IMPROVING STUDENTS RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEACHERS TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SUPPORTS FOR LEARNING • Those students who have close, positive and supportive relationships with their teachers will attain higher levels of achievement than those students with more conflictual relationships. • If a student feels a personal connection to a teacher, experiences frequent communication with a teacher, and receives more guidance and praise than criticism from the teacher, then the student is likely to become more trustful of that teacher, show more engagement in the academic content presented, display better classroom behavior, and achieve at higher levels academically. • Positive teacher-student relationships draw students into the process of learning and promote their desire to learn (given that the content material of the class is engaging and age appropriate). • Teachers who foster positive relationships with their students create classroom environments more conducive to learning and meet students developmental, emotional and academic needs. • Positive teacher-student relationships — evidenced by teachers reports of low conflict, a high degree of closeness and support, and little dependency — have been shown to support students adjustment to school, contribute to their social skills, promote academic performance, and foster students resiliency in academic performance (Battistich, Schaps, & Wilson, 2004; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Hamre & Pianta, 2001). • Teachers who experience close relationships with students reported that their students were less likely to avoid school, appeared more self-directed, more cooperative, and more engaged in learning (Birch & Ladd, 1997; Klem & Connell, 2004). • Students reported liking school more and experiencing less loneliness if they had a close relationship with their teachers. • Students with better teacher-student relationships also showed better performance on measures of academic performance and school readiness (Birch & Ladd, 1997). • Teachers who use more learner-centered practices (i.e., practices that show sensitivity to individual differences among students, include students in the decision-making, and acknowledge students developmental, personal and relational needs) produced greater motivation in their students than those who used fewer of such practices (Daniels & Perry, 2003; Perry & Weinstein, 1998).
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:06:13 +0000