As teachers we should demonstrate numerous skills in order to communicate well with children and young people, I know I do use them on a daily basis but sometimes we should reflect on them.
Children do learn from us to communicate through our responses and children need to know that what they say is valued. We should also make sure children get chance to speak, a litlle bit like turn taking, whilst they are talking we should make every effort to make eye contact so then the child or young person knows that we are interested and that they have our full attention. Try getting down to the childs level as some can find it quite daunting you towering over them, also make sure you smile. We need to inspire them to feel relaxed and confident enough to ask questions or tell us their ideasWhen communicating with children and young people it is important to be clear, concise, age appropriate and supporting needs and abilities. To communicate effectively with children we need to be confident and have a range of skills than can include: active listening, empathising with a childs point of view, build a trusting relationship, understanding non-verbal communication ( eye contact, hand gestures) and explaining and sometimes even recap the information we give to them.
