Powerful Interactions: How to Connect with Children to Extend Their Learning, Second Edition

by Amy Laura Dombro, Judy Jablon, Charlotte Stetson

Overview

In early childhood settings, children and teachers interact all day long. The benefits are enormous when even some of those “everyday” interactions become intentional, purposeful, and culturally responsive—in other words, Powerful Interactions®! With these three steps, you can embed Powerful Interactions in your daily work with children from birth through age 8:

• Step One: Be Present. Pause, tune in to yourself and the moment, and consider how you might need to adjust to create a “just-right” fit with a child.
• Step Two: Connect. To foster trust and confidence, let that child know that you see her; are interested in what she is doing, saying, and thinking; and want to spend time with her..
• Step Three: Extend Learning. Make use of your strong connection with the child to stretch her knowledge, skills, thinking, or language and vocabulary.

With updated content and research, new examples and insights, and questions to guide group study discussions, the new edition of this bestselling classic covers everything you need to understand what Powerful Interactions are, how to make them happen, and why they are so important in increasing children’s learning and your effectiveness as a teacher. Discover how Powerful Interactions—and you—make a difference!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938113727
Publisher:	National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Amy Laura Dombro, MS, creates resources for teachers, family support professionals, and community leaders. Former head of the Bank Street Infant and Family Center, Amy works with and for national organizations to translate complex information so that it is engaging and easy to use. In addition, she often documents stories of successes, challenges, and lessons learned so that readers can benefit from the experiences of others. Her publications include The Power of Observation, Smart Start in Action and Honoring Our Babies and Toddlers, a guide for caring professionals working with military families.

Judy Jablon, MS, is an educator and author with more than 30 years of experience in early childhood and primary education. A former teacher, Judy is grounded in theory and practice that emphasize child development, observation, critical thinking, and experiential learning. Judy provides facilitation, leadership coaching, and training to a wide range of educational institutions and agencies. She has coauthored numerous publications including Observation: The Key to Responsive Teaching,The Power of Observation and The Work Sampling System.

Charlotte Stetson, MEd, spent the first 20 years of her career in early childhood education teaching young children in varied settings. During the second 20 years, she was a consultant and author. She worked with teachers, coaches, and administrators to implement best practices in the areas of classroom environment, curriculum content, observation-based assessment, and teacher-child interactions. In addition to Powerful Interactions, she is a coauthor of Observation: The Key to Responsive Teaching; Winning Ways to Learn; The Creative Curriculum Study Starters; and the DVD The Creative Curriculum in Action! Since retiring in 2014, Charlotte is learning to play the cello, volunteers for Acadia National Park, and pursues her longstanding photography hobby.

Read an Excerpt

Teachers and children interact with each other all day long. Let’s call these “everyday” interactions. In the typical classroom, most everyday interactions are perfectly fine—warm, caring, and encouraging. Sometimes they happen spontaneously, sometimes in a rush, often with little thought about a purpose. Children may or may not learn from them. Sometimes children learn what the teacher intends to teach, but other times they learn unintended lessons.

Not every interaction a teacher has with children can be—or even needs to be—an interaction that promotes their learning. But we might expect that many would have learning as the goal.

At the other end of the continuum from everyday interactions are what we call “Powerful Interactions”—very intentional and purposeful exchanges between a teacher and a child that can have a significant and highly positive impact on learning.

In a Powerful Interaction, the teacher intentionally connects with a particular child in order to extend that child’s learning.

You launch a Powerful Interaction when you make a conscious decision to say or do something that conveys to the child, “I notice you, I’m interested in you, and I want to know you better.” This moment of personal connection builds upon the trust and security that exists between the two of you. Within a trusting and secure relationship, a child is more open to learn from the guidance and instruction you offer.

How Do You Turn an Everyday Interaction into a Powerful Interaction?

You can transform an everyday interaction into a Powerful Interaction using three steps.

Step One—Be Present
When you are “present” you are in the moment and self-aware, and therefore you can be more open to the interesting and significant things that children do. By physically and mentally slowing down for just a few moments, you can pay better attention. This frame of mind allows you to be intentional; that is, before you act, to tune in to what a child is doing at that moment, how you are feeling, and what you want to accomplish. Being intentional in this way means you think about what to say and do in the interaction to be most effective as a teacher for that child.

