Lecturer：Dr. Cheng Wanni

Lecturer’s Profile

Dr. Cheng is currently the Dean of ECCED and Senior Lecturer at the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL). She specializes in picture book creation, localization of teaching resources, and promoting parent-child reading. With her extensive research background and profound expertise in early childhood education theories, she frequently delivers cutting-edge keynote speeches. Her work focuses on promoting game-based autonomous learning, empowering children to construct knowledge through exploration while enhancing the engagement and impact of early childhood Chinese language education.

Course Overview

Children's development is rooted in relationships, and high-quality education is built upon high-quality relationships.

This course draws upon the Harvard Serve and Return framework, Joint Attention, Attunement, and Responsive Interaction to explore how meaningful responses strengthen trust, belonging, engagement, and learning within early childhood settings.

The first part of the course focuses on interactions with children, helping educators understand how children communicate through behaviour, language, eye contact, movement, and emotions. Participants will learn observation, interpretation, and response strategies to build supportive and responsive relationships with young children.

The second part extends these principles to teaching teams, examining common communication and collaboration challenges among teachers, including Chinese and English language teachers, new and experienced educators, and teacher-leader relationships. Participants will learn to identify the needs behind adult behaviours and develop a more responsive, supportive, and collaborative team culture.

Through theory, case studies, role-play, and practical activities, participants will learn how to foster responsive relationships that support both children's development and effective teamwork within early childhood settings.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the core principles of Responsive Relationships and their impact on children's development, engagement, and social-emotional learning.
2. Identify interaction cues communicated through children's behaviours, language, eye contact, actions, and emotions, and interpret the needs behind these behaviours.
3. Apply Serve and Return, 3R (Receive, Reflect, Respond), and 3S (Show, Say, Suggest) strategies to build high-quality teacher-child interactions.
4. Utilize Joint Attention, Attunement, and responsive interaction techniques to enhance children's engagement, emotional security, and learning motivation.
5. Recognise common communication and collaboration challenges within teaching teams and identify the needs and emotions underlying adult behaviours.
6. Apply responsive communication strategies to strengthen relationships among teachers, leaders, and colleagues, fostering a supportive and collaborative team culture.

Integrate responsive relationship practices into daily teaching and professional collaboration to create a learning environment characterised by belonging, safety, and support.

Foundations of Research and Development

This course has been designed based on the specific needs of the participating preschool, focusing on two key areas: enhancing the quality of teacher-child interactions and strengthening collaboration within teaching teams. In addition to supporting educators in building more responsive and supportive relationships with children, the course also addresses communication, collaboration, and relationship-building between Chinese and English language teachers, helping to foster a more supportive, collaborative, and connected early childhood environment.

Take-home Course Resources

Participants will receive a comprehensive digital resource package.