12 minute read
EFFECTIVE PEDAGOGY
RELATIONSHIPS AS THE FOUNDATION FOR EFFECTIVE PEDAGOGY
In my first few years as a teacher, I did what I was trained to do—focused on effective learning activities and witty ways to present information and assessment data to see which students needed support. From an outsider’s perspective, I was an effective teacher; but internally, I felt disconnected from my students. I didn’t have a relationship with them. I had a relationship with my content.
Did I know in my heart that teaching is about students first? Yes, of course. However, due to my experiences with conventional practices, such as adultcentered teaching norms and achievement-focused culture (DuFour, Reeves, & DuFour, 2018), I was not always putting students first. Moreover, my institution rewarded me with high ratings on my teaching evaluations and state teaching awards. When I finally shrugged off the invisible cloak of bureaucratic pedagogy, a cloak that conventional school structures make many teachers wear unwillingly, I was able to build more student-centric approaches.
I became curious about my students, talked with them, and had them evaluate their own skill and knowledge levels, as well as the connection they felt with their classmates. I signaled that the core of my instruction was them. In a way, they didn’t even notice the lesson plan. Instead, they saw our classroom time together as purposeful action and meaningful dialogue.
This chapter discusses relational teaching and compares its tenets to conventional practice. I explore how its principles can help you take more time to nurture relationships with students and how, through these relationships, students
can demonstrate a heightened sense of satisfaction, a stronger understanding of their cognitive abilities, and more control over their academic and social competencies (Bandura, 1984).
Many educators aim to develop relationships with students to teach more effectively (Bovill, 2020; Weldemariam & Wals, 2020). Moreover, a lot of research around relational pedagogy finds it to be a critical factor in learning (Hollweck, Reimer, & Bouchard, 2019; Milner, 2018) due to its focus on understanding students for who they are as people and the value it places on mutual understanding and respect.
In their study, Supporting Teachers in Relational Pedagogy and Social-Emotional Education: A Qualitative Exploration, researchers Jocelyn Reeves and Lucy Le Mare (2017) state that “positive teacher-student relationships are associated with a variety of desirable child outcomes” (p. 86). These desirable outcomes can include self-worth, positive self-talk, interpersonal trust, and empathy. Similarly, in their book Teaching the Whole Student, authors David Schoem, Christine Modey, and Edward P. St. John (2017) state that “relational teaching makes visible the humanity of the teacher, each student and the humanity of the class content, subject matter, and text” (p. 79). This visibility of their humanness can help teachers focus more deliberately on helping students develop a more solid sense of efficacy, increase their agency, and build higher levels of resilience (Cook-Sather & Matthews, 2021).
Relational pedagogy is the collection of practices and policies that leverages relationships (teacher-student and student-student) to foster learning, make meaning, and build competence (Hinsdale, 2016). Through relational pedagogy, teachers can leverage their relationships with students to challenge them with new, desirably difficult experiences, such as performing on one’s own, navigating new and unfamiliar cognitive challenges, and emotionally managing complex feedback (Bjork & Bjork, 2014; Blackburn, 2018; Brown et al., 2014). If we, as educators, can incorporate more relational teaching practices into our everyday curriculum, students might see schools as meaningful places to be.
Core Components of Relational Pedagogy
Emdin (2016) states, “Teaching is not just telling students what you know; it is about knowing how to share what you know so that it can be optimally received” (p. 51). We can’t know how to share it unless we care enough to know our students more sincerely. When I realized that my teaching was neither
an authentic version of myself nor meaningful for my students, I reached for a higher purpose—human connection. After many years of using a relational approach to teaching, it is hard for me to dismiss the idea that relationships create wisdom. This section discusses the more salient aspects of six relational teaching practices.
1. Show students that you care about them. 2. Allow students to create meaning for themselves and be the subject of their learning. 3. Uncover students’ stories. 4. Foster a sense of belonging in your classroom. 5. Generate dialogue between you and students and among students. 6. Develop relationship-focused assessment.
Show Students That You Care About Them
Carol Gilligan (1982a) sums up care when she writes, “The idea of care is thus an activity of relationship, of seeing and responding to need, . . . [and] by sustaining the web of connection so that no one is left alone” (p. 62). Researchers still echo her statement (Lavy & Naama-Ghanayim, 2020; Trzeciak & Mazzarelli, 2019) and discuss the importance of expressing care, such as spending time with someone, giving that person a gift, or offering a hug, among others.
