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Strengthening Relationships by Kristie Watts

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Strengthening Relationships by Kristie Watts

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This unit plan was adapted/created from a unit plan that was created by Jennifer Yule last year.

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Medicine Wheel Lesson Plan by Tracy Ryan

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Medicine Wheel Lesson Plan by Tracy Ryan

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Patterns Lesson Plan with Rubrics by Kristine Eurich

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Patterns Lesson Plan with Rubrics by Kristine Eurich

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Creativity Rubric for Patterns by Kristie Watts

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Creativity Rubric for Patterns by Kristie Watts

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Creativity Rubric for Patterns Indepth Lesson Plan Watts.doc

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Patterns Rubric for Patterns Indepth Lesson Plan Watts.docx

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Assessment Documentation by Kristie Watts

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Assessment Documentation by Kristie Watts

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Assessment Presentation Created by Andrea, Rebecca, Katie, Tracey, Maram and Jeri 

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Assessment Presentation Created by Andrea, Rebecca, Katie, Tracey, Maram and Jeri 

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BC Ministry of Education Classroom Assessment and Reporting site 

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BC Ministry of Education Classroom Assessment and Reporting site 

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Classroom Assessment and Reporting | Building Student Success - BC's New Curriculum

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Given its many benefits for learning, classroom assessment is being given a much higher profile in B.C. than in the past. The province will be providing new supports for this program over the next two years. These tools and resources will be aligned to B.C.'s Know-Do-Understand curriculum model - what students are expected to know, be able to do, and understand.

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Creativity Rubric by Kristine Eurich and Tracy Ryan

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Creativity Rubric by Kristine Eurich and Tracy Ryan

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Creativity Rubric - Kristine and Tracy.pdf

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Creativity Rubric for by Leigh Maxwell and Kristie Watts

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Creativity Rubric for by Leigh Maxwell and Kristie Watts

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IB community Blog Post: How to Encourage Creativity in the Classroom

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IB community Blog Post: How to Encourage Creativity in the Classroom

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More and more teachers are talking about it, but how can you help students become creative? IB World magazine asks educators for their tried-and-tested methods
Passing exams is important, but it should never be the sole focus of a student's school years. Educating a child today involves not only teaching them worthwhile facts and figures, but also providing them with the skills they'll need to enjoy a rich and successful life, whether that means preparing them for the unpredictable workforce of the future or just empowering them with the ability to solve any problems they may encounter. One such skill - and one that is often mentioned by academics, notable business people and parents alike - is creativity.

A 2010 survey by IBM revealed that CEOs from several different countries cited creativity as being essential for navigating the business environment, and a 2013 employer survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities discovered that 95 per cent of employers prefer graduates with the ability to contribute innovatively to their business.

But isn't creativity for artists, not business people? "We can think too narrowly about what creativity is," explains Alane Jordan Starko, author of Creativity in the Classroom. "We think, 'If I'm not a talented artist, then I'm not creative.' Creativity is a much broader construct. You can be creative in all kinds of fields, from science and mathematics to literature and politics.

"If you don't appreciate how creativity functions across disciplines, you can mistake 'cute', like a nice drawing, for deep creative thinking," she continues.

Teachers must also be careful not to confuse teaching creativity with teaching creatively, which is another misunderstanding Starko sees regularly.

"When you teach creatively, you are performing activities to help students learn the information in a way that is creative, so you are exercising your creativity as a teacher," she explains. "If you are teaching for creativity, you are structuring your classroom in a way that supports creativity in the students' minds."

So, if creativity is not only about painting or expressing yourself through dance, how can it be developed? Making mistakes is an integral part of creativity, and Starko warns that teachers must be willing to embrace this. "If the classroom is not a place where it's safe to make mistakes, ask questions and wonder, then it doesn't matter if on Friday afternoon you ask those students to be creative. It's not going to happen," she says. "You need to have a creativity-friendly and a creativity-supportive atmosphere."

"By making mistakes, people learn to trust themselves because they become more familiar with their inner critic," notes Karen Kuhn, senior lecturer at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland, and a speaker at the IB's 2015 Peterson Academic Symposium, which focused on creativity. "This allows them to see that the end result is important, but so is the process of arriving there."

Yuniarti Santosa, PYP 1-2 teacher at the International School Ruhr, Germany, also believes students have to feel it is safe to respond in ways that their teacher doesn't necessarily expect. "I don't think structured exercises themselves kill creativity, but teachers can stifle creativity if they require students to produce exactly the same answer," she says. "Students become demotivated when they are pressured to do a task exactly the same way as the example."

Just as teachers need to grasp what creativity actually is, so do students. Santosa encourages her class to relate their units of inquiry back to the IB Learner Profile and this has included discussing creativity.

"We were working on a unit about structures and, as we discussed the unit, students thought about creativity," she explains. "What is creativity? What do you think about creativity? What does it look like? Are you creative?

"Now, they can explain what creativity could look like in different topics," she adds.

Starko agrees that encouraging students to apply what they have learned about creativity is extremely powerful. "If we're going to teach, for example, brainstorming, it would be great for them to use this creative thinking method meaningfully," she says. "Brainstorming is about problem solving and generating multiple ideas, so you could apply it to a problem in your curriculum, such as what options did Winston Churchill have during the Second World War?"

But, ultimately, Kuhn believes creativity begins with a determined teacher. "If the teacher is passionate about the subject they are teaching, it should be easier to produce a creative environment," Kuhn says.

Tell us about your "creativity-friendly" classrooms. Email editor@ibo.org

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How to encourage creativity in the classroom

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More and more teachers are talking about it, but how can you help students become creative? IB World magazine asks educators for their tried-and-tested methods Passing exams is important, but it should never be the sole focus of a student's school years.

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Book Unit on Social Emotional Learning byKendra Petchnick

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Book Unit on Social Emotional Learning byKendra Petchnick

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Zone of Proximal Development (Video) by Mary Rodriguez

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Zone of Proximal Development (Video) by Mary Rodriguez

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Planning for Scaffolding by Kristie Watts

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Planning for Scaffolding by Kristie Watts

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Scaffolding for Student Success (Video) by Alberta Education 

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Scaffolding for Student Success (Video) by Alberta Education 

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A Brainstorm by the Students of Kindergarten Specialist Spring 2018: How Play Can Enhance Each Subject Area

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A Brainstorm by the Students of Kindergarten Specialist Spring 2018: How Play Can Enhance Each Subject Area

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How Play Can Enhance Each Subject Area.pdf

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Math and Play by Tracy Pickard and Cheryl Emrich

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Math and Play by Tracy Pickard and Cheryl Emrich

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Video: Play-Based Learning: What is it and Why is it important? Created by Jessica Lubina

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Video: Play-Based Learning: What is it and Why is it important? Created by Jessica Lubina

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early childhood education (field of study)

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"Play-based learning" What is it and why is it important?

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An informational video for educators and parents/guardians.

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Resolving Relationship Challenges by Kristie Watts

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Resolving Relationship Challenges by Kristie Watts

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How to Help Your Child's Learning by Katherine Davis 

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How to Help Your Child's Learning by Katherine Davis 

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Relationship with Parents Workshop Outline by Kristie Watts

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Relationship with Parents Workshop Outline by Kristie Watts

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Importance of Parental Involvement In Their Children's Learning by the Centre for Child Well-Being (download)

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Importance of Parental Involvement In Their Children's Learning by the Centre for Child Well-Being (download)

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20 Tips for Developing Positive Relationships with Parents by Elena Aguilar

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20 Tips for Developing Positive Relationships with Parents by Elena Aguilar

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20 Tips for Developing Positive Relationships With Parents

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Blogger Elena Aguilar shares 20 tips to help teachers better connect with parents.

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Teacher-Student Conflict Storyboard by Kristie Watts

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Teacher-Student Conflict Storyboard by Kristie Watts

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How to Manage Child-Teacher Conflict article by Christa Meinyk

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How to Manage Child-Teacher Conflict article by Christa Meinyk

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"I hate my teacher," *Elora, 9, declared to her mother. But, when pressed for details, her mom says Elora buried her head in her knees. So she tried a different approach. "I engaged her in a fun activity," she says. "Then I lightheartedly asked questions like who she likes the most at school, who she likes the least, followed by, 'oh, how come?' What I found out was that ... she felt like the teacher yelled at her."

Why the grumbling? An elementary school child's disdain for her teacher may grow out of a variety of factors, like adjusting from a beloved former teacher's management style to a new teacher's approach. Other influences on a child's attitude toward his teacher include class size, peer competition, increased homework, more demanding, independent school work, as well as differences between home and school environments.

Do some digging. Allow your child time to adjust to her teacher's expectations and rules. If her complaints persist, ask objective questions, like: "How is the work for you? How are you getting along with the other kids?"

"By doing that you can get a flavor of the environment rather than the situation," says Dr. Stephanie Mihalas, a child psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist, who frequently helps students and parents manage and resolve school conflicts. "You may get an idea that something else is happening that's triggering the 'meanness' and then at that point, you have more information to call or email the teacher."

Review class work. Notice patterns like notes from the teacher and red marks on classwork. If your student struggles and seems afraid to ask questions, discuss appropriate times for her to talk to her teacher about the work and what types of questions she should ask.

Make real-world connections. A child may grow disenchanted with school and her teacher if she doesn't understand how the subject matter relates to real life. Due to increased pressure to focus on testing and assessments, teachers devote less classroom time for experiential learning opportunities or class projects.

That's where a parent can help.

