Students and Teachers

Robert Marzano has an article on this idea of teachers and students. Teacher/student relationships are an important ingredient in any successful education program. Marzano believes that there is a direct correlation between strong relationships between teachers and students and effective instructional strategies. But, his view on how deep these relationships go is open to debate.

Marzano writes, "Positive relationships between teachers and students are among the most commonly cited variables associated with effective instruction. If the relationship is strong, instructional strategies seem to be more effective. Conversely, a weak or negative relationship will mute or even negate the benefits of even the most effective instructional strategies."

What constitutes a good relationship? Marzano writes, "Perhaps the most powerful message from the research is that relationships are a matter of student perception. They have little to do with how a teacher actually feels about students; it's what teachers do that dictates how students perceive those relationships. This fact can be quite liberating. Teachers will certainly have an affinity for the majority of students in their classrooms, but from time to time they may react less positively to a given student. However, this won't really affect how the student perceives his or her relationship with the teacher. The major factor is how the teacher interacts with the student."

I am not sure I totally agree with his assessment. Teachers should care about students in more ways than just as students. Of course, if you teach over 100 students a day there is no way to develop any other kind of relationship. Marzano goes on to cover several actions that teachers can use to convey an attitude that is caring and relational, but shouldn't these actions be authentic? Shouldn't the relationship go deeper than perception? The article in its entirety can be read by clicking HERE. Read it and see what your thoughts are. Blessings!