This document summarizes a teacher professional development session focused on the impact of positive student-teacher relationships on student learning outcomes. The session discussed research showing relationships influence motivation, engagement and outcomes. Teachers were asked to observe each other and assess relationships. Strategies were presented to strengthen relationships, such as self-disclosure, responsibility assignments, and goal setting. Overall, the session aimed to raise awareness of the importance of relationships and provide ideas to improve them.

1. Teachers professional development day
Focus: student teacher relationships and
student learning outcomes
How do student teacher relationships have an
impact on student learning outcomes?
By Eloise Rose Grillo
(Kelly Fraas, 2014).

2. Teacher Professional Development
The next slide is a teacher professional development video. This
video focuses on teacher student relationships and student
learning outcomes. I have recorded it with two pre service
teachers and I have incorporated all the slides within this
slideshow.

3. Welcome!
Good afternoon teachers, in today's professional learning team
meeting we will be discussing the importance of developing
positive student teacher relationships and how they effect
student learning outcomes
From this session I want to hear your perspective on this issue,
we will discuss its importance, research studies and theories
along with strategies and recommendations for improving
student teacher relationships within your classroom.

4. Positive student teacher
Relationships
(Chuck north, 2014)
(Alberta Schools, 2014)

5. Your Perspective
So firstly to begin with
Why do you think positive student
teacher relationships are important
and how do they effect learning
outcomes?

6. The link between student teacher
relationships and learning outcomes.
Student teacher relationships are very important. When I was researching
about student teacher relationships and student learning outcomes the
question how do student teacher relationships have an impact on student
learning outcomes emerged. Research has found that there is a link
between student teacher relationships and student learning outcomes.
Students that have positive relationships with their teachers have been
found to be highly motivated, focused on their task, and have greater
overall learning outcomes

7. Your perspective
Why have student teacher
relationships become an
educational issue?

8. Teaching styles
•Professional experiences and professional knowledge has demonstrated to me
that there are two types of teaching styles.
•Student-Centric Teaching: “ An instructor-centered approach where the
instructor demonstrates and models what is expected (skills and processes) and
then acts as a coach or guide to assist the students in applying the knowledge”
(Penn State Learning design 2012, para 5). This style encourages student
participation and positive student teacher relationships
•Formal Authority Teaching: “An instructor-centered approach where the
instructor feels responsible for providing the flow of content which the student is
to receive” (Penn state learning design, 2012 para 4). This teaching style
discourages positive student teacher relationships
(Yay images, 2012)

9. Your Perspective
Which teaching style do you think
has a positive impact on students
overall learning outcomes? And
why?

10. Relationship effect on student learning
outcomes
The formal authority teaching style has negative implications on students
learning outcomes whilst the student centric teaching style has a positive
impact on students learning outcomes.
Student Centric teaching style outcomes: The immense level of interaction
with students and interest in student’s needs drives students to complete
their work, and increases students levels of engagement.
Formal Authority teaching style outcomes: The distant relationship
between the teacher and the students in this class caused a lack of student
engagement, interest and motivation to complete their tasks.

11. Your Perspective
What skills and qualities do you think a
teacher must possess in order to
promote positive student teacher
relationships and improve student overall
learning outcomes?

12. Teacher skills & qualities
Immediacy: Immediacy is based on the belief that “people are drawn toward persons and things
they like, evaluate highly, and prefer, and they avoid or move away from things they dislike,
evaluate negatively or do not prefer” (Merhrabian, `1969, p.1). Immediacy comes in two forms:
Verbal and Non-Verbal.
Verbal Immediacy: Occurs when teachers recognise “individual students and their viewpoints, by
incorporating student input into course and class design, by communicating availability and
willingness to engage in one to one interactions and by enhancing their ‘humanness via humour
and self disclosure” (Gorham, 1988 p. 52).
Non-verbal Immediacy: “Approach behaviours which increase or product sensory stimulation,
interpersonal closeness and signal warmth and friendliness defines as non-verbal immediacy
behaviours” (Kearney, Plax & Wendt-Wasco, 1985 p. 64).
Teacher caring: Students determine a teacher’s level of caring by the way a teacher “moves,
stands, gestures, uses eye contact vocal inflection and self-discloses”(Ramsey, 1979, p.110).
Teacher clarity: Is the process by which as instructor “effectively stimulates the desired meaning of
course content and progress in the minds in students through the use of appropriately structured
verbal and non-verbal messages” (Chesbro&McCroskey, 1998, p. 447).

13. Building positive student teacher relationship
theories
Altman and Taylor’s relationship theory “holds that the relationships increase in intimacy over
time when a duo of members discloses more information about themselves” (McNally, 2003 p.
13). Altman and Taylor conveyed that the levels breadth and depth that people share with others
has an impact of the relationship they establish.
(Creative commons, 2012).
Following Atlman and Taylors relationship theory M.L knapp (1978) created a five stage
relationship model in order to increase the levels of breadth and depth in relationships. The
stages include “ initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integration and bonding “ (McNally,
2005 p. 13).

