Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) present two preliminary steps for
designing relevant and meaning learning experiences: know your curriculum
documents and know your students. Beginning teachers are typically concerned
with the content of the curriculum and overwhelmed with making sure they are
following professional protocol. However, I think more emphasis first and
foremost should be placed on knowing your students and building relationships
with them. The curriculum should be used as a framework that outlines what to
teach. The teacher holds the power of how they will teach it to make the
curriculum come alive and meet the individual needs of the classroom. This is
exactly why there is no specific formula or step-by-step guide for teaching.
Throughout my educational experiences, I have come across teachers who use
their same lesson plans and assign the same projects for a unit of study year
after year. These teachers fail to take into consideration that each student
that enters the classroom brings different realm of experiences, prior
knowledge, interests and learning styles. “The curriculum can be relevant only
when it connects to students’ interests and experiences” (Drake et al, 2014).
For significant learning to occur, teachers must invest in their student’s
lives and spend the time to show that they care.
“Children don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you
care”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw
Robert Marzano
(2003) explains how building positive relationships with students will reduce
behavioural problems and improve classroom management. A teacher’s ability to establish and
maintain an environment that is suited to teaching and learning is enhanced
through mutual respect. If the students feel as if they are respected, they
are more inclined to respect their teacher leading to fewer rule violations and
discipline problems. This article suggests an interaction of appropriate
dominance and cooperation in building effective student-teacher relationships.
Marzano (2003) outlines strategies to foster cooperation such as giving students
choice in the classroom to accommodate their interests, providing recognition
and praise for student achievement, giving each student personal attention and
involving all students in classroom learning, not those who just raise their
hand most frequently. Another method in promoting cooperation is to allow for
constructivism in the classroom, where the teacher and students build knowledge
together through classroom discussion. Allowing for discussion shows students
that you are approachable and open to new ideas, as well as interested in what
students have to say. Therefore, the quality of student teacher relationships
acts as a foundation for effective classroom management and student learning.
In my opinion, a school day presents many opportunities for teachers to
get to know their students and to build a relationship with them. My past
teachers have given assignments that allow for students to share their
interests and experiences. Depending on the grade level or subject area, as an
example, students could create a collage or a website that relates to their
interests or goals. Also, I found that simple
gestures, such as the teacher asking me about my day or by calling on me to
share my opinion in class made me feel more comfortable and supported by my
teacher. In particular, I developed strong relationships with the teachers who engaged
in extracurricular activities and made the effort to get to know students
outside of the classroom. Teachers who have acted as a referent authority have
had the greatest impact on my learning and educational experiences. When a
teacher has a referent authority, “students will view the teacher as a good
person who is concerned about them, cares about their learning and demands a
certain type of behaviour because it is in their best interests” (Levin, Nolan,
Kerr, Elliot, Bajovic, 2015).
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References
Drake, S.,
Kolohon, W., & Reid, J. (2014) Interweaving curriculum and classroom
assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford
University Press.
Marzano,
R. (2003). Educational Leadership: The
key to classroom management. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept03/vol61/num01/The-Key-to-Classroom-Management.aspx
Levin, J., Nolan, J., Kerr, J.,
Elliot, A., Bajovic, M. (2015). Principles of Classroom Management: A professional decision-making model.
Don Mills, ON: Pearson Canada Inc.