"Engaging in the learning piece is key," says Ashley Norris, Ph.D., assistant dean, University of Phoenix College of Education.

On the weekends, integrate classwork into your daily errands. For example, if your child is learning about the soil and the climate in science, take him to the Saturday morning farmer's market. Practice multiplication skills to tally up the tip at a restaurant.

"Parents (then) become a partner with the teacher. Once that engagement starts to happen, the perception of the student-teacher relationship changes," Norris says.

Signs of a child-teacher conflict. "The single biggest factor is a change in grades. If grades are starting to slip, that's a huge indicator," Norris says. Behavior changes can also indicate a problem, including disengagement at school, forgetting homework and lack of effort.

Resolving a personality conflict. Rather than getting angry or defensive, take a calm, diplomatic approach when conferencing with the teacher.

"The last thing you want to do is instigate more conflict between the teacher and your child and if you start to pit sides, that's what ends up happening," Norris says.

Also, ask if you can sit in during class one day.

"Your presence might change the nature of how your child acts, but it will give you a flavor of how the teacher teaches," Mihalas says.

When to contact administration. Go over a teacher's head only as a last resort. "One of the only times to bring in administration is if your child is covered by special education law and the teacher isn't following special ed law," Mihalas says.

Other times you might seek help from administration:
The teacher agreed on a set of interventions, but isn't following those strategies.
Your child comes home crying every day.
You talk with the teacher and are unable to resolve the issue.

Request a different teacher? Sometimes a child's personality and a teacher's personality simply clash. Unless the teacher is abusive, help your child understand that she's not always going to like everyone, stressing the importance of remaining respectful and learning how to manage personality differences.

"In my humble opinion, I don't think it's a good idea to show children that because there's a problem then they need to move from that classroom," Mihalas says.

Instead teach flexibility by creating a link between friendships and getting along with others. For a younger child, you might say: "Everyone is different. Just as mommy and daddy do things differently, this is how your teacher is. It's really good to learn how to work with all different kinds of people."

Seek professional help. If interventions at school are unsuccessful, seek help from a child psychologist to rule out learning disabilities and anxiety.

Questions to ask the teacher:
Have you noticed my child struggling with a particular subject?
Does she participate in classroom discussions?
How does she seem to get along with her peers?
How can we work together to help my child better adjust?

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Freelance journalist Christa Melnyk Hines is a family communication expert.
*Name changed.

Published: August 2013

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"I hate my teacher," *Elora, 9, declared to her mother. But, when pressed for details, her mom says Elora buried her head in her knees. So she tried a different approach. "I engaged her in a fun activity," she says.

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Improving Students' Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning by Sara Rimm-Kaufman and Lia Sandilos (American Psychologist Association)

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Improving Students' Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning by Sara Rimm-Kaufman and Lia Sandilos (American Psychologist Association)

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Improving students' relationships with teachers has important, positive and long-lasting implications for both students' academic and social development. Solely improving students' relationships with their teachers will not produce gains in achievement. However, those students who have close, positive and supportive relationships with their teachers will attain higher levels of achievement than those students with more conflict in their relationships.

Picture a student who feels a strong personal connection to her teacher, talks with her teacher frequently, and receives more constructive guidance and praise rather than just criticism from her teacher. The student is likely to trust her teacher more, show more engagement in learning, behave better in class and achieve at higher levels academically. Positive teacher-student relationships draw students into the process of learning and promote their desire to learn (assuming that the content material of the class is engaging, age-appropriate and well matched to the student's skills).

High quality academic instruction

High quality academic instruction is designed to be appropriate to students' educational levels. It also creates opportunity for thinking and analysis, uses feedback effectively to guide students' thinking, and extends students' prior knowledge.

What do good teacher-student relationships look like and why do these relationships matter?

Teachers who foster positive relationships with their students create classroom environments more conducive to learning and meet students' developmental, emotional and academic needs. Here are some concrete examples of closeness between a teacher and a student:

A high school student chooses to share the news that he recently got a part in a community play with his teacher because he knows that his teacher will show genuine interest in his success.

A fourth grade boy who is struggling in math shows comfort in admitting to his teacher that he needs help with multiplying and dividing fractions even if most of the students in the class have moved beyond this work.

A middle school girl experiences bullying from other students and approaches her social studies teacher to discuss it because she trusts that the teacher will listen and help without making her feel socially inept.

Positive teacher-student relationships contribute to school adjustment and academic and social performance

Positive teacher-student relationships - evidenced by teachers' reports of low conflict, a high degree of closeness and support, and little dependency - have been shown to support students' adjustment to school, contribute to their social skills, promote academic performance and foster students' resiliency in academic performance (Battistich, Schaps, & Wilson, 2004; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Curby, Rimm-Kaufman, & Ponitz, 2009; Ewing & Taylor, 2009; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Rudasill, Reio, Stipanovic, & Taylor, 2010).

Teachers who experience close relationships with students reported that their students were less likely to avoid school, appeared more self-directed, more cooperative and more engaged in learning (Birch & Ladd, 1997; Decker, Dona, & Christenson, 2007; Klem & Connell, 2004). Teachers who use more learner-centered practices (i.e., practices that show sensitivity to individual differences among students, include students in the decision-making, and acknowledge students' developmental, personal and relational needs) produced greater motivation in their students than those who used fewer of such practices (Daniels & Perry, 2003).

Students who attended math classrooms with higher emotional support reported increased engagement in mathematics learning. For instance, fifth graders said they were willing to exert more effort to understand the math lesson. They enjoyed thinking about and solving problems in math and were more willing to help peers learn new concepts (Rimm-Kaufman, Baroody, Larsen, Curby, & Abry, 2014). Among kindergarteners, students reported liking school more and experiencing less loneliness if they had a close relationship with their teachers. Further, kindergarteners with better teacher-student relationships showed better performance on measures of early academic skills (Birch & Ladd, 1997).

The quality of early teacher-student relationships has a long-lasting impact. Specifically, students who had more conflict with their teachers or showed more dependency toward their teachers in kindergarten also had lower academic achievement (as reflected in mathematics and language arts grades) and more behavioral problems (e.g., poorer work habits, more discipline problems) through the eighth grade. These findings were greater for boys than for girls (Hamre & Pianta, 2001). Further work indicates that kindergarten children with more closeness and less conflict with teachers developed better social skills as they approached the middle school years than kindergarten children with more conflictual relationships experiences in the past (Berry & O'Connor, 2009). A recent study examining student-teacher relationships throughout elementary school (first through fifth grade) found that teacher-student closeness linked to gains in reading achievement, while teacher-student conflict related to lower levels of reading achievement (McCormick & O'Connor, 2014).

What do positive teacher-student relationships look and feel like in the classroom?

This video clip shows a third grade teacher facilitating positive communication among peers by conducting a "Thoughtful Thursday" activity in which students discuss thoughtful actions or words they have experienced from classmates throughout the week. The student talks about the "safeties" (student safety-patrol members) outside the school and how they welcomed him to the school.

In this video clip, a preschool teacher is facilitating positive peer interactions by communicating with students in a warm, calm voice and making encouraging statements, such as "Very good teamwork!'

How to develop positive relationships with your students:

Show your pleasure and enjoyment of students.

Interact with students in a responsive and respectful manner.

Offer students help (e.g., answering questions in timely manner, offering support that matches students' needs) in achieving academic and social objectives.

Help students reflect on their thinking and learning skills.

Know and demonstrate knowledge about individual students' backgrounds, interests, emotional strengths and academic levels.

Avoid showing irritability or aggravation toward students.

Acknowledge the importance of peers in schools by encouraging students to be caring and respectful to one another.

In contrast, what do negative teacher-student relationships look and feel like?

Teachers who have negative relationships with a student show evidence of frustration, irritability and anger toward that student. Teachers might display their negativity through snide and sarcastic comments toward the student or describe the feeling that they are always struggling or in conflict with a particular student. Often, teachers will describe a specific student as "one who exhausts them" or "a student who leaves them feeling drained and burned out."

Negative teacher-student relationships can amplify when teachers show irritability and anger toward several or many of the students in the classroom. In these types of classrooms, teachers may find themselves resorting to yelling and harsh punitive control. Teacher-student communications may appear sarcastic or disrespectful. Student victimization or bullying may be common occurrences in such negative classrooms (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2006).

Negative teacher-student relationships are stressful for both teachers and students (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Lisonbee, Mize, Payne, & Granger, 2008) and can be detrimental to students' academic and social-emotional development (McCormick & O'Connor, 2014; O'Connor, Collins, & Supplee, 2012).

Do's:

Make an effort to get to know and connect with each student in your classroom. Always call them by their names, find out information about their interests and strive to understand what they need to succeed in school (Croninger & Lee, 2001; Whitlock, 2006).

Make an effort to spend time individually with each student, especially those who are difficult or shy. This will help you create a more positive relationship with them (Pianta, 1999; Rudasill, Rimm-Kaufman, Justice, & Pence, 2006; Spangler Avant, Gazelle, & Faldowski, 2011).

Be aware of the explicit and implicit messages you are giving to your students (Pianta, et al., 2001; Rimm-Kaufman et al., 2002; Hemmeter & Conroy, 2012). Be careful to show your students that you want them to do well in school through both actions and words.

Create a positive climate in your classroom by focusing not only on improving your relationships with your students, but also on enhancing the relationships among your students (Charney, 2002; Donahue, Perry & Weinstein, 2003; Wentzel, 2010).

Be aware that you are modeling behavior for your students, whether intentional or not.

