pupil’s families to promote the development of positive relationships between home and school. When you do this be mindful not to use jargon that they wont understand. Children benefit from a shared commitment to their education. |
Effective communication requires everyone involved to be able to express their own thoughts and messages in a confident manner.
It is a skill that everybody that works in a school needs to perfect and constantly review. It is important to be able to communicate with your colleagues on a professional basis. As a T.A you are responsible for the children’s learning, care and safety. You must be able to approach each other in confidence and comfortably. You must be able to pass on information in a tactful manner and show diplomacy. It is of vital importance that you understand that you have to differentiate your language and the complexity of your sentence to suit the person you are talking to. This way what you communicate will be transferred successfully and understood.
Having good communication skills will benefit you when you are trying to make good relationships with people of all ages; you should show you are approachable by; * Having good body posture. Do not slouch, or stand with your arms folded. You should turn towards them, but keep a decent amount of distance between you-remember your personal boundaries. * Give eye contact, but if you notice your student is uncomfortable with that, change your posture so that you are not looking directly at their eyes. Don’t make your time with them uncomfortable by forcing prolonged eye contact; they need to feel comfortable when they are with you. * Actively listen. Show you are interested in what they are saying. Don’t butt in, but ask questions, and give suggestions to answer their questions. Never turn your back on someone that is talking to you. * Show good manners, speak at the right time, don’t raise your voice or speak over somebody. * Show interpersonal skills by treating them with respect and treat each person the same. * Use the correct tone of voice, if you are dealing with a sensitive issue use a soft clear voice with soothing tones. If you are trying to gain control of a situation use deeper tones without shouting. * Speak to them at their level of communication. * Be honest in all situations, even when its tricky.
Adults and young people always respond well to positive communication with adults, if you have good relationships they are likely to want to be at school more.
When you are working with adults in a school, you must offer mutual support as you will need support from your colleagues, this can include; * practical support with resources and equipment * Informative support – helping people who don’t have the right information for the task at hand. * Professional support – planning and observations etc. * Emotional support.
Building a good relationship with people that have different cultural backgrounds may be difficult if they have different attitudes, views and beliefs. The important thing to do is to keep communication open, clear and reliable, don’t ignore the situation or the person you are experiencing difficulties with because it can make matters worse.
Some cultures do not allow eye contact, which we rely on in our culture to show signs of interest and understanding. We believe you can tell a lot about a person by their eyes. The key to keeping this relationship open would be to obtain a level of understanding of that person’s culture and be willing to accept that you may have to communicate in a different manner and adapt your own views.
Having good communication skills allows you to be a strong member of a team. You will be regarded as an honest trustworthy person with ideas and valuable thoughts of your own.
2.2 Explain the principals of relationship building with children, young people and adults.
In order to build relationships with children, young people and adults we need to be adaptable; our interactions should show them and let them know that they are valued, all children are special. Show them that you are reliable and trustworthy. Be realistic with answers and expectations so that they can feel like they are achieving. Be sure to show no favourites and let them know that you treat all people the same. When you are building relationships with children and young people be aware of any issues that they may feel are important such as, getting less attention from grandma, a pet dying or simply knowing where art class is going to be held.
Consider how you approach people and how you answer them. Parents that come into school provide good support to pupils and teachers when communication is strong.
Be mindful of personal boundaries such as personal space, gifts and hugs. Children easily become attached to staff especially if relationships are lacking at home. It is important that you let them know you are there for support but not as a parent figure, it is doubtful that you would allow this to happen purposefully but be aware of it especially when you are working closely with students on a one to one basis.
You may very well live in the area around your school and so children may know where you live, it is important that under no circumstances you lead children to think it is ok to knock on your door after school and that your relationship with them is purely one at school, your own children may be bring school friends home, in which case they must know that this is home time and you are no longer the T.A but a friends mum.
When you are at work, be resourceful with materials, information ideas and equipment.
There are many factors that can enhance relationships these include; mutual respect. Active listening. Honesty. Trust. Tact. Tone and consistency.
Children and young people need to have a sense of belonging and feel secure, you must at all times be honest with them, especially if one comes to you with a personal problem. You must let them know that you will keep it confidential but if you feel that they are at risk you must share that information with the appropriate person. Remember that if they cannot talk to you it does not mean that you cannot talk to them. It may well be that they are just looking for reassurance from somebody that they feel they can relate to or that they feel will understand and empathise with them.
Ways to make positive relationships with children and young people can be easy and is very rewarding some small tricks that will help gain their respect can include; * Avoiding stereotyping and judging them on face value. * Remember names and how to pronounce them. * Get children’s own explanation about behaviour before criticising them and drawing conclusions. * Try to look at the world from a child’s point of view. * A positive form of communication motivates children to try harder and to take pride in what they have done. * However over praising can make them doubt your honesty. 2.3 Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate.
Different areas of the country, creates different dialects and different social belief, which plays a large part in the way people view life. You need to be aware of the different religions and the different ways of life they may bring. It is not to say that any other way of life, but our own is wrong, but that we need to develop an understanding of others beliefs around us and work on the way in which we communicate.
Effective communication with people of different cultures is challenging. Cultures provide people with a way of thinking, seeing, hearing and interpreting the world. And so we all have different views. This can mean that the same words mean different things even when people speak the same language and different signs mean different things. Different geographical places bring different dialect and accents, these can be hard to understand, especially when they are mixed with fast speech and their own abbreviations of words and their own slang it can become a cause of confusion and make it harder for that person to fit in. When languages are different and translation is needed the risk of misunderstanding is increased. When you are talking to someone of a different culture, give them your full attention, you must be aware that communication is not only the words spoken but also attention to body language, tone, how things are said, what is not said, and cultural meaning of what is said and how it is said.
