Abstract
Building classroom relationships that last is no singular act bound to the opening weeks of the academic year. The seeds of strong teacher-student relationships must be nurtured and cultivated over time and in the right environment, one designed for belonging and learning for all. The quality of teacher-student interactions and relationships undoubtedly influences academic achievement and the educational experience of students. Teaching and learning environments that are conducive to the development of caring teacher-student interactions is vital to student well-being. Students that feel a genuine sense of belonging are apt to stay active, take risks, and flourish, and cultivating these behaviors in middle school classrooms is paramount to students' future success. Classrooms built for belonging operate on three key elements: moving beyond icebreakers, inviting students to serve as co-designers of learning experiences, and implementing gradebooks with grace.
TopMoving Beyond Icebreakers
The impact of interpersonal relationships on human behavior links to a natural need to feel a sense of belonging. Sustained support of such relationships can produce numerous psychological, emotional, and social benefits (Martin, 2014). The culture of an effective classroom is characterized as a safe place for student learning, in which the teacher provides responsive emotional, social, and academic supports and establishes clear organizational and behavioral expectations that facilitate student engagement and motivation (Pianta et al., 2012). Such emphasis on responsive relationships and structure creates a classroom community where all students believe they belong (Rimm-Kaufman & Wanless, 2012). A sense of belonging is significant for both teachers and students. Constructing and sustaining effective classroom environments focused on teacher-student relationships in the middle grades has been shown to influence the long-term success of students and teachers, reducing factors for both student dropouts and teacher attrition (Angelle, 2006; Cross & Thomas, 2017; Schaefer et al., 2012). Teaching young adolescent students is challenging; being a young adolescent student is challenging. The middle school classroom must be a place where student-centeredness is the default setting. Centering positive and supportive relationships within the middle school classroom throughout the academic year benefits both students and teachers. Investing in building belonging is reciprocally beneficial.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Vulnerable Classrooms: Learning environments characterized by all-inclusive risk-taking the willful embrace of the uncertainties that accompany learning, relearning, and unlearning.
Agile Instruction: the ability to instruct and then investigate the impact of learning through on-demand interpretation of evidence and intervening in the moment to keep the learning moving forward.
Developmentally Responsive Pedagogy: A developmentally appropriate pedagogical approach that emphasizes meeting the unique academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of young adolescent students.
Closeness: Feelings of connection and belonging produced through positive and supportive interpersonal relationships.
Young Adolescents: Children between the ages of 10 and 14, which would align with students in grades 6 to 8.
Co-Design: Inviting students to join teachers in the co-designing of both curricular experiences and the accompanying assessment methods by which learning will be measured.
Toxic Assessment: A deficit mindset for assessment that punishes students through point deductions or penalties that are behavioral, or speed related which can hinder both the learning environment and learning relationship.