Building positive relationships between teacher and student is the backbone of good behaviour management. It is however an area which isn’t covered in teacher training and very few CPD courses will be able to explain how exactly to build a relationship with the student you are struggling with.
The most important thing to remember is that the way you build a relationship with a student is unique to each person. However, you should always think about asking colleagues for advice where you know they already have a relationship. Where there are particular behavioural issues you want to be able to deal with it may be necessary to channel your positive referrals through staff who already have a good relationship with the student in the first instance to ensure maximum impact.
Day to day there are a number of things you can do to help you build up positive relationships with students:
- Make a point of saying hello when you pass in the corridors
- Make a point of saying something positive as the student enters the classroom
- Find specific areas of your work with the student to praise and encourage
- Ask after the student’s welfare, family, football team
- When the student makes good choices recognise them publicly
- Phone home with good news about the student’s behaviour
- Get gentle eye contact regularly with the student
- Respond to changes in their behaviour enthusiastically
- Give the student an appropriate responsibility in the classroom
- Make a point of marking work promptly with feedback that is personal and detailed
It is so important to get relationships within the classroom right as they allow you to challenge issues in a safe environment and it allows the student to response in the best way possible.