4 Ways to Start Connecting With Students in the First Week Back
Prioritizing relationships in the very first week of school can help teachers and students build the foundation for a classroom community that will last the whole year through.
August 11, 2023
Most educators and students are navigating a rush of emotions during back-to-school time. But when teachers use evidence-backed strategies to start building relationships with intention right out of the gate, students start the new year with higher confidence, more self-awareness, and a stronger sense of belonging.
To learn more about the research cited in this video, check out the links below:
- Xintong Li, Christi Bergin, and Amanda A. Olsen’s study on how teachers engage more and provide higher-quality teaching practices when they have positive relationships with students (2022)
- Geoffrey D. Borman, Christopher S. Rozek, Jaymes Pyne, and Paul Hanselman’s experimental study on how promoting a sense of belonging improves middle school students’ well-being, academic achievement, and behavior (2019)
- Kiesa Kelly and Kesha Patrice’s study on how incorporating diverse and inclusive images and references increases student performance (2019)
- Hanke Korpershoek, Truus Harms, Hester de Boer, Mechteld van Kuijik, and Simone Doolaard’s meta-analysis of how classroom management strategies enhance students’ behavioral, social and emotional, and academic outcomes (2016)
- Wendy M. Reinke, Keith C. Herman, and Lori Newcomer’s study on how student-teacher interactions can predict outcomes in behavior (2016)
- Peter Barrett, Fay Davies, Yufan Zhang, and Lucinda Barrett’s analysis of the impact of classroom design on student academic performance and well-being (2015)
- Sapna Cheryan, Sianna A. Ziegler, Victoria C. Plaut, and Andrew N. Meltzoff’s research article on how classroom design can improve students’ academic achievement and sense of belonging (2014)