Importance Of A Positive Teacher And Pupil Relationship Education Essay

A positive is teacher/pupil relationship is a crucial factor for a child’s learning it enables the child to learn in an environment where they feel welcomed and at ease. The teacher will have the skills to connect with their pupil on a level which the pupil understands and accepts.

A good teacher/ pupil relationship has positive, long lasting and important implications for the pupil’s social and academic development. Pupils who have gained a positive, supportive, and close relationship with their teachers will tend to gain a higher achievement level than those students who have formed a relationship consisting of conflict with their teacher. If a student connects on a personal level with their teacher, experience constant advisement, and obtains guidance and praise rather than criticism, will more than likely become more trustful of the teacher, engage more in their lessons, show better behaviour in their class and progress more academically.

A good teacher pupil relationship will draw the students in to learning and advance their passion for education. Teachers who adopt a good relationship with their pupils develop an environment where pupil’s emotional, academic and developmental needs are met.

Getting to know a student is also important. Knowing what a pupil is interested in can help a teacher come up with examples to match up with their interests, take a student who has a passion for football and has a difficult time understanding maths, and has a question about the subject, the teacher can incorporate football in to help them understand. This type of response shows that the teacher has took time out to remember what they are interested in and shows that they care about them.

Communication is a huge part in a teacher-pupil relationship by combining good communication and listening skills the teacher can build up a good rapport with the pupil. Good communication in the classroom can be described as the exchange of feelings, information, and thoughts between the pupil and teacher. Good communication opens up the door for guidance, motivation and encouragement. Without this interaction a good relationship will not be obtained.

Children who are finding them selves may feel intimidated when their sense of self does not fit with what is considered normal; There are also different genders, different races, and different religions in the classroom. It is essential for this reason that a teacher has a broad view on diversity within their class. It is equally important that teachers show their pupils how to welcome diverseness. Teachers, who provide their pupils with the support of diversity in the class showing that all individuals are equal, are moving their pupils towards becoming appropriately social. This is mainly achieved by the teacher’s attitude, which should be supportive of all different ways of life by everyday actions. “Empowering your students to succeed is more beneficial than bullying them into performance.” (suite 101, 2008)

Discuss the purpose of setting boundaries and why are these important? (1.3) 250 words approx.

Without the direction and guidance from an experienced teacher, the classroom could in fact become a disaster; the children that are being taught could become unpleasant and unruly. Therefore the setting of boundaries and rules are thoroughly important. The establishment of consequences, rules and boundaries will be pointless if they are not adhered to.

The purpose of setting boundaries is to show the clear line of what will and what will not be tolerated within the class. It is a good idea to start of the lessons with a sense of security and understanding. Boundaries, limits, and structure do not mean the exclusion of fun, freedom, creativity and excitement. Once boundaries are set and the pupils have an understanding of their limits, they are free to express their thought, feelings, and creativeness with confidence. They have no worries about surprising outcomes or unknown consequences to their actions. They know how far they are able to go before they exceed their limits and the boundaries are crossed and what the consequences are of this.” Rules and penalties depend on the students’ fear of the negative consequences.” (Jane Bluestein, 2008)

Boundaries are set to ensure the pupils thrive in the classroom. It is crucial that there is a balance where it allows a degree of control from the pupils. Routines in the classroom are vital to the maintenance and smooth consistent running of the class. Once boundaries are implemented consistency is the key to maintaining them.

Give examples of the ways in which boundaries can be established from the start of the lesson (1.3) 500 words approx.

Effective behaviour management is an essential tool when it comes to creating a positive and safe classroom where pupils are able to achieve their full potential. Boundaries are an essential part in the working partnership between teachers and pupils. Effective behaviour management is an important aspect when it comes to teaching. Being firm but fair allows teachers to put in place the necessary boundaries for a successful classroom.

Clear expectations should be set out from the beginning of the lesson. Boundaries should be negotiated with the pupil at a calm and relaxed time. Rules and consequences should be given along with options. Students are more likely to respect decisions that they have had involvement in.

The boundaries have to be enforceable, and the pupils have to think about the consequences if they are not respected.

Sometimes boundaries become a power struggle between the pupil and the teacher. The teacher may become angry and be insistent on the fact that the pupil should do as they are told when the pupil refuses to comply with what they are stating. This then brings focus to the fact “who is in charge here?”

