Building relationships with students is the most critical factor affecting student motivation and learning-especially for new English Learners, especially when they are speakers of languages for which we do not or cannot offer a peer community of users (think any language other than Spanish). In order for these students to learn and to THRIVE teachers must build the teacher-student and student-student relationship. Research implies that we are more likely to take risks, like the kinds required of students learning a new language and a new culture, if there are trusting relationships. It appears quite simple, if the relationships between the teacher and student are good, then everything else in the classroom appears enhanced (Marzano).
So what can we do?
The best and most simple thing we can do is give students our time, spend time talking with them on a daily basis. Getting to know a student can begin with showing empathy and connecting personally within the teacher-student relationship. This means sharing as well as asking about experiences in and outside school. When students KNOW they matter, they THRIVE. The Hawthorne Effect posits that people change their behavior when they know it, or rather they, are observed. In other words, when students know they are important in the classroom and school, but most importantly to you, they act like it.
Often we think our students know they matter because we have done "this" or "that", or we base our assessment of our student's well being on other indicators like a student's behavior, attendance or other data. So how can we really know if all of our students know that they matter?
When new English Learners don't speak or make friends, we often attribute this to the student's culture or status as an English Learner. Our methods to teach these learners, the expectation we have for the inclusion of these students in our classrooms and curriculum, may be a mismatch. Leveling the playing field for our students learning English requires rigorous college readiness learning opportunities, deep relationships that affirm student identity and accommodations for the ways in which students are learning language relative to the task or content, rather than a set of different or lower expectations. Finally we level the playing field most when we build the teacher-student, and student-student relationships.
Asset thinking positions us in our work to serve learners based on what works, on opportunities to strengthen opportunities and relationships around rigorous. college readiness and learning. Asset vesus deficit thinking lies on a foundation of beliefs, how you see the world of each student, and how you interact with that student as a result.
Are you ready to deepen a relationship, and increase the social inclusion of ALL students? What makes good teachers GREAT? Cultivate connection with students and between students that allow them to show and to value others unique strengths and interests, positioning students who are most marginalized so they are able to offer their funds of knowledge to other learners in meaningful ways to build community cultural wealth (ie. they have something of meaning to give), seek possibilities, build on what's working, express a deep belief, an honest belief in the ability and worth of your students.
Beyond attendance and achievement, we want our students to THRIVE.
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