Teacher - Student Relationship
There are connections that must be absolutely healthy for the socio-professional climate to make a difference (Caravallo, 2018). Of all the components that characterize an educational institution, the environment must be seen as a powerful educator and conditioner of the group of people with whom one lives daily. According to Caravallo (2018), various responsibilities and relationships are observed from the perspective of the professional role of the teacher, mainly with his students, but also with his colleagues, with professional associations, with the parents of his students and with the authorities involved in education.
Educational action in the teacher-student relationship takes place between pressures emanating from three fronts: social and institutional power, the family and the demands of contemporary life (Caravallo, 2018). According to Caravallo (2018), these influences can characterize the type of bond that develops in the classroom, depending on the way and manner in which the pressures exerted by the components of life in society are faced.
Similarly, the quality of the teacher-student relationship, in kindergarten, defined in terms of the degree of conflict with the child, the child's dependence on the teacher, and the teacher's feelings for the child, can predict various academic and behavioral outcomes through eighth grade, especially in the case of students with behavioral problems (Woolfolk, 2010). According to Woolfolk (2010), if teachers are sensitive to students' needs and provide consistent and congruent feedback, students who have serious behavioral problems are less likely to exhibit them in the future.
Similarly, the quality of the interactions that children establish with early teachers affects the relationships they have with teachers in later grades (Recio, 2014), as well as, according to Woolfolk (2010), later school performance. It has been shown, according to Woolfolk (2010), that the emotional warmth of teacher-student interactions, as well as the teacher's ability to consistently recognize and respond to children's needs, portends children's progress in reading and mathematics.
Likewise, a positive interaction with the teacher, helps students develop the confidence to experiment and succeed in an environment where they are not constrained by fear of failure (Sriraman, 2019). According to Recio (2014), this context of security, facilitates children to feel comfortable when they show their doubts, express their opinions, tell things about themselves, among other things, from the calm and authenticity, with the relevance that this has for the construction of their personality and the image of themselves and others.
The Cost of Poor Teaching Quality
It is important that the teacher, as well as the other people of reference for the child, transmit messages in a congruent manner, i.e., take into account what is said, whether verbal or nonverbal, how it is said, what is done and how it is done (Recio, 2014). According to Recio (2014), it is not only about coherence between speech and actions, but also to the ability to adapt to the needs of each learner.
In a widely circulated study, researchers studied the impact of having, successively, multiple effective or ineffective teachers on students (Woolfolk, 2010). They looked at fifth-grade students in two large metropolitan school systems in Tennessee. In one of the districts, the average scores of students with effective teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grades were at the 83rd percentile on the math standard achievement test, and at the 96th percentile in the other district. According to Woolfolk (2010), students with the worst performing teachers for three consecutive years had average mathematics performance located at the 29th percentile in one district and at the 44th percentile in the other.
Students with average teachers or with a combination of low, average, and high effective teachers for three consecutive years had math scores that fell between those two extremes (Woolfolk, 2010). Finally, it is concluded that the best teachers motivate students to achieve from good to excellent; moreover, those who performed less well were the first to benefit from good teaching. According to Woolfolk (2010), the effect of teaching is cumulative and residual, that is, a higher level of teaching at a later grade level can compensate, partially, for less effective teaching in earlier grades, but it cannot eliminate all deficiencies.
On the other hand, twin studies show that genetic factors can account for up to 82% of the variability in children's reading skills (Moisse, 2010). But while genes may set the standard for reading potential, a new study published in the journal Science shows that teachers play an important role in helping children achieve it.
This study looked at 280 identical twins and 526 fraternal twins in first and second grade in different Florida schools (Moisse, 2010). Using the oral reading fluency test as a measure of reading ability, the researchers determined what percentage of variability in reading performance can be attributed to genetic factors. According to Moisse (2010), twin oral reading fluency test scores are used to measure teacher quality; if classroom test scores have improved, the increase should be attributed to high-quality teachers.
Researchers found that good instruction can promote reading development (Moisse, 2010). Without it, children are less likely to reach the potential inherent in their genes. When teacher quality is low, genetic variation is limited, whereas, when teacher quality is high, genetic variation thrives. While teacher quality appears to be an important factor, according to Moisse (2010), other classroom factors can also affect reading ability, such as classmates and resources.
Putting a high quality teacher in the classroom will not eliminate differences among students, nor will it guarantee that all children will achieve equally, however, ignoring the teacher as an important contributor to the classroom environment is a missed opportunity to develop children's potential in school and their success in life (Moisse, 2010). According to Woolfolk (2010), effective teachers who establish positive relationships with students are a powerful force in their lives; moreover, struggling students can benefit the most from good teaching.
References
Caravallo, A. (2018). Equipos docentes que marcan la diferencia. ACES Educación. Recuperado 11 March 2021, a partir de http://educacion.editorialaces.com/equipos-docentes/
Moisse, K. (2010). Good teachers really do make a difference. Scientific American Blog Network. Recuperado 11 March 2021, a partir de https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/good-teachers-really-do-make-a-difference/
Recio, R. (2014). Cómo un profesor puede cambiar la vida de sus alumnos. Blogs.elconfidencial.com. Recuperado 11 March 2021, a partir de https://blogs.elconfidencial.com/alma-corazon-vida/relacion-padres-e-hijos/2012-10-25/como-un-profesor-puede-cambiar-la-vida-de-sus-alumnos_588339/
Sriraman, P. (2019). The Teacher Makes the Difference - The Progressive Teacher. The Progressive Teacher. Recuperado 11 March 2021, a partir de http://www.progressiveteacher.in/the-teacher-makes-the-difference/
Woolfolk, A. (2010). Psicología Educativa. Crecerpsi.files.wordpress.com. Recuperado 11 March 2021, a partir de https://crecerpsi.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/libro-psicologia-educativa.pdf
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