Students notice your interaction style. They notice whether you show warmth and respect toward them, to other students and to adults at your school. Often, they will model their own behavior after your behavior.

Students notice the methods you use to manage strong emotions. They notice positive strategies, such as taking a deep breath or talking about your frustrations. Likewise, they notice negative strategies, too, such as yelling at students or making mean or disrespectful jokes about colleagues (Jones, Bouffard, & Weissbourd, 2013). Be aware that students will often adopt the strategies that you use.

Don'ts:

Don't assume that being kind and respectful to students is enough to bolster achievement. Ideal classrooms have more than a single goal: teachers hold students to appropriately high standards of academic performance and offer students an opportunity for an emotional connection to their teachers, their fellow students and the school (e.g., Gregory & Weinstein, 2004; Wentzel, 2010).

Don't give up too quickly on your efforts to develop positive relationships with difficult students. These students will benefit from a good teacher-student relationship as much or more than their easier-to-get-along-with peers (Baker, 2006; Birch & Ladd, 1998; Hartz & Williford, in press).

Don't assume that respectful and sensitive interactions are only important to elementary school students. Middle and high school students benefit from such relationships as well (Allen et al., 2013; Meece, Herman, & McCombs, 2003; Reyes, Brackett, Rivers, White, & Salovey, 2012).

Don't assume that relationships are inconsequential. Some research suggests that preschool children who have a lot of conflict with their teachers show increases in stress hormones when they interact with these teachers (Lisonbee et al., 2008).

Don't wait for negative behaviors and interactions to occur in the classroom. Instead, take a proactive stance on promoting a positive social experience by including students in discussions about prosocial interactions and consistently modeling those positive interactions for them (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009).

How to cultivate positive relationships in your classroom

Know your students

Knowing a student's interests can help you create examples to match those interests.

If a student who loves basketball comes to you with a question about a math problem, you might respond to her with a problem involving basketball.

If a student who speaks Spanish at home comes to you with a question about English vocabulary, you might answer his question and then ask him what the word is in Spanish and how he'd use it in a sentence. This type of specific responding shows that you care about your students as people and that you are aware of their unique strengths (i.e., fluency in another language).

Knowing a student's temperament can help you construct appropriate learning opportunities.

If a girl in your class is particularly distractible, you can support her efforts to concentrate by offering her a quieter area in which to work.

If a boy in your classroom is very shy, appears engaged but never raises his hand to ask questions, you can assess his level of understanding of a concept in a one-on-one conversation at the end of class.

Give students meaningful feedback

Notice the way that you give feedback to your students. If possible, watch a video of your own teaching.

Are you giving students meaningful feedback that says you care about them and their learning, or are you constantly telling your students to hurry?

In your conversations, are you focusing on what your students have accomplished or are you concentrating your comments on what they have not yet mastered?

Does your body language, facial expression and tone of voice show your students that you are interested in them as people too?

Are you telling them to do one thing, yet you model quite different behavior? For example, are you telling your students to listen to each other, but then look bored when one of them talks to the class? Be sure that the feedback you give to your students conveys the message that you are supporting their learning and that you care about them.

Are you paying more attention to some students than to others?

In this clip, a third grade teacher is monitoring and assisting her students during an independent reading activity. She kneels down next to one of her students and asks him questions to determine if he comprehends the story. The teacher positions herself in close proximity to the student and speaks to him with a calm and respectful tone of voice, which conveys the message that she is here to support him.

Create a positive classroom climate

Be sure to allow time for your students to link the concepts and skills they are learning to their own experiences. Build fun into the things you do in your classroom. Plan activities that create a sense of community so that your students have an opportunity to see the connections between what they already know and the new things they are learning, as well as have the time to enjoy being with you and the other students. Make sure to provide social and emotional support and set high expectations for learning.

Be respectful and sensitive to adolescents

Supportive teacher-student relationships are just as important to middle and high school students as they are to elementary students. Positive relationships encourage students' motivation and engagement in learning. Older students need to feel that their teachers respect their opinions and interests just as much as younger students do. Even in situations where adolescents do not appear to care about what teachers do or say, teacher actions and words do matter and may even have long term positive (or negative) consequences.

How to improve relationships with difficult students

Develop positive discourse with students with challenging behavior

Think about what you say to the difficult students in your classroom. Are you constantly bombarding your more challenging students with requests to do something? Do you find yourself constantly asking students to stop doing what they are doing? No one likes being badgered and pestered, and your students are no exception.

Try to find a time or place when you can have positive discussion with the problem student.

Notice and mention the positive behaviors they exhibit.

Remind yourself that even if a challenging student appears unresponsive to your requests, she is hearing the messages that you are giving her. Her responses may not change her immediate behavior but may matter in the long term.

Make extra effort to develop and sustain relationships with difficult students

Difficult students require more energy on your part. For example, you may need to spend time with them individually to get to know them better - to understand their interests as well as what motivates them. This will not only allow you to tailor your instruction to their interests and motivation, but the time spent will also allow them to develop trust in you. Recent research on high school students who have frequent and intense discipline problems shows that when adolescents perceive their teachers are trustworthy people, they show less defiant behavior (Gregory & Ripski, 2008). Persistent teacher-student conflict throughout the elementary years increases the likelihood that children will exhibit negative externalizing behaviors (O'Connor et al., 2012), so it is important for teachers to build close relationships at an early age with children at-risk for behavioral issues.

This video clip highlights a teacher talking about how developing positive relationships is particularly important with behaviorally difficult children.

Forming positive relationships with behaviorally difficult students

These video clips show two teachers talking about the ways positive relationships with their students helps to reach and motivate them.

Theoretical perspectives to explain student behavior

Three theoretical perspectives - attachment theory, social cognitive theory and self-system theory - help to explain why students behave in certain ways in your classroom and how you can use your relationships with them to enhance their learning.

Attachment theory

Attachment theory explains how students use their positive relationships with adults to organize their experiences (Bowlby 1969). Central to this theory is that students with close relationships with their teachers view their teacher as a "secure base" from which to explore the classroom environment. In practice, students with this "secure base" feel safe when making mistakes and feel more comfortable accepting the academic challenges necessary for learning. Strong teacher-student relationships can even act as a buffer against the potentially adverse effects that insecure parent-child attachment can have on students' academic achievement (O'Connor & McCartney, 2007).

Social cognitive theory

Social cognitive theory posits that students develop a wide range of skills simply by watching other people perform those skills. Thus, modeling behavior can be a positive and effective modality for teaching (Bandura, 1986). Applied to the classroom environment, teachers play a critical role as live models from which students can learn social behaviors and positive communication skills. Social cognitive theory also sheds light on the importance of feedback and encouragement from teachers in relation to student performance. Teachers serve as role models and help regulate student behavior through interactions and relationships.

This video clip shows a 16-year-old boy describing one way his teacher is modeling behavior. Given the relationship he describes, it is easy to see the influence that this teacher has on the student.

Self-System theory

Self-System theory emphasizes the importance of students' motivation and by doing so, explains the importance of teacher-student relationships (Harter, 2012; McCombs, 1986). Students come to the classroom with three basic psychological needs - competence, autonomy and relatedness - all of which can be met in a classroom through students' interactions with teachers and with the learning environment (Deci & Ryan, 2002).

Classroom practices that foster the feelings of competence, autonomy and relatedness are likely to produce the engagement and motivation required for academic learning and success.

Competence refers to a student's need to feel capable of academic work.

Autonomy suggests a feeling that he or she has some choice and ability to make decisions.

Relatedness implies that a student feels socially connected to teachers or peers.

Positive teacher-student relationships help students meet these needs. Teachers offer feedback to students to support their feelings of competence. Teachers who know their students' interests and preferences, and show regard and respect for these individual differences, bolster students' feelings of autonomy. Teachers who establish a personal and caring relationship and foster positive social interactions within their classrooms meet their students' needs for relatedness (or social connection to school). Taken together, effective teacher-student relationships confirm to students that teachers care for them and support their academic efforts.

These video clips shows competence and autonomy from an 8-year-old child.

The students in my school have severe emotional and behavioral problems and my school has few economic resources - can good relationships really help?

Teacher-student relationships contribute to students' resiliency. Often, we assume that hard-to-change factors such as class size, teacher experience or availability of instructional supplies are crucial for predicting student achievement. In fact, these factors are not as important as having positive relationships.

In one study of almost 4,000 students (who were ethnic minority groups and from poor families), the presence of positive relationships with teachers and the experience of a positive and orderly school environment in elementary and middle school were strong predictors of gains in math outcomes - much stronger than class size, teacher experience, or availability of instructional supplies (Borman & Overman, 2004).

In another study, urban high school students with behavior and emotional problems were assigned to an intervention involving weekly interactions with teachers, monthly calls to the students at home and increased praise from adults. Those students involved in the intervention showed higher grade point averages over the five-month intervention period compared to their peers who were not receiving the intervention (Murray & Malmgren, 2005). Studies like this point to an important message - across ages and in all content areas, students will be more engaged and motivated if teachers meet students' essential need for social connection.

Can positive teacher-student relationships help to reduce the prevalence of bullying behavior in students?

The behaviors and emotions that young children display when interacting with peers play a critical role in their involvement with bullying throughout the school years. Teachers have the ability to reduce bullying behaviors that occur in the classroom by establishing a positive climate in which pro-social actions are both encouraged and rewarded (Hanish, Kochenderfer-Ladd, Fabes, Martin, & Denning, 2004). Through teacher-student relationship, teachers can assist students in understanding how to better understand and regulate emotions they are feeling. Teachers can also involve students in discussing alternative strategies to deal with social conflict and in establishing prosocial rules for the classroom (Allen, 2010; Fraser et al., 2005).

