Rory is sad
Rory is sad, but about what, we don't know. Sherma responds to Rory's facial expression and body language with an affective reflection; she reflects back to Rory how she sees her feeling. Sherma also uses non-verbal strategies: she leans in close, softens her tone of voice and gently strokes Rory. Sherma is communicating to Rory that it's okay to feel sad sometimes. Sherma's response helps Rory learn to recognize, accept and regulate her own emotions. This is a learning opportunity for the other children as well; by responding with empathy to Rory's emotion, the educators model for the rest of the group how they could respond when one of their peers is sad.
Featuring:
Karen
Sherma
NourAllah (2 years)
Rory (2 years, 10 months)
Yacouba (1 year, 11 months)
Child-care centre: Big Step
Date and Time: March 12, 2010, afternoon