According to a study conducted by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Yale Child Study Center, which collected data from 21,678 high school students over a ten-year period: “Nearly 75% of the students self-reported their feelings related to school were negative” (Moeller, Brackett, Ivcevik, & White, 2020). Could this be due, in part, to students feeling disconnected and unrecognized or uncared for as individuals?
Emdin (2021) comments on this when he writes:
If everybody is trying to be like somebody they are not, and if the system of education is hell-bent on making everyone into a version of excellence that is about sameness, we will remain as we are, swimming in inequity, struggling to make connections with young people in their communities, paying lip service to social justice and cultural relevance and maintaining the status quo. (p. 14)
Further, a Gallup-Purdue (2014) poll of college graduate students shows that if students have a teacher who cares about them as a person, they report higher levels of workplace engagement and a sense of thriving in their well-being.
With such a deficit in caring attitudes in society and schools, educators need to show students that they are an ally in their learning.
Some actions that can help show your students you care about them include the following (Finley, n.d.).
• Say students’ names a lot: Saying a person’s name is a powerful way to show you care about someone you are speaking to. A name is part of one’s self-representation and identity and is one of the more respectful ways to show someone you recognize them as an individual (Demetriou, Kazi, Spanoudis, & Makris, 2019). • Don’t use scripted reflective questions: Examples of scripted reflective questions might include: “What did you learn today?” or “What do you still need to work on?” Instead, engage with students based on what you observe in class that day, for example:
“So, today, I noticed . Let’s end class by thinking about .” • React sincerely when students share news with you: Even if you feel you must get back to the lesson material, staying present with that student who is sharing with you is important for creating a connection. Too often we hear students, but we may not signal that we are listening.
Sometimes, the education system seems to signal to students that “knowing is repeating something an authority figure told them” (Felten & Lambert, 2020, p. 92). This ingrained perspective can result in a process of compliance, devoid of meaning or purpose for students (Reibel, 2021). When students feel like an outcome of a teacher’s effort rather than a person responsible for learning (Darder, 2014), they may perceive that their teachers don’t value them as individuals (Reibel, 2021).
Uncover Students’ Stories
One way to help position students as subjects of their learning is to encourage dialogue and sharing about their lives. Coauthors Peter Felten and Leo M. Lambert (2020) write, “By taking time to ask students ‘what is your story?’ and using the resulting information as a departure point for teaching, [you] can create more student-centered classrooms, more [reciprocity, and more] mutual
trust” (p. 3). Questions that can help uncover students’ stories might include the following.
• I can see you getting a bit more enthusiastic with [this problem or topic]. Would you like to share why? • Interesting! What makes you say that? • Can you see yourself using [this skill or knowledge] outside of school with your friends? How so? • It seems like you have experience with [this theme]. Would you care to share more so we all can learn more from you?
Foster a Sense of Belonging in Your Classroom
In relational teaching, teachers see the time with their students as an opportunity to cultivate what psychologist Abraham H. Maslow (1943) identifies as one of the most basic human needs: belonging. When educators send explicit or implicit cues showing students that they matter, they help students recognize their inherent value, regardless of their level of proficiency or learning (Coyle, 2018). Following are some ways to foster a sense of belonging in your classroom.
• Listen to students: Listening is a sign of respect, but keep in mind that a student’s insights may be more valuable to your instruction than the materials from your textbook. • Model empathy and compassion for students’ situations:
Acknowledge student experiences, and do not dismiss them because there’s not enough time to learn the content. • Be sincere with feedback: Sometimes teachers must pace the curriculum so quickly (they must cover so much content) that they may not slow down to focus on the sincerity of their interactions with students. Teachers should take time to give feedback that shows that they know their students, not just their work. • Nurture kinship with students: Let them know you want to learn about them and with them. • Let students’ inner person shine through: Provide opportunities for students to express their emerging selves. Add questions on your assessments, do activities in your instruction, and implement grading practices that allow students to be more expressive and contribute to the class in a more authentic emotional space.
These practices increase the chance that students will open up about their learning, which can help give teachers an opportunity to engage with a more real version of themselves.