How does the importance of the teacher-student relationship compare to other important relationships, such as parent-student relationships, in students' lives?

From early childhood through adolescence, positive teacher-student relationships appear to complement the other important relationships in students' lives.

For young students, increased parental engagement (i.e., warmth and sensitivity, support for autonomy, involvement in learning) is associated with greater social bonds with other caregiving adults, including teachers (Sheridan, Knoche, Edwards, Bovaird, & Kupzyk, 2010).

In middle school students, the perception of their teacher (whether they felt that their teacher was supportive toward them or not) predicted students' interest in learning and their engagement in the classroom. At this level, parental support plays a complementary role by predicting youths' motivation in school (Wentzel, 1997).

In high school, parent and teacher supportiveness (combined with parent and teacher monitoring and high expectations) contribute to gains in mathematics achievement (Gregory & Weinstein, 2004). At this age, parent and teacher monitoring of behavior as well as high parent and teacher expectations play an important role in achievement.

This video clip is of a teacher talking about the complementary role that her relationship with the child and the family plays in managing a child's behavior in the classroom.

What are the factors contributing to positive teacher-student relationships?

Multiple factors determine teacher-student relationships: teacher characteristics and student characteristics each play an important role in predicting the quality of interactions that teachers have with individual students. Although less well-studied, other factors (school social climate, school policies, etc.) also contribute to the quality of these relationships.

Will more positive teacher-student relationships improve the peer relationships in my classroom?

Yes, positive teacher-student relationships can promote improved peer relationships in your classrooms through direct and indirect approaches. Teachers can directly promote positive social behaviors by orchestrating the relationships within a classroom in a positive manner (Battistich et al., 2004). Teachers can use positive teacher-student relationships indirectly to promote peer relationships as well. Students tend to be more accepting of peers who show engagement in the tasks of school (e.g., show attention, participate in classroom activities), and positive teacher-student relationships enhance students' engagement. Positive teacher-student relationships improve student-to-student acceptance in both current and future years (Hughes & Kwok, 2007).

Are positive teacher-student relationships easier to form in some situations than others?

Some situations (such as in elementary school, where each teacher is assigned only twenty or so students) provide more opportunities for the development of close teacher-student relationships. Other situations (such as the middle school or high school levels, where teachers routinely provide instruction to four or five groups of twenty-five or more students) make it more difficult to form positive teacher-student relationships with all students (Feldlaufer, Midgley, & Eccles, 1988; Meece et al., 2003), and thus, it takes more effort.

It is also easier to focus attention on positive teacher-student relationships in schools where the administrators believe that trust and positive relationships are important for improving students' performance (Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2010 ). A distinguishing characteristic of schools with high performing students is the presence of an adult school community that works together in a coordinated manner to create a social environment that supports teachers' efforts to establish good relationships with students (Allensworth & Easton, 2007).

If teacher-student relationships reflect both characteristics of the teachers and characteristics of the student, how stable are these relationships over time?

The quality of teacher-student relationships is surprisingly stable over time. In other words, if a kindergarten teacher has a conflictual relationship with a student; it is likely that the child's first and second grade teachers will also experience conflict in their relationship with that same child. This stability is more evident when the relationships are conflictual rather than when the relationships are close or dependent (Howes, Phillepsen & Peisner-Feinberg, 2000; Pianta & Stuhlman, 2004). Most likely, the stability stems from the "internal working model" that students create in their mind about how relationships with adults typically ought to work.

Here is a video clip of a 16-year-old boy talking about a high school teacher. The teen talks about a teaching method that complements his learning style and motivates him to ask questions. The teacher allows students to question his thinking, a type of questioning that fosters learning, as the student describes. The quality of this give-and-take between the teacher and students provides one example of a teacher-student interaction that appeals to adolescents and enhances the teacher-student relationship.

Are there any unintended consequences associated with creating positive teacher-student relationships?

Ideally, classroom environments need to be nurturing while at the same time holding students to high academic standards (Curby, LoCasale-Crouch, et al., 2009; Stuhlman & Pianta, 2009). Classrooms that focus on nurturance without offering opportunities for academic learning do not produce increases in students' achievement (Allensworth & Easton, 2007; Lee & Smith, 1999).

Do positive teacher-student relationships work for all school subjects?

Positive teacher-student relationships play an equally important role in students' success across all subjects (McCombs & Miller, 2006). Students' social and emotional needs are present throughout the day and the year, regardless of the subject area.

Can positive teacher-student relationships support students' self-control?

In the past decade, there has been increased interest in methods to support students' development of self-control. Executive functioning is one component of self-control that refers to students' working memory, ability to direct attention, and the ability to control their responses in different situations. Through their relationships and interactions with students, teachers can help to develop and improve students' executive functioning skills and the behaviors that emerge because of those skills. For example, a higher degree of emotional support provided by the classroom teacher is associated with a reduction in students' off-task behavior (Rimm-Kaufman, Curby, Grimm, Nathanson, & Brock, 2009). Additionally, students with low effortful control perform similarly to children with high effortful control (i.e., the ability to substitute an automatic or immediate response for a more appropriate one, such as raising one's hand instead of calling out) on tests of reading and mathematics if they experience positive relationships with their teachers (Liew, Chen, & Hughes, 2010). Teacher-student relationships help students develop executive functioning skills regardless of whether they are low or high in these skills in the beginning of the school year. (See Willingham, 2011, for more useful information.)

This video clip provides an example of how a teacher's supportive interactions with an eight year old boy helps him get back on track and show more self-control in his behaviors.

How do you evaluate teacher-student relationships?

Several common and readily available instruments have been developed to assess teacher-student relationships. Although used primarily for research, these instruments can also serve as diagnostic tools to identify strengths and weakness in your own teaching. Some of these instruments rely on teacher reports of relationships, others are observationally-based measures of teacher-student interactions in the classroom, and yet others rely on students' reports of their relationships with teachers. One particularly innovative technique to use with young children relies on children's drawings of their teachers.

There are less formal ways to assess your relationships with students:

Invite a school psychologist into your classroom to observe your interactions, take notes and reflect with you about the child with whom you have a challenging relationship.

Set up a video camera and analyze your own interactions with the student who is causing you difficulty.

Give your students anonymous questionnaires (on paper or on-line) or ask small groups of students about how they feel while they are in your classroom.

Through this process, it is important to realize that even the best teachers have difficulties with a few students from time to time. The reasons for these difficulties are numerous and getting help from a collaborating teacher, the school psychologist, or a supportive administrator may offer you an outside view of what is occurring and help you improve your relationships with the challenging students in your classroom.

Are positive teacher-student relationships a "magic bullet"?

No, positive teacher-student relationships are only one part of a teachers' repertoire of classroom management and discipline strategies. High quality relationships complement high quality classroom management. Furthermore, it is not possible to develop positive relationships with every student. As a teacher, you can strive toward accomplishing that goal but realize that having an ideal relationship with each student may be unobtainable.

How are positive teacher-student relationships linked to classroom climate?

Improving teacher-student relationships constitutes only a first step toward creating a classroom community that is conducive to student's social and academic development.

Several student characteristics are risk factors for problematic relationships

Boys typically have more conflict and less closeness in their relationships with teachers than girls (Baker, 2006; Howes et al., 2000; Hughes, Cavell, & Wilson, 2001).

High levels of teacher-student conflict may affect girls and boys differently. For example, teacher-student conflict appears to affect math achievement more negatively for girls than for boys (McCormick & O'Connor, 2014).

Students with more internalizing problems (e.g., depression, anxiety) show greater dependency on their teachers than their average counterparts (Henricsson & Rydell, 2004), whereas students with more externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, problem behaviors) show more conflict with teachers (Murray & Murray, 2004; O'Connor et al., 2012).

Students who exhibit more problem behaviors at home and school tend to develop more conflictual and less close relationships with their teachers (Birch & Ladd, 1998; Murray & Murray, 2004; O'Connor et al., 2012).

Students with emotional disturbances or mild intellectual disability have more negative relationships with teachers than students without these problems (Murray & Greenberg, 2001).

Bold preschool students with poorly developed language skills are perceived by their teachers as having more conflictual relationships. Shy preschool students with better language skills are perceived by their teachers as more dependent upon them (Rudasill et al., 2006).

For students at risk for problematic teacher-student relationships, teachers needed to make extra efforts to offer the social and emotional support likely to help them meet the challenges they face in school.

Teachers vary in their ability to create positive teacher-student relationships. Some teachers simply have an easier time developing positive relationships with students - personality, feelings toward students, their own relationship histories may all play a role. A few personal characteristics of teachers have been identified as important predictors of positive teacher-student relationships in elementary schools. Research has found that preschool and kindergarten teachers are more likely to develop close relationships with students who share their same ethnic background. In contrast, it was found that Caucasian pre-service teachers working in their 10-week field placement sites perceived African-American and Hispanic students as more dependent than these same teachers perceived White students. Asian-American and Hispanic pre-service teachers perceived African-American students as more dependent upon them as compared to Asian-American or Hispanic students (Kesner, 2000).

Pre-service teachers who recall their own upbringing as caring and nurturing were also more likely to experience closeness with the students in their field placement classrooms (Kesner, 2000). Teachers' beliefs and the types of practices that teachers prefer also appear to be important. Kindergarten teachers who use more age-appropriate, student-centered teaching practices reported less conflictual relationships with their kindergarten students than those who use more didactic, teacher-centered strategies (Manticopoulous, 2005). Much less is known about the teacher characteristics that contribute to positive teacher-student relationships at the middle and high school level.

