Communication focused on joining and supporting are effective strategies that can be used throughout the process of working together with professionals and families. These communication strategies convey support, responsiveness to others’ ideas, and a genuine desire to work together to achieve mutual goals.
Watch the video and look for examples of how the teacher used joining and supporting strategies to develop mutual goals.
Video 3.5: Conversation with examples of joining and supporting
Andi, a Head Start teacher, and LeeMarie, a speech therapist, have a conversation about collaborating to address the learning goals of a 4-year-old child in Andi’s classroom. This is part three of a three-part conversation highlighting examples of joining and supporting communication strategies (running time 3 min. 13 sec.).
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Narrator:
This video clip is Part 3 of a 3-part conversation that takes place between Andi, a Head Start teacher in a 4-year-old classroom, and LeeMarie, a speech therapist. Look for examples of joining and supporting communication practices.
Andi:
I’m really looking forward to our conversation today, LeeMarie. I’m so glad that we’re at the point of figuring out some new strategies that I can use in the classroom to make sure that Enrique continues to make progress.
LeeMarie:
Me too. Let’s get started.
Andi:
O.K. Now I’d really like to start with Enrique’s communication goals, if you don’t mind. Now when he first started coming into my classroom, as you know, he wasn’t really communicating very well at all. And this is something that is really important to his parents. It’s one of the reasons why they enrolled him in the program. Now Enrique is actually starting to communicate more with me and the other adults in the classroom, which is really exciting. But I’m hoping that we can find some ways to help Enrique communicate more with the other children in the classroom.
LeeMarie:
Wow. That’s great to hear, Andi. This is such a huge milestone for Enrique. And it’s exactly what we hoped would happen this year.
Andi:
Yes, it is. It’s a really big milestone, but I would like us to build on this success and see if we can find a way to help Enrique communicate more with the other children.
LeeMarie:
Absolutely. That’s what we should focus on next. It would help me if you could remind me what strategies you used to help Enrique communicate more with adults.
Andi:
Right. Well, we’ve started with some basic ideas that you and I discussed earlier. You know, about not anticipating his needs, but waiting until he made simple requests by signing before giving him what he wants. That has worked really well.
LeeMarie:
Hmm…I wonder if a similar approach could work with his peers.
Andi:
Hmm…I’m trying think how that would work. You know, we would have to find a way to somehow convey that idea to the children and then also help them understand what his signs mean.
LeeMarie:
That’s right. But I’ve seen it work in that past.
Andi:
Really? Could you tell me more about that?
LeeMarie:
Sure, so before, we’ve set up peer groups for special activities. And for those activities, we’ve actually coached the children on how they’ll be involved and what roles they’ll take. So for Enrique, I think we could encourage a few of the older children in the group to make sure that he uses his signs.
Andi:
O.K. So it sounds like we’re in agreement that we need to work on helping Enrique communicate more with the adults. Oh I’m sorry, with the children in the classroom. And we want to build on the success that we’ve had in helping him communicate more with the adults, and then you have some ideas about how we might help him communicate more children. Did I get that right?
LeeMarie:
Sounds perfect.
Andi:
O.K. So let’s think also about how we can get some input from Enrique’s parents. I know they’ve been working on these same goals at home and it might be a good time for all of us to just share how things are going and talk about the strategies that we want to use moving forward.
LeeMarie:
I couldn’t agree more.