Building Classroom Connection: 5 Strategies for Cultivating Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

Building a strong relationship between teachers and students is very important, particularly for new teachers going into the field of education. Once you are connected with your students, they will feel loved, cared for, and comfortable within the classroom, and they are likely to be more motivated to focus on their classroom learning. Additionally, having this kind of relationship within the classroom would allow students to feel heard and acknowledged whenever they express themselves. Thus, students can easily come to class without pressure from their teacher or peers.

Overall, encouraging students to be more expressive and participative in class does not require strict rules, punishment, or aggression like traditional classrooms as long as teachers are able to build an open connection with their students. However, the question is

“How a teacher can build strong relationships with their students and show that they care about them?”

To answer the following question, I have found five strategies that fit with our Cambodia's educational context, and our teachers could adopt into their classroom routines for better relationship building (Cicely ,2019).

Firstly, teachers should learn about their students’ backgrounds. You can start by accurately and swiftly learning your students’ names. This will allow you to acknowledge your students’ diversity and individuality.

Secondly, you should allow students to participate in show-and-tell sessions. Begin your first sessions by letting students bring in something that represents them, their culture, or an activity they enjoy doing to help them feel like more than just another student.

Thirdly, you can also encourage students to express their creative side by allowing them to share their artwork and photos. While teenage and adult learners teachers frequently overlook this crucial practice, it should be noticed that it should be noticed that young learners often thrive when given opportunities to showcase their creative work.

Fourthly, seating arrangement is also important for teachers and students, and you should change them regularly. We all know that students do not always get along, but when students have opportunities to work together, they learn about each other and discover ways to work together even though they’re different.

Finally, sometimes it is as simple as listening to your students. As teachers, we often feel like we need to keep a professional distance from our students, but I’ve found that taking time to make small talk can help break down barriers to learning.

References

• Woodard, C. (2019, August 7). 6 strategies for building better student relationships. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-strategies-building-better-student-relationships/