Student-Teacher Relationships
Overview
This is a module discussing Student-Teacher Relationships. Topics discussed in this module include, How to build student-teacher relationships, benefits of student-teacher relationships, and examples of appropriate and innapropriate student-teacher relationships.
Introduction
We will be diving into the topic of student-teacher relationships. The purpose of this is to help further our knowledge on this topic, and to also be used as a resource for others wanting to know more about student-teacher relationships.
We will cover:
- How to Build Student-Teacher Relationships
- Benefits of Student-Teacher Relationships
- Examples of Appropriate and Innapropriate Student-Teacher Relationships
How to build Student-Teacher Relationships:
How to build Student-Teacher Relationships:
Student-Teacher relationships are incredibly important as it will help create a safer and more engaging learning environment for both the student and the teacher. Doing so can be quite challenging if there is no knowledge of where to start. This section will go over some great ways to build student-teacher relationships in the classroom.
“Building Rapport”
In the article,”Welcome to Our Class! Building Classroom Rapport to Support the Development of Social and Emotional Learning Skills”, a large part of building relationships is to build a rapport with the students in the classroom. Rapport is described as a feeling about a relationship. Rapport in a classroom can increase the good attitude in a classroom and create some motivation. To do this, the article suggests welcoming activities, engaging practices and optimistic closures. Welcoming activities are “..explicitly taught series of actions or events that take place as a signal to the start of school” (Baily, Benner, Michael, Sanders 2023). These activities will create routines such as individual greetings to every student, a morning routine for the whole class, and a whole class greeting to start the day off in a positive way. Engaging practices will include verbal and nonverbal transitions, and emotion checks. These help students to process and reflect. Optimistic closures help end the lesson as well as “.. offer opportunities to reflect on learning, identify next steps, or make connections to a students’ individual work’’ (Baily, Benner, Michael, Sanders 2023).
“Authenticity in Relationships”
Building an authentic relationship with students can be done by using proximity, callbacks, and asking for help according to the article,”Building Authentic Relationships With Students” by Andrew Fultz. As a teacher, we spend many hours a day with the students, but this can come in handy when creating a positive relationship. This allows us to learn about our students especially when the teacher actually engages with the students. Having similarities or the same interests as your students can create a positive authentic outcome. The term callbacks in this article refers to talking to the students about shared experiences that they remember and is said that it “..humanizes everyone involved and helps students associate positivity with the school experience.”(Fultz, 2023). Asking students to help in the classroom such as having a student bring things to the office, also creates authentic relationships.
“Positive Connections”
Last, another important aspect to building a positive relationship will include engaging with the students’ families. Building a relationship with the families of the students can help further engage and motivate the students in the classroom. To do this the article, "Building Positive Connections With All Students" by the Australian Education Research Organization gives many tips such as, a teacher should try to introduce themselves to the families before the school year begins to give them the much needed information like how they will be contacted and how to contact the teacher and some class rules or expectation that will be held in the class. Another recommendation is to encourage the families to communicate to the teacher and to plan culturally responsive practices that students and their families can do. (AERO, 2023)
Benefits of Student-Teacher Relationships
Benefits of Student-Teacher Relationships:
Having a strong Student-Teacher Relationship is almost essential when it comes to having a successful learning environment. When students feel connected and comfortable with their teachers they are more likely to have a successful academic journey. In this section we will explore the numerous benefits of student-teacher relationships.
The College of Education and Human Development at the University of Mississippi released an article titled “Positive teacher-student relationships lead to better teaching” In this article they discussed that prior research has shown that positive student-teacher relationships further student academic achievement. However, a recent study done by the University of Mississippi shows that teacher-student relationships also lead to better teaching as well. (College of Education & Human Development 2022) This article does a phenomenal job reiterating the importance of how student-teacher relationships not only have a positive impact on the student but also on the way the teacher teaches. Click on the link to this article to read more about this topic.https://cehd.missouri.edu/2022/03/positive-teacher-student-relationships-lead-to-better-teaching/
In a video titled “Student-teacher relationships in action” by UQx LEARNx Deep Learning through Transformative Pedagogy they discuss how high quality relationships between teachers and students set the social tone of a classroom. They even go as far as asking viewers to think back to their early childhood school days and to think about what memories stood out. If we enjoyed going to school every day. If we felt belonged when we walked into the classroom.
As I watched this video I thought back to my early school years and realized that I never experienced close relationships with my teachers like the video talks about. As a teacher I think it can be easy to build relationships with certain students and maybe put others on the backburner. In my experiences as a student I noticed that all of my teachers tended to be closer to the “smarter kids''. I always wondered why the teachers seemed to be closer to the children that were easier to teach over the students that struggled but it was just because students like myself made the teachers job harder. As a teacher we have to put our best foot forward and try our best to treat all of our students equally and work to build close relationships with each student individually.
The benefits of student-teacher relationships are unmeasurable. We have research that proves that these positive relationships don’t just emotionally impact people but also physically. And not only does it impact students for the better but it also allows the teacher to become a better, more effective teacher. As a teacher it is essential to your student’s academic success that you not just teach them the content but that you put your best efforts into connecting and building relationships with each of your students. By building these relationships you are positively impacting the future.
Appropriate and Inappropriate Student-Teacher Relationships
Examples of Appropriate Relationships:
- getting to know your students
- taking an interest in their personal lives
- strives to keep relationships conflict-free
- value the individuality of each student
- personalized morning greets chosen by the students (hugs, handshake, high five)
Examples of Inappropriate Relationships:
- texting, calling, or emailing the student about anything not school-related
- over affectionate
- flirtatious behavior
- follwing students/teachers on social media
- sexual relationships
There is a fine line between appropriate and inappropriate relationships. When building relationships with your students, please make sure to set clear boundaries and follow through with them.
Final Conclusion
In conclusion, in order to maintain a positive classroom environment for your students, you must seek to build relationships with not just each and everyone of your students but also their parents and guardians. There are many different ways to go about building these positive relationships but it is important to find the ones that work best for you as a teacher and your students. The benefits of having these positive relationships are endless and they will not only help the students academically grow but will also help you as a teacher become better. It is important to keep in mind the differences of appropriate and inappropriate student-teacher relationships. Positive student-teacher relationships play a huge role in a successful learning environment
Bibliography
Reference List
Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO). (2023). Building positive connections with all students. https://www.edresearch.edu.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/building-positive-connections-with-students-aa.pdf
Fultz, A. (2023, October 6). Building authentic relationships with students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-strong-relationships-with-students/
Michael, E., Bailey, P., Benner, G. J., & Sanders, S. (2023). Welcome to our class! Building classroom rapport to support the development of social and emotional learning skills. Beyond Behavior, 32(1), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/10742956221145951
YouTube. (2017, November 30). Learn055 student-teacher relationships in action. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPi9mHv5JMo&t=2s
College of Education & Human Development. Positive teacher-student relationships lead to better teaching – College of Education & Human Development. (2022a, March 7). https://cehd.missouri.edu/2022/03/positive-teacher-student-relationships-lead-to-better-teaching/
Zarra, III, E. J. (2016). Addressing Appropriate and Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationships: A Secondary Education Professional Development Model. Journal for Leadership, Equity, and Research, 3(2). Retrieved from https://journals.sfu.ca/cvj/index.php/cvj/article/view/26