The qualities of an effective communicator in the early learning centre are establishing and maintaining meaningful and respectful relationships with Educators, families and children. As an Educator, communicating effectively demonstrates interest, trust, commitment and professionalism. Educators communicate through a variety of different ways. Communicating effectively can be through forms of writing, speech, verbal, non-verbal and body language. Communication is the key to success and importantly what brings the world together. An effective communicator is an effective listener.
The quality of an effective communicator in the early learning centre provides families and parents important and relevant information and the willingness to discuss positive aspects of the child. Communicating effectively demonstrates a high level of quality and reassurance for both parents and the educator. Important information that is discussed and carried out within the early learning centre is the child’s progression (daily information). This information that is relevantly discussed is the child’s routine, meal times, sleep times, the child’s developmental areas which are social skills, communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, emotional and cognitive skills and the child’s well-being. Informative discussions that are held between educators and families are based on the child’s interests and motives. This information is beneficial for the parents and demonstrates how an educator shows initiative and companionship towards children and their education that the educator brings into the child’s environment. Families also are benefiting and gaining this information which allows them an understanding and good results of how their child is progressing in the centre. This includes what the child may need to focus on and the positive side of the child. As children are all individuals, educators are to include children with special needs to experience literature, language skills and all areas of development skills. Children with special needs have special aids that teach children communication skills and different ways of communication which involves mostly how to understand communication which is non-verbal. Within the daily program that is carried out in an early learning centre, educators are to also include diversity. Including language through diversity promotes children the ability to learn different languages, culture and most importantly how to speak different languages. As an Educator, communicating effectively to children develops their social, emotional, physical and intellectual skills. While communicating to children it broadens their understanding on reading and literacy. These main two qualities of development help children to improve on their pronunciation skills and their language skills. As children are developing such an important skill in their life, they are developing self-confidence within themselves. As an educator, demonstrating effective communication skills enhances children’s awareness of how to talk, read and write. Children learn by hearing words, therefore when educators are communicating to children within the learning centre, children are capable of matching the words together and making meaning of what is being heard. As quoted, “ Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read.” – Marilyn Jager Adams.
In a learning child care centre environment, communicating effectively allows children to respond in many different ways. Qualities of a child communicating are using verbal, non-verbal communication, visually communicating to sounds or objects and importantly having a trusting relationship with an educator that confines security, comfort and an understanding. Early educators communicate effectively with children by involving language into play and encouraging children to develop this skill. While allowing children to communicate through play, children develop increasing elaborative sentences based on their thoughts, ideas and creativeness. Educators encourage children to communicate through play by expanding on their sentences and encouraging them to further speak and build on their self-confidence. Educators are then able to develop the knowledge and observe the child based on the child’s interests, motives, and what the child’s strengths are. Through this, children grow emotionally and socially as individuals. Children explore in their leaning centre environment, they develop through pretend play, art and craft activities, shared play experiences and most importantly group time. Group time activities provide a wide range of areas where children are continually developing on their language skills. Activities that are carried out in a learning centre can range from Flash cards, reading books, singing songs, and show and tell. While children are reading books, it builds on their future academic skills and vocabulary skills. Reading develops children’s listening skills that are a most important factor of a child’s life. Effective communicators teach children to develop on their language skills through singing and music. Whilst children sing songs, they develop on their memory skills and anticipate the lyrics or the next words to the song. Singing songs also demonstrates children to communicate verbally and non-verbally. Children develop with music by using hand gestures and actions.
Within the early learning centre, as an educator it is important to communicate effectively towards members of the workplace. This carries out a high quality of professionalism and positive leadership. While communicating effectively, it is the audience which include families, parents, co-workers and management to develop. Developing as a team defines a happy and safe environment for all party’s within the early learning centre. Communicating effectively in the workplace develops positive feedback when communicating with families and between staff members. This forms trusting relationships also between children, their families and the relationships that are developed with workers. With an early learning centre, this provides a high quality standard for the organisation. As educators or any organisation, it is important and an exception to follow correct policy and procedure standards of communicating in a professional way. This promotes a safe environment for children, families and co-workers. As professionals, in an early learning centre workplace, educators need to be mindful of how to communicate to avoid conflict. Conflict can be avoided and mostly resolved by the way communication is involved. Techniques and ways to reduce conflict is directly confronting the person in an effective way with any issues or matters that are affecting the person. Communicating in a reasonable and conducting matter can resolve conflict and on a positive note, can reflect a friendly and professional environment for all workers. There are many forms of communication techniques that are carried out in the workplace apart from direct verbal and non verbal communication. As educators, it is important to have good effective communication skills via telephone. Educators are to always conduct themselves in a professional way that brings families together and enables good conversations with the families or any person associated within the organisation. Communication skills via telephone are important within an early learning centre. Educators on a daily basis are communicating with families, departments of education, other centres and managers of the organisation. Techniques that are undertaken in a professional way when communicating over the telephone is listening to the person, note-taking any important and relevant information, greeting the personnel in a pleasant and warm matter, communicating clearly between each other, introducing yourself and the position you hold, and most importantly detailing any contact numbers, the name of the person, and the main subject regarding the telephone conversation. As an educator, it is then important to action the conversation by communicating this to a director or a second in charge worker. This is handing over the information correctly, clearly and in a way that is understandable for the other person. Direct communication is beneficial as it passes the information to the other person clearly and in a quick manner. This displays effective communication skills and good initiative. Communication is conducted on a daily basis and is the key that holds a divine workplace. Communication that is carried out in the workplace can be with people from different cultures. As Australia is an indigenous supporting country, employees of the workplace are to conduct a respectful, culturally environment. It is important as members of the workplace to respect families, children’s and workers from different backgrounds. Communicating with families, children and workers from diverse backgrounds, needs to be promoted in a professional and mindful matter. As people within the community are multicultural, this is a great way to support children’s education through different cultures and language. Educators have the ability and determination to teach children aspects of diversity, language barriers, cultural music and cultural background. It is a good way to bring various multicultural backgrounds into the early learning centre.
In conclusion, the ability and quality of an educator to demonstrate effective communication skills can manage problems, challenges, questions, and most importantly language. Educators in the early child care centre having the ability and power to express their thoughts, to be articulate and demonstrate creative ideas. These qualities encourage children to communicate effectively. As an educator, qualities of an effective communicator facilitate excellent care for the children, their education and their families. Educators communicate in ways that advance children’s education and build relationships with families and co-workers. Through positive teaching skills, children do develop effective communication skills and the power to learn how to communicate in their learning environment.
Reference: – Marilyn Jager Adams. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (2000) http://www. readingrockets. org/books/fun/quotable.