Be yourself when talking, have quiet confidence, be respectful and attentive. Learning basic pleasantries are a good way to build good relationships by showing that you respect them and that you are willing to try. Things like * Good morning = “Salve” in Latin * Thank you = “Gracias” in Spanish * Hello = “Salut” or “bonjour” in French * Goodbye = “pozegnanie” in Polish.
You must realise that different cultures may all share similar hand gestures but they may have different meanings such as; * Ok. This is seen in America and most European countries as a positive sign meaning everything is fine, bit in Latin America and France it is a deep insult. * Thumbs up. This is another sign that we would interpret as ‘well done’ or ‘that’s great!’ but is rude in Islamic countries. * Beckoning somebody with your finger means death in Singapore. * Eye contact in Asia, Japan and Korea is considered rude, especially for a female or a child to do to an adult male.
A differing variety of cultures creates problems that we have to work at so that communication and relationships thrive.
Each culture has different behaviour policies, e.g. whether or not you can look at each other or how close you can stand to one and other. They may also restrict emotions, we feel comfortable to freely express our feelings and thoughts but some cultures prevents people from showing frustration anger or happiness, instead they must only show factual or rational aspects of the situation they are in.
Language as said before can create a large barrier in effective communication, especially when it is a student in your care. If they have English as a second language (EAL) they may need additional support in order to use the language in their school work.
There are some important factors to consider when supporting students with EAL.
Consider that there are varying levels of competence when individuals are leaning with two languages. Some students may still be learning their first language when they are adding to their second language. Young children have a tendency to mix the two especially when they are talking to their parents or siblings, however they may only speak to their grandparents in their first language.
Pupils may be able to talk in one language but not write in it and they may be used to writing from right to left rather than left to right.
You can support students using English as a second language by encouraging them to use their first language some of the time, this will show them that they have been socially accepted and may make learning easier.
It will also teach other students the importance of the other language and show them the benefits from learning a second language. You can use songs to introduce new vocabulary to them. Repeat instructions and differentiate the complexity of each sentence. Encourage them to participate in class topics and discussions by having them talk about their culture and the differences they can see, let them tell their cultures stories and songs, talk about their food and festivals. Display images of their religions, and cultures encourage them to join in by singing and counting or reading out loud. Break sentences and information down into bite size chunks with fewer words in, you may have to reword things a few times in order for them to be understood. Provide them with visual aids that are in both their first and second
languages.
We must do all these things in order to help these students or adults feel comfortable in their surroundings. Let them know they are welcome and regarded as the same as everyone else. Show them you are willing to make an effort. They will strike up lasting friendships with those people who have made an effort as they will stand a better chance of understanding each other.
2. Understand how to communicate with children, young people and adults.
2.1 Explain the skills needed to communicate with children and young people.
In order to communicate with children and young people you must be able to adapt your language so that it is age stage appropriate. You must be able to differentiate information according to the age and ability of the age group you are working with. It is important that you have excellent listening skills, being able to actively listen to them, ask them open ended questions and wait for answers, be comfortable with them when they are asking questions. Prompt them but don’t put words into their mouths. You must be able to be empathetic but not sympathetic as this can fan the flames so to speak when there is a problem.
Use positive body language; get out of the habit of standing with your arms folded. Be good at interpreting their body language so you can pick up on their mood, they often lack the tools and ability to verbally communicate how they are feeling, when they are angry or excited their body language takes over. * A child trying to lie may avoid eye contact and look to the ground or to their friends * When they are frustrated or angry they may lash out or cry. * When they are excited they will run and jump, showing a burst in energy levels. Be cheery and upbeat and give them your full attention when they are speaking to you. It will make your relationships strong and provide a relief for all from stressful monotonous work if you have a sense of humour and show that you enjoy working with them.
When you are dealing with children of any age you should be aware of personal boundaries, when you are talking to them sit at a table with some space between you, face inwards and give eye contact, but not so much that you make them feel uncomfortable. You must be aware of that child’s level of understanding so that you do not confuse them. Be firm and fair when dealing with any person of any age and show them respect and confidentiality were you can. Help them feel comfortable with the idea of asking for your help by giving them gentle honest advice and constructive criticism, be careful if you find yourself in a situation where you feel fraught with the child. Be aware of your own limits and take a step back if things get to much, you must be careful that you do not shout or say anything that may be harmful to the child’s persona such as ‘you stupid boy’ or ‘your work was rubbish, was it worth you coming to school’. Regardless of the work they produce or how they behave, every child matters and therefore reserves the right to feel safe, wanted and as though they belong. You need to know how to be tactful and how to read situations so that you can pick up on problems.
Look at life from their point of view in order to understand how they are feeling, things that may seem small and insignificant to an adult can be cause of awful worry for younger people.
Support them in making choices for themselves and letting them take control for their own learning.
A good T.A will provide opportunities for them to communicate, as their home life may not allow these times such as sitting around a table and chatting during dinner.
Most importantly be a good role model, some children and young people don’t have people to look up to or people that provide good examples of how to act with people in life. They will observe us and our interaction with others around us and use that experience to forge their own relationships. You will need to be consistent in your relationships to show them how we communicate via the way we treat each other. It is a good way to encourage understanding of diversity and individuality.
Use a variety of communications such as thumbs up gestures and facial expressions so that you can express excitement or disapproval. Using confident body language and be resourceful by using games, story tapes and pictures etc. 2.2 Explain how to adapt communication with children and young people for; age of the child or young person, the context of the communication and communication differences.
