I recently had a consulting contract with an early childhood program that had been going through a tumultuous time. The result was stress and burnout within the staff. It was also creating an overall negative climate in the buildings. After several weeks of observation and conversations I reflected back on how I would have addressed the negative climate when I was an early childhood director.
During my tenure as an early childhood director I began to present quarterly challenges to my staff. They ranged anywhere from curriculum based projects to self-care and back again. I would present the challenge at a staff meeting and as a team we would focus on it for the next 3 months. At the end of the challenge we would celebrate successes and discuss opportunities for more growth in a safe collegial environment. These challenges became something I looked forward to developing and watching as the staff thought deeply about one aspect of their practice over a period of time. I also loved seeing how we all supported and learned from each other, creating an even stronger bond as a teaching team while strengthening our practice with children. As I reflected back on my successes using focused challenges with my staff, I decided to try it with my new client.
Using my observations and some recommendations from another involved consultant, I developed the Let’s Get Positive Challenge. I presented it to my client’s staff as a fun way to grow as a program and work as a team. Over the course of the month long challenge I presented several different aspects of positivity in an early learning environment on which to focus. The following are excerpts from my weekly communications with the staff designed to center their thinking.
Week 1 – Using Positive Feedback with the Children
Research shows that children who hear 5 positive comments to every 1 negative comment feel a sense of belonging, connectedness, and safety in their learning environment. It also contributes to a more positive atmosphere, which leads to improved behavior and greater child engagement. When children feel connected and have a sense of belonging with their teachers and learning environment, they are naturally more motivated to take risks and participate in activities that promote learning.
So the objective of the Let’s Get Positive Challenge is to turn your classrooms and buildings into Positive Feedback Zones. This does not mean giving out more compliments or using the over used term “good job”. It simply means using more positive phrasing when talking to the children.
One way to increase your use of positive comments in the classroom is to tell children what they should do rather then what not to do. As teachers and caregivers we want children to follow our routines and directions, however if you think about it, most of the time that is not how we phrase it. Telling children what you want them to do is not only easier for them to process; it also falls into the Positive Feedback Zone. It is astonishing how it works.
Some examples of this are:
- Rather then asking a child to get off the table, ask a child to put their feet on the floor.
- Rather then asking a child to be quiet, say that is a great voice for outside can you use a voice like mine now
- Rather then asking a child to stopping poking another child, consider why they are trying to get that child’s attention, and help them negotiate the social interaction in a more positive manner. You can say something like, I see you want to play with Mary, can I help you talk to her about that?
- Rather then saying stop wiggling in line, say everyone tap your toes while you wait.
- Rather then saying stop that, say I can see you are feeling frustrated (sad, silly, shy, grumpy, tired), how can I help you?
Simply recognizing or noticing a child for doing what they are doing is also a great way to connect and be positive.
Some examples:
- WOW you have really been focusing on the structure you are working on.
- You picked the creation station again today you must really enjoy the work you are doing there.
- I am glad you and John are having so much fun together.
- I am so glad I get to spend time with you today.
- Look how hard you are working.
Week 2 – Keeping it Positive with Your Colleagues
As part of a positive classroom climate, teaching teams must have a respectful professional working relationship. This includes communicating in a positive manner, working with, not just along side each other and being kind. This is an especially important piece because children learn more by watching our example as they do from what we tell them. It is important to model the type of respectful behavior and relationships we would like to see the children have in our program.
The following are some questions to ask yourself as you reflect on the relationship you have with your teaching partner and how that might be affecting the climate in the classroom.
- How are you building relationshipswith your fellow teachers?
- Do students often see you supporting each other in the classroom?
- How are you displaying positive affectin your interactions with other teachers?
- Do classroom interactions between teachers regularly demonstrate enjoyment or warmth?
- Are communicationsbetween teachers positive?
- Do teachers express kindness or affection to each other when appropriate?
- Do interactionsbetween teachers convey respect?
- Do teachers make eye contact, speak calmly and respectfully, and cooperate with each other when the need arises?
(Danner, 2017)
Week 3– Positive Interactions with Families
Have you ever considered how the relationships you have with families affects your classroom? Research shows that children have better outcomes when there are strong family/teacher relationships. Here are just a few reasons why.
Teachers and families who participate in respectful two-way relationships serve as models for the children to create positive relationships with other people.
Families and teachers each have unique knowledge about a child. Teachers and families can only see the “whole child” if they hear the unique perspective that only the other can provide.
Families can help resolve the mysteries of behavior by sharing insight into a child’s home life with teachers.
Positive relationships between teachers and families have been shown to support higher levels of pro-social behaviors in the child.
Use the following questions to reflect on the relationships you have with the families of the children you serve.
- Have you taken the time to get to know each family?
- Do you know what hopes and dreams they have for their children while they are in your care?
- Is there two-way communication where you share more positive moments then negative?
- Do you provide one-way communication in multiple forms?
- Do you touch base everyday with a child’s family at drop-off or pickup?
Week 4 – The Negative Affects of Gossip
Gossip brings negativity to the work environment.
One definition of gossip is “a conversation or reports about a person or people that haven’t been confirmed as true. Gossip is generally negative and can be embarrassing for the person or people that are the subject of the conversation”.
People often gossip because it can create a sense of intimacy with our co-workers. It can make us feel better about ourselves when we focus on someone else’s misfortune. And is gives us a false sense of power.
Gossiping causes a negative vibe in the culture of the work place because negative energy breeds negative energy. Gossip erodes trust, distracts us from what we are supposed to be doing, isolates individuals or groups, is harmful to our health, and is just plain mean. (Aivana, S)
Here are a few questions to reflect on to create a no gossip zone in your work environment.
- Can you refrain from entering into conversations that include gossip?
- Can you request that others stop gossiping?
- Can you shift conversations away from negative gossiping to something positive and fulfilling?
In Conclusion and the Celebration
During the my visits and in my conversations with staff after introducing the Let’s Get Positive Challenge I could see a shift in thinking and behavior. Staff would email me with related questions and ideas. Children were being communicated with in a more positive way. Teams were working together more functionally.
Last week I visited the program during their staff meeting to recognize and celebrate their work and success. We had snacks and applauded each other’s work. I could feel a more positive climate in the room!
Resources
Aiyana, S http://www.youngandraw.com/how-to-deal-with-negative-people-gossip-in-a-positive-way/
Danner, A, 2017 http://info.teachstone.com/blog/how-positive-negative-climate-among-teachers-affect-children