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Educators Cooperative Questions for Building Relationships

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Educators Cooperative Questions for Building Relationships

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RJP Dialogic Questions for Building Relationships

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Hammond distinguishes the differences between culturally responsive education, multicultural education and social justice education. Each is important, but without a focus on building students' brain power, they will experience learning loss.

When it comes to distance learning, applying culturally responsive teaching requires "remixing" education by borrowing from the best practices in how kids learn (Montessori, project-based learning, etc.) in a way that repositions the student as the leader of his own learning. By giving students more agency, the idea is to disrupt old routines around teaching and learning that make the student dependent on the teacher for receiving knowledge.

"It's going to stretch us a little out of our own comfort zones, but it's worth it in the long run if we can get students to continue to do that thinking," said Hammond.

She advises three strategies to help students gain that independence:

1. Deepen background knowledge

Many educators are understandably wondering whether they should teach new content or review familiar material. Hammond encourages educators to do the latter because cognitively dependent learners often have gaps in their background knowledge . "A lot of our students are compliant learners," she said. "They're having a hard time shifting right now [because] they're used to the worksheet, but that doesn't mean they're always processing information."

She advises teachers to help students connect new things they're learning to their brain's existing schema - also known as background knowledge - that comes from home, their community, their interests. Teachers can then give them authentic tasks that help them make meaning and connections. This helps turn new inert information into usable knowledge. "You cannot give another person background knowledge," she explained. "They have to acquire it, but as teachers we can help guide the process." This can be done by building upon student interest.

"Survey your students if you don't know what they like," said Hammond. Ask them what books they enjoy reading or what topics get them super excited. She said It doesn't matter if their interests are broad or narrow; it's important to learn what interests them so that you can use that information to:

Assign non-fiction books that build on student interests.

Create a "Netflix" playlist of documentaries, nature shows, historical events, etc.

Encourage kids and parents to do a walk-about, if that's possible in their community, following social distancing guidelines. Encourage parents and students to seek out community curiosities (landmarks or interesting sights) relevant to students' interest.

With each of these activities, it's important to give the students direction so they know what to look out for. "You have to tell the brain what to pay attention to," Hammond explains. She suggested questions like, "What was your biggest surprise from this book/show?" or thinking routine sentences like "I Used to Think ___. But, now I think ____."

She said to always make sure that students do something with the knowledge as well. She suggested having them share interesting facts they learned either during video conferences or via an audio/video clip. For those students with limited internet access, encourage them to share what they learned with their parents.

2. Cultivate cognitive routines

Growing students' brain power during distance learning starts with building cognitive routines. These routines are essential to processing and hardwiring information in the brain.

"Be the personal trainer of their cognitive development," Hammond said. To do this, she suggested having a routine set of prompts in each packet that become a regular part of the way students think. That way, students begin to think that way even when you're not in the classroom to reinforce that way of thinking.

One example is to ask students to connect the "unknown to the known" or across concepts by asking questions like, " What's the relationship or connection between these things?" or "How does this part fit into the whole? What are the parts of this whole?" These may seem simple, but these questions are critical when it comes to processing information so that students internalize these prompts until they become almost instinctual.

She said students should also be encouraged to sketchnote or doodle to actively process what they're learning as an alternative to note-taking. Sketchnoting can encourage people to make deeper connections to what they're hearing.

3. Build word wealth

Building a student's vocabulary is a key tool in equity strategies for schools. "Kids have different interests in words so find out where their energy is. You can have a differentiated assignment around word collecting, but the idea is to get them actively involved in word consciousness," said Hammond. She said there are many small but high-leverage ways to do this, such as introducing robust word study. A teacher can help students engage in wordplay, word consciousness and word knowledge. This should not happen through a worksheet assignment, but rather begin with building word consciousness of words in their community, home and home language.

Word games like Scrabble, Heads Up, Taboo or even word searches are small familiar but high-leverage activities because they're fun but also require a high cognitive load. You can create your own versions of these games and have students do this in any language. Students can also do word collecting activities like scavenger hunts, or make poetry using magnetic poetry. Students can also do a contrastive analysis, by comparing words they might find in Urban Dictionary to those they might find in a standard dictionary.

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How to Develop Culturally Responsive Teaching for Distance Learning | KQED

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Culturally responsive teaching is a powerful way to help students become independent learners, and it can be especially valuable during distance learning.

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A three-phase process helps build strong teacher-student bonds, which can reduce disruptive behavior.

©Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images

It's a daunting but all-too-common sight for many teachers: A classroom full of rowdy students who are unable to focus on the lesson. Classroom management techniques may get things back on track, but valuable time has already been lost.

