Nurturing Respectful Classroom Relationships: Strategies for Teachers

1. Building Classroom Relationships

2. How can you build an trusting and respectful relationship with the students without losing your authority How can you re-establish classroom rules once you’ve lost control How do you keep the class under control when doing activities with movement etc. and to ensure they learn and progress

3. “Good classroom relationships are based on recognition of the legitimate interests of others and on a mutual exchange of dignity between the teacher and pupils in a class.” Pollard, 1985

4. Who am I as a teacher? • Humanistic • Learner Coach • Student Centred • What do these all mean?

5. What is a humanistic approach? Core Principles: Choice and Control Felt Concern The Whole Person Self Evaluation Teacher as Facilitator How does this relate to building a relationship with your students? Personalise Don’t be afraid to “give” Create moments for students to feel a personal connection Create opportunities for students to succeed and feel positive Praise effort- but be true, and don’t be afraid to correct

6. How do you keep the class under control when doing activities with movement etc. and to ensure they learn and progress • Things to consider: • What is the “normal” mood of your class? • What is the mood today (do you need to change the activity- have you prepared an alternative?) • Who are the students most likely to get out of control? How have you accommodated them in the activity? • When in the lesson does the activity come? What comes before/ after? • When in the day/ week does it come? How will this affect behaviour? • How can you create self-evaluation, to keep students on task, learning and progressing?

7. How do you keep the class under control when doing activities with movement etc. and to ensure they learn and progress • Grouping students at the start: what are your options? • Whole group • Students working on their own • Students working in pairs • Small group work • Consider the advantages/ disadvantages of each. • What kind of activities would best suit each grouping?

8. Grouping Students • What are some things to consider when setting up groups? • Friendships (and enemies!) • Streaming • The task • Opportunity to change groups • Gender and status • The task itself

9. How can you re-establish classroom rules once you’ve lost control • Behaviour Norms: Setting Standards • Explicitly discussed • Jointly negotiated • Reviewed and revisited • Day to Day classroom behaviour: • Start as we mean to go on • Know what we are going to do • Plan for engagement • Prioritise success • Equality rules • Praise, not blame

10. Why do problems occur? • Family Life • Learning Expectations • Approval • What the teacher does • Success and failure • External factors

11. Modifying Unwanted Behaviour • Act immediately • Keep calm • Focus on the behaviour, not the student • Take things forward • Talk in private • Use agreed sanctions • Use colleagues and the school

12. Troubleshooting Let’s consider some scenarios… (see worksheet)