Relationship-focused teachers work hard to know what their students care about and whom they are searching to become (Schlosser, 2014). Taking time to initiate dialogue and listen to what students say about themselves is essential to being a responsive and influential teacher. Bell hooks (2009) states, “When we learn and talk together, we break the notion that our experience of gaining knowledge is private, individualistic, and competitive. Fostering dialogue, we engage mutually in the learning partnership” (p. 43).
Dialogue helps you uncover what is happening in students’ inner worlds as they learn. For example, you could insert reflective pauses during instruction by asking questions such as, “Have you had any aha’s up to this point?” or “Do you have any questions that keep popping up?” Asking these types of questions serves the following purposes.
• It helps students understand that you care about them as people, not as outcomes of your lessons. • It helps students feel more comfortable sharing their experiences and emotions. • It helps you gain more context about students’ answers and the quality of their thought processes.
When I taught, I would tell myself, “Ask, don’t tell,” meaning ask students about their thinking first before I give them advice. This saying allowed me to pause my urge to teach for a few moments, which in turn, gave my students space to express themselves. In my last years as a teacher, I realized I was more effective as a reactor to students’ thinking or performance, instead of as a deliverer of information or even an evaluator of work (Reibel & Thede, 2020).
Develop Relationship-Focused Assessment
You can use assessments to evaluate students and get to know them simultaneously. In other words, assessments can include interpersonal aspects, such as questions that stimulate students’ inner dialogue, inquire about them as individuals, and bring to light reasons for mistakes or misunderstandings that
may help you enhance instruction. For example, try adding questions to your assessments such as, “How is the exam going for you right now?” “What is one emotion you felt after the last section?” or “Did you guess or were you sure when you answered the previous question?”
When you add questions like these to your assessments, you increase the likelihood that students will see the assessment as your attempt to relate to them instead of only evaluate them.
Conclusion
Teachers who use relational pedagogy might help students learn to better meet the emotional demands in academic and social settings (Hibbs & Rostain, 2019). When you build relationships with students, they may be more willing to open up regarding their feelings about their learning; more inclined to share frustrations, celebrate successes, and advocate for help during learning challenges.
ONE THING TO TRY TOMORROW
One thing to try tomorrow is to involve students in the learning process using more embedded assessments (Gobble, Onuscheck, Reibel, & Twadell, 2017) . Embedded assessments are evaluation moments wrapped within instruction . They are small moments of gathering learning evidence so you can subsequently use it to teach the next segment of the lesson . The advantage of using embedded assessments is you can adjust to students’ reactions immediately, which students may perceive as a sincerer response to their learning . If an observer entered the classroom where a teacher was using embedded assessments, it might be hard to distinguish assessment from instruction .
“This book is an important read for those who want the very best for their students. Author Anthony Reibel’s emphasis on ensuring educators focus on students finding meaning and purpose in their learning is truly inspirational. This is a powerful work that challenges conventional thinking to help educators reflect and grow as leaders. I highly recommend it for those who want to improve learning for students and those who serve them.”
—JACK BALDERMANN
Principal, Westmont High School, Illinois
“Embracing Relational Teaching is full of thoughtful templates, tools, and strategies for placing relationships front and center in daily planning, teaching, and assessment practices. More importantly, it offers powerful insight into why relational teaching matters to both teachers and learners, and why this approach truly honors the critical teacher-student relationship. Be ready for examples, ideas, and approaches that will shift how teaching and learning are experienced by the people they impact the most.”
—KATIE WHITE
Educational Consultant, Educator, and Author
In Embracing Relational Teaching: How Strong Relationships Promote Student Self-Regulation and Efficacy, author Anthony R. Reibel challenges the dominant approach of transactional teaching and encourages K–12 educators to pursue relational practices. This book unveils a student-centric pedagogy that grounds learning in trusting, supportive relationships between teachers and learners. Based on years of experience and expertise, Reibel explains how focusing curriculum, instruction, assessment, feedback, rubrics, and grading on student agency and efficacy can enhance classroom learning.
READERS WILL:
Understand the meaning and principles of relational pedagogy Gain the ability to organize curriculum to focus on student-centered learning Utilize reflection tools to better build relational assessments
Learn to implement observational learning and avoid transactional instructional models Develop deeper relationships with students
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/studentengagement to download the free reproducibles in this book.
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