Many experienced teachers know that making meaningful connections with students is one of the most effective ways to prevent disruptions in the first place, and a new study set out to assess this approach. In classrooms where teachers used a series of techniques centered around establishing, maintaining, and restoring relationships, academic engagement increased by 33 percent and disruptive behavior decreased by 75 percent-making the time students spent in the classroom more worthwhile and productive.

"Strong teacher-student relationships have long been considered a foundational aspect of a positive school experience," explains Clayton Cook, the lead author of the study and a professor at the University of Minnesota. When those relationships are damaged, student well-being may be affected, leading to academic and behavioral problems.

In the study, teachers used an approach called Establish-Maintain-Restore to build positive interactions with students-a total of 220 in fourth and fifth grade-and boost their sense of belonging. (A follow-up study with middle school teachers used the same strategies, with similar results.) Relationship-building was broken down into three phases: the first meeting, maintenance throughout the school year, and points when a relationship may suffer damage, with useful strategies for each phase.

Since it can be easy for some students to fall through the cracks, a relationship reflection form-like the one we share here-can help teachers take notes on each individual student and highlight ones who need the most attention.

Starting on a Positive Note

At the start of the school year, the teachers in the study made time for establishing relationships. "The goal is to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging that is characterized by trust, connection, and understanding," Cook and his colleagues explain. For students with learning or behavioral problems, cultivating positive relationships provided "protective effects" that helped them stay focused on learning.

"Bank time" with students. Schedule one-on-one meetings with students to get to know them better. The goal is to "make deposits into the relationship" to help ease conflict in the future if you have to give constructive feedback or address disruptive behavior.

Encourage student-led activities. Students feel more invested in their learning if given opportunity to share their interests. Teachers can step aside, be supportive, and listen.

Welcome students into the classroom. Activities such as positive greetings at the door and icebreaker questions help create a warm classroom culture.

Use positive communication techniques. Open-ended questions, reflective listening, validation statements, expressions of enthusiasm or interest, and compliments help students-especially shy or introverted ones-ease into classroom discussions.

To establish positive relationships, teachers can:

Maintaining Relationships

Without active maintenance, relationships deteriorate over time, the study authors point out. Teachers may focus too much on academics and not enough on supporting students' emotional well-being, slowly using up the banked time they initially built up with students.

Take note of positive and negative interactions with students. Teachers should aim for a five-to-one ratio.

Regularly check in with students. Ask how they're doing and what support they may need. In an Edutopia article, Todd Finley explains how 5x5 assessment time helped him focus on a handful of students every day.

Acknowledge good behavior. When teachers focus attention on positive conduct, disruptive behavior is stemmed before it becomes an issue.

Teachers can maintain relationships by continuing to implement the strategies above, and in addition they can:

Repairing Harm Before Things Get Worse

Eventually, negative interactions such as misunderstandings, conflict, or criticism can weaken a teacher-student relationship. If these negative interactions are left unaddressed, students may feel disengaged and be less willing to participate in activities. They may also be more likely to misbehave, creating further damage. So it's important for teachers to "intentionally reconnect" with students to restore the relationship to a positive state.

Let go and start fresh. Teachers should avoid holding mistakes over a student's head, instead giving them a chance to start each day with a clean slate.

Take responsibility for their actions. Teachers can avoid blaming students when things go wrong, and think, "What could I have done to avoid the problem in the first place?" They shouldn't be afraid to apologize when that's called for-doing so helps build trust with students.

Show empathy. There are two sides to every story, and a teacher can acknowledge that students may have a different perspective about what happened.

Focus on solutions, not problems. Teachers can work with students to find a solution that everyone feels is fair.

Separate the deed from the doer. It's important to criticize the behavior, not the person. If teachers label children as "problem students," there's a danger that they'll internalize that label, making it more likely that they'll repeat the behavior in the future.

When relationships need repair, teachers can:

The takeaway: Effective classroom management starts with relationship building. When students feel a greater sense of belonging, they're more likely to be academically engaged and demonstrate positive behavior.

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The Key to Effective Classroom Management

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A three-phase process helps build strong teacher-student bonds, which can reduce disruptive behavior.

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If you're an administrator, teacher, or counselor, this has likely been on your mind-more than ever-this school year.

Checking in with students has always been important. But when routines are disrupted and we may not be in the same physical location as students, it's even more critical to keep a regular pulse on how students are doing.

Bi-weekly or monthly student "check-ins" are a great way to gather quick feedback and find the students who need extra help right now-academically, socially, and emotionally. They can also be an effective relationship-building tool to get to know students, especially in a virtual environment.

