Every teacher will mostly likely
use a slightly different technique to get to know his or her students, however
there is some overlap. For instance, every teacher will need to establish some
classroom management skills, and make it clear that they are there to be a
teacher but also to be there for the students and help them along their
educational journey (McDonald, 2012). I think an implication that sometimes
arises is that there is a fine line between being professional, and being a
student’s friend. The teacher-student bond is very important, however it needs
to consistently be established in a particular way. I often wonder how I can
maintain a positive relationship with my student while continually acting in an
appropriate way?
As a leader in education, there
are many ways to establish a good relationship with students and getting to
know who they are. I find that getting to know vital characteristics of each
student will ultimately create a better teacher and a more positive learning
environment for all. As teacher’s, we are going to be there for our student’s
by listening to them, giving them choices and sometimes simply being there for
them (“Tell Me About”, 2012).
I found some great activities that
can be used to better know your students. For instance, the picture below is an
effective opening activity for one of the first few days of school. Questions
such as ‘what would you like to learn this year’ and ‘what is your favorite
subject’ allow a teacher to adjust the classroom dynamics to cater towards
individual needs. Additionally, this questionnaire asked questions such as
‘what is your favorite food’ and ‘what did you do this summer’ to invite open
discussion and a fun element to invite children to positively participate in this
activity.
One idea that I remember doing in
elementary school was creating a poster board all about myself. There were
sections on family, school, extracurricular and more that provided a well-rounded
view of each student. This made the task
of getting to know students a fun interactive way to learn. Not only is the
student able to share their lives, which should be interesting to them, but
also the work can be displayed around the classroom.
In my classroom, I would most
likely use this as a technique to get to know my students as well. I think that
this can be used as an autobiographical assignment where students could
potentially do a presentation as well. This allows for the time of getting to
know my students and also be utilized as an opportunity to evaluate skills is areas
such as writing, presentation skills and other areas. This ‘teachable moment’
can be an invaluable experience for both the student and the teacher.
There are so many online
resources for teacher’s to share their ideas. I found some great icebreakers
and activities that can be used to better understand your students here and here.
I love that we can communicate and share ideas as future educators to come up
with ways to get to know our students that we may not have otherwise
encountered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1FC1ZPN7cw
I found that this video
effectively sums up what it means to be a teacher, and how vital your role is
in a student’s life. How can you make a difference in a students life if you do
not know what is going on in it? In the future, I will actively attempt to keep
up-to-date with what is going on in my children’s lives. It is important to be
understanding of whatever is happening with them. I strive to be the teacher
that student’s can trust to come to with their problems and offer sound advice
to them as well. What will you do in order to be an active member of your
students’ lives?
References
McDonald, A. (2012). The secret weapon: Getting to
know your students. Education World. Retrieved from: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald013.shtml
(2012). Tell me about: How to get to know your
students. For Each To Excel, 69 (5). Retrieved from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb12/vol69/num05/How-You-Get-to-Know-Your-Students.aspx
(2013, March 22). Know your students. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1FC1ZPN7cw
(2015). Getting to know your students. Teacher
Vision. Retrieved from: https://www.teachervision.com/students/resource/2878.html
(2015). Top 5 ways to get to know your students. Scholastic.
Retrieved from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/top-5-ways-get-know-your-students