Measures of teacher-student relationships

Student-teacher relationship scale (STRS; Pianta, 2001) is a teacher-report instrument designed for elementary school teachers. This instrument measures a teacher's perception of conflict, closeness and dependency with a specific child. Another instrument designed for teachers of middle and high school is the teacher-student relationship inventory (TSRI, Ang, 2005). It measures teachers' satisfaction with their students, the help they perceive they are offering to their students and their level of conflict with their students.

Classroom assessment scoring system (CLASS; Pianta, La Paro & Hamre, 2006) examines the presence of supportive relationships in the classroom. This system measures teachers' sensitivity as well as positive and negative climate in the classroom. Different forms of this instrument are available for preschool through twelfth grade.

Assessment of learner-centered practices (ALCP) is a set of validated survey instruments designed for teachers and students. These surveys, each designed for a different age group (grades K-3, 4-8 and 9-12), provide teachers with tools for self-assessment and reflection (McCombs, 2004). The emphasis of this work has been to identify discrepancies between teacher and student perceptions in order to assist teachers as they reflect upon and change their practices (McCombs & Miller, 2006). The ALCP process focuses on student learning and motivational outcomes, as well as the classroom practices that contribute most to maximizing these outcomes.

Feelings about school (Valeski & Stipek, 2001) examines young children's perceptions of their relationships with teachers and their overall feelings toward school. Young children's attitudes about school can also be assessed by having a child draw a picture of him/herself and his/her teacher at school and analyzing the picture for signs of negativity (Harrison, Clarke, & Ungerer, 2007).

Loneliness and social dissatisfaction questionnaire for young children (Cassidy & Asher, 1992) evaluates students' feelings of loneliness and discontentment with peer relationships in elementary school.

Teacher treatment inventory (Weinstein & Marshall, 1984) is a self-report measure that can be used with middle and high school students to rate their perception of the frequency of specific teacher behaviors. This measure can be used along with an adapted measure of perceived social connection.

Teacher-student relationships and the classroom climate

How do teacher-student relationships relate to classroom climate?

When first grade teachers use practices that demonstrate caring toward students and practices that foster interpersonal skills among students, students are less likely to reject one another (Donahue et al, 2003). In addition, aggressive students who have positive relationships with teachers are more likely to be accepted by peers than aggressive students who lack positive relationships with their teachers (Hughes et al., 2001). Ultimately, constructive teacher-student relationships have an important positive influence on the social skills of difficult as well as typical students (Zins, Elias, Greenberg, & Weissberg, 2000). Such findings suggest that enhancing individual teacher-student relationships has beneficial and cumulative effects for other aspects of classroom life.

Improving teacher-student relationships is only the first step toward meeting students' emotional and relational needs. A teacher should also work on producing a caring community of learners. Such efforts improve the nature of interactions among students and promote students' engagement in school (Hamre & Pianta, 2005; McCombs, 2004; Meece et al., 2003; Weinberger & McCombs, 2003).

Interventions

Studies have examined the effectiveness of interventions designed to create more caring school and classroom communities; each has resulted in specific recommendations for improving teacher-student relationships as well as peer-relationships.

1. The Child Development Project (CDP) focuses on fostering caring peer relationships, including students in decision-making during classroom meetings, and teaching students to better understand the feelings, needs and perspectives of others. The goal of CDP is to promote positive development among students and build upon their strengths. Students exposed to this intervention feel more positive about school and are more motivated (e.g., showed more task orientation and greater intrinsic motivation) than their counterparts not receiving this intervention in elementary school (Solomon, Battistich, Watson, Schaps, & Lewis, 2000). Likewise, CDP appears to have some long-lasting effects; students enrolled in the CDP elementary schools were less antisocial and more prosocial in middle school as well (Battistich et al., 2004). Further, in a district that pressed for high achievement, CDP was linked to positive effects on achievement outcomes as well as gains in socio-emotional skills.

2. The responsive classroom (RC) approach is a classroom-based intervention designed to integrate social and academic learning. When RC was examined to determine whether there were links between the use of its approach and the quality of teacher-student relationships, it was found that teachers using more RC practices had closer relationships with students in their classrooms (Baroody, Rimm-Kaufman, Larsen & Curby, 2014; Rimm-Kaufman & Chiu, 2007).

3. The RULER approach is another school-based social-emotional intervention that is designed to teach students critical skills related to emotions (labeling, expressing, regulating, etc.). This intervention was developed to align with the language arts curriculum in grades K-12. Investigations of RULER'S effectiveness have revealed that students whose teachers utilize more RULER approaches in the classroom demonstrated improved social skills and emotional intelligence (Reyes, Brackett, Rivers, Elbertson, & Salovey, 2012).

4. Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS) is an additional intervention intended to strengthen the social-emotional learning skills of students in pre-K through grade 6. Primary goals of the intervention include building problem-solving skills, developing conflict-resolution strategies, forming positive relationships, and increasing self-control and self-awareness. Teachers who implemented the PATHS curriculum in the early elementary grades reported increases in prosocial interactions and higher levels of academic engagement in their classrooms (Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, 2010).

When does the strategy work?

What developmental differences are associated with teacher-student relationships?

Teacher-student relationships are as important to adolescents as they are to younger students. Feeling a connection and sense of relatedness to a teacher represents an essential need of all children and teens (Gregory & Ripski, 2008). However, it is worth noting that the nature of positive teacher-student relationships changes depending on the age of the student involved. In other words, the precise behaviors that might be perceived by a kindergarten child as nurturing and caring (e.g., a doting smile, a one-armed hug), in contrast, might be perceived by adolescents as over-involved and cloying. It is also important to realize that in the early years of school, students' perception of their relationship with teachers and teachers' perception of those same relationships are quite similar. As children grow and develop, the gap between their perceptions of teachers and teachers' perception of them grows and widens (McCombs & Miller, 2006).

Students experience stressors as they grow and develop. Positive, healthy relationships can help students with the developmental transitions they experience.

Do good teacher-student relationships work better for some students than others?

Teacher-student relationships are important to virtually all students. However, high quality teacher-student relationships appear to be most significant for students who are at risk for school problems based on early behavioral and learning issues (Baker, 2006; Rimm-Kaufman et al., 2002). In one study, high quality teacher-student relationships appeared to be better predictors of classroom adjustment, social skills and reading performance for students showing initial externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, hyperactivity), internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression) and learning problems (e.g., attention problems) (Baker, 2006) than for students without these initial risk factors.

In another study, sensitive and supportive relationships proved to be more important in predicting increased self-reliant behavior and less off task, negative and aggressive behaviors in the kindergarten classroom for bold, outgoing children. (Comparable levels of sensitivity and support of the teacher played less of a role in children's classroom behavior for shy, hesitant children [Rimm-Kaufman et al., 2002). Teacher sensitivity and emotional supportiveness played a greater role in predicting children's academic achievement gains in first grade (after taking into consideration children's earlier achievement) for children "at risk" for school failure than for those without these risk factors (Hamre & Pianta, 2005).

Similarly, a recent study on children from rural families found that high emotional support provided by teachers was associated with increased behavioral self-control and lower levels of aggression in first grade students. This study also found that attending an emotionally-supportive classroom was equally important for students regardless of whether they were from families living with poverty or not and whether they were from families headed by a single parent or two parents (Merritt, Wanless, Rimm-Kaufman, Cameron, & Peugh, 2012).

In another study, poor teacher-student relationships correlated with a reading achievement gap between African-American and White students, all of whom initially demonstrated below average literacy skills. Specifically, when Hughes and Kwok (2007) studied a group of low achieving readers, they found that first grade children who had poorer relationships with their teachers were less engaged in school and had lower academic achievement in second grade. It is very important to note that Hughes and Kwok found that African-American children had poorer relationships with their teachers than children of other ethnic backgrounds (i.e., Caucasian, Hispanic). This suggests how important it is for teachers to develop the best possible relationship with all students, regardless of their ethnic background. Taken together, such findings suggest that high quality teacher-student relationships can partially compensate for disadvantages in other facets of students' social-emotional lives.

Student and teacher stressors

Student Stressors

Positive teacher-student relationships can offset some of the normal stressors that students experience as they grow and develop. The transition to middle school can be a stressful time for children; middle school students often show declines in motivation, self-esteem and academic performance (Feldlaufer et al., 1988).

Students who perceive greater support from their teachers experience less depression and have more growth in self-esteem between the sixth and eighth grades (Reddy, Rhodes, & Mulhall, 2003).

Students who perceive their teachers as respectful, eager to support their autonomy, focused on setting realistic and individualized expectations for performance, and offering nurturing and constructive feedback are more motivated in school (Wentzel, 1997). More specifically, if a student believes "my teacher trusts me" or "my teacher calls on me to give the answer," he or she is more likely to be interested in class, more likely to conform to the positive social norms of the classroom, and more eager to master the academic material being taught (Wentzel, 1997).

Teacher Stressors

Like other professionals in demanding roles, teachers may experience depleted energy and increased stress or "burnout." Physically and emotionally exhausted teachers struggle to sustain strong relationships with students (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Teachers are developing people and their psychological health is crucial to their success in the classroom, especially their ability to create high quality relationships with students (Rimm-Kaufman & Hamre, 2010). Teachers need to take time to care for themselves and receive support from others to improve their capacity to work with students.