Below, explore a question bank and guidelines for designing your own check-in for students. The questions cover areas such as student well-being, the learning environment, and what students may need immediate help with. Feel free to take and modify the questions as you see fit! If you'd like to learn about administering these questions through the Panorama platform, please contact us.

Download our full Check-ins Question Bank (includes 80 questions!)

Guidelines: How to Use These Questions

What and Who

A teacher, counselor, or administrator creates and administers a check-in survey (maximum of five questions) asking students about their well-being.

Teachers and counselors individually review the answers and follow up with specific students.

Frequency

Taking Action on Responses

Strengthen Tier 1 practices.

Follow up with individual students.

Set up interventions for individual students or groups of students.

Question Bank: Student Well-Being Check-ins

1. How are you feeling today?

2. What emotion are you feeling the most today?

3. What was the best part of the past week for you?

4. What was the hardest part of the past week for you?

5. What can teachers or other adults at school do to better help you?

6. During the past week, how often did you feel [Excited? Happy? Loved? Safe? Hopeful? Angry? Lonely? Sad? Worried? Frustrated?]

7. How clearly did I teach things in class today?

8. If your friend missed class today and asked you to explain the lesson, what would you tell them?

9. What was confusing for you today?

10. How much did students in class help each other learn today?

11. How included did you feel in class today?

12. What was your favorite part of class today?

13. What got in the way of your learning today?

14. What's the biggest thing I/you could do better tomorrow to help you learn?

15. Do you feel bullied by other students?

16. How have you been sleeping recently?

17. If we had free breakfast at school, how much would that help you?

18. If you could do laundry at school, how much would that help you?

19. If you could get free clothes (like jackets and shoes) at school, how much would that help you?

20. If we could improve your internet access outside of school, how much would that help you?

21. Would you like to talk privately with an adult from school about how you're feeling or something on your mind?

If you use Panorama: You can send a check-in to students using our pre-built question sets. Choose the questions you want to ask, and send it to your students within minutes.
Interested in bringing Panorama to your district? Get a demo of our SEL measurement and check-ins platform. Example of reviewing check-in responses in Panorama (mock data pictured)

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21 Quick Questions to Check-in on Your Students' Well-Being in 2021-22

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If you're an administrator, teacher, or counselor, this has likely been on your mind-more than ever-this school year. Checking in with students has always been important. But when routines are disrupted and we may not be in the same physical location as students, it's even more critical to keep a regular pulse on how students are doing.

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Sample Circle Prompts to Build Community as Schools Reopen:

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In this blog post, we discuss empathic listening and other types of listening. We also give you advice on how to practice empathic listening in order to improve your relationship with others.

What is empathic listening?

Empathic listening is the saviour of communication, and thus of the quality of interpersonal relationships. Relationships between people are very complex and we cannot talk about a single solution for their improvement or repair. But empathic listening is essential in cultivating quality relationships. It creates human connection, closeness, appreciation and affection.

Moreover, from such an experience, each of the participants in the discussion has something to gain and to learn. If I get into the position of influencing someone, I could use this in a negative way, I could manipulate them, but that risks not building, but destroying our relationship.

Empathic listening is the key to gaining a person's trust, provided that he does not perceive it in this way, but as a sincere concern to understand his needs on a deep level. If your efforts are perceived by the person you are listening to as manipulative and self-interested, the effect is the other way around: you lose confidence.

How we normally listen

After listening to someone speak, we usually have one of the following 4 autobiographical answers, which we give spontaneously and naturally:

We evaluate: we agree or disagree;

We examine: we ask questions from our subjective perspective;

We advise: we give advice based on our own experience;

We interpret: we seek to represent our people, to explain their motives, their behaviour, based on our own motivations and behaviours.

These answers affect the relationship between me and my interlocutor. How could he/she open up to me when I judge and examine him/her before he/she can explain something?

The questions that parents constantly harass their children with are one of the reasons that keep them away from them. We are so overwhelmed by this kind of response that we do it in a completely unconscious way.

Side Note: I grew this blog to over 500,000 monthly pageviews and it now finances our charitable missions. If you are looking to start a blog as a source of income or to help your community then view our how to start a blog guide.

How can we practice empathic listening?

Through exercise. Some are shocked when asked to practise empathic listening. As one learns to control their usual way of responding, and to listen with empathy, he/she may notice spectacular results in the quality of communication.

To listen empathetically to another person, to listen to and truly understand what he is saying, we need to change our perspective on how we look at things. We need to move the magnifying glass from our lives to the receivers.