It is important to prevent miscommunication, as it can affect children and young people’s confidence, which is hard to restore. There are strategies you can use to help promote understanding and trust, these include; * Active listening. * Avoiding assumptions. * Using questions to clarify and check understanding. * Summarising and confirming key points.
It is vital that you regard the age of person you are communicating with. Children and young people work well with visual aids to help them understand what you are saying e.g. nursery children will benefit from being shown on a dolly how to do up buttons so that they can repeat the process on their own coats.
All ages even adults respond well to visual aids, you will need to differentiate it so that it is age stage appropriate.
Children at all ages will need varying levels of attention. As they get older they may need more help talking through issues and feelings as their bodies and social structures change as they cope with the stresses of becoming young adults and moving schools. You will need to adapt your vocabulary for these people as they are more self conscious and more emotional.
You must be mindful to adapt your verbal communication according to the age you are working with. Use smaller sentences and simpler words for younger groups; use vivid visual aids, rephrase things so that they can understand you. As the children get older you can use more detail in your sentences and ask them questions that require a more in depth answer, get them engaged in the lesson by asking them to work in groups to give you answers and produce them to the class. Use relevant topic language e.g. in maths use ‘vertices’ instead of ‘corners’ and ‘data’ instead of ‘information’.
You should adapt the way you communicate according to the children and their personalities as some students may be anxious or feel under pressure when they are being spoken to. Let them take their time, try not to fill in the gaps for them as this can make them feel worse about themselves, especially if they have a speech impediment or have never had the opportunity to publically speak.
If the children are hard of hearing you will need to adapt good posture and use clear lip movements, you may need to gesture more and include visual aids for that student in particular. You may need sign language training.
Students with English as a second language might need translators or work given to them in their own language. Be mindful not to use too many gestures as these can be offensive if they have different cultural beliefs as well as different language.
2.3 Explain the main differences between communicating with adults and with children and with young people.
There are many similarities between communicating with all these ages such as; maintaining eye contact, responding, courtesy, respect and actively listening.
We must keep clear boundaries with the young so that they don’t become confused with our role as a carer. We must be clear in our words and actions so that they can learn to communicate themselves.
When communicating with adults it is important to be sensitive to their needs especially if they have difficulties such as hearing or speech, you will still speak to them as adults but adapt your language to suit them. Do not uses jargon if it is not appropriate. Your body language should be positive and open.
The main differences between communicating with the three age groups are context and complexity. Language needs to be adapted for each level using simpler speech and shorter sentences so that they have the chance to understand when they are young, use bite size chunks so that it is not too much information for them to take in. As the child gets older you can give them bigger pieces of information and use more complex language.
Each level will have their own forms of speech, an excellent example of this are young people. The words and phrases that they make up would have a completely different meaning to what older and younger people would understand.
With children there is a need to slow down your speech, emphasise key words and repeat what you have said, using gestures and expressions. This is known as scaffolding children’s learning, an example of this is ‘motherese’ where we talk to babies in a slow, high pitched voice, we also use repetition.
Good communication with this age grows confidence in them and allows them to feel good about themselves. It provides good foundations for the future as adults.
Methods of passing on information can change, e.g. children would get age appropriate viewing boards, white boards, and displays etc. Whereas young people and adults would receive emails through the school systems such as DB Primary at south parade, this is a site where information is shared between class pupils and provides a safe chat page were they can also talk to teachers and T.A’s out of school hours as well as their friends. Electronic whiteboards are used and practical demonstrations can be given. Other methods of communicating with young people and adults include; handouts, booklets, exercise books so that they can research for themselves. Adults would have meetings, email and texts. It is good polite practice to use people’s names when you are talking to them either by title or first name. This shows respect which in turn helps to diffuse situations. 2.4 Explain how to adapt communication to meet different needs of adults.
It is important to be sensitive to the needs of other adults, especially those who may have communication difficulties. They could be hard of hearing or have poor sight or have trouble understanding conversations. You will probably change the way you talk to them without noticing. Speak clearly and with uncomplicated sentences don’t be afraid to repeat yourself if you think you haven’t been understood and to rephrase what you are saying or seek support from other professionals that may be able to aid you with communicating with them.
Be mindful that when you send letters home some parents or carers may not be able to read or write and therefore not able to respond. They may also need them sent in a different language. These people may be embarrassed and feel as though they can’t approach the school and that they may be judged as parents because of their difficulties.
Adapt your professional language to suit your audience, if you are talking to another T.A or teacher it is acceptable to use technical terms, however if you are talking to a parent it’s important not to use jargon and that you explain things thoroughly without coming across patronising. Adapt the context and complexity depending on the person you are talking to. It is easy to make somebody feel uncomfortable by isolating them with terms and information that they cannot relate to. Be sensitive to their needs and approach them with positive body language but not over confident so that you appear threatening.
There is a difference between work relationships and personal relationships, it’s important that you build on your professional relationship first, building trust and mutual respect, support each other in your roles, whether it be emotional, professional or with knowledge and equipment.
Show respect for other adults regardless of their ability or level of understanding, actively listen to them and allow them to put their argument, ideas or point forward and encourage discussion.
2.5 Explain how to manage disagreements with children, young people and adults.
During our professional lives it’s likely that we are going to come across or experience disagreements with others. Mostly they are due to lack of communication or miscommunication. Deal with them carefully, tactfully and diplomatically so that there are no bad feelings afterwards. Show sensitivity and try to resolve the situation before it gets out of hand. Get help if you need to by enlisting the help of a mediator or seeking advice from your line manager.
They may happen for a number of reasons such as; * Having a different idea or not sharing the same ideas. * Home pressures, time pressures etc. * Lack of confidence. * Clashes of personality.
If you can’t put it right, refer to your schools grievance policy.