During difficult times, an important source of support for teachers is the adult community within the school (Bryk et al., 2010). Increased collaboration and communication among teachers and other educational personnel can provide the social support needed to reduce feelings of stress and to renew teachers' energy. Teachers who feel positively about their own ability to cope with challenging situations and to form close relationships with others are more likely to provide higher quality environments that improve student outcomes (Brown, Jones, LaRusso, & Aber, 2010). There is a growing body of research showing how important it is for teachers to tend to their own psychological health and well-being.

In this closing video, teachers and students describe qualities that make a great teacher.

Where can I get more information?

Several books designed for teachers may be useful in promoting teacher-student relationships. Most of these books address the needs of children in early and middle childhood:

Charney, R. (2002). Teaching children to care: Classroom management for ethical and academic growth, K-8. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.

Howes, C. & Ritchie, S. (2002). A matter of trust: Connecting teachers and learners in the early childhood classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.

Pianta, R. C. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Several research briefs and blogs about teacher-student relationships and social emotional learning in pre-K, elementary and secondary grades:

Allen, K. P. (2010). Classroom management, bullying, and teacher practices. The Professional Educator, 34(1), 1-15.

Allen, J., Gregory, A., Mikami, A., Lun, J., Hamre, B., & Pianta, R. (2013). Observations of effective teacher-student interactions in secondary classrooms: Predicting student achievement with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System - Secondary. School Psychology Review, 42 (1), 76-98.

Allensworth, E. M., & Easton, J. Q. (2007). What matters for staying on-track and graduation in Chicago public high schools. Consortium of Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. Retrieved from https://ccsr.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/07%20What%20Matters%20Final.pdf

Ang, R. P. (2005). Development and validation of the teacher-student relationship inventory using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The Journal of Experimental Education, 71(1), 55-74.

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Baker, J. A. (2006). Contributions of teacher-child relationships to positive school adjustment during elementary school. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 211-229.

Battistich, V., Schaps, E., & Wilson, N. (2004). Effects of an elementary school intervention on students' "connectedness" to school and social adjustment during middle school. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 24(3), 243-262.

Berry, D., & O'Connor, E. (2009). Behavioral risk, teacher-child relationships, and social skill development across middle childhood: A child-by-environment analysis of change. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31(1), 1-14.

Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher-child relationship and early school adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 55(1), 61-79.

Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1998). Children's interpersonal behaviors and the teacher-child relationship. Developmental Psychology, 34(5), 934-946.

Borman, G. & Overman, L. (2004). Academic resilience in mathematics among poor and minority students. Elementary School Journal, 104(3), 177-195.

Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Volume 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.

Brown, J. L., Jones, S., LaRusso, M. D., & Aber, J. L. (2010). Improving classroom quality: Teacher influences and experimental impacts of the 4Rs program. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(1), 153-167.

Bryk, A. S., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J. Q. (2010). Organizing schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Cassidy, J. & Asher, S.R. (1992). Loneliness and peer relations in young children. Child Development, 63, 350-365.

Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2010). Effects of a multiyear social-emotional learning program: The role of student and school characteristics. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2), 156-168.

Croninger, R. G., & Lee, V. E. (2001). Social capital and dropping out of high school: Benefits to at-risk students of teachers' support and guidance. Teacher College Record, 103(4), 548-581.

Curby, T. W., LoCasale-Crouch, J., Konold, T. R., Pianta, R. C., Howes, C., Burchinal, M., Bryant, D., ...Barbarin, O. (2009). The relations of observed pre-k classroom quality profiles to children's achievement and social competence. Early Education and Development, 20(2), 1556-6935.

Curby, T. W., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Ponitz, C. C. (2009). Teacher-child interactions and children's achievement trajectories across kindergarten and first grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101 (4), 912-925.

Daniels, D. H., & Perry, K. E. (2003). "Learner-centered" according to children. Theory Into Practice, 42(2), 102-108.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). Overview of self-determination theory: An organismic dialectical perspective. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 3-33). Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.

Decker, D. M., Dona, D. P., & Christenson, S. L. (2007). Behaviorally at-risk African American students: The importance of student-teacher relationships for student outcomes. Journal of School Psychology, 45(1), 83-109.

Donohue, K. M., Perry, K. E., & Weinstein, R. S. (2003). Teachers' classroom practices and children's rejection by their peers. Applied Developmental Psychology, 24, 91-118.

Ewing, A. R., & Taylor, A. R. (2009). The role of child gender and ethnicity in teacher-child relationship quality and children's behavioral adjustment in preschool. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24(1), 92-105.

Feldlaufer, H., Midgley, C. & Eccles, J. S. (1988). Student, teacher, and observer perceptions of the classroom environment before and after the transition to junior high school. Journal of Early Adolescence, 8(2), 133-156.

Fraser, M. W., Galinsky, M. J., Smokowski, P. R., Day, S. H., Terzian, M. A., Rose, R. A., & Guo, S. (2005). Social information-processing skills training to promote social competence and prevent aggressive behavior in the third grade. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1045-1055.

Gregory, A., & Ripski, M. (2008). Adolescent trust in teachers: Implications for behavior in the high school classroom. School Psychology Review, 37(3), 337-353.

Gregory, A., & Weinstein, R. S. (2008). The discipline gap and African Americans: Defiance and cooperation in the high school classroom. The Journal of School Psychology, 46(4), 455-475.

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2001). Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72, 625-638.

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2005). Can instructional and emotional support in the first-grade classroom make a difference for children at risk of school failure? Child Development, 76(5), 949-967.

Hanish, L.D., Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., Fabes, R. A., Martin, C. L., & Denning, D. (2004). Bullying among young children: The influence of peers and teachers. In D. L. Espelage, & S. M. Swearer. (Eds). Bullying in American schools: A social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention (pp. 141-150). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Harrison, L. J., Clarke, L., & Ungerer, J. A. (2007). Children's drawings provide a new perspective on teacher-child relationship quality and school adjustment. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 22, 55-71.

Harter, S. (2012). The construction of the self: Developmental and sociocultural foundations (2nd. ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

Hartz, K., & Williford, A. P. (in press). Differential susceptibility to sensitivity: Maternal and teacher influences on children's kindergarten behavior problems. Infant and Child Development.

Hemmeter, M. L., & Conroy, M. A. (2012). Supporting social competence of young children with challenging behavior in the context of Teaching Pyramid model. In R. C. Pianta, W. S. Barnett, L. M., Justice, & Sheridan, S. M. (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood education (pp. 416-434). New York: Guilford Press.

Henriccson, L., & Rydell, A. (2004). Elementary school children with behavior problems: Teacher-child relations and self-perception. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50(2), 111-138.

Howes, C., Phillipsen, L. C., & Peisner-Feinberg, E. (2000). The consistency of perceived teacher-child relationships between preschool and kindergarten. Journal of School Psychology, 58(2), 115-132.

Hughes, J. N., Cavell, T. A., & Wilson, V. (2001). Further support for the developmental significance of the quality of the teacher-student relationship. Journal of School Psychology, 39(4), 289-301.

Hughes, J., & Kwok, O. (2007). Influence of student-teacher and parent-teacher relationships on lower achieving readers' engagement and achievement in the primary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 39-51.

Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491-525

Jones, S. M., Bouffard, S. M., & Weissbourd, R. (2013). Educators' social and emotional skills vita to learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 94, 62-65.

Kesner, J. E. (2000). Teacher characteristics and the quality of child-teacher relationships. Journal of School Psychology, 28(2), 135-149.

Klem, A. M., & Connell, J. P. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement and achievement. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 262-273.

Lee, V., & Smith, J. B. (1999). Social support and achievement for young adolescents in Chicago: The role of school academic press. American Educational Research Journal, 36(4), 907-945.

Liew, J., Chen, Q., & Hughes, J. N. (2010). Child effortful control, teacher-student relationships, and achievement in academically at-risk children: Additive and interactive effects. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 51-64.

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McCombs, B. L., & Miller, L. (2006). The journey to learner-centered practices: A series for teachers and administrators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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Rudasill, K. M., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Justice, L. M., & Pence, K. (2006). Temperament and language skills as predictors of teacher-child relationship quality in preschool. Early Education and Development, 17(2), 271-291.

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Spangler Avant, T., Gazelle, H., & Faldowski, R. (2011). Classroom emotional climate as a moderator of anxious solitary children's longitudinal risk for peer exclusion: A child x environment model. Developmental Psychology, 47(6), 1711-1727.

Stuhlman, M. W., & Pianta, R. C. (2009). Profiles of educational quality in first grade. The Elementary School Journal, 109(4), 323-342.

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Willingham, D. T. (2011). Ask the cognitive scientist: Can teachers increase students' self-control? American Educator, 35 (2), 22-27.

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Improving students' relationships with teachers

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Improving students' relationships with teachers has important, positive and long-lasting implications for both students' academic and social development. Solely improving students' relationships with their teachers will not produce gains in achievement. However, those students who have close, positive and supportive relationships with their teachers will attain higher levels of achievement than those students with more conflict in their relationships.

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The Kindness Quilt Lesson by Kendra Petchnick

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The Kindness Quilt Lesson by Kendra Petchnick

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KS Module 4 Lesson Plan_ The Kindness Quilt.pdf

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You Are Wonderful Lesson by Danielle Royce

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You Are Wonderful Lesson by Danielle Royce

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I Know How I Feel Lesson by Kristie Watts

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I Know How I Feel Lesson by Kristie Watts

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A systemic approach ensures that SEL is woven into all students' educational experiences. More than a single lesson or activity, SEL is integrated across key settings where students live and learn: classrooms, schools, homes, and communities. It also aligns school district and state policies, resources, and actions to support SEL. Federal policies play a role in creating ripe conditions for supportive environments and rich learning experiences.

