Last November, we had the pleasure of attending the NAEYC 2023 Conference in Nashville, TN, where we connected with thousands of educators who are passionate about early childhood development. We were thrilled to share our Circle of Security Classroom (COSC) Approach with them, and to hear their stories of how they make a difference in the lives of their students.
What is the COSC Approach?
The COSC Approach is a research-based program designed to enhance teachers’ abilities to form secure relationships. The Approach offers critical organizing principles from attachment theory to improve teacher confidence and competence in relationship building. By understanding the needs and emotions of their students, teachers can foster a positive learning environment where children feel safe, confident, and curious. COSC also helps teachers deal with challenging behaviors and stress in the classroom, by providing practical tools and strategies.
Who is your #TeacherThatMakesaDifference?
One of the highlights of our exhibit was the Teacher That Makes a Difference campaign, where we invited attendees to share their stories of a teacher who made a positive impact on their lives. We were moved by the responses we received, and we shared some of them on our social media with the hashtag #TeacherThatMakesADifference. We also explained how COSC can help teachers become the teacher that makes a difference for their students, by showing them the evidence from various studies that link secure teacher-student relationships to improved academic and behavioral outcomes.
We also showed teachers our new children’s book, Someone to Be With. The children’s coloring book was written to support strong, first relationships for young children in early care settings. It follows the journey of a young child to feel connected and supported in a classroom while away from their primary attachment figures. Author Deidre Quinlan was there to sign copies!
What outcomes resonated most with the attendees?
Another fun activity we had at our exhibit was a poll where we asked attendees to choose one of the following outcomes that resonated most with them:
- Work Independently because of confidence in the relationship with the teacher
- Less fighting with peers and teachers and fewer disruptive behaviors
- Show kindness and empathy to peers and teachers
- Experience protection against growing up in a stressful environment
- Look forward to going to school each day
- Feel connected to and enjoy belonging to their school
The results were interesting: the most popular outcomes were “feel connected to and enjoy belonging to their school” and “look forward to going to school each day”. These outcomes reflect the importance of creating a sense of community and belonging in the classroom, and how that can enable students to learn and grow.
How can you learn more about COSC and the Teacher That Makes a Difference?
If you are interested in learning more about the COSC Approach and the Teacher That Makes a Difference, you can visit our website, where you can find more information, resources, and references. You can also order our children’s coloring book, Someone to Be With. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
