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Choosing to edit/add on to this sub text from the article classroom management, under good teacher-student relationships

Some characteristics of having good teacher-student relationships in the classroom involves the appropriate levels of dominance, cooperation, and awareness of high-needs students. Dominance is defined as the teacher's ability to give clear purpose and guidance concerning student behavior and their academics. By creating and giving clear expectations and consequences for student behavior, this builds effective relationships. Such expectations may cover classroom etiquette and behavior, group work, seating arrangements, the use of equipment and materials, and also classroom disruptions. Assertive teacher behavior also reassures that thoughts and messages are being passed on to the student in an effective way. Assertive behavior can be achieved by using erect posture, appropriate tone of voice depending on the current situation, and taking care not to ignore inappropriate behavior by taking action.

Activist Article

Good teacher-student relationships

A positive and successful classroom requires active management in building a good interpersonal relationship between the teacher and their students. A good interpersonal relationship means that the teacher and their students can share a trusting, reliable and open communication with each other.^[1] Teachers play a vital role in a student's development and can heavily impact the overall outcome of a student's success in learning. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) show the standards that teachers are required to demonstrate throughout their teaching. Each of the seven standards contribute to create an effective approach that attempts to enhance and support students to reach their best potential outcome in educational learning.^[2] The first AITSL standard relates to building a good teacher-student relationship as it requires teachers to demonstrate their quality of teaching through "knowing their students and how they like to learn". ^[3] When teachers know their students and the way they enjoy learning, the overall outcome of the classroom environment and the students educational results are more positive than those that teach with no connection towards their students.^[4]

Classroom management becomes easier when the students in the classroom feel safe, secure and accepted.^[5] Students can be more settled, not as disruptive and self-motivated to engage in their own learning when they have a strong, trusting relationship with their teacher.^[6] When the classroom is positive, students can work without restrictions knowing they are free of judgement from their teacher and/or their peers. Feeling safe encourages their willingness and activeness to learn and challenges their fears of making mistakes.^[7] More teachers are trying to include an approach that practices and alters the stereotype of making mistakes, as it is a necessary process in one's growth and development, which can lead to a class of students that aren't fearful in their learning.^[8] Students learning outcomes can be impacted by the environment that the teacher chooses to create for their students.

Furthermore, teaching impacts students when lessons resonate or interest them. Lessons that are structured well will achieve curriculum goals as well as engage students in differentiated learning.^[9] Students need to be engaged in their own learning, be able to learn at their desired level of readiness and also have the right adjustments made if needed. Building a good teacher-student relationship entails the teacher to know individual students well, and understand how to teach towards a student's interest or level of readiness to provide them with the opportunity to achieve.^[10] This relationship is important because teachers that don't take the direction to get to know their students are more likely to be at a disadvantage with their teaching and the learning of their students. Teachers that avoid building a relationship with their students will not be able to understand how to create enjoyable lessons that cater specifically towards their students.^[11] More so, they will lack the ability to design lessons that do not reflect the child's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which can leave students feeling lost and disengaged with their learning.^[12] Students that feel lost and disengaged can start havoc within the classroom and be deemed as making classroom management more difficult to control.^[13]

A good teacher-student relationship in the classroom can involve an appropriate level of dominance and cooperation. Dominance is defined as the teacher's ability to give clear purpose, guidance and instructions to students, of which can be concerning student behaviour and/or their academics.^[14] Through creating and giving clear expectations and consequences for student behaviour, students will build strong understandings and display ownership within their individual behaviours and learning. Such expectations by the teacher may cover classroom etiquette and behaviour, group work, seating arrangements, the use of equipment and materials, classroom rules and also classroom disruptions.^[15] A transparency relationship between a teacher and their students will also allow for students to build a strong, open and comfortable engagement that highlights a positive student-directed learning community.^[16] The teacher and their students can work together cooperatively to design a safe, trusting and positive classroom environment, whilst still having the ability for students to build on leadership skills and determine their own goals and become independent and responsible of their own learning. Assertive teacher behaviour also reassures that communication with students is used in an effective way. Assertive behaviour can be achieved by using erect posture, appropriate tone of voice depending on the current situation, and taking care not to ignore inappropriate behaviour by taking action.^[15] It is important to note that both the teacher and students have to work on creating and maintaining these factors for a successful relationship as it is an ongoing task that requires continuous efforts from all participants that are involved.^[17]

A beneficial strategy to help build a good teacher-student relationship is to set time aside at the start of each new year/class to focus on knowing and understanding all the students within the classroom. It is just as important to learn about student's dislikes than it is to learn about their likes, as this helps to determine students strengths and weaknesses.^[18] By taking the time out to learn about students on a more intense and deeper level, teachers create a strong and stable foundation and control of the direction that they want their class to travel in. The expectations and instructions that are given during this initial part of the year will provide a basis that students will grow upon. It will allow for the teacher-student relationship to build and be maintained effectively throughout the rest of the learning within the year, limiting the amount of classroom management that teachers would have to go through in comparison to a classroom with a weak relationship.^[19] However, this strategy can be seen as a risk for some as time is limited and there is a vast amount of goals within the Australian Curriculum that is stated to be of more importance than other social aspects or relationship building.^[20] Some teachers are worried that they will not be able to complete their goals in teaching if they lose one or two weeks of their teaching time. This will differ and depend purely on the priority of each individual teacher and their own understanding of the outcome of building a strong teacher-student relationship and the affects it has on their classroom management.^[21]

Every class is ultimately different as there will be a variety of students with different needs and requirements to cater for. Therefore, classroom management strategies will continuously differ as some approaches will work for certain students, whilst those same strategies that worked well may fail for others.^[22] It is easier to determine what strategies will work well if the teacher prioritises getting to know their individual students and how they prefer to learn.^[23] Understanding a students behaviour and learning routine will allow for the correct approach to be drawn and practised on the student. Teachers notice that understanding students creates an engaging and fun environment for students, but it also lessens the time wasted on attempting a number of other management skills within the classroom.^[24] When management becomes easier to control, there is more time for educational and purposeful learning to be made.^[25] Students grades and achievements will also increase given that a trusting and insightful teacher-student relationship exists as both individuals are able to learn and grow from each other with ease. Both teachers and students hold their own responsibility in sustaining a healthy and positive relationship that can allow students to excel in their academic successes, as well as their own personal growth and development.^[26]