Building Positive Teacher-Student Relationships
Promoting Student Wellbeing, Semester 4 - August 2021
INTRODUCTION
The relationship between teachers and their students has a dramatic impact on academic, social and emotional development. When students believe that their teachers know and care for them, they are likely to work harder and achieve more. This essay will discuss relevant literature on teacher-student relationships in order to discern key factors that contribute to positive relationships, before formulating principles to guide teachers.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Helen Cahill and associates’ 2014 literature review Building Resilience in Children and Young People, developed by the Youth Research Centre at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE), explores strategies for promoting and supporting student wellbeing and resilience. Cahill focuses on a school-wide approach and draws upon peer-reviewed literature to navigate different frameworks that promote positive wellbeing and resilience, including strength-based approaches relating to risk and protective factors, the use of a Social and Emotional Learning curriculum, and the Positive Educational Practices (PEP) framework. An emphasis is greatly put on the significance of relationships between teachers and students, peers, the school, home, and greater community. Through a meta-analysis of 99 research studies, Cahill determined the importance and effect of positive teacher-student relationships, as well as what contributes to meaningful partnerships. This analysis determined that from students’ perspectives, teacher behaviours that significantly contributed to positive relationships with their students included being kind, friendly and approachable, but also undertaking their position of authority. Students agreed that teachers who treat their students like ‘human beings’ through local and everyday interactions were more likely to be approached as a source of help. Acts like saying hello, knowing and using students’ names, noticing changes in behaviour, helping and encouraging students, exhibiting pride for students and taking an interest in their lives, as well as setting practical, interesting and fun activities within class were all factors students named that contributed to positive relationships. Cahill strengthens her argument for positive relationships by discussing their effect on students, leading to higher levels of behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement. Cahill concludes by elaborating on the positive benefits that these frameworks and strategies have on teachers, resulting in a more democratic and student-centred pedagogical practices, improved social skills and a greater awareness of their students and their needs, in addition to improved wellbeing of their own.
Helen Cahill and associates’ following report in 2020, Supporting Student and Teacher Wellbeing Post-Emergency, also developed by the Youth Research Centre at MGSE, focuses specifically on student wellbeing in the wake of the 2019 to 2020 bushfires and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Cahill iterates the importance of schools’ and teachers’ roles during and after emergencies, while discussing trauma-informed and culturally responsive pedagogical practices. By acknowledging the effects that both short and long term emergencies have on wellbeing, economy, and education, and emphasising the forthcoming frequency and severity of future emergencies due to climate change, Cahill puts forward strategies for schools and teachers to support student wellbeing during and after these times. An analysis of 112 studies justifies Cahill’s description of schools’ roles and responsibilities, including providing safety, security and familiarity for students, as well as emergency safety preparation education. Placing an emphasis on Social and Emotional Learning and trauma-informed pedagogies within the regular curriculum allows teachers to explicitly teach students coping skills, behaviour management and attitudes that lead to emotional regulation, critical and creative thinking and problem solving skills, and better relationships with peers, teachers and community. Combining students’ knowledge, social and life skills while modelling appropriate social and emotional responses allows students to practice self care and lower their baseline stress levels. Additionally, these skills improve students’ connectedness to learning and teacher-student relationships. Cahill discusses the reluctance of teachers to facilitate SEL programs and emotional wellbeing education that comes from a lack of training. By undertaking professional learning and development, teachers can be taught the self-care skills they need in order to support students, but also themselves. Lastly, as seen in Cahill’s previous article, a whole school approach to supporting student wellbeing is promoted through a range of frameworks to provide universal and equitable prevention to intervention.
Vibeke Krane and associates’ 2017 research article You Notice That There is Something Positive About Going to School: How Teachers’ Kindness can Promote Positive Teacher-Student Relationships in Upper Secondary School from the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth discusses the findings of participatory research dealing with factors that contribute to positive relationship with teachers from the perspective of students. Focus groups and individual interviews were held with 17 students who were or knew someone who had been at risk of dropping out of school to determine these key factors. Krane introduces the concept of two different categories of support; instrumental, relating to practical and subject related guidance, and emotional, relating to feelings of trust, respect, value and care. While these two categories intertwine, students placed a greater emphasis on emotional support, agreeing that teachers should be open and warm with a willingness to get to know students personally through casual conversations, common interests and shared experiences. This led to students feeling a sense of trust and a subsequent ability to open up about personal issues. Within the classroom, students appreciated teachers who differentiated their teaching in order to meet specific needs of students, recognised and praised students for their strengths rather than criticised or punished them for their weaknesses, and provided engaging content with a positive demeanor. Krane emphasises the importance of teachers’ demeanor within the classroom, with a focus on smiling and positive facial expressions as a way to make students feel as if the teacher is happy to be in their company and values them and their time, while activating students' mirror neurons to make them happy too. To conclude, Krane recognises the limitations of the study and emphasises the importance of teachers’ support and care in regards to students’ academic and emotional needs, and the difference they can make in students’ every day life.
