We often think of classroom management as the "what": flawlessly communicated instruction, a predefined system of meaningful rewards and clear consequences, faithful follow-through, etc. We sometimes forget about the "why" and the "how" of classroom management; the foundation of high expectations is a life-altering teacher-student relationship.
In our work with teachers across the country, we believe that most educators understand that building relationships with students is vital to a productive classroom culture. What few teachers have, however, is the luxury of time. If a typical class runs 50 minutes (in middle and high school), that's barely enough time to cover the curriculum, much less form lasting connections, with cumulative class sizes that can total 100 students or more. As a result, we are often asked, "How do I build life-altering relationships with [all of my] students in 50 minutes?"
The practical advice we give to educators is to find simple ways of building relationships quickly and to codify what they might already be doing to build relationships with greater intentionality and consistency.
With one 6th grade teacher, we brainstormed actions she already used in her classroom and found ways to add a quick "boost of care." She effectively used the proximity of her students by squatting down next to them and making eye contact while speaking. She continued circulating between rows, not just around the perimeter of the room, and she added gestures like these to make the connections real for each student:
- Giving a high five for an answer that required "out of the box" thinking
- Adding eye contact to her "morning handshake" routine with students to start them on a positive note before entering the room
- Giving a thumbs-up for a student who was still writing an answer down
- Focusing on nonverbal connections that could be made during instruction, such as a smile, nod of approval, or silent cheer
- Adding verbal reinforcements like, "Keep that up!" or "I knew you could do it!" or "You've got this!"
There are also some simple strategies that help knock down walls and truly go beyond the surface but that can still be implemented quickly and simply to create an authentic student-teacher connection.
What I Learned from You
This is a time for the teacher to reflect on what they learned from the class as a whole or from each student. Many educators do this at the end of each week or quarter with a quick shout-out. Teachers can also have the students participate by talking to the whole class about what they learned from each other.
Advice Sessions
We've seen teachers set aside a small chunk of time at the end of the day or after lunch for advice sessions with students. The teachers will seek advice about aspects of their own lives, and students take turns responding. Even if the advice sought is something simple, asking for input shows students the value they add to their teachers' lives. They become invested in their teachers as people.
Affirm and Push
When a student shares aloud, the teacher will affirm at least one thing that student says but also push the student to think about something differently. This method can be used when students are interacting with content, practicing critical thinking skills, or sharing perceptions and opinions. The teacher should model this early in the year, with students learning how to do this back to the teacher and with each other in a respectful manner. This strategy creates an environment that is critically conscious and builds on student assets, while also respectfully challenging students to push their thinking. This also helps create growth mindsets by pushing students from good to great.
Respected educator James Comer wisely stated, "No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship." Building relationships is essential to student success, but it doesn't have to be overly complicated or take a huge investment of time, whether inside or outside the classroom. The more we can support educators in building this capacity, the more successful their classroom management will become. Significant learning is sure to follow.
