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Abstract

pact. You have probably realized the same. Every student or group of students needs a different treatment a different set of motivators. As good teachers, we must mould our teaching method and ways of engagement based on our students, their context and their current environment.</p><p id="3a52">Things are more complicated today as everything is behind a screen. We are no longer in the same room as our students. Often, we are not even teaching at the same time as the students are learning! And this situation may be here to stay for some time. There is an overload of information, opinions, options, advice, peer pressure and social media on their side of the screen. And they often have few resources on how to sort, sift, settle and navigate through all this.</p><h2 id="2b04">Developing a trusting relationship with our students now becomes critical to their learning and how they deal with their lives.</h2><p id="f9f1">I will talk first about what we can do as teachers to create a strong relationship with our students. Next, I will detail what we can do for our teachers to help enable and transform them.</p><h1 id="1e25">How to build a trusting relationship with students</h1><h2 id="eb86">1. Create intentional time to get to know and keep in touch with your students.</h2><p id="989c">These interactions are as meaningful as the content delivered. You could also have students use emojis, word clouds, emotional barometers or fill up regular feedback forms. These would alert you to any changes, needs or particular questions that they may have.</p><h2 id="329c">2. Create an environment of safety and openness.</h2><p id="2a4c">Find engaging and creative ways for students to get to know each other. In an online environment, one can also get to know each other’s pets, favourite books etc. At all times, have firm ground rules and own them wholly. Create ambassadors who will keep a check on these and highlight potential misuse.</p><h2 id="b443">3. Embrace empathy and empathic listening.</h2><p id="a9cd">When talking with your students, practise active listening to absorb what the student has to say without offering any advice, without responding, helping them build self-regulation skills. That’s trust-building and empowering for the student.</p><h2 id="1290">4. Allow yourself to be vulnerable.</h2><p id="2966">Once you show your student that you are human and have your struggles, you will see that students will connect better with you. Once one person shows vulnerability, another person will open up. Then can secure relationships blossom.</p><h2 id="2b09">5. Create spaces for them to heal and grow.</h2><p id="2bb4">Students need content to learn, but they also need spaces to reflect, introspect, heal, and share. They need to be able to share personal stories, aspirations in a non-judgemental environment. You can create spaces where students can come to either by a roster or of free will where there will be a counsellor or a trusted teacher who can guide them and give them ideas as to how to look at the world positively and becom

Options

e whole.</p><h1 id="4052">What you need to do for yourself and your teachers</h1><h2 id="01cb">1. Learn the benefits of wholesome relationships.</h2><p id="e6b3">Teachers should understand how they can help their practice and have a more significant impact through building relationships. You can not only impact your students and their learning, but this would also help them have better relationships in their lives.</p><h2 id="6ccd">2. Transform yourselves as teachers.</h2><p id="1b06">There was a time where the role of a teacher was to provide knowledge. Today knowledge is available at your student’s fingertips, on their phones or computers. You cannot teach the same way, and you cannot mentor the same way. Be open, agile and prepared to try new ways, embrace new tools, discuss new things. As the world has changed, your students have changed, and you have to transform yourself to have the impact you would like to have.</p><h2 id="f474">3. Become the meaning-maker.</h2><p id="ae75">Everyone is looking for meaning in their lives. Your students crave someone who will make meaning of everything around them, including adding meaning and purpose to their studying. Approach every subject, every discussion as a story. A story that convinces and creates meaning. A story that is relevant and inspires young people to believe in themselves and create magic.</p><h2 id="f33d">4. Create a teacher support group.</h2><p id="244f">Find like-minded teachers and create a cohort or learning-set interested in self-development, reflection, sharing, and supporting each other. Everyone needs trusting relationships. For you to give to your students wholly, you need your cup to be full too.</p><h2 id="1afc">5. Know your power and grow into your purpose.</h2><p id="5810">Understand your role and the joys and responsibilities that come along with it. Reach out if you need support in learning some new methods or understanding pedagogies to deal with your students. You may find a mentor, and you may be a mentor. Developing yourself continuously is key to be able to adapt to the new world.</p><p id="fb85">In today’s digital age, information is available everywhere. A teacher need not be one more resource for the same.</p><h2 id="cbf3">A good teacher is that guru, mentor, and meaning maker who helps young people build trust and confidence in themselves and the world. A good teacher empowers their students to make sense of the knowledge available to them.</h2><h2 id="0178">A good teacher inspires students to make the right decisions towards a better tomorrow through building trust, care and meaning.</h2><figure id="9c26"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Cdj4m5E8Eoenl8o9OPxvhg.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jessedo81?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Jesse Orrico</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/teacher-student?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></article></body>

Why A Strong Relationship With Your Students Is Key To Their Success

5 things you can do to support your students, your peers and yourself

A student spends more than 1000 hours in classrooms with teachers every year. This interaction used to be face to face, and for the last year, it has been online. In both cases, teachers deliver similar knowledge, sometimes using the same powerpoints, same notes, and reading material.