The contributing factors of positive teacher-student relationships discussed in these articles can be categorised using Krane’s concept of instrumental and emotional support. In addition, a third category can be included for factors that intertwine in both. Within these three categories, sub-categories emerged relating to delivery, content, demeanor, helpfulness, openness, conversations and care. In regards to instrumental factors relating to delivery, teachers must be able to adjust their teaching methods in order to accommodate students’ individual needs and preferences, facilitate fun and engaging lessons while also recognising and using their position of authority when necessary. Content must be culturally responsive and incorporate active teaching and modelling of social and emotional skills. Factors that are both instrumental and emotion contribute to demeanor, including having a positive and calm attitude, smiling, being friendly and using humour. Encouraging teachers who recognise students’ strengths, promote participation and maintain hope for learning, as well as being helpful by re-explaining and assisting students with learning from their mistakes are also both key factors. Thirdly, emotional support consists partly of openness, relating to the willingness of both the teacher and student to connect, active listening, and trust and confidentiality. Conversations are also important, through both local and everyday interactions, continuing even when no longer teaching a student, and taking an interest in students’ lives. Finally, perceptions of care, including noticing changes in behaviour, recognising and praising strengths, and treating students with respect.
GUIDELINES FOR FOSTERING POSITIVE TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS
Drawing upon the literature and reflecting upon previous placement experiences, the following principles have been formulated to guide teachers in fostering positive relationships with their students.
1. Treat Students as Individuals
The literature has demonstrated that it is important for students to feel like their teachers recognise and value them as individual people (Cahill, 2014; Krane, 2017). During my placement experience, I found I made greater connections with students when I was able to learn about their interests and experiences through casual conversations both in and out of the classroom. When we could establish shared interests and experiences, we began to relate to each other, therefore leading to greater levels of understanding and respect. Actively engaging in students’ individuality by remembering facts about them and asking about their interests (eg. “How did your soccer game go on the weekend?” or “Did you see the latest MCU film?”) can also make students feel recognised, and that their presence and conversations are valued and cared about by the teacher.
2. Make Yourself Approachable and Available
Using a friendly demeanour and showing explicit care for students is important for them to feel as if they can come to that teacher for help with both academic and personal matters. Following from Principle 1, students are more likely to approach teachers for help when they feel cared for. Teachers must see supporting their students outside of the classroom as of equal importance to in the classroom, and be able to make themselves available to students with no time restraints or distractions. Time with students must be scheduled to allow for the teacher’s full attention to be on the student. Additionally, they must put aside pre-determined assumptions or judgements to allow an open mind to actively listen to and support students.
3. Adapt Teaching so it is Relevant and Accommodative to All Students
When teachers have made an effort to know students individually and what their needs are through Principles 1 and 2, they can adapt and differentiate their teaching practice to accommodate those factors. During my placement experience, I saw activities where students' interests had been utilised, such as using a students’ favourite film as the focus of a student debate, or playing a collaborative playlist of the class’s favourite music while they did their work. Incorporating these ideas into the curriculum content not only allows for authentic learning and greater engagement, but allows students to feel heard and recognised. Alternatively, taking into account students’ learning styles and difficulties can also make them feel valued. This can be recognising a student’s anxiety and not calling on them to answer a question in front of the class in order to minimise stress, or adapting content delivery or a task to make it more accessible.
4. Explicitly Teach Social and Emotional Skills
The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) model discussed by Cahill (2014; 2020) discerns the importance of actively teaching and modelling good behaviour and emotional management, kindness and respect. Students recognise and learn implicit messages and behaviours from their teachers, so not only does modelling these skills present the teacher with a friendly demeanour, therefore contributing to Principle 2, but shows students how to be kind to others and themselves. These skills help students develop their self-regulation skills, particularly autonomy and determination, leading them to reach their personal and academic goals. Additionally, this can be a preventative measure for avoiding negative behaviour and incidents in the classroom, therefore contributing to a safer and productive environment.
5. Believe that Every Student can Succeed
My personal experiences in high school has led me to believe that this is the most important of these guidelines. The teachers who I connected the most with and who have made the most impact on my life have been the ones who have explicitly shown their belief in me. Through constant encouragement, praising my strengths and achievements and helping me learn from my mistakes, I not only developed a better relationship with that teacher, but I felt motivated to work harder and began to see the same belief that they did. In my placement experience, I saw the difference in a student’s approach to a task before and after the teacher showed faith in them. Feelings of encouragement lead that student to work harder and ultimately get a better result academically, as well as a strengthened relationship. By having faith in every student, teachers can adapt and differentiate content and delivery methods to make learning accessible (Principle 3) and to draw upon students strengths in order to create successful outcomes. Not believing in students leads to teachers giving up on supporting them, and ultimately harms the students relationship with the teacher and school.
CONCLUSION
Cahill, Krane and their associates have demonstrated the benefits of fostering positive teacher-student relationships. The key factors they have discussed can be categorised into instrumental, relating to academic support, emotion, relating to personal support, and those that fall into both. By learning about students, having faith in them and supporting them both academically and emotionally, teachers can build strong relationships that will have long-lasting positive effects.
REFERENCES
Cahill, H., Beadle, S., Farrelly, A., Forster, R. & Smith, K. (2014) Building Resilience in Children and Young People: A Literature Review for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/resiliencelitreview.pdf
Cahill, H., Shlezinger, K., Romei, K. & Dadvand, B., (2020). Supporting Student and Teacher Wellbeing Post-Emergency. Melbourne: Youth Research Centre
Krane, V., Ness, O., Holter-Sorensen, N., Karlsson, B. & Binder,P-E. (2016). You Notice that there is Something Positive about Going to School: How Kindness Can Promote Positive Teacher Student Relationships in Upper Secondary School. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. 22(4), 377-389. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1202843