Children fall out for all sorts of reasons and usually a lot more frequent that adults, this is usually because of their level of understanding of life and with the older ones is often due to a combination of peer pressure, hierarchy, frustration and hormones.
When you are dealing with under 11’s praise good behaviour after the disagreement, use age stage appropriate methods and language.
Make sure children are aware that you have listened to both sides of the story and that you will support them in coping with the disagreement as much as you can. Give both of the children involved the same amount of time as each other. Be fair and explain the consequences of their actions, use appropriate punishment.
Sit them down together to talk over their differences and see if they can work together to come up with a better way to deal with their problem.
Give them time on reflect on their behaviour.
Look at the child’s point of view and let them know you see it too.
11 – 19 years. Again, listen to both sides of the story and give them both the same amount of time. Try to see things from their point of view. When it comes to deciding on your course of action, look at the bigger picture, at passed problems and how they were dealt with, and reflect on whether you think it was beneficial. Peer mediation can be a good tool here especially when the young people doing the mediation are friends with all parties concerned.
Give them time out, and support them don’t leave them alone to sort things out as it can get worse.
Give them chance to explain themselves; it may not be what it seems.
Be careful not to jump to assumptions, it may not always be the person you expect to be causing the problem that is doing it this time.
With adults, listen to both sides of the story and encourage them to talk it out. You can use mediation meetings to help, keep your calm and have other people in the room to so that the situation does not escalate.
In all circumstances you must exercise confidentiality but make sure the people that are involved are aware that in certain cases you may need to take the problem to someone higher. It is important that you are aware of school policies and of legislation such as the Data protection act 1998 that ensures all personal data is kept private and that nothing can be shared with other people without your say so. Also the Every Child Matters policy that stands to protect all children and allows them all to have equal opportunities regardless of their behaviour. Children Act 1989 that protects all children’s welfare.
3. Understand legislation, policies and procedures for confidentiality and sharing information, including data protection.
3.3.1 Summarise the main points of legislation and procedures covering confidentiality, data protection and the disclosure of information.
Legislation is put into place to safeguard people of all ages and their rights to privacy. It is vital that we respect the confidentiality policies that our schools enforce as they hold personal information on all the staff and pupils that attend there, this information includes; * Health and medical records. * Telephone numbers. * Previous and current addresses. * Past schools. * Custody/ family issues. * Bullying records.
All of the above is confidential information, which must only be used as it is appropriate. Most of these require a parents/guardians signature on a consent form to allow us to store and use the information.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, all organisations that holds information on individuals, must be registered with the data Protection commission. This ensures that confidential information cannot be passed on or used without the consent of the person involved. There are 8 principals of practice that controls the use of this type of information, they are as follows; 1. Processed fairly and lawfully. 2. Only used for the reason it is gathered. 3. It is adequate, relevant and not excessive. 4. It is accurate and kept up to date where necessary. 5. It is kept for no longer than necessary. 6. It is processed in line with the individual’s rights. 7. Kept secure. 8. Not transferred outside the EU without adequate protection.
All the information that is held at school is accessible to that person or the parents/guardian. The information should be locked away securely on site in a locked filing cabinet or on password protected computers. No information should be taken off site; you must not share any confidential information with others unless given permission to do so by the person it is about. You may give or use confidential information when you think a person is in danger or at risk of harm, whether it be physical or mental abuse or health issues. This information should only be passed on to the relevant people such as the SEN coordinator, the head teacher or teacher of the pupil, doctors and police.
3.2 Explain the importance of reassuring children, young people and adults of the confidentiality of shared information and the limits of this.
When you are in a position where you are collecting information you may need to reassure people that the information is confidential and what that means. It is important that you also make it clear of your limitations when the information is of serious nature, e.g. you may need to break confidentiality if a child has come to you with allegations of abuse or you are worried about their wellbeing. Make sure you are clear and honest with them about who you need to talk to and what you need to tell them, reassure them that it is for their best interest and be open with them about what information you do pass on. When you have been given information you must keep it safe so that nobody can look at it. This means not leaving it on your desk for anyone to see. It is important the school has an agreed system where some information can be readily accessible to all staff such as medical records and if a child suffers from epilepsy or asthma.
It is important that you do not share personal information about families that you may know out of school or talk to them about it out of school. In most cases it is to your own benefit for you to tell your line manager of your relationship with that family and see if it is possible to have another member of staff take over from you.
3.3 Justify the kinds of situation when confidentiality protocols must be breached.
If a child approaches you with a problem that you are particularly worried about you must tell them that you have to pass it on to somebody else. Reassure them that this is not a bad thing and be honest with them about what you are going to say. These situations are usually when you are concerned about the child’s safety and wellbeing or when you suspect child abuse. You must tell them from the start that you are not allowed to keep some things confidential. The kind of people that you would report these conversations to include, child’s teacher, head teacher who would then go through the correct channels of reporting it.
Bibliography.
Cache level 3, childcare and education 4th edition
Penny Tassoni, Kate Beith, Kath Bulman, Harriet Eldridge.
Heinemann, London 2007.
Cache level 2, Child care and education
Miranda Walker, Marian Beaver, Jo Brewster, Sally Neaum, Jill Tallack.
NVQ level 3 Childrens care, learning and development.
Penny Tassoni, Kath Bulman, Kate Beith
Heinemann, London 2008.
The teaching assistant’s handbook level 2
Supporting teaching and learning in schools
Louise Burnham
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Jennie Lindon
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Carolyn Meggitt
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1 Understand the principles of developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults.
