Touchstone 6

I interact meaningfully with every student every day.

Interacting meaningfully with students comes easy to some teachers and is more difficult for others. Whether it comes naturally or not, it is something all teachers should strive to accomplish. When students know that you care, they tend to be more responsive, more at ease, and more motivated to please. In my classroom, I find that this creates an environment that is conducive to learning. Evidence also backs this up. Student motivation translates into effort, which in turn has a greater effect on performance than ability does (Goodwin & Hubbell, 2013).

The teacher who is a "warm demander" creates an atmosphere in a classroom in which each student feels respected and cared for. This is especially important to students who are dealing with difficult situations outside the classroom. The classroom should be a place that is physically and emotionally safe for students and teachers.

From my own experience of living and working across the United States, it is obvious to me that diversity in U.S. classrooms is increasing. Our responsibility to meet the cultural needs of students is becoming greater. Students in the United States and its' territories come from a large and increasing number of racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse families: diverse students made up 48 percent of the population in 2011, up from 39 percent in 2001 (Krasnof, 2016).

To interact meaningfully with every student every day can be challenging. This could be accomplished by greeting each student by name (and pronouncing it correctly) as they enter the room and taking a few minutes to talk about non-classroom topics that interest them. In a flipped classroom or during an activity or science lab, teachers might have more time to move about the room and talk with students. Teachers can show respect and acceptance by giving eye contact and by using body language that demonstrates affirmation. Calling on or responding to all students equally also shows that all are important, not just a few. When possible, it makes a huge impact when we can also interact with them outside of the classroom. Acknowledging them at Walmart and taking a few minutes to chat, or going to a play they are in at their church, or visiting in their homes, can form bonds not possible in the classroom.

I think it is important to realize that as we deal with many students or their parents and families, on a daily basis, we may miss some clues or negative perceptions. Sometimes a student might not be doing well in class and might say, "I don't like that class because the teacher doesn't like me." This illustrates again, just how important our role is to reach out to those hurting students. We want students to be inspired to learn and we also want them to remember how they felt in our classrooms. Did they feel welcomed and accepted, or did they feel unwelcome and unaccepted? Dr. Marzano found that, "Students’ perceptions of acceptance is the third determiner of how they feel about themselves and the classroom environment.… if students sense that they are not welcome, accepted, or supported in the classroom, it is unlikely that they will engage in classroom activities. Certainly, the relationship teachers have with students is one of the most powerful determiners of how a student answers the question “How do I feel?" (Marzano, 2018).

References

Goodwin, B. & Hubbell, E. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day.

Association for supervision & curriculum development. Alexandria, VA, Association for supervision & curriculum

development. [Bookshelf Online].

Krasnof, B. (2016). Culturally responsive teaching, A guide to evidence-based practices for teaching all students equitably.

Region X equity assistance center education northwest. 5.

Marzano, R. (2018). Tips from Dr. Marzano, The highly engaged classroom. Retrieved from

https://www.marzanoresearch.com/resources/tips/hec_tips_archive#tip18