A power struggle is a losing situation nobody will win in this predicament. So it is important that they are avoided. The boundary which is being enforced should be reconsidered and made sure that it is worthwhile. A middle ground should always be found. Boundaries should be set in a consistent and clear way, but if they are no longer needed or relevant they should be re-thought.

The teacher can only control their behaviour if the pupil chooses to not obey the boundaries that have been set out for them; they must face the natural consequences that follow. If boundaries are to work there must be repercussions if they are disrespected, meaning that something will happen if they are not adhered to. What is the point in having a rule and boundaries, if the pupils learn that they can break them and no consequences will follow?

It is best if the consequence naturally is connected to the issue, consequences to breaking boundaries should not be too harsh, but be in proportion and timely.

Positive lessons work more powerfully when enforcing a boundary or rules. When pupils do the right thing it is extremely important that this is noticed and that their efforts are praised.

Boundaries are put in place to let the pupils know the teachers tolerance, limits, and how available the teacher is to their pupils. Boundaries should be used to give pupils information that they can use in decision making.

Boundaries should be clearly communicated before any conflict starts; the teacher should positively state boundaries and rules as promises, instead of threats.

Research and prepare a report (including a detailed case study) which includes the following:

An overview of some of the emotional factors that should be taken into account when considering effective teaching and learning experiences (2.1)

An analysis and evaluation of the impact of emotional conditions on learning. Give examples of potential barriers and discuss how these can be overcome (2.2) 2,000 words approx.

Case Study

‘Dyslexia causes difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. Short-term memory, maths, concentration, personal organisation and sequencing may also be affected.’ (Dyslexia Institute, 2002)

Luke is an 11 year old boy who lives at home with his mother with his mother who is a single parent and his two younger sibling’s Jenny who is 9 and Lucy who is 8. Luke is suffering with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that is often an inherited condition, despite at least having average intelligence dyslexia sufferers find it extremely difficult to spell, read, and write. “Having dyslexia does not have any thing to do with how intelligent someone is. It is merely a dysfunction of how the brain sees and interprets words and numbers.” (ehow, 2010)

Luke is a shy reserved boy who does not like to be noticed. He has recently joined high school he has found the transition from primary to high school extremely difficult. Throughout his years at primary school he was always labelled as a disruptive child. He feels like the work he is being given is too hard and he is finding it difficult to understand what is being asked of him. He does not like to ask for the help he needs. He does not let on to the teachers that he is having difficulty with his reading and writing as he does not want to be labelled as “dumb”. Although he tries his best the teachers are noticing little problems occurring. When the teachers question Luke about his work and how he is handling his new school he becomes agitated but reassures them he is fine.

At home Luke feels alienated by his family he has a fractured relationship with his father and hardly has any contact with him. He feels like his mother favours his two other siblings because they are not “thick” like him. Although he is older than his siblings he feels that he is treated like he is younger. He shows his frustration by smashing and throwing things about. His mother has just labelled him as a problem child and does not understand why he behaves in this unacceptable way whilst her two other children are “good” Luke feels as though he is the odd one out he is becoming increasingly withdrawn from his family. He feels that if his father had stuck about his life would be a whole lot better. His two younger sisters Jenny and Lucy are always teasing him because of his lack of reading and writing skills, Luke’s mother has put his bad behaviour down to when his father left.

Back at school Luke is increasingly finding the whole experience of being there overwhelming, he feels like he can no longer keep up with his peers. He is reluctant to participate in reading or writing and he is increasingly finding his lessons harder to deal with. He is constantly forgetting things even if he has just been told what is expected of him. His self esteem has plummeted and he is becoming more and more frustrated with himself, he is consistently finding it difficult to keep up with the work that his teachers have given him and he is experiencing difficulty in remembering stuff. Luke’s teachers are beginning to notice that his work is not up to scratch and are beginning to feel that he is just being lazy and that he does not want to learn, Luke has started to feel frustrated at the negative attention he is receiving and when the teachers are persistent in asking him what is “wrong” he immediately clams up and becomes upset.