2.1 Explain why effective communication is important in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults.
We communicate for a number of reasons, mainly in a social capacity as it is in our nature to crave the company of others, but also to pass on information to make sure we are all heading towards the same goal on the same path. Also to build confidence in people. We communicate in many ways. Physical | technological | With parents. | * Speaking – age stage appropriate language. * Different tones of voice. * Eye contact. * Sign language. * Body language. * Singing. * Clapping. * Dancing. * Shouting. * Facial expressions. * Laughing and crying. * Lip reading. * Mime. * Brail. …show more content…
* Actively listening. * Hand gestures. * Touch. * Whistles and bells. * Pointing. * Stomping. | * Email. * Text. * Phone calls. * Fax. * Skype. * Video call. * Message boards. * Leaflets. * Notes. * Letters. * Meetings – one on one or group. * Flashcards. * White/black boards. * Word of mouth. | * Open days and evenings. * Regular newsletters. In different languages if needed. * Social evenings. * School fairs. * PTA’s * School website.It is important that schools work in partnership with pupil’s families to promote the development of positive relationships between home and school. When you do this be mindful not to use jargon that they wont understand. Children benefit from a shared commitment to their education. |
Effective communication requires everyone involved to be able to express their own thoughts and messages in a confident manner.
It is a skill that everybody that works in a school needs to perfect and constantly review. It is important to be able to communicate with your colleagues on a professional basis. As a T.A you are responsible for the children’s learning, care and safety. You must be able to approach each other in confidence and comfortably. You must be able to pass on information in a tactful manner and show diplomacy. It is of vital importance that you understand that you have to differentiate your language and the complexity of your sentence to suit the person you are talking to. This way what you communicate will be transferred successfully and understood.
Having good communication skills will benefit you when you are trying to make good relationships with people of all ages; you should show you are approachable by; * Having good body posture. Do not slouch, or stand with your arms folded. You should turn towards them, but keep a decent amount of distance between you-remember your personal boundaries. * Give eye contact, but if you notice your student is uncomfortable with that, change your posture so that you are not looking directly at their eyes. Don’t make your time with them uncomfortable by forcing prolonged eye contact; they need to feel comfortable when they are with you. * Actively listen. Show you are interested in what they are saying. Don’t butt in, but ask questions, and give suggestions to answer their questions. Never turn your back on someone that is talking to you. * Show good manners, speak at the right time, don’t raise your voice or speak over somebody. * Show interpersonal skills by treating them with respect and treat each person the same. * Use the correct tone of voice, if you are dealing with a sensitive issue use a soft clear voice with soothing tones. If you are trying to gain control of a situation use deeper tones without shouting. * Speak to them at their level of communication. * Be honest in all situations, even when its tricky.
Adults and young people always respond well to positive communication with adults, if you have good relationships they are likely to want to be at school more.
When you are working with adults in a school, you must offer mutual support as you will need support from your colleagues, this can include; * practical support with resources and equipment * Informative support – helping people who don’t have the right information for the task at hand. * Professional support – planning and observations etc. * Emotional support.
Building a good relationship with people that have different cultural backgrounds may be difficult if they have different attitudes, views and beliefs. The important thing to do is to keep communication open, clear and reliable, don’t ignore the situation or the person you are experiencing difficulties with because it can make matters worse.
Some cultures do not allow eye contact, which we rely on in our culture to show signs of interest and understanding. We believe you can tell a lot about a person by their eyes. The key to keeping this relationship open would be to obtain a level of understanding of that person’s culture and be willing to accept that you may have to communicate in a different manner and adapt your own views.
Having good communication skills allows you to be a strong member of a team. You will be regarded as an honest trustworthy person with ideas and valuable thoughts of your own.
2.2 Explain the principals of relationship building with children, young people and adults.
In order to build relationships with children, young people and adults we need to be adaptable; our interactions should show them and let them know that they are valued, all children are special. Show them that you are reliable and trustworthy. Be realistic with answers and expectations so that they can feel like they are achieving. Be sure to show no favourites and let them know that you treat all people the same. When you are building relationships with children and young people be aware of any issues that they may feel are important such as, getting less attention from grandma, a pet dying or simply knowing where art class is going to be held.
Consider how you approach people and how you answer them. Parents that come into school provide good support to pupils and teachers when communication is strong.
Be mindful of personal boundaries such as personal space, gifts and hugs. Children easily become attached to staff especially if relationships are lacking at home. It is important that you let them know you are there for support but not as a parent figure, it is doubtful that you would allow this to happen purposefully but be aware of it especially when you are working closely with students on a one to one basis.
You may very well live in the area around your school and so children may know where you live, it is important that under no circumstances you lead children to think it is ok to knock on your door after school and that your relationship with them is purely one at school, your own children may be bring school friends home, in which case they must know that this is home time and you are no longer the T.A but a friends mum.
When you are at work, be resourceful with materials, information ideas and equipment.
There are many factors that can enhance relationships these include; mutual respect. Active listening. Honesty. Trust. Tact. Tone and consistency.
Children and young people need to have a sense of belonging and feel secure, you must at all times be honest with them, especially if one comes to you with a personal problem. You must let them know that you will keep it confidential but if you feel that they are at risk you must share that information with the appropriate person. Remember that if they cannot talk to you it does not mean that you cannot talk to them. It may well be that they are just looking for reassurance from somebody that they feel they can relate to or that they feel will understand and empathise with them.
Ways to make positive relationships with children and young people can be easy and is very rewarding some small tricks that will help gain their respect can include; * Avoiding stereotyping and judging them on face value. * Remember names and how to pronounce them. * Get children’s own explanation about behaviour before criticising them and drawing conclusions. * Try to look at the world from a child’s point of view. * A positive form of communication motivates children to try harder and to take pride in what they have done. * However over praising can make them doubt your honesty. 2.3 Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate.
