Building stronger teacher-pupil relationships for World Teachers’ Day

World Teachers’ Day is an occasion for celebrating all the wonderful people working in education who have been challenged in many ways during the last few years. It’s also an excellent opportunity to consider how schools and communities can support them in their day-to-day work.

Following the disruption caused by the pandemic, teachers and students are returning to the classroom. As a consequence, they need to re-establish connections and focus on strengthening their relationships with pupils. The transition from remote or hybrid to in-person teaching also means that interaction becomes more personalised and meets each student’s individual needs, preferences, and requirements.

Educators are looking for ways to support students in adapting to new methods of teaching and learning. These changes are directly tied to educational technology (edtech), which can make teachers’ lives easier. On top of that, it’s just as important to incorporate more community-based learning and get proactive about maintaining great connections with families.

Let’s explore how online learning platforms can facilitate and improve learning and boost teacher-pupil relationships:

Thanks to their innovative functionalities, online learning platforms allow teachers to make their lessons more personalised and focused on their students’ needs. More than that, it takes into consideration the fact that, in practice, students don’t learn at the same pace all the time. We need to allow each of them to take more time to absorb certain concepts.

While some students can pick up a particular lesson more quickly, others take longer to complete a specific section. Online learning platforms allow students who pick up concepts more quickly to complete extra tasks, whilst others can retake lessons or learn with the help of additional materials to deepen their understanding. This learning approach boosts students’ confidence and prevents them from feeling left behind.

What’s more, teachers can quickly identify students who are struggling with their learning and provide support whenever necessary. At the same time, educators get more time to focus on their students as the platform helps them plan effective lessons more quickly. These enhancements ensure more positive relationships between teachers and students, which are essential for better learning outcomes and enhanced lifelong learning.

For students to get the desired results, teachers and parents need to work together. A positive parent-teacher relationship helps improve pupils’ academic results and social competencies. Using a learning platform, parents also access an account to check their children’s grades, take courses specially designed for them, and maintain communication with teachers.

Parents don’t need to attend frequent school meetings to learn how students are progressing in their classes. They can get regular updates directly on their phones and use their devices to send and receive instant messages. In turn, students receive the most effective support in the classroom and at home.

Another area where edtech supports teachers and students is feedback. A learning platform allows teachers to provide different types of feedback that will improve student performance.

Teachers can provide personalized feedback for each assignment and make students feel more supported in their learning. Instead of a simple “well done” or “good job” on a written assignment, they can use the learning platform to provide detailed feedback.

For example, a teacher can upload a voice recording to make improvement suggestions for each student. This is a good option as it allows students to feel more connected to their teachers while making teachers more productive and efficient in their job.

At the same time, when using a learning platform, teachers can focus on all students and make everyone feel equal.

Students tend to be more involved in education if they feel comfortable around their teachers and peers. When they take ownership of their learning, they also become more independent, and confident in their skills.

Teachers can use a learning platform to encourage students to learn at their own pace, make learning personalised, help them track progress on a competency basis, and find a balance between frontal lessons and individual study.

Students boost their time-management skills and learn how to prioritise their work when working as part of a team. Teachers can easily organise, assign, and track student activity thanks to digital tools. Team assignments or group projects are a few good examples.

Personalised learning paths are flows of lessons that gradually progress. They can contain different learning materials such as lessons, video resources, and assignments. These promote student autonomy as they are flexible, and each student has their individual path.

Student autonomy is closely linked to students’ ability to self-assess their skills. Learning platforms support student self-evaluation through various assignment types such as essays or quizzes.

While returning to in-person learning is good for student development and well-being, there is still uncertainty about how teachers can support student learning and build better relationships. Educators can better track student progress, create personalised learning experiences, and provide more support by using a learning platform during class and at home.

Graham is the CEO of CYPHER LEARNING, a company specializing in providing e-learning platforms for organizations around the world.

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