Step Two—Connect
You acknowledge and validate children by letting them know you see them, are interested in them, and want to spend time with them. Connecting in this way awakens the sense of trust and security that previous positive interactions between you and the child are helping to develop. As your relationships with children grow deeper, children feel more confident and focused, and they are more open to learning from you. Positive relationships lay the foundation for children’s exploration and learning. Positive relationships also enhance the likelihood of children’s engagement and achievement in school.

Step Three—Extend Learning
When you extend a child’s knowledge and understanding hand-in-hand with nurturing a positive relationship with that child, you create the perfect moment for you to teach and the child to learn. During the few minutes of a Powerful Interaction, children are open to your adding to their knowledge, encouraging them to try new things and think in new ways, modeling language, introducing interesting new vocabulary, and other learning possibilities.

Table of Contents

Welcome 1

The Power of Teacher-Child Interactions 2

About this Book 3

A First Look at Powerful Interactions 5

What is a "Powerful Interaction"? 7

How Do You Turn an Everyday Interaction into a Powerful Interaction? 9

What's in It for You? 11

Step 1 Be Present 14

What Does It Mean to "Be Present"? 16

Doing a Quick "Me Check" 18

Getting Better at "Being Present" 26

Reflect on Your Practice 28

Step 2 Connect 29

What Does It Mean to "Connect"? 31

Seven Strategies for Connecting 37

Slow Down, Stay in the Moment 39

Keep Learning About Children 43

Listen to Children 49

Personalize Your Interactions 54

Show Respect 58

Guide Children's Behavior 62

Keep Trust Growing 68

Step 3 Extend Learning 73

What Does It Mean to "Extend Learning"? 77

Examples of Extending Learning 79

Ten Strategies for Extending Learning 82

Help Children See Themselves as Thinkers 84

Respond to Curiosity 89

Use Mirror Talk 93

Have Conversations 99

Inspire Imaginative Play 103

Solve Problems Together 109

Use Rich Vocabulary 114

Laugh with Children 121

Ask Questions 126

Link the New to the Familiar 132

You Make the Difference! 137

Energy-Keep Your Cup Filled 138

Confidence-Watch Yourself in Slow Motion 142

One Last Word 150

Conversation Guide 151

References 154

Index 158

Acknowledgments 162

About the Authors 163

Editorial Reviews

Intentionality—one of the most overused and misunderstood words in early childhood education—reclaims its meaning in this clear, simple book about how each interaction with a child can build a path to the confidence and curiosity that children need to become collaborative lifelong learners. —Joshua Sparrow, Executive Director, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, and Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School

Joshua Sparrow

The continuous study and implementation of Powerful Interactions has had a profound impact on our early childhood laboratory program. We have seen the positive effects in relationship building, respectful interactions, and enriched learning experiences. The children, families, teachers, and college student assistants enthusiastically embrace the beautiful content of this book. It serves as quality professional and personal development for all. —Beth Huber, Director, East Tennessee UniversityLittle Buccaneers Early Childhood Laboratory Program

Beth Huber

This book is a great resource for my district. The first edition has been used in professional development for leaders of our P–3 Initiative and as part of the district’s high school early learning program. It is an easy read for educators as well as a fantastic resource for families. —Minerva Pardo, Family Engagement Coordinator, West Valley School District

Minerva Pardo

Mastery of the three basic steps of Powerful Interactions makes teaching young children look both magical and elegant! Within the pivotal instruction of “once your offer to connect has been accepted by the child ” lies the basis for cultivating an authentic, trusting, respectful relationship between teacher and child and, by extension, the family as well. The special features remain key for teaching teams to measure progress and talk about their evidence-based work. —Jerlean Daniel, Associate Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh, and Former Executive Director, NAEYC

Jerlean Daniel

Can you take a classic book and improve it? That was my question in reading this new edition of Powerful Interactions, and the answer is yes. Research-based and full of compelling examples, it provides opportunity after opportunity for teachers to reflect on and promote joyful Powerful Interactions that extend children’s learning. —Ellen Galinsky, Author of Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Skills Every Child Needs

Ellen Galinsky

Relationships are at the heart of everything . . . including Powerful Interactions! With a simple framework, the authors help educators be effective and intentional in their interactions with children. This book sets the stage for creating a positive learning environment and building community while laying the foundation for meaningful relationships throughout life. —Cate Heroman, Early Childhood Consultant and Author, Cate Heroman LLC

Cate Heroman