Different areas of the country, creates different dialects and different social belief, which plays a large part in the way people view life. You need to be aware of the different religions and the different ways of life they may bring. It is not to say that any other way of life, but our own is wrong, but that we need to develop an understanding of others beliefs around us and work on the way in which we communicate.
Effective communication with people of different cultures is challenging. Cultures provide people with a way of thinking, seeing, hearing and interpreting the world. And so we all have different views. This can mean that the same words mean different things even when people speak the same language and different signs mean different things. Different geographical places bring different dialect and accents, these can be hard to understand, especially when they are mixed with fast speech and their own abbreviations of words and their own slang it can become a cause of confusion and make it harder for that person to fit in. When languages are different and translation is needed the risk of misunderstanding is increased. When you are talking to someone of a different culture, give them your full attention, you must be aware that communication is not only the words spoken but also attention to body language, tone, how things are said, what is not said, and cultural meaning of what is said and how it is said.
Be yourself when talking, have quiet confidence, be respectful and attentive. Learning basic pleasantries are a good way to build good relationships by showing that you respect them and that you are willing to try. Things like * Good morning = “Salve” in Latin * Thank you = “Gracias” in Spanish * Hello = “Salut” or “bonjour” in French * Goodbye = “pozegnanie” in Polish.
You must realise that different cultures may all share similar hand gestures but they may have different meanings such as; * Ok. This is seen in America and most European countries as a positive sign meaning everything is fine, bit in Latin America and France it is a deep insult. * Thumbs up. This is another sign that we would interpret as ‘well done’ or ‘that’s great!’ but is rude in Islamic countries. * Beckoning somebody with your finger means death in Singapore. * Eye contact in Asia, Japan and Korea is considered rude, especially for a female or a child to do to an adult male.
A differing variety of cultures creates problems that we have to work at so that communication and relationships thrive.
Each culture has different behaviour policies, e.g. whether or not you can look at each other or how close you can stand to one and other. They may also restrict emotions, we feel comfortable to freely express our feelings and thoughts but some cultures prevents people from showing frustration anger or happiness, instead they must only show factual or rational aspects of the situation they are in.
Language as said before can create a large barrier in effective communication, especially when it is a student in your care. If they have English as a second language (EAL) they may need additional support in order to use the language in their school work.
There are some important factors to consider when supporting students with EAL.
Consider that there are varying levels of competence when individuals are leaning with two languages. Some students may still be learning their first language when they are adding to their second language. Young children have a tendency to mix the two especially when they are talking to their parents or siblings, however they may only speak to their grandparents in their first language.
Pupils may be able to talk in one language but not write in it and they may be used to writing from right to left rather than left to right.
You can support students using English as a second language by encouraging them to use their first language some of the time, this will show them that they have been socially accepted and may make learning easier.
It will also teach other students the importance of the other language and show them the benefits from learning a second language. You can use songs to introduce new vocabulary to them. Repeat instructions and differentiate the complexity of each sentence. Encourage them to participate in class topics and discussions by having them talk about their culture and the differences they can see, let them tell their cultures stories and songs, talk about their food and festivals. Display images of their religions, and cultures encourage them to join in by singing and counting or reading out loud. Break sentences and information down into bite size chunks with fewer words in, you may have to reword things a few times in order for them to be understood. Provide them with visual aids that are in both their first and second
languages.
We must do all these things in order to help these students or adults feel comfortable in their surroundings. Let them know they are welcome and regarded as the same as everyone else. Show them you are willing to make an effort. They will strike up lasting friendships with those people who have made an effort as they will stand a better chance of understanding each other.
2. Understand how to communicate with children, young people and adults.
2.1 Explain the skills needed to communicate with children and young people.
In order to communicate with children and young people you must be able to adapt your language so that it is age stage appropriate. You must be able to differentiate information according to the age and ability of the age group you are working with. It is important that you have excellent listening skills, being able to actively listen to them, ask them open ended questions and wait for answers, be comfortable with them when they are asking questions. Prompt them but don’t put words into their mouths. You must be able to be empathetic but not sympathetic as this can fan the flames so to speak when there is a problem.
Use positive body language; get out of the habit of standing with your arms folded. Be good at interpreting their body language so you can pick up on their mood, they often lack the tools and ability to verbally communicate how they are feeling, when they are angry or excited their body language takes over. * A child trying to lie may avoid eye contact and look to the ground or to their friends * When they are frustrated or angry they may lash out or cry. * When they are excited they will run and jump, showing a burst in energy levels. Be cheery and upbeat and give them your full attention when they are speaking to you. It will make your relationships strong and provide a relief for all from stressful monotonous work if you have a sense of humour and show that you enjoy working with them.
When you are dealing with children of any age you should be aware of personal boundaries, when you are talking to them sit at a table with some space between you, face inwards and give eye contact, but not so much that you make them feel uncomfortable. You must be aware of that child’s level of understanding so that you do not confuse them. Be firm and fair when dealing with any person of any age and show them respect and confidentiality were you can. Help them feel comfortable with the idea of asking for your help by giving them gentle honest advice and constructive criticism, be careful if you find yourself in a situation where you feel fraught with the child. Be aware of your own limits and take a step back if things get to much, you must be careful that you do not shout or say anything that may be harmful to the child’s persona such as ‘you stupid boy’ or ‘your work was rubbish, was it worth you coming to school’. Regardless of the work they produce or how they behave, every child matters and therefore reserves the right to feel safe, wanted and as though they belong. You need to know how to be tactful and how to read situations so that you can pick up on problems.
Look at life from their point of view in order to understand how they are feeling, things that may seem small and insignificant to an adult can be cause of awful worry for younger people.
Support them in making choices for themselves and letting them take control for their own learning.