As demand for social and emotional learning (SEL) continues to grow, so does SEL implementation. However, all approaches to SEL are not equal. Systemic SEL is an approach to create equitable learning conditions that actively involve all Pre-K to Grade 12 students in learning and practicing social, emotional, and academic competencies. Learn more about systemic SEL .

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A systemic approach ensures that SEL is woven into all students' educational experiences. More than a single lesson or activity, SEL is integrated across key settings where students live and learn: classrooms, schools, homes, and communities. It also aligns school district and state policies, resources, and actions to support SEL.

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Sample Lesson: Lesson One: Introduction - Mindful Bodies and Listening from Mindful Schools

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Sample Lesson: Lesson One: Introduction - Mindful Bodies and Listening from Mindful Schools

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Article: Mindfulness in the Classroom by Anne Mechler 

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Article: Mindfulness in the Classroom by Anne Mechler 

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For me, it all started with a simple chime. That's how I first implemented the core practice of breathing - on purpose - into my classroom's daily routine. The chime was a simple, calming sound to alert the students it was time to breathe. Sure, I felt a bit silly asking kids to bow their heads and mindfully breathe, but I did it anyway and, with each passing day, the chime and breathing practice were just part of our classroom culture - a routine I looked forward to throughout the day.

You can use a chime or any sound effect that unites the group for its mindful breathing moment - a quiet, peaceful, mini-break that brings calm to the classroom. Bonus: You may find, as I did, that it allows you to achieve a focused state of mind for your own thinking. Breathing practice has become a routine in my personal life as well.

A Typical Breathing Routine

A snapshot of a typical breathing routine in my class begins with us gathering together for Morning Circle and taking a few cleansing breaths. Be specific when teaching how to properly breathe: in through the nose, out through the mouth, like blowing out birthday candles. This activity prepares them for the quiet of mindful breathing practice. I instruct my students to sit up straight as if they're attached by a string from the top of their heads to the ceiling. They should not be touching anything or anyone. They are to lower their heads, close or lower their eyes, and prepare for breathing practice.

I usually identify something specific to which they can focus their attention, such as the feeling of the air as it enters their nose, or the feeling of the air filling their lungs. I might say, "Breathe air into your lungs as deep as it will go. Hold that for one second at the top. Now, slowly - very slowly - exhale. Let's do it again. This time, breathe in slowly counting to eight and see if you can exhale to eight." Next time, we try a higher number. The purpose of this extreme, focused breathing is to get them to bring awareness to their breathing.

After our breathing routine, I ask the students why we do this. I teach them every day that they are the only ones responsible for their thinking and that they have the ability to change their thinking. But that it takes awareness, practice (lots of practice), and focus.

As you and your students become comfortable with breathing routines, add more varied strategies. Some can literally take just seconds with practice. For instance, if students are struggling with lining up respectfully, take a moment to have them put their hands on their hearts, feel their heart beating, and take a few cleansing breaths before entering the hall. It's a simple, yet effective, way to bring the energy down at any given time. As we go through the year, I use similar breathing strategies to help kids deal with emotions, including anxiety, anger, sadness, excitement, and fear.

Focused Social Emotional Learning Lessons

Once you've incorporated breathing practice into your daily routine a few times a day, you're ready for more intentional, focused social emotional learning (SEL) lessons. The "why we focus on breathing" conversation is a great place to start. Next, the science of the brain helps children learn about the areas of the brain they are capable of controlling. It becomes natural to move next into lessons on the health of the brain and how kindness and empathy contribute to the brain's health. With a little creativity, SEL lessons are easily woven into content areas. I once taught a focus lesson before an owl pellet dissection lab - it was awesome!

I've been incorporating SEL lessons in my class for seven years. Like all teaching, planning and implementing with intentionality are essential steps for success. Teaching SEL lessons, practicing reflection, and incorporating breathing routines are simply part of what I do and how I teach.

Watch this video to see how I plan for one of my SEL lessons, and also watch me lead my students in a short guided relaxation exercise. My videos are part of the series Creating Success in Middle School.
Anne Mechler is a classroom teacher at Momentous Institute in Dallas, Texas where she has been teaching fifth grade for eight years. She holds a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A & M University-Commerce. Over her 25 year career in education, she has been involved in training teachers, presenting at National conferences, writing curriculum, and teaching a variety of grade levels from pre-K to fifth.

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How To Become More Mindful In The Classroom

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For me, it all started with a simple chime. That's how I first implemented the core practice of breathing - on purpose - into my classroom's daily routine. The chime was a simple, calming sound to alert the students it was time to breathe.

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Just Breathe Video (Mindfulness) by Julie Bayer Salzman and Josh Salzman

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Just Breathe Video (Mindfulness) by Julie Bayer Salzman and Josh Salzman

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This incredible video was filmed and created by one of our Mindful Schools graduates, Julie Bayer Salzman. We'd like you to watch it and then share it with everyone you know. It's that good.
Artist's statement:
The inspiration for "Just Breathe" first came about a little over a year ago when I overheard my then 5-year-old son talking with his friend about how emotions affect different regions of the brain, and how to calm down by taking deep breaths - all things they were beginning to learn in Kindergarten at their new school, Citizens of the World Charter School, in Mar Vista, CA. I was surprised and overjoyed to witness first-hand just how significant social-emotional learning in an elementary school curriculum was on these young minds. The following year, I decided to take a 6-week online course on mindfulness through Mindful Schools, figuring that if my son was learning about this, it only made sense that I should learn too. Within the first week, I felt the positive effects of this practice take root not only on my own being but in my relationships with others.

As a filmmaker, I am always interested in finding a subject worthy of filming, and I felt strongly that Mindfulness was a necessary concept to communicate visually. Thankfully my husband, who happens to be my filmmaking partner, agreed. We made "Just Breathe" with our son, his classmates and their family members one Saturday afternoon. The film is entirely unscripted - what the kids say is based purely on their own neuro-scientific understanding of difficult emotions, and how they cope through breathing and meditation. They, in turn, are teaching us all ...

- "Just Breathe" by Julie Bayer Salzman & Josh Salzman ( Wavecrest Films)

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This incredible video was filmed and created by one of our Mindful Schools graduates, Julie Bayer Salzman. We'd like you to watch it and then share it with everyone you know. It's that good.

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Alternative Seating Article by Leslie @KindergartenWorks

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Alternative Seating Article by Leslie @KindergartenWorks

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There's so much to be said for offering choice in the classroom. Here is an additional way to offer choice to students using alternative seating in kindergarten. Yes, you can totally do this in kindergarten and it doesn't matter when you start. I've started it on day one and also after the year was already under way.

I like the idea of offering choice whenever possible. I've always built choice into my year-long literacy centers and loved the results of having empowered learners.

When I decided to get rid of my teacher desk and I began to rearrange furniture... the whole experience snowballed into questioning why each student had to have a "seat." I had no idea what the alternative would be, could or should be.

So I did exactly as I write about on this blog... I thought about it. It's part of my process - it's what I do.

Alternative Seating in Kindergarten

Then I jumped in to using flexible seating without having all of the answers and every detail figured out. Students came back after a weekend and the room was completely different.
They loved it and so did I.
The initial excitement of the novelty of it all, turned into buzzing productivity that lasted for the rest of the year.

The next year I started with brand new kinders. On day one, we just did school. For me, it didn't seem to feel radically different like I anticipated. And for my new students, well... they didn't know any different.

What ended up really working for us was using art folders or workmats. We used them heavily the first month of school and then used them as needed to keep projects organized.

Students used their pencil boxes for help writing their name if needed - or their workmat, or their cubbie or their name somewhere else since it was printed in a gazillion different places.

It soon became very normal for my kinders to be found practically all over the room and even under the tables regularly. My philosophy really became, "sit, kneel, stand - just learn!" It was freeing for me. I didn't expect that.

Alternative Seating FAQ

Several questions have popped up over time that I thought may be helpful to compile for you.

What alternative seating options do they regularly have?

Almost every time there was work to be done, students would have a new choice. They could lay on the floor, sit on the floor, sit on a chair/ ball chair/crate, sit/kneel at a low table, stand at a shelf or stand at a table. (affiliate link)

And I personally was cool with students creating or re-arranging seats as needed.

For example if they wanted to pull a ball chair up to a counter or move a crate to use as a mini-table that was cool with me as long as they put everything back. They often enjoyed using lap boards to work on the floor.

Where do students do a whole group activity?

Well, just like your kinders, I suppose - we sat on the floor in our whole group meeting area. {wink} If I was teaching to the whole group, I'd do it with them as close to me in proximity as possible. It's just developmentally appropriate that way. If we needed a writing platform they would use a clip board/lap board (like for guided drawing) or have their calendar binders in their lap.

So, did I get rid of painting since not everyone had a "seat" in our room? Heck no.

We just modified the general work options available. If we were doing a "project" then we would use all table spaces. It doesn't matter what the table is usually used for, if it was needed for space - we used it!

Want to see this in practice? Here is a conversation on whole group projects that you may find helpful - it has more pictures.

I did limit the type of work space in these types of situations since we had to share materials. A floor-space just doesn't really work well in messy-project situations and they quickly learn that with alternative seating options.

Did you have to get permission?

Um, no. And to be transparent - I didn't ask either.

I was excited and knew it was right for both me and my kinders. I shared the new concept shortly after putting it into play. I also figured that I could always adjust back if needed {with fingers crossed}.

