Building Strong Student Relationships

Tips and tricks to build strong relationships and create an inclusive classroom environment

Agenda:

• Agenda/Warm-up/Icebreaker
• Rationale: Why build strong relationships with students?
• “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like!”- Rita Pierson Ted Talk
• Dinner Party Activity - share
• Big Ideas - Tips and Tricks

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Icebreaker: Have you ever?

put your cameras on if….

• Have you ever played a game in class
• Have you ever taken your students on a field trip
• Have you ever taught siblings?
• Have you ever visited a students home?
• Have you ever been interviewed by a student?
• Have you ever attended a students extra curricular activity?
• Have you ever called home to celebrate a students achievement?
• Have you stayed in touch with an alumni student?
• Have you ever had a discussion group with your class?
• Have you ever introduced your students to your family?
• Have you ever had a class party?
• Have you ever had a guest speaker in your class?

Warm-Up: Directions

• Get the paper student figure.
• Use a sharpie to write one word to describe how you think students might be feeling about coming back to the building.
• Once you have written your word, pass the paper student to next table mate! If you do not know your table mates, introduce yourself!!!

What do we want for our students?

Rationale:

Why build strong relationships with students?

Takeaways from the video:

• Be likable - show students you care about their well being!
• Seeking first to understand, rather than being understood
• Apologize - be human! When kids know you make mistakes they know it is okay for them to make mistakes

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The Triangle of Education

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Student

Teacher

Parent

“Curriculum is the safety net of reform!” - Sharon Delesbore

25%

Beginning should be biggest focus first 3-4 weeks

Relationship Building

Teacher needs:

• Get to know students
• Tell your students they can do it!
• Identify classroom dynamics
• Have students identify their interests and how they best learn
• Assess student skills
• Build student skills as related to your class
• Create class routines

Create positive Student Interactions

Interpersonal and Social Skills

Teacher needs:

• Be nice!
• Stay positive
• Correct behaviors NOT people
• Be vulnerable
• Apologize
• Take the time to understand students
• Create lessons that are relevant to student interests

Facilitate a Positive Learning Environment!

Student Centered

Teacher needs:

• Strong facilitation skills
• Setting a good climate for student learning
• Well planned and organized
• Meets the goals and objectives
• Monitors and assess student progress

Develop Student Skills

Plan lessons for ALL

Teacher needs:

• Know and prepare lessons for students in front of you
• Differentiate appropriately
• Align with PLC
• Consistently answer the four critical questions
• Support struggling students

Activity: We are having a dinner party!

What does that look like in the classroom?

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• Be nice! See the good in ALL students!
• Directly tell students that they have the ability to do well. You can do this!
• Build students confidence
• Students need ONE positive adult who believes in them - more than ONE is not harmful
• Acknowledge their successes, even small ones!
• Let students take risks, with your guidance

Communicating Positive Expectations

Your belief in them will inspire their success!

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• Monitor the way you call on students. Make sure that you give all students chances to participate in class. Call equitably!
• Try to increase the amount of time you wait between asking a student a question and moving on.
• Give students hints and clues to help them succeed in class. Tell students directly that you believe that they have the ability to do well.

Correcting Students in a Constructive Way

• Correct in a private location
• Treat students as you want your own children treated
• Stay calm
• Avoid frustration

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Steps to Use When Correcting Students:

• Review what happened
• Identify and accept the student's feelings
• Review alternative actions
• Explain the building policy as it applies to the situation
• Let the student know that all students are treated the same
• Invoke an immediate and meaningful consequence
• Let the student know you are disappointed that you have to invoke a consequence to his or her action
• Communicate an expectation that the student will do better in the future

Remember: Students will recall how you made them feel long after they have forgotten the consequence they earned as a result of their actions.

Developing Positive Classroom Pride

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Strategies to Develop Positive Classroom Pride:

• Display student work
• Positively reinforce students verbally
• Show off the class's achievements
• Speak to the accomplishments of all your students
• Be sincere in your pride in your students
• Look for opportunities for students to be proud in all areas
• Develop parental pride in student accomplishments
• Develop pride in improvement in addition to pride in excellence

Creating a safe and inclusive environment for ALL!