We must stop filtering our own paradigm and stop reading our autobiographies in the lives of others ("I know how you feel! I've been through the same ordeal. I know the situation. Let me tell you how it was"). The details of the life of the man I am talking to are different from those of my life.

If I can truly understand him, even if I don't agree with him, even if I would never choose to live like him, at least I will be able to treat him with more respect and not treat him. / I judge it the same as if I had only looked through my lenses and analyzed accordingly.

When we listen empathetically, we are also exposed to risks: those of being influenced and becoming vulnerable. In order to exert an influence on someone, I have to let myself be influenced. I need inner stability to face the vulnerability to which I am exposed. But that means listening with deep participation and truly understanding.

Other types of listening

Besides empathic listening, which is our main theme for this article, there are other 13 different types of listening.

Discriminative listening - This is the most rudimentary form of listening that we humans are capable of. Discriminative listening is about the vibrations and sounds of the interlocutor's voice. This type of listening is very important because it communicates the message behind the words. Basically, discriminatory listening helps us to capture emotions from the other person's voice.

Informational listening - A type of listening to that requires immense concentration. This form of listening is about the ability to receive the information the speaker wants to convey. Informational listening is about learning what you hear.

Comprehensive Listening - A type of listening that we practice almost daily. For example, when you are attending a lecture or you are having a conversation with your friend, you practice comprehensive listening. The purpose of this type of listening is to understand best the message of our interlocutor.

Evaluative listening - It occurs when the interlocutor tries to convince us by influencing our attitudes, beliefs or ideas. We listen and evaluate the received message so that we can make the appropriate decisions regarding the received message. Evaluative listening is also called critical listening.

Selective listening - A negative way of listening to someone. This type of listening can often cause conflicts or misunderstandings between people. Selective listening involves filtering the speaker's message and selecting from what he or she says, a part that affects you or that interests you most.

Rapport listening - Oftentimes practised by sellers. Their interest is to make you feel important, understood and valuable. Therefore, people who practice listening will do everything they can to please the interlocutor.

Appreciative listening - Not about communicating with others, but rather about the relationship with ourselves and what we need to do to nourish the mind. Therefore, appreciative listening is practised when listening to our favourite music, a recorded meditation or a recited speech.

Pseudo or False listening - We all practised pseudo listening at least once in our lives. We all found ourselves thinking about anything other than what the speaker in front of us was talking about. Pseudo listening is about pretending to be listening when you actually think of something else.

Deep listening - It means being fully present and ready to listen to the other person. This form of listening involves empathy, understanding, unconditional respect for the other person.

High integrity listening - It implies that you know how to listen with integrity.

Judgmental listening - It is practised by those who, in communicating with others, spend most of their time analyzing and evaluating what the other person is saying. These people do not shy away from expressing their opinion even if it comes in contention with everything the speaker has said.

Sympathetic listening - It is somehow resembling empathetic listening.

Relationship listening - It is about the connection that is formed between people when they communicate. The stronger this connection is, the easier the two people can understand each other.

Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.

Conclusions

In this blog post, we discussed empathic listening and other types of listening. We also gave you advice on how to practice empathic listening in order to improve your relationship with others.

FAQ about empathic listening

What is empathetic listening?

Empathetic listening is a type of listening that prioritizes the mental state, emotions and feelings of the speaker. As an example, you can practice empathic listening when someone gives you advice or asks you for a sensitive issue or topic.

What is empathic active listening?

Empathic active listening is essential in cultivating quality relationships. It creates human connection, closeness, appreciation and affection. Is a type of listening that makes the other feel heard, appreciated and valued.

Why is empathic listening important?

Emphatic listening is important because it creates a deeper connection. If I really want to understand others and have a conversation at a higher level and a deep connection with someone, I have to see things from their perspective. This does not necessarily mean agreeing with them, but only understanding their speech, mood, motivations, arguments, attitude or actions.

How do you develop empathic listening?

What makes a good listener?

A good listener is attentive to his caller. Listen with empathy, understanding, and open-minded ears and ask important questions. A good listener knows that not everything is solved, as if by magic, just by having a conversation. Instead, it takes time and openness.

Further reading

Active Listening, by Carl R. Rogers

Active Listening: Improve Your Conversation Skills, Learn Effective Communication Techniques: Achieve Successful Relationships: With 6 Essential Guidelines, by Joseph Sorensen

The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction, by Rebecca Z. Shafir MA CCC

Emotional Intelligence 2.0, by Travis Bradberry

References

Active Listening, by Carl R. Rogers

Healthline.com

Indeed.com

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Empathic Listening (A Complete Guide) | OptimistMinds

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In this blog post, we discuss empathic listening and other types of listening. We also give you advice on how to practice empathic listening in order to improve your relationship with others. Empathic listening is the saviour of communication, and thus of the quality of interpersonal relationships.

