Sharing Good Practice
Build positive teacher-student
relationships
By Dr. Thomas Gamboa Jr, Ed.D.
Classroom management is
essential
One of the most important benefits
of building positive relationships
is the role that those relationships
have on classroom management.
When teachers have built positive
relationships with students, they open
lines of communication that facilitate
management of the classroom.
Students are more receptive to
teachers when that bond that has
been established. Research has
been conducted by scholars who
have asserted that teachers who
are respected and admired by their
students, have less discipline problems
in their classrooms.
T
eaching
is
a
profession
that relies on the ability to
communicate effectively with
students.
Robert Marzano
emphasizes that teaching is not just
a science but also an art that requires
teachers to develop a feel for their
own teaching craft. In the modern
era of new educational standards and
accountability, it seems that we have
forgotten a key classroom fundamental
and that is the relationship between
te acher and student. Recently,
however, there has been a call by some
education influencers, to focus more
on building positive teacher-student
relationships as a way of promoting
wellbeing in schools.
Building positive teacher-student
relationships provide several benefits
to both students and teachers. The
most important benefit is to improve
students’ wellbeing and ultimately
academic achievement. Significant
research has been done on the
perceptions that students have of their
teachers and the effect that those
perceptions have on the students’
learning and social development.
Below are four key ways of building
positive student-teacher relationships.
20 | May - Jun 2016 |
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Engage students
A key step in building positive
relationships is the engagement of
students in the learning process.
Most teachers, parents and students
will agree that students who are
active participants in the learning
process enjoy their lessons more.
Furthermore, when students are
more engaged in classes they tend
to demonstrate improvements in
academic performance.
Social development is
important
Another important area of focus should
be on students’ social development. As
educators, we often spend more time
with students than they may spend
with their parents. Thus, for many of
these students, teachers become
mentors and models of acceptable
social behaviours. For some students
living in low socio-economic homes
or single parent homes, positive
teacher-student relationships become
life-changing experiences. Teachers
expose these students to educational
paths and other life opportunities that
they would otherwise have not even
dreamed of.
Class Time
As an educator with 20 years of
experience at all levels in both general
education and special education
settings, my ability to build positive
teacher-student relationships has been
the foundation of my professional
success. Building these relationships
have also helped my students to
improve academically and personally.
I have witnessed that building positive
teacher-student relationships leads
to improving student learning and
exposing them to new experiences. It
has allowed me to create an effective
learning environment that engages
students.
The
educational
profession
is
continually evolving to meet the
changing demands of the workforce,
as globalization has changed what
people need to know and how they
need to communicate. Although
educators must adapt to the increased
standards and be held accountable,
it is important to not forget the core
of education. Teaching is about
building a relationship with students
to spark their interest, engage them
in the learning process, and most
importantly, to provide them with the
skills that they need to succeed in a
world where we do not yet know what
they will face in the future.
Remember, teaching is a people
profession and in order to be effective,
you must relate to your students as
people and not just students in your
class.