Content has very intelligently been transformed into digital or online learning to maintain quality, increase access, and ease delivery. Everything is available online — lectures, reading material, slides, links to other sources etc. In many cases, this has changed the teacher’s role into a content creator, someone who puts knowledge together into consumable nuggets by the student. Quality today translates into the quality of content and efficiency of deliverability.

But is this what real education is?

Hasn’t the digitized world democratized content already?

Is the teacher a content creator, or is there another larger role to be played?

Are we aware of a teacher’s value in today’s world, and can we help our teachers achieve this critical objective?

We have all done online courses. Today one can get a bachelor’s or master’s degree online and often in an asynchronous manner. Asynchronous learning, of excellent quality, maybe apt for gaining knowledge, learning facts, theory, and even practical experiments. But does it help our students learn about life?

What about helping young people believe in themselves? What about enabling them to make connections, nurturing them to respect themselves and each other? What about affirming their worthiness, helping them embrace their dreams, their ideas, their mistakes? Isn’t this what a teacher is supposed to do? Isn’t this what differentiates a good teacher from a content provider?

Education is incomplete without the gentle but firm confidence of a teacher empowering young minds to push their boundaries and create new dreams. Every time we touched a students’ heart and transformed their lives, every time we helped them dream more than they ever imagined, we have seen the value of a great teacher.

One of the first things I do as a teacher is, learn about and understand my students. Identifying each one’s strengths and desires. It is only then that I can make a real connection and have a real impact. You have probably realized the same. Every student or group of students needs a different treatment a different set of motivators. As good teachers, we must mould our teaching method and ways of engagement based on our students, their context and their current environment.

Things are more complicated today as everything is behind a screen. We are no longer in the same room as our students. Often, we are not even teaching at the same time as the students are learning! And this situation may be here to stay for some time. There is an overload of information, opinions, options, advice, peer pressure and social media on their side of the screen. And they often have few resources on how to sort, sift, settle and navigate through all this.

Developing a trusting relationship with our students now becomes critical to their learning and how they deal with their lives.

I will talk first about what we can do as teachers to create a strong relationship with our students. Next, I will detail what we can do for our teachers to help enable and transform them.

How to build a trusting relationship with students

1. Create intentional time to get to know and keep in touch with your students.

These interactions are as meaningful as the content delivered. You could also have students use emojis, word clouds, emotional barometers or fill up regular feedback forms. These would alert you to any changes, needs or particular questions that they may have.

2. Create an environment of safety and openness.

Find engaging and creative ways for students to get to know each other. In an online environment, one can also get to know each other’s pets, favourite books etc. At all times, have firm ground rules and own them wholly. Create ambassadors who will keep a check on these and highlight potential misuse.

3. Embrace empathy and empathic listening.

When talking with your students, practise active listening to absorb what the student has to say without offering any advice, without responding, helping them build self-regulation skills. That’s trust-building and empowering for the student.

4. Allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Once you show your student that you are human and have your struggles, you will see that students will connect better with you. Once one person shows vulnerability, another person will open up. Then can secure relationships blossom.

5. Create spaces for them to heal and grow.

Students need content to learn, but they also need spaces to reflect, introspect, heal, and share. They need to be able to share personal stories, aspirations in a non-judgemental environment. You can create spaces where students can come to either by a roster or of free will where there will be a counsellor or a trusted teacher who can guide them and give them ideas as to how to look at the world positively and become whole.

What you need to do for yourself and your teachers

1. Learn the benefits of wholesome relationships.

Teachers should understand how they can help their practice and have a more significant impact through building relationships. You can not only impact your students and their learning, but this would also help them have better relationships in their lives.

2. Transform yourselves as teachers.

There was a time where the role of a teacher was to provide knowledge. Today knowledge is available at your student’s fingertips, on their phones or computers. You cannot teach the same way, and you cannot mentor the same way. Be open, agile and prepared to try new ways, embrace new tools, discuss new things. As the world has changed, your students have changed, and you have to transform yourself to have the impact you would like to have.

3. Become the meaning-maker.

Everyone is looking for meaning in their lives. Your students crave someone who will make meaning of everything around them, including adding meaning and purpose to their studying. Approach every subject, every discussion as a story. A story that convinces and creates meaning. A story that is relevant and inspires young people to believe in themselves and create magic.

4. Create a teacher support group.

Find like-minded teachers and create a cohort or learning-set interested in self-development, reflection, sharing, and supporting each other. Everyone needs trusting relationships. For you to give to your students wholly, you need your cup to be full too.

5. Know your power and grow into your purpose.

Understand your role and the joys and responsibilities that come along with it. Reach out if you need support in learning some new methods or understanding pedagogies to deal with your students. You may find a mentor, and you may be a mentor. Developing yourself continuously is key to be able to adapt to the new world.

In today’s digital age, information is available everywhere. A teacher need not be one more resource for the same.

A good teacher is that guru, mentor, and meaning maker who helps young people build trust and confidence in themselves and the world. A good teacher empowers their students to make sense of the knowledge available to them.

A good teacher inspires students to make the right decisions towards a better tomorrow through building trust, care and meaning.