Every Interaction Matters: Supporting Quality Improvement Where It Matters Most

The first years of a child’s life shape how they learn for years afterwards. Neuroscience calls this window before school a sensitive period of brain development, and research backs this up: the quality of a child’s early interactions affects their capacity to learn, well beyond kindergarten, according to research by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child in 2004 and 2007. Research referenced on Teachstone’s website shows the quality of interactions between teachers and children is the strongest predictor of how children go on to do academically, socially and emotionally.

Using evidence-informed tools to evaluate and support quality teacher-child interactions  

Each year, Gowrie invests in professional development that gives our Educational Leaders the tools to assess the quality of our early years programs using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). This tool gives teaching teams objective, evidence-informed feedback on their programs, from the emotional climate in the room, to how well classrooms are organised, right down to how educators use materials and resources to build children’s language and thinking skills. Twice a year, CLASS observations help teaching teams set specific, measurable goals with their Educational Leaders, which shape coaching and professional learning from there. These observations also show us the strengths of our educators and teams across Gowrie, and they lead to real collaboration around quality improvement.

Using CLASS for program planning and evaluation 

We also use CLASS to support our educators to develop child-focused curriculum plans that utilise teaching strategies known to enhance children’s learning outcomes. In the daily cycle of planning and evaluation, the CLASS is an invaluable tool that supports teaching teams shape the conditions through which meaningful interactions that support children’s learning and development can occur. It also supports teaching teams to evaluate their teaching strategies, keeping the focus on children’s growth.

Our CEO Karen Weston has also written about the value of ‘process quality’ and educator interactions in Gowrie CEO Karen Weston on Teaching Excellence, if you’d like more on this.

For more on CLASS, visit teachstone.com