Learner-Centered Approach
Researchers have determined what teacher behaviors students perceive to be warm and caring (Cornelius-White, 2007; King & Chan, 2011; Larkins-Strathy & LaRocco, 2007). Certain teacher behaviors are beneficial on multiple fronts with the two most significant being establishing relationships and supporting students to achieve academically. Jeffrey Cornelius-White (2007) conducted an in-depth study and reviewed about 1,000 articles to synthesize 119 studies from 1948 to 2004 with 1,450 findings and 355,325 students. The study identifies eight broad teacher-student relationship variables: (1) nondirectivity, (2) empathy, (3) warmth, (4) encouragement of higher-order thinking, (5) encouragement of learning, (6) adaptation to differences, (7) genuineness, and (8) learner-centered beliefs. He concludes that learner-centered teacher variables have above-average associations with positive student outcomes and advocates that teachers and administrators work to increase the awareness and practice of positive learner-centered relationships (Cornelius-White, 2007).
This study has significant importance to building teacher-student relationships because it encourages educators to be more learner centered in their practices. A learner-centered approach refers to a wide variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic-support strategies that address the learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups of students (Cornelius-White, 2007).
To build positive teacher-student relationships, educators must hone in on students’ perceptions, become more familiar with what students need from them, and then intentionally plan to provide it (Weimer, 2018). This undertaking will guide educators’ actions and yield positive results because they will know exactly what to do to build strong relationships with their students. Teachers who are aware of what students perceive as warm and caring can be intentional at setting goals to display this behavior and aim their efforts to hit these targets.
Caring Behaviors
Patricia C. King and Tak Cheung Chan’s (2011) study examines both students’ and teachers’ perceptions of teachers’ caring behaviors. They describe caring behaviors such as patience, persistence, facilitation, validation, and empowerment, and they cite other researchers who list caring behaviors such as trust, respect, connection, and support (Nieto, 2004). King and Chan (2011) find that out of twenty-two behaviors that teachers and students responded to on their survey, only four did not show significant differences of perception:
Teachers’ and students’ perceptions were similar on certain attributes of a caring teacher, such as teachers who (1) make time for students before and after school, (2) provide students with ‘treats and goodies’ on special occasions, (3) joke around with students, and (4) ask students to help with classroom tasks. (p. 18)
I encourage teachers to be cognizant of students’ perceptions and challenge them to increase relationship building by consciously displaying some of these behaviors—apart from joking around with students. In keeping with the context, it is beneficial for students to see their teachers and administrators being lighthearted when appropriate. But some students may attempt to take advantage or blur the line when authority figures joke around.
That said, teachers and administrators should ask their students what their perceptions are about how educators can display that they care. Educators can be most effective demonstrating caring behaviors when students perceive those behaviors as being warm and caring. “Students at risk are likely to perceive their teachers as caring when they engage in simple pedagogical practices such as offering help, being mindful of perceptions of fairness, and taking extra time when explaining complex subject matter” (Corso, Bundick, Quaglia, & Haywood, 2013, p. 56). Students at risk who I work with echo these same sentiments. These teacher behaviors also are likely to lead to increased student engagement. The “degree to which the student-teacher relationship supports a student’s engagement rests upon the student’s sense that the teacher is available, concerned, impartial, and respectful” (Corso et al., 2013, p. 56). When students at risk perceive their teachers to be warm and caring, they seem to make more of an effort to achieve in class and reciprocate respect.
Beth K. Larkins-Strathy and Diana J. LaRocco (2007) discuss the effect that caring teachers have on prosocial behavior and academic achievement. They found that students achieve at higher levels when they are in educational environments characterized as caring. Making caring connections is a way that schools can provide high-quality education and produce high-achieving students. Students who perceive their teachers as caring have higher levels of motivation, effort, participation, and engagement.
But what is caring? Students describe caring as creating an environment of respect, empathy, fairness, and acceptance, where they are free to make mistakes. Teachers surveyed in this study responded that having high expectations and helping students to develop self-control, personal responsibility, and other behaviors lead to higher academic performance and better school-related attitudes (Larkins-Strathy & LaRocco, 2007). Teachers also shared the importance of supporting students in meeting standards by providing them with extra assistance, motivation, and accountability (Larkins-Strathy & LaRocco, 2007).
Responsive Classroom Approach
The Northeast Foundation for Children created a social-emotional learning intervention to promote teachers being warm, caring, and supportive “to create classroom environments conducive to children’s social, emotional and academic growth” (Baroody et al., 2014, p. 69). The foundation refers to these strategies as the responsive classroom (RC) approach. These RC strategies include:
• Leading daily morning meetings
• Teaching students the specific skills they need to participate successfully
• Treating mistakes in a positive way
• Using positive language
• Teaching in ways that build excitement about learning
• Giving students opportunities to reflect on their learning
• Reaching out to parents
A teacher’s utilization of the RC practices or a combination of them promotes positive teacher-student relationships and the social and emotional well-being of students.
In 2014, Baroody et al. conducted a study on the RC approach to examine the link between the RC approach and teacher-student relationship quality. In addition to being a social-emotional learning intervention, the RC approach provides teachers with skills needed to create a caring, well-managed classroom environment that strengthens teachers’ instructional efforts, improves teachers’ and students’ social and relational skills, and enhances students’ academic and social outcomes. Teachers trained in the RC approach use practices that help them know their students individually and personally.
This, in turn, resulted in closer teacher-student relationships. “Teachers who were trained in the RC approach and who used RC practices with high fidelity, on average, reported increased closeness with their students” (Baroody et al., 2014, p. 80). This study implies that the quality of teachers’ relationships with students is a prominent predictor of students’ academic and social success. The results suggest that use of RC practices holds promise for enhancing relational support and the social and emotional well-being of students.
Awareness of the Effects of Feeling Disconnected
When students feel disconnected from school, it negatively affects the school environment and contributes to poor academic performance, poor attendance, school disruption, and violence. Sarah Johnson, Jessica Burke, and Andrea Gielen (2012) studied students’
