Attunement Principles

Attunement is a responsive and harmonious process which describes how a person reacts to another’s emotional need, through the use of behaviour and language. Attunement is a desirable state for children's and adults' wellbeing, growth and learning as it supports adults to judge the amount and kind of help that a child needs to be successful in learning. When adult’s are attuned to the needs of a child, communication within that relationship is enhanced.

The attunement principles were developed in the 1980s by Harry Biemens, and are strongly rooted in attachment theory and mediated learning experiences. The principles look at how emotions are expressed and received, with much of the initial research involving the close study of interactions between mothers and very young infants (Kennedy, Landor and Todd, 2011).

The foundations for any attuned communication involve being attentive, followed by encouraging a child to make an initiative. Once an attempt to communicate has been made, this initiative can then be received in an attuned way. This is the beginning of attuned interactions being constructed. Once these are established it can lead to adults being able to guide the child by extending their idea. We often talk of this as ‘scaffolding’ in Education. The highest steps of the principles for attunement involve guiding, deepening discussion and supporting.

• Think about the ways you can show children that you are interested and attending to them. Often this may not involve any spoken language. Welcoming children into your classroom using attentive methods is a great way to start off the day positively. 

• The attunement principles do not require specific lesson planning before they can be used. Instead they work best when demonstrated in naturally occurring situations.  The way we display the different levels of attuned interactions can be tailored to suit our own style – so don’t worry if some of the suggestions above don’t fit with you. Try other verbal or non-verbal ways to establish being attentive, encouraging initiatives and receiving initiatives.

• Some children may require more support to engage with learning, e.g. if they have had an extended period of absence. In these circumstances, using the principles of attunement can be a helpful tool in your toolkit. Evidence shows that when children are attuned together with an adult, they are more likely to be able to follow instructions, ask for support and accept offers of help.