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culturally responsive teaching Archives | KQED Mindshift

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KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We're the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California.

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Reimagining student engagement as a continuum of learning behaviors | KQED

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Amy Berry’s continuum of student engagement expands our vocabulary for discussing engagement within the context of classroom learning.

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Social situations don't have to be awkward. Avoid the long periods of silence by asking fun questions to get people talking. Icebreaker questions are the perfect way to start meetings, initiate conversations and to get people talking in any setting.

Once you've got the conversational ball rolling, this will put people around you at ease. Icebreaker questions are also a great way to improve connection with people. Simple questions allow you to discover fun, silly or even interesting facts about people.

So, whether you are at a dinner party with people you just met, waiting for a meeting at work to begin, or leading a group event - this list of fun icebreaker questions is a great way to change the vibe in the room and to fill the air with fun stories, interesting facts and even some laughter. There are many opportunities in life where you need to converse with people you don't know very well, so here are 100 funny icebreaker questions to really get the conversation rolling!

Funny Throwback Questions About Your Past

Get people sharing fun stories about their childhood or growing up. Stories are a great way to connect with other people and get them sharing information about their life. Plus, it's likely that people will relate to some of the stories and experiences which is guaranteed to build relationships with people in the group.
Coordinate registration for company training events. View an Example

1. What's the story of your first crush?

2. What was your first job? What did you like/dislike about it?

3. Who was the worst grade-school teacher you ever had?

4. What afterschool activity did you quit as a kid, and why?

5. What's the funniest thing that ever happened on your family vacation?

6. What's the funniest animal you've ever owned as a pet?

7. What's the worst haircut you ever had?

8. What's the best prank you've ever played on someone?

9. What's the most ridiculous thing your parents ever did to embarrass you?

10. As a kid, did you ever do something wrong but manage to pin it on your siblings?

11. What's the worst job you've ever had?

12. What totally rad expression did you overuse in high school?

13. What was your favorite Halloween costume you wore as a child?

Fun Facts About Yourself

Almost everyone enjoys talking about themselves. Fun questions that ask people to share facts and stories about themselves are easy, sometimes funny and a great way to make things enjoyable. Not everyone enjoys talking in a group, but almost everyone enjoys talking about themselves. So, give these questions a try when you've got a quiet group and need to brighten the mood of the room.
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Fun Hypothetical Questions

Hypothetical questions are downright fun. There's no right or wrong answer. These types of questions are especially fun with middle and high school aged students. So, if you are a teacher, coach or youth leader - you might want to try some of these questions at your next youth event to help everyone feel connected and engaged.
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1. If you were a type of jeans, what type would you be?

2. If you could be one superhero, which superhero would you be?

3. If you could turn the ocean into a liquid other than water, which one would you pick?

4. If you had to be Siamese twins with one person, which person would you pick to be stuck with?

5. If you could pick three famous people to be a part of your entourage, who would you pick?

6. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which song would you pick?

7. Which celebrity would you pick to exchange lives with?

8. If you could pick one job to do forever (and be guaranteed all the money you need), what job would it be?

9. If you were trying out for a singing reality show, what song would you sing?

10. What game show would you be super awesome at?

11. If you had to endorse a brand, which brand would it be?

12. Last and possibly least ... The corniest icebreaker question ever: How much does a polar bear weigh? (Just enough to break the ice!)

So, be the conversational hero at your next club, group or workplace meeting. Use this list of helpful questions to help break through the awkward silence and start some fun conversations!
Kayla Rutledge is a college student who spends most of her time writing, singing for her church and eating quesadillas.

Additional Resources

Icebreaker Questions for Small Groups

Icebreaker Activities for Any Group

Icebreakers for Youth Groups

Quick Icebreakers for Work Meetings

Icebreakers for School

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Social situations don't have to be awkward. Avoid the long periods of silence by asking fun questions to get people talking. Icebreaker questions are the perfect way to start meetings, initiate conversations and to get people talking in any setting. Once you've got the conversational ball rolling, this will put people around you at ease.

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Educators Cooperative Blank Community Building Circle Template

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Educators Cooperative Blank Community Building Circle Template

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SDUSD RJP Department: Affective Statements

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SDUSD RJP Department: Affective Statements

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Knox Restorative Plan for Student Support and Behavior 22-23

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Hawking STEAM_DRAFT- Restorative Site Discipline Plan.docx

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How to Run Smooth Classroom Circles: Circle Guidelines