• Set up a space for ALL in mind!
• Create rules with classes - post for all to see or make accessible
• Set up a safe learning space - communicate, be vulnerable
• Routines, routines, routines!!!
• Foster curiosity
• Encourage courageous conversations
• Facilitate meaningful inquiry and dialogue
• Ask for help when needed - guest speakers, team teaching etc.

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Demonstrate Care

“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like!”

• Rita Pierson

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Strategies to Show You Care:

• Share what you feel comfortable sharing about your personal life
• Display an interest in your students' personal lives
• Greet students as they enter the classroom
• Pay attention to students who display strong emotions
• Sincerely listen to students
• Empathize with students

Don’t hold kids to a higher standard than yourself!

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Preventing and Reducing Frustration and Stress

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Frustration and Stress Prevention/Reduction Techniques:

• Play relaxing music
• Display peaceful posters
• Modify your lesson plans to reflect your students interests
• Take your students for a walk
• Ask a neighboring teacher to take a difficult student for a period of time
• Assign your students independent reading time
• Stay organized
• Observe a colleague who does it well
• Share staff duties
• Share frustration strategies

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Take the Time…

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Personally:

• to create routines
• to build trust
• to listen
• open up about yourself (what are you willing to share?)
• to use humor
• to share stories
• to meet family and friends

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Instructionally: create a student Notebook

• A paper notebook to keep student info and records
• to review before and after assessments
• to assist in any way, give clues and help students participate
• To create many opportunities for students to be successful

Surface Level Activities

Take the first 3 weeks to meaningfully build relationships with your students, create routines and establish a strong classroom environment!

• Icebreakers
• Scavenger Hunts
• Breakout rooms
• Learning style inventories
• Jeopardy
• Kahoot
• Telephone game
• Myers-Briggs Test
• Skill building activities
• *pre-assessments

EXAMPLES OF SKILLS YOU CAN BUILD WITH STUDENTS FIRST 3-4 WEEKS

• How to send an email or communicate with you or other teachers
• How to send a remind or text message
• Make a phone call
• Make a positive phone call home to parents
• Introduce students to each other
• Mindfully create groups
• Create activities with your students in mind
• Change activities and skills often
• Share your interests
• Have fun with your students, show your fun side!

Deeper activities Who I am poem sample 1...

I am basketball on a snowy driveway.

I am fishsticks, crinkle-cut frozen french fries and frozen mixed vegatables.

I am primarily white, upper-middle class neighborhoods and raciall diverse schools.

I am Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac Man, Atari 2600 and sports video games.

I am football on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

I am "unity in diversity" and "speaking from your own experience."

I am triple-Wahoos, earning three degrees from the University of Virginia.

I am diversity, multicultural education, identity, introspection, self-reflection, and social action.

I am Daffy Duck, Mr. Magoo, Hong Kong Phooey, Foghorn Leghorn, and other cartoons.

I am Tae Kwon Do, basketball, the batting cages, a soccer family, and the gym.

I am a wonderful family, close and loving and incredibly supportive.

I am films based on true stories and documentaries

I am the History Channel, CNN, ESPN, BRAVO, and Home Team Sports.

I am a passion for educating and facilitating, personal development and making connections.

Who I am poem…

Summer’s sample

I am a little of this and a little of that

I am a bipoc female, with a lot to say

I am passionate or loud, depends on who you ask and on what day

I am adopted by a white family, who wanted a sister for their son!

I am very well traveled, though motion makes me sick

I am American, though it is sometimes hard admit

I am more Takoma Park, I have a lot in common with hippies

I am a three time Blazer; student, teacher and now a proud mama!

I am a chef, though an amateur one at best

I am sure I would rather cook than do almost anything else except rest!

I am action movies mostly; suspenseful and thrilling

I am fast driving, road rage and wind in my hair

Activities that help students build skills

• Sketching and drawing
• Acting out or roleplaying
• Math and language puzzles
• Charades - great vocabulary review or builder
• Lab Skills
• Writing Short Stories
• Reading Skills
• Debating Skills