Description:

Bestseller! A teacher interacts with the children all day long. It’s how the warm and responsive relationships in which young children learn best are built. But interactions in which teachers intentionally promote learning can be few and far between. A “Powerful Interaction” may last only a few minutes, but in that time the teacher tunes out any distractions, tunes into the child, and then presents a learning experience tailored to that child at that moment.

• In step one of a Powerful Interaction, Be Present, you pause to tune in to how you are feeling, and consider how you might need to adjust to create a “just-right” fit with a child.
• In step two, Connect, you let that child know that you see him; are interested in what he is doing, saying, and thinking; and want to spend time with him. 
• In step three, Extend Learning, you make use of your strong connection with the child to stretch his knowledge, skills, thinking, or language and vocabulary just a bit.

This reflective guide contains 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. Whether you work in a child care center or home, Early Head Start or Head Start program, preschool or early primary classroom, you make a difference in the lives of children and families—and Powerful Interactions can make that difference even bigger.

Learn more about the book.