Beyond Words: Strengthening Educator- Child Interactions Through Nonverbal Cues
In Early Childhood Education teacher-child interactions through nonverbal communication are important in helping the child’s development. Nonverbal communication and interactions coincide with each other in the classroom. Teacher- child interactions are crucial for children in the classroom.
There is a scoring system, CLASS, it measures teacher-child interaction in the classroom. According to the Head Start website, https://headstart.gov/designation-renewal-system/article/use-classroom-assessment-scoring-system-class-head-start-programs,hhe “…dimension are bases on developmental theory and research suggesting interactions between children and adults are the primary was of supporting children’s development…” One of the domains in the “Classroom Assessment Scoring System” is “Positive Climate.” This domain is scored by teacher- child connections that are communicated by nonverbal interactions, as well as verbal. The teacher being at the child’s level is important, this is to make eye contact with the child/ children and make them feel heard and acknowledged. The tone of voice, facial expressions, closeness in proximity are taken in account for the score. Using a calm voice, listening intently to the child/children, and narrating their facial expressions, gestures, etc. will help understand what the child/ children are trying to convey. In the classroom some students will not speak, you should “…be a patient listener, giving your undivided attention.” (Essa & Burnham, 2019. pg. 45). Being in close proximity to the child will make the child feel a se4nse of warmth.
As I stated in my first blog about learning infancy nonverbal cues, it is still important as the infant grows. Learning the student’s nonverbal cues will help teachers adapt how they teach each student. Every child does not learn the same way, it is crucial to see the nonverbal cues of children to see if they need help, if they are sad, mad, or etc. Some children are shy, they will stay to themselves, looking down and it may take them longer to feel comfortable in their surroundings. Then some children in the classroom are happy, jumping up down, playing with friends, enjoy interacting with their surroundings. At times there may be a child who is on the autism spectrum disorder. In my classroom, I have a child who was diagnosed. We call him are “gentle giant.” He is very tall for his age and is the sweetest. He is nonverbal, but as a teacher I have identified some of his cues. For example, he will not speak when ask, “What is this? Or “Where is blank?” He will look and then point to the correct object, image, etc. When he is happy, he flaps his hands up and down and smiles big. When he does not like a certain song, he will create a loud whine and if he likes the song he will clap his hands. He loves to be held. He will reach for your hand and put it on his arm or around his waist, for a hug.
Taking the time to see each child and getting to know their cues is important in their development. Making the child feel acknowledged by listening and being patient makes them comfortable in their surroundings. Getting to see the children become their own individual person is amazing and rewarding!
Works Cited:
Essa, E. L., & Burnham, M. M. (2019). Introduction to Early Childhood Education Interactive Edition (8th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://ua-bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781544365022
Use of classroom assessment scoring system (class®) in head start programs. HeadStart.gov. (2025, February 11). https://headstart.gov/designation-renewal-system/article/use-classroom-assessment-scoring-system-class-head-start-programs