A good T.A will provide opportunities for them to communicate, as their home life may not allow these times such as sitting around a table and chatting during dinner.
Most importantly be a good role model, some children and young people don’t have people to look up to or people that provide good examples of how to act with people in life. They will observe us and our interaction with others around us and use that experience to forge their own relationships. You will need to be consistent in your relationships to show them how we communicate via the way we treat each other. It is a good way to encourage understanding of diversity and individuality.
Use a variety of communications such as thumbs up gestures and facial expressions so that you can express excitement or disapproval. Using confident body language and be resourceful by using games, story tapes and pictures etc. 2.2 Explain how to adapt communication with children and young people for; age of the child or young person, the context of the communication and communication differences.
It is important to prevent miscommunication, as it can affect children and young people’s confidence, which is hard to restore. There are strategies you can use to help promote understanding and trust, these include; * Active listening. * Avoiding assumptions. * Using questions to clarify and check understanding. * Summarising and confirming key points.
It is vital that you regard the age of person you are communicating with. Children and young people work well with visual aids to help them understand what you are saying e.g. nursery children will benefit from being shown on a dolly how to do up buttons so that they can repeat the process on their own coats.
All ages even adults respond well to visual aids, you will need to differentiate it so that it is age stage appropriate.
Children at all ages will need varying levels of attention. As they get older they may need more help talking through issues and feelings as their bodies and social structures change as they cope with the stresses of becoming young adults and moving schools. You will need to adapt your vocabulary for these people as they are more self conscious and more emotional.
You must be mindful to adapt your verbal communication according to the age you are working with. Use smaller sentences and simpler words for younger groups; use vivid visual aids, rephrase things so that they can understand you. As the children get older you can use more detail in your sentences and ask them questions that require a more in depth answer, get them engaged in the lesson by asking them to work in groups to give you answers and produce them to the class. Use relevant topic language e.g. in maths use ‘vertices’ instead of ‘corners’ and ‘data’ instead of ‘information’.
You should adapt the way you communicate according to the children and their personalities as some students may be anxious or feel under pressure when they are being spoken to. Let them take their time, try not to fill in the gaps for them as this can make them feel worse about themselves, especially if they have a speech impediment or have never had the opportunity to publically speak.
If the children are hard of hearing you will need to adapt good posture and use clear lip movements, you may need to gesture more and include visual aids for that student in particular. You may need sign language training.
Students with English as a second language might need translators or work given to them in their own language. Be mindful not to use too many gestures as these can be offensive if they have different cultural beliefs as well as different language.
2.3 Explain the main differences between communicating with adults and with children and with young people.
There are many similarities between communicating with all these ages such as; maintaining eye contact, responding, courtesy, respect and actively listening.
We must keep clear boundaries with the young so that they don’t become confused with our role as a carer. We must be clear in our words and actions so that they can learn to communicate themselves.
When communicating with adults it is important to be sensitive to their needs especially if they have difficulties such as hearing or speech, you will still speak to them as adults but adapt your language to suit them. Do not uses jargon if it is not appropriate. Your body language should be positive and open.
The main differences between communicating with the three age groups are context and complexity. Language needs to be adapted for each level using simpler speech and shorter sentences so that they have the chance to understand when they are young, use bite size chunks so that it is not too much information for them to take in. As the child gets older you can give them bigger pieces of information and use more complex language.
Each level will have their own forms of speech, an excellent example of this are young people. The words and phrases that they make up would have a completely different meaning to what older and younger people would understand.
With children there is a need to slow down your speech, emphasise key words and repeat what you have said, using gestures and expressions. This is known as scaffolding children’s learning, an example of this is ‘motherese’ where we talk to babies in a slow, high pitched voice, we also use repetition.
Good communication with this age grows confidence in them and allows them to feel good about themselves. It provides good foundations for the future as adults.
Methods of passing on information can change, e.g. children would get age appropriate viewing boards, white boards, and displays etc. Whereas young people and adults would receive emails through the school systems such as DB Primary at south parade, this is a site where information is shared between class pupils and provides a safe chat page were they can also talk to teachers and T.A’s out of school hours as well as their friends. Electronic whiteboards are used and practical demonstrations can be given. Other methods of communicating with young people and adults include; handouts, booklets, exercise books so that they can research for themselves. Adults would have meetings, email and texts. It is good polite practice to use people’s names when you are talking to them either by title or first name. This shows respect which in turn helps to diffuse situations. 2.4 Explain how to adapt communication to meet different needs of adults.
It is important to be sensitive to the needs of other adults, especially those who may have communication difficulties. They could be hard of hearing or have poor sight or have trouble understanding conversations. You will probably change the way you talk to them without noticing. Speak clearly and with uncomplicated sentences don’t be afraid to repeat yourself if you think you haven’t been understood and to rephrase what you are saying or seek support from other professionals that may be able to aid you with communicating with them.
Be mindful that when you send letters home some parents or carers may not be able to read or write and therefore not able to respond. They may also need them sent in a different language. These people may be embarrassed and feel as though they can’t approach the school and that they may be judged as parents because of their difficulties.
Adapt your professional language to suit your audience, if you are talking to another T.A or teacher it is acceptable to use technical terms, however if you are talking to a parent it’s important not to use jargon and that you explain things thoroughly without coming across patronising. Adapt the context and complexity depending on the person you are talking to. It is easy to make somebody feel uncomfortable by isolating them with terms and information that they cannot relate to. Be sensitive to their needs and approach them with positive body language but not over confident so that you appear threatening.
There is a difference between work relationships and personal relationships, it’s important that you build on your professional relationship first, building trust and mutual respect, support each other in your roles, whether it be emotional, professional or with knowledge and equipment.