The janitor who helped move out tables may not have loved me in that case, but since it worked so beautifully we never had to test that theory. I did use this type of seating setup this with two different principals.

How many chairs do you have in your room?

I didn't have a "dedicated" chair for every student. Meaning that each student didn't have an assigned seat/chair as you'd picture in the traditional classroom pushed up to a desk/table with a name tag.

There were 6 kinder height chairs at my guided reading teacher table, 5 at each of two rectangular (regular height) tables, and 4 at the listening center table, 2 at a small document camera table, 4 at the computer table and 2 at a small entry table. This worked for my largest class size of 27.

Needing seats was never an issue. They just needed a "space."

Do students fight over different types of spaces?

There is some novelty with different seating and work spaces which can mean having additional classroom expectations. As the work space options became more familiar, there weren't any long term issues. The benefits far outweighed the little things I had to figure out alongside my classes.

Most students settled into 2-3 favorite types of work spaces and used them as their little bodies needed and the activity permitted. I love that they had to think through the type of work space, prepare it (in some cases), and clean it up.

Do they have to pick the same type of seating all day?

Nope. The expectation became that if you chose a spot to work, then that became your spot for the length of that activity. It just made sense for cleaning up.

What type of ball chair (and size) do you recommend for kindergarten?

I totally went the overnight route and headed to Walmart. I purchased the largest bouncy balls I could find to even test out the idea. I used yoga rings to keep them in place. While they did last a year, I'm not positive the size is consistent enough to recommend them to everyone to go grab from their own local store.

I will highly recommend these (affiliate) ball chairs with feet for kindergarten. At around 45 cm (18 inches), they are a great size and the feet are an added bonus. They are the same brand and size as the entire class set my favorite teacher down the hall uses.

I hope putting those links, pictures and questions all in one place is helpful if you're considering revamping the way you approach seating in your own classroom.

If you've already given it a go - weigh in with a favorite tip to share with others!

You'll get my best on making the most of your classroom and be on your way to making it happen!

More Classroom Ideas

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Alternative Seating in Kindergarten - 6 Frequently Asked Questions - KindergartenWorks

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There's so much to be said for offering choice in the classroom. Here is an additional way to offer choice to students using alternative seating in kindergarten. Yes, you can totally do this in kindergarten and it doesn't matter when you start. I've started it on day one and also after the year was already under way.

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Terry Fox Run Event Plan by Jesslyn Berra

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Terry Fox Run Event Plan by Jesslyn Berra

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Building a Globally Aware Classroom by Kristie Watts

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Building a Globally Aware Classroom by Kristie Watts

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M3A2Building a Globally Aware Classroom.docx

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Last week, I attended my third grader's Back to School Night. His teacher shared a set of district-wide educational objectives for students called "the 21st century competencies."

The skill that stood out to me most on this list was "raising a globally aware citizen." While I was thrilled that the school was emphasizing the development of this approach, I also knew that global awareness cannot be solely taught in the classroom. As parents, we can do a lot on our end to raise kids who are worldly.

What is global awareness?

At the root of it, being globally aware means building a value system that is flexible and open to other people's cultures. It recognizes and respects that there can be more than one way to do something.

My son's school district identified these ways to build global awareness in students:

Creating an understanding of one's civic duties and rights - from global to local.

Developing the ability to respect and work with students from all backgrounds, cultures, and religions.

Learning a foreign language.

Building an understanding of different nations and cultures.

Why is it important?

At an altruistic level, teaching our kids to be globally aware can help make them better understand those who are different. The ability to work collaboratively amid diversity can help build a more peaceful and civil society.

As the world continues to become more interconnected, students are expected to work well with others. In fact, a 2011 study of 500 senior business leaders in the U.K. showed that 79 percent of employers felt that "knowledge and awareness of the wider world" was critical. The importance given to global awareness in the study outranked the value put on high school grades (68 percent found it important) and high school subjects (63 percent).

The report also said that businesses that do a majority of their trade globally find it much harder to find employees with the right set of skills. So, to compete effectively in a global business environment, then our children should have such skills and awareness to succeed.

Building Global Awareness

Here are some tangible ways to make your child more aware and appreciative of the world around her:

Geographical Knowledge

The awareness that there are so many different countries in the world, each with its own language and flag, can be quite fascinating to younger kids. Start by buying toys and accessories that expose children to other areas of the world. My six-year-old spends a lot of time staring at her map placemat, which shows all the countries and continents. Finding a country on the map has become a favorite game during dinner time.

International Sports

Exposure to international sporting events, such as the Olympics or the World Cup, is a great way for kids to appreciate the different ways games are played globally. For instance, my son and his dad have talked about the European style of playing soccer versus the South American style.

Potlucks and Festivals

Food is often one of the first cultural experiences that children encounter. Kids tend to be less sensitive when exploring foods that look or smell different. Exposing kids to new types of cuisine, through school or club-scout potlucks, can be an opportunity to teach them about cultural sensitivity. Religious festivals or holidays, such as Thanksgiving, are also perfect opportunities for cultural exchange.

Books and Music

You can always get books about other regions from the library to read to your children. If they are past that stage, then series, such as the "Magic Tree House" or "The Royal Diaries," weave journeys to different places and time periods effectively into their narratives. If your child loves music, songs are a great way to expose her to the sounds of new parts of the world. You can start by exploring local libraries, which often have "world music" CD sections.

Travel

If possible, traveling with kids and exposing them to different cultures is the best way to make them global citizens. Now that our kids are slightly older, we take trips to places where we can step out of the resort to get a flavor of the local food and culture.

If traveling isn't a possibility, a field trip to a nearby heritage museum or ethnic restaurant can provide your children with an affordable experience of encountering a new culture.

Learning a Language

Exposing kids to a different language will demonstrate cultural nuances. Consider sending your child to a language class, or hiring a babysitter or caregiver who speaks a different language.

That global awareness makes the list of educational standards shows how schools' focus has expanded to a more international picture. Working on these skills as early as elementary school will have a profound effect later. The ability to navigate and embrace cultural differences can lead to academic, social, and professional success.
Sources:
West Windsor-Plainsboro Competencies. (n.d.). Retrieved from 21st Century Competencies.

The Global Skills Gap: Preparing young people for the new global economy. (2011, December). Retrieved from Think Global and British Council.

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Why You Should Teach Your Kids About Global Awareness

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Last week, I attended my third grader's Back to School Night. His teacher shared a set of district-wide educational objectives for students called "the 21st century competencies." The skill that stood out to me most on this list was "raising a globally aware citizen."

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Globally Aware Teaching by Kristie Watts

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Globally Aware Teaching by Kristie Watts

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Seeds Inquiry Lesson by Leigh Maxwell.docx

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Inquiry-based Learning Lesson Plan copy.pdf

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Inquiry Lesson_ Fall Leaves by Danielle Royce.pdf

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Inquiry Lesson Plan created by Katherine Davis.docx

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IBL Lesson Plan Created by Kristine Eurich.pdf

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Flexible Lesson Plan by Sarah Cochrane.docx

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Elders Are Watching Created by Tracy-Lee Ryan.pdf

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Alphabet with Northwest Coast Native Art  Created by Jungmin Yoo.pdf

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Diversity Tip Sheet by Amber Keeley, Morsal Nasserjah and Kristie Watts

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Diversity Tip Sheet by Amber Keeley, Morsal Nasserjah and Kristie Watts

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M1 Diversity Tip Sheet Amber Kristie Morsal.docx

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Diversity Tip Sheet by Sarah Cochrane and Kayla Mousseau

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Diversity Tip Sheet by Sarah Cochrane and Kayla Mousseau

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Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/inclusive-education

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Inclusive Education Resources - Province of British Columbia

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All students should have equitable access to learning, opportunities for achievement, and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of their educational programs.

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Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/english-language-learners/classroom.pdf

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Students from Refugee Backgrounds: A Guide for Teacher's and Schools

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Students from Refugee Backgrounds: A Guide for Teacher's and Schools

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Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/diverse-student-needs/students-from-refugee-backgrounds-guide.pdf

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First Peoples Lesson Ideas Created by Kristie Watts.docx

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First Peoples Lesson Ideas Created by Kristine Eurich.pdf

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First Peoples Lesson Idea Created by Sarah Cochrane.docx

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First Peoples Lesson Created by Tamara Hams.pdf

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First Nations Lesson Ideas Created by Lorielle Weiss.pdf

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Source: http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11x17.pdf

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Source: https://www.ccnsa-nccah.ca/docs/health/FS-RightsFNChildren-Bennett-Auger-EN.pdf

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First Nations Education Steering Committee

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First Nations Education Steering Committee

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Source: http://aboriginal.sd34.bc.ca/sites/default/files/In-Our-Own-Words-final-Apr-16-web_0.pdf

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Shared Learnings: Integrating BC Aboriginal K to 10

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Shared Learnings: Integrating BC Aboriginal K to 10

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Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/aboriginal-education/shared_learning.pdf

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Unit Plan Template - 11+ Download Documents in PDF , Word

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A unit plan template is used by teaching professionals to create a unit plan that helps them approach the course in an organized manner. The unit plan Outline Template shows clear associations between achievement objectives, learning activities, and learning objectives.

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Unit Plan Template Created by Kristine Eurich.docx

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Unit Plan Template Cited (adapted from the Nanaimo school district) shared by Kayla Mousseau.docx

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Unit Plan SD43 Shared by Amber Keeley.docx

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Lesson Plan Template Refillable Cited SD60.pdf