Effective communication is really important when establishing and developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults. I have found that if you are open to communication and listening to a child then they themselves become more confident and open to starting conversations with me and other members of their class. By having this openness you start to develop the foundations of a relationship in which the child then knows that they can trust you with personal and school related problems which could cause distractions with their school work, you can then build on this relationship to help them develop through their school work. Although you need to maintain a professional attitude towards the child you also need to be willing to be less serious so that they can learn to understand certain mannerisms and how they should act depending on the situation, for example being able to joke with them but allowing them to know that when it comes to doing a task set they need to be fully immersed in the work. Making sure the child knows you are interested in what they are saying is also a way to build a positive relationship, by treating them with respect and making eye contact you are showing them that you want to be involved and you are willing to listen to them and support them throughout their learning.
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