Show respect for other adults regardless of their ability or level of understanding, actively listen to them and allow them to put their argument, ideas or point forward and encourage discussion.
2.5 Explain how to manage disagreements with children, young people and adults.
During our professional lives it’s likely that we are going to come across or experience disagreements with others. Mostly they are due to lack of communication or miscommunication. Deal with them carefully, tactfully and diplomatically so that there are no bad feelings afterwards. Show sensitivity and try to resolve the situation before it gets out of hand. Get help if you need to by enlisting the help of a mediator or seeking advice from your line manager.
They may happen for a number of reasons such as; * Having a different idea or not sharing the same ideas. * Home pressures, time pressures etc. * Lack of confidence. * Clashes of personality.
If you can’t put it right, refer to your schools grievance policy.
Children fall out for all sorts of reasons and usually a lot more frequent that adults, this is usually because of their level of understanding of life and with the older ones is often due to a combination of peer pressure, hierarchy, frustration and hormones.
When you are dealing with under 11’s praise good behaviour after the disagreement, use age stage appropriate methods and language.
Make sure children are aware that you have listened to both sides of the story and that you will support them in coping with the disagreement as much as you can. Give both of the children involved the same amount of time as each other. Be fair and explain the consequences of their actions, use appropriate punishment.
Sit them down together to talk over their differences and see if they can work together to come up with a better way to deal with their problem.
Give them time on reflect on their behaviour.
Look at the child’s point of view and let them know you see it too.
11 – 19 years. Again, listen to both sides of the story and give them both the same amount of time. Try to see things from their point of view. When it comes to deciding on your course of action, look at the bigger picture, at passed problems and how they were dealt with, and reflect on whether you think it was beneficial. Peer mediation can be a good tool here especially when the young people doing the mediation are friends with all parties concerned.
Give them time out, and support them don’t leave them alone to sort things out as it can get worse.
Give them chance to explain themselves; it may not be what it seems.
Be careful not to jump to assumptions, it may not always be the person you expect to be causing the problem that is doing it this time.
With adults, listen to both sides of the story and encourage them to talk it out. You can use mediation meetings to help, keep your calm and have other people in the room to so that the situation does not escalate.
In all circumstances you must exercise confidentiality but make sure the people that are involved are aware that in certain cases you may need to take the problem to someone higher. It is important that you are aware of school policies and of legislation such as the Data protection act 1998 that ensures all personal data is kept private and that nothing can be shared with other people without your say so. Also the Every Child Matters policy that stands to protect all children and allows them all to have equal opportunities regardless of their behaviour. Children Act 1989 that protects all children’s welfare.
3. Understand legislation, policies and procedures for confidentiality and sharing information, including data protection.
3.3.1 Summarise the main points of legislation and procedures covering confidentiality, data protection and the disclosure of information.
Legislation is put into place to safeguard people of all ages and their rights to privacy. It is vital that we respect the confidentiality policies that our schools enforce as they hold personal information on all the staff and pupils that attend there, this information includes; * Health and medical records. * Telephone numbers. * Previous and current addresses. * Past schools. * Custody/ family issues. * Bullying records.
All of the above is confidential information, which must only be used as it is appropriate. Most of these require a parents/guardians signature on a consent form to allow us to store and use the information.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, all organisations that holds information on individuals, must be registered with the data Protection commission. This ensures that confidential information cannot be passed on or used without the consent of the person involved. There are 8 principals of practice that controls the use of this type of information, they are as follows; 1. Processed fairly and lawfully. 2. Only used for the reason it is gathered. 3. It is adequate, relevant and not excessive. 4. It is accurate and kept up to date where necessary. 5. It is kept for no longer than necessary. 6. It is processed in line with the individual’s rights. 7. Kept secure. 8. Not transferred outside the EU without adequate protection.
All the information that is held at school is accessible to that person or the parents/guardian. The information should be locked away securely on site in a locked filing cabinet or on password protected computers. No information should be taken off site; you must not share any confidential information with others unless given permission to do so by the person it is about. You may give or use confidential information when you think a person is in danger or at risk of harm, whether it be physical or mental abuse or health issues. This information should only be passed on to the relevant people such as the SEN coordinator, the head teacher or teacher of the pupil, doctors and police.
3.2 Explain the importance of reassuring children, young people and adults of the confidentiality of shared information and the limits of this.
When you are in a position where you are collecting information you may need to reassure people that the information is confidential and what that means. It is important that you also make it clear of your limitations when the information is of serious nature, e.g. you may need to break confidentiality if a child has come to you with allegations of abuse or you are worried about their wellbeing. Make sure you are clear and honest with them about who you need to talk to and what you need to tell them, reassure them that it is for their best interest and be open with them about what information you do pass on. When you have been given information you must keep it safe so that nobody can look at it. This means not leaving it on your desk for anyone to see. It is important the school has an agreed system where some information can be readily accessible to all staff such as medical records and if a child suffers from epilepsy or asthma.
It is important that you do not share personal information about families that you may know out of school or talk to them about it out of school. In most cases it is to your own benefit for you to tell your line manager of your relationship with that family and see if it is possible to have another member of staff take over from you.
3.3 Justify the kinds of situation when confidentiality protocols must be breached.
If a child approaches you with a problem that you are particularly worried about you must tell them that you have to pass it on to somebody else. Reassure them that this is not a bad thing and be honest with them about what you are going to say. These situations are usually when you are concerned about the child’s safety and wellbeing or when you suspect child abuse. You must tell them from the start that you are not allowed to keep some things confidential. The kind of people that you would report these conversations to include, child’s teacher, head teacher who would then go through the correct channels of reporting it.
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