Using Skilled Dialogue to Transform Challenging Interactions: Honoring Identity, Voice, and Connecti

Applying Isaura Barrera's popular Skilled Dialogue approach to challenging interactions of all types—be they between adults and children or only between adults—this positive and practical guide works because it transforms the behavior of everyone: young children with special needs, early childhood professionals, and families. With this fresh, creative approach to addressing behavior challenges, early education professionals will discover how to

• apply the three critical qualities of Skilled Dialogue: respect for differences, reciprocity that honors diverse perspectives, and responsiveness to a person's true identity and needs
• nurture young children's confidence and sense of self while building effective behavioral supports
• become better communicators and collaborators with colleagues and families
• make the most of the gifts and strengths inherent in differences rather than perceiving them as roadblocks or weaknesses
• build mutually beneficial relationships rather than seeking control over others
• dismantle the stereotypes that can harm relationships and encourage negative judgments
• move beyond rigid "either-or" thinking and welcome multiple ways of reaching a desired outcome

Extended case examples and specific classroom strategies give readers models for their own interactions, vignettes with discussion questions help readers practice what they learn, and tools such as self-assessments and case analysis exercises make it easy to implement Skilled Dialogue in any early childhood setting. The book also includes a handy Skilled Dialogue Quick Sheet that users can keep at their fingertips for a fast, reader-friendly refresher on implementing the model.

A must for every professional who works with young children and families, this book will help readers change the way they think about behavior—and resolve challenges in ways that honor diverse cultures and perspectives.

• Everyday Goodbyes: Starting School and Early Care: A Guide to the Separation Process (Early Childhood Education Series)
• Revisiting a Progressive Pedagogy (Suny Series, Early Childhood Education) (SUNY series, Early Childhood Education: Inquiries and Insights)
• Inspiring Early Childhood Leadership: Eight Strategies to Ignite Passion and Transform Program Quality
• Handbook for Early Childhood Administrators: Directing with a Mission
• Powerful Interactions: How to Connect with Children to Extend Their Learning
• From Another Angle: Children's Strengths and School Standards (Practitioner Inquiry Series)
• Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Naeyc)
• We Make the Road by Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change
• Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children
• Language Disorders in Children: A Multicultural and Case Perspective