Kids These Days

 

In preparation for this week's staff meeting....

This week's ALL STAFF meeting will be a follow up on the importance of building relationships with our students.  Now that you've started to get to know your students, we will talk about some strategies to support the wide variety of needs.  We know it's important - but here's the research to back it up.  We'll talk more on Tuesday!

Why are strong relationships important?

Strong relationships provide a foundation for student engagement, belonging, and ultimately learning. The more high-quality time students have with their educators, the better their engagement in school.

How can schools strengthen relationships among students and staff

The most important thing schools can do to foster these relationships is to have a culture that explicitly values adults nuturing relationships with students and providing teachers and school staff with the time, space, and occassions to interact repeatedly with individual students, specifically those that seem less engaged.

Which adult relationshipos are most impactful?

All in-school adults should strive for strong relationships with students.  When students have strong relationships with their teachers and other staff in the school, in-class motivation increases the most.  In these instances, students are motivated by staff's high expectations as well as their own.

How should schools group students to foster relationships between adults and students?

Smaller groups are most effective for fostering relationships, and one-on-one interactions allow for the greatest opportunity for individual attention and support.  But any type of interaction is beneficial!

What tasks will foster strong relationships in individual or group settings?

Activities are most effective when they are based on students' interests or goals.  What makes the student tick?

(taken from Education Trust, 2021)