The teachers still assume that Luke is just simply acting up. This causes Luke to act in the way he is perceived; he becomes rude and ignorant in his lessons. The teachers don’t understand as Luke has areas of ability such as being good at mathematics, sport, and art along with his weaknesses, but still they misunderstand this behaviour and pass it off as Luke being disruptive. Luke is beginning to lose trust in his teachers.

The other children have picked up on Luke’s inability to read and write and they begin to tease Luke, this is extremely upsetting for Luke as all he wants to do is fit in. The children are some times very cruel towards him they call him names like “dunce” and “thicko” and the pain of being taunted have turned into anger. This has lead to him fighting with the other pupils.

His teachers still have the misconception that he is being defiant and is just a trouble maker at every opportunity possible they try and including Luke in the classroom activities such as reading to the group, but Luke sees this as they are having a go knowing full well he struggles. This response by the teachers, the people who are supposed to be helping him enrages Luke and he begins to throw things about the room. Luke no longer wants to be at school and he sometimes plays truant.

He is immediately sent to the principals office where his mother is called in.

this made his mother angry at the fact she has been embarrassed by him again but talks the school into not suspending him. There was a lengthy discussion about Luke’s behavioural problems and his anger towards learning and it was decided that he should be given an assessment to see if he had any learning difficulties. After his assessment it was proven that Luke was suffering from dyslexia this explained why his letters jumped about on his paper, why he had found it difficult to hold a pen, his behaviour finding out that their was actually a medical term for his behaviour made him feel a whole lot better.

Now that the school knew why Luke behaved and responded to them in the manner that he did, they were able to put in place the necessary steps and guidance he needed to help him progress.

Report

The stereotypical concept of a dyslexic person is that they are people who have difficulties with reading and spelling. Contrary to this belief they are different forms of dyslexia, some dyslexic people do not have difficulty in reading or spelling, but they face other difficulties that are common to most dyslexic people such as organisational problems or memory problems. Hyperlexia is a form of dyslexia that has a strange presentation of symptoms. People suffering from hyperlexia often appear to be competent at both reading and spelling; yet they find it difficult with processing language. They will often have difficulty in the construction of language in written tasks, they may remember or have an understanding of little of what they have just read and often seem to be uncooperative or deliberately slow in the carrying out of instructions because the instruction may have not been processed correctly. There is another subgroup of dyslexia called dyscalculia this affects mathematical achievement, but not all people who have dyscalculia are dyslexic. When helping a person who has dyslexia it is essential to know what subgroup the person belongs to. These subgroups are

Relying mostly on visual processing due to difficulties with phonic strategies.

Relying on phonics due to having a difficulty with visual processing.

Having a mixture of each category with weaknesses in one area and strengths in the other.

Trust: Luke’s trust was broken by his teachers as they did not understand what he was going through. He believed that they should have been there to help him when he needed them, yet they ridiculed him in front of the class by trying to make him read out loud in front of his peers when he was unable to. This in turn made Luke’s self esteem dwindle and gave him a sense of frustration within himself. The teachers and Luke need to both try to overcome this barrier of trust if he is to remain at the school and carry on with his learning. The teachers could participate in this by trying to make the pupil feel welcome and appreciated at school again the teachers may need to try and praise him for any contribution he gives in the class even if it is not the correct answer. Try and include the pupil whenever possible and not trying to use the pupil as an example if the do something wrong.

Communication: Communication is vital in this case, it should be between the parents and the school and between the school and the pupil it was the lack of communication here that could have helped Luke a lot sooner. Now that he has been diagnosed it is crucial that he has the support he requires he support his education.

Awareness: Teachers need to be aware of the variety of difficulties a dyslexic pupil faces. They should also be aware when their pupil is having any difficulties.

Support: teachers should support their pupil by finding ways around their processing difficulties to help make learning memorable.

One of the biggest fears a dyslexic pupil faces is being put on the spot. Reading is a huge challenge for a dyslexic pupil at high school due to the amount that they have to do, but there are strategies that can be used to help those including differentiating reading tasks to make reading more accessible to dyslexic students. Teachers should take time to get to know their students needs and adapt the work to fit them.

Working in a partnership with the parents to create a good home – school balance is crucial

Blooms taxonomy

“Bloom’s Taxonomy refers to a hierarchy of question stems that teachers use to guide their students through the learning process.” (about.com, 2010)