Every minute of the day, students’ brains are working hard to learn new skills and link previously learned knowledge. The same brains are continually analyzing information about their interactions with you, their teacher, as well.
Success depends on having good student relationships. Students are more likely to participate in learning and perform better academically when they feel supported. Additionally, pupils who engage well with teachers exhibit less behavioral issues. In unpredictable times, like those experienced during the coronavirus pandemic, these relationships are more crucial than ever — and more difficult. We can better grasp what happens in pupils’ brains when they feel safe and understood because to advances in neuroscience. Here are four reasons why having good teacher-student connections is crucial, along with suggestions for how to do it.
Having good relationships makes learning environments safe.
The study of the brain Oxytocin is a hormone that is released by the body during social interactions like laughing and conversing. This promotes interpersonal ties. These connections produce a sensation known as “psychological safety.” Students are more likely to participate in class discussions, ask questions, try their hardest to complete a task, or speak in an appropriate tone of voice when they feel psychologically comfortable.
Consider how this relates to your own situation. You could be more willing to push yourself and try new things in the classroom if you have a supportive principal who has created a psychologically safe environment in your school. However, if administrators at your school routinely provide constructive criticism, you might not feel psychologically secure enough to try anything new. The same holds true for pupils.
Some children have a tougher time developing a sense of psychological safety than others. Remember the last time you noticed a student acting irrationally. The student’s behavior could be the result of trauma or ongoing stress in their life (such as having a learning or thinking difference or growing up as part of a marginalized group). They might start to feel intimidated in circumstances that other pupils find unthreatening as a result. The brain becomes aware that the surroundings is unsafe and is constantly on guard against potential threats.
For these students, the amygdala, a part of the brain, activates an alarm when something is seen as a threat. The amygdala is well known for its function in identifying environmental hazards. Its duty is to keep us alive and in safety. Imagine an animal that must choose between running and freezing when it detects a predator.
The amygdala causes the release of epinephrine and the stress hormone cortisol (also called adrenaline). The body receives increased energy as a result. As the body gets ready to fight or run, the muscles tense up and the heartbeat quickens. Learning is impossible when the threat detection mechanism in the brain is hyperactive. The opposite of psychological safety is this.
Even while creating psychological safety for these students may be more challenging, it is crucial for them. This is because oxytocin also contributes to the suppression of the amygdala’s threat detecting system. Students are better able to learn over time when they are surrounded by people they trust because their threat detection system is less likely to go off.
Positive interactions create new learning pathways.
The study of the brain It’s accurate what you’ve heard: Utilizing prior knowledge will aid pupils in learning new material by stimulating neural pathways in their brains. Making a new neural route is similar to cutting a new path through the woods. The creation of the new trail requires a lot of effort, time, and repetition. Starting where another trail already exists makes sense.
New neural connections are formed between the old and new material as you teach it. Students will struggle to understand the lesson if they don’t comprehend the context or can’t connect the new material to anything they already know.
How to accomplish it: Find out your pupils’ interests and pastimes so you may use their prior knowledge as necessary. By relating that expertise to the brand-new content you’re presenting, it can assist you in personalizing training.
Invite pupils to share their knowledge about a subject. Each student comes to class with a unique set of prior knowledge. For instance, if you are aware that a student is a gifted artist, you can use their familiarity with various paintbrushes to illustrate friction. The relationship between the characters in a student’s favorite novel and the domestic unrest during the Civil War can also be compared.
Student behavior is improved by good relationships.
The brain sciences: Studies have shown that early relationships and interactions, particularly those with teachers, have a significant impact on how children behave and develop their social skills. Your students are probably imitating your behaviors, whether or not you are aware of it. Your words and deeds have an impact.
