Brain Research

collinsd — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:20:27 +0000

As an administrator I have been to workshops about effective evaluation and how to identify effective teachers. We have discussed leadership traits. We have set goals. We have developed and refined policy. Through this all we remind ourselves that we are doing to this because it is the student that matters. I began to wonder when we are going to learn more about our students. What are we missing? What can research tell us about our "clients"? Brain research is not a new field but it seems to be slow in coming to education. My first dive into several articles is summarized here.

Adolescent Trust in Teachers

collinsd — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:36:32 +0000

This article lists some very interesting aspects of building relationships with students. It focuses on those students who are facing regular disciplinary actions. ¹

It is no surprise to find that students to not automatically give the teacher the authority (respect, trust) that the teacher may think he deserves. Students actually decide whether to obey the classroom rules depending on how they perceive the relationship they have with the teacher. ² If the student feels that the teacher cares for him/her and wants what is best for him, then he will respond to the teacher’s demands. ³ Trust is an obvious part of the relationship between two people. Trust allows people to work together with basic assumptions and understanding. In a study with adults, trust was also important if people were going to follow orders voluntarily. It is reasonable that this is true for adolescents as well. ⁴

This atmosphere can be established with a relational approach to discipline. This model tries to build a relationship with the student before discipline is needed. Teachers who use this approach can be identified if they talk about trying to connect with their students by building emotional connections. ⁵ It is thought that teachers who use this approach have less discipline problems because they learn the student’s emotional cues and so intervene sooner. ⁶

An interesting thing to note is that differentiated instruction is important part of relationship building as well as material that the student can relate to and find engaging. ⁷

School counselors (and administrators) can help teachers deal with difficult students and discipline problems by helping the teacher reflect on relational skills. ⁸

There are many benefits for placing some attention on relational skills. Students who face regular discipline such as suspensions perform lower academically. They feel alienated from school and so are more likely to drop – out. This increase future risk of incarceration after school. Teachers who learn how to build relational skills report that discipline issues decrease but also they find that they are able to work better with the “good” students in the class. It benefits every student in the room. ⁹

Adolescent Trust in Teachers: Implications for Behavior in the High School Classroom. Gregory, A. & Ripski, M. School Psychology Review, Vol. 37, No. 3. 2008 ↩
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Coyote Counselling » research

Brain Research

Adolescent Trust in Teachers