Activity 3.1 | Working from the Heart: Building Relationships with Employees

Listening, as described by Rinaldi, is active and gives meaning to the message offered. By listening we value the message. Listening doesn’t always provide an answer but raises further questions. Listening lets us understand that we are small parts of a larger knowledge.

Listening to children is a valuable skill to develop because they so often bring forward new ideas and interpretations that we may have not thought of before. We listen not only to words but silence, stillness, and sounds. We notice gestures, movements, light and shadows and how everything is interrelated. It opens our minds to something new and helps us let go of what is not so useful.

According to the BC Early Learning Framework (p.48), listening involves being welcoming and open to differences. Listening is recognizing the value of another’s point of view.

Listening is not always comfortable. We have to stretch ourselves to pay attention. Whether we are listening to children or colleagues, we must let go of our own thoughts and judgments and focus on what another person is offering through words, gestures and pauses. 

Activity

Ask a colleague if you can observe them interacting with a child or small group for about 15 minutes. Listen with your ears and eyes. Make some notes and think about the moment. Offer to share your observations with your colleague. Observing a colleague’s interactions with the children must be respectful.

How does your knowledge of the five human needs influence your observations?

After you complete your observation, you should make notes in your journal and consider if this is an activity other educators in your centre might like to try. If so, have a conversation during a meeting to create boundaries so that all educators feel safe and within their comfort zone in doing this activity. Discuss  what purposes it could serve with your staff and establish a common goal(s) for the activity. Ensure you have allocated time to debrief and discuss either as a pair or a group depending on what your staff decides.

British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2019). British Columbia early learning framework. Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Children and Family Development, & Early Advisory Group. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/early-learning/teach/early-learning-framework