“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship”

1. Building Relationships “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship” - Dr. James Comer

2. Building Relationships • Improving students’ relationships with teachers has important, positive and long-lasting implications for students’ development: • Academic • Social • Students who have close, positive and supportive relationships with their teachers will attain higher levels of achievement.

3. Building Relationships • If a student: • Feels a personal connection to a teacher • Experiences frequent communication with a teacher • Receives more guidance and praise than criticism from the teacher It will lead to more trust for that teacher and more engagement in the classroom. • Positive teacher-student relationships draw students into the process of learning and promote their desire to learn

4. What do good teacher-student relationships look like and why do these relationships matter? • A 15-year-old student who is experiencing divorce at home goes to her former 9th grade teacher in the mornings for words of encouragement, even though she is now in the 10th grade. • A 10th grade student who is struggling in math shows comfort in admitting to his teacher that he needs help with multiplying and dividing fractions. • A middle school girl experiences bullying from other students and approaches her learning support teacher to discuss it because she trusts that the teacher will listen and help without making her feel socially inept.

5. What do positive student-teacher relationships look like in the classroom?

6. Forming Positive Relationships • Don’t assume that being kind and respectful to students is enough to bolster their achievement.(e.g., Gregory & Weinstein, 2004; McCombs, 2001).  • Don’t give up too quickly on your efforts to develop positive relationships with difficult students (Baker, 2006; Birch & Ladd, 1998). • Don’t assume that respectful and sensitive interactions are only important to elementary school students.(Croninger & Lee, 2001; Meece, Herman, & McCombs, 2003; Wentzel, 2002). 

7. Forming positive relationships with difficult students • Difficult students require more energy on your part. For example, you may need to spend time with them individually to get to know them better -- to understand their interests and what motivates them.

8. Two Theoretical Perspectives  • Attachment Theory and Self-System Theory — help to explain why children behave in certain ways in your classroom and how you can use your relationships with them to enhance their learning. • Attachment theory explains how students use their positive relationships with adults to organize their experiences (Bowlby 1969). Central to this theory is that students with close relationships with their teachers view their teacher as a “secure base” from which to explore the classroom environment. In practice, students with this “secure base” feel safe when making mistakes and feel more comfortable accepting the academic challenges necessary for learning. • Self-System theory emphasizes the importance of students’ motivation and by doing so, explains the importance of teacher-child relationships (Connell & Wellborn, 1991; Harter, in press; McCombs, 1986). Students come to the classroom with three basic psychological needs — competence, autonomy and relatedness — all of which can be met in a classroom through students’ interactions with teachers and with the learning environment (Deci & Ryan, 2002). (See competence for definitions.) Positive teacher-student relationships help students meet these needs. Teachers offer feedback to students to support their feelings of competence. Teachers who know their students’ interests and preferences and show regard and respect for these individual differences bolster students’ feelings of autonomy (see the module on autonomous learners). Teachers who establish a personal and caring relationship and foster positive social interactions within their classrooms meet their students’ needs for relatedness (or social connection to school). Taken together, effective teacher-student relationships confirm to students that teachers care for them and support their academic efforts.

9. Typical “Criteria” for Graduation • Proficiency (passing grades) in core academic subjects. • Ability to work well with others from diverse backgrounds in both socially and emotionally skilled ways. • Exhibition of healthy behaviors that are responsible and respectful.

10. K-12 Social & Emotional Learning Standards • PA has aligned standards for SEL from early childhood through 2nd grade. • Self-concept • Self-regulation • Social interactions • Self-care and reliance • Drafted standards for Interpersonal Skills are currently under Development • (See Handout)

12. A Look at the Numbers • A meta-analysis was done of school-based universal interventions. • Of a sampled 148,189 6th-12th graders 29%-45% reported social competencies • Only 29% indicated that their school provided a “caring, encouraging environment” Meaning, out of roughly 150,000 students, 13,000 feel their school cares Child Development, January/February 2011, Volume 82, Number 1, Pages 405–432

13. A Look at the Numbers • By high school, 40%-60% of students become chronically disengaged from school. • 30% of high school students engage in multiple high-risk behaviors: • Substance abuse - Depression • Sex - Attempted suicide • Violence Child Development, January/February 2011, Volume 82, Number 1, Pages 405–432

14. The Rationale for Relationships • Rigor • Relevance • Relationships Is it possible to reach the first two without the third? • The answer is no.

15. Forming positive relationships with difficult students • Think about what you say to the difficult students in your classroom. • No one likes being badgered and pestered, and your students are no exception. • Are you giving students meaningful feedback that says you care about them and their learning? • In your conversations, are you focusing on what your students have accomplished or are you concentrating your comments on what they have not yet mastered? • Do your body positions, facial expressions, and tone of voice show your students that you are interested in them as people?

16. How NOT to Build Relationships • “One and Done” • “Spectator” • “Walking on Eggshells” • “Open Book” • “None of Your Business” • “Demand Respect Without Being Respectful”