Any positive relationship, whether it is with a child, a young person or an adult can only be based on effective communication. By maintaining effective communication with children and young adults we are able to gain their trust and respect and to make them feel comfortable, understood and safe with us. In return, they are much more likely to approach us to ask for help or clarification and to cooperate with us. A child who feels valued is going to be confident enough to answer questions, make suggestions and contribute ideas. As teaching assistants we need to develop positive relationship with adults too, whether they are colleagues or parents. Effective communication with colleagues is important to create an atmosphere where it is possible to ask questions, make comments and to approach each other if there is a problem. Planning …show more content…
We need to be positive, receptive and sympathetic to their ideas, remember to praise and encourage when appropriate, be polite, relaxed and avoid shouting. We should always treat their questions seriously and try to answer them as accurately and truthfully as possible. A two way dialogue is an essential model for children (especially the young ones) to understand. They need to learn how to follow the rules of turn taking in a language exchange. By asking open questions and providing prompts and cues for them to talk, we encourage them to express themselves but we are also teaching them to listen to each other and to wait for their turn to talk. Question: Question 5 Answer: Children and young people from all ages, abilities and cultures, need to feel appreciated and secure. In order to achieve it by way of communication we must adapt it to the age of the child, the context of our communication and to communication differences: Age: Younger children will have a shorter attention span and will be only able to engage for short periods of time. We need to make sure that we use short sentences and deliver our message in a