14. •
Building positive student teacher relationship
research studies
Nussbaum and Scott (1980) conducted a study that examined student
“teacher solidarity as a potential variable that mediates the relationship
between student learning and a teacher’s communication behaviour in the
classroom” (p.99). Communicator style was operationalised in ten areas of
“dominant, dramatic, contentious, animated, impression leaving, relaxed,
attentive, open, friendly and communicator image” (Norton 1978, p. 99).
In order to investigate this classroom relationship Nussbaum and Scott
(1980) employed “five measures student teacher solidarity, including
instructor communicator style, affective learning, behavioural learning
and cognitive learning” (Martin, 1994 p. 25). Results “revealed that there
are significant differences in affective, behavioural and cognitive learning
among high, moderate and low levels of perceived student teacher
solidarity “ (Martin, 1994 p. 25).

15. Building positive student teacher relationship
research studies
Christophel (1990) “claims that when teachers use immediacy behaviours
to modify student motivation and increase student learning, there is
significant impact upon students in the classroom” (Martin, 1994, p. 29).
Student perceptions of immediacy, cognitive learning and humour were
examined by Gorham and Christophel (1990). Results “indicate that there is
a strong co-relation between an instructor’s humour and student’s
cognitive learning” (Martin, 1994, p. 30).
Chesebro and McCroskey (2001) examined the relationship of teacher clarity
and immediacy with student cognitive learning. Findings indicated that
students who have teachers that are clear and immediate are less likely to
experience anxiety when processing their teacher’s messages thus increasing
student learning (McNally, 2005, p.26).

16. Building positive student teacher relationship
research studies
Rawlins (2000) “stated that caring for our students does not mean diminished
commitment to academic standard. When we care about students, out
standards may be raised, including what we expect of ourselves in teaching them
and evaluating their work” (p.7).
Teven and McCroskey found that “student perception of teacher caring were
substantially associated with the students evaluation of their teachers, their
affective learning and their perceptions of their cognitive learning” (McNally,
2005 p. 27).
(Daily telegraph, 2011)
(Arbolita school, 2014)

17. .
Curriculum Research
Along with these studies the Australian institute for teaching and school leadership limited
has demonstrated that positive teacher student rapport has a significant impact upon
students’ attitude towards learning. If a teacher has positive rapport with their students it
can promote behavioural engagement with all students including at risk students (DEED,
2013).
2003 PISA data “shows that Australian students had emotional engagement levels not
significantly different from the OECD average on measure of participation and
belonging, scoring 495 on the index of belonging and 502 on the index of participation
(the oecd average is standardised to 500)” Australian Institute for teaching and school
leadership limited, 2014 p. 4).
Among the “OECD countries, 25% of students were considered to have a low sense of
belonging and 20 % were regularly absent from school” (Australian Institute for
teaching and school leadership limited 2014, p.4). Therefore a student sense of
belonging and participation can be influenced by the type of teacher student rapport.

18. Observational study & Questionnaire
In the coming weeks I want you to take part in an
observational study where you are to go to each others
classes when you have planning time and observe each
other student teacher relationships. Along with that I want
you to fill out a questionnaire that is based on student
teacher relationships.
(K6educators.com, 2014).

19. Questionnaire- ‘The positive relationship between teachers- students
increases students learning’
Q.1 Do students learn with high interest, if a teacher uses a polite attitude with them?
Agree to some extent Disagree
Q.2 Do Cooperative teachers have a high influence on their students learning outcomes?
Agree to some extent Disagree
Q.3 Does teaching the hidden curriculum help the development of teacher student
relationships?
Agree to some extent Disagree
Q.4 Does an emotional attachment between the teacher and student increase students
learning outcomes?
Agree to some extent Disagree
Q.5 Do you think that students learning improve rapidly if there is a positive relationship
between teacher and students?
Agree to some extent Disagree
(Urooj, 2013 p. 620-621)

20. Your Perspective
What are some ways we can improve student
teacher rapport in the classroom?
What are some strategies you use in your
classroom to build student learning outcomes ?

21. Recommendations and Strategies
1. Disclose information about yourself and let students know more about your life
outside of school. – what you did on the weekend.
2. Create a classroom culture where students are comfortable and relaxed to talk
about their interests, concerns, and life outside of school – create a student shout
out box, how I am feeling poster, and a morning routine poster.
3. Playing getting to know you games- two truths one fib, me bags.
4. Using motivational charts- Target goals.
5. Initiating responsibility- class jobs, its my turn to talk, student pledge, being a good
listener, give a compliment .
Ramon Lewis’ study on classroom discipline and student responsibility demonstrates
that students who are “ given responsibility for their self and others in the class have
a greater interest in their work, they find learning important and are less likely to
misbehave in contract to teachers who use various forms of discipline such as hint,
discussion, involvement recognition punishment and aggression” (Lewis, 2001 p.
311).

22. Recommendations and Strategies in pictures
(Pinterest, 2012, student shout outs).
(Gibb, & Collis, 2007, p. 13-63).
(Gibb, & Collis, 2007, p. 13-63).

23. Recommendations and Strategies in pictures
(A love for teaching ideas, 2012, para 1). (Gibb, & Collis, 2007, p. 13-63).

24. Questions and Feedback
What strategy do you think you will implement
in your classroom?
If you have any other ideas or ways we can
improve student teacher relationships on a
whole school level please do let me know so I
consider and implement them in the near
future.

25. Thankyou!
Thankyou for taking part in this weeks professional
learning team session. I hope you all have developed an
understanding about the importance of establishing
positive student teacher relationships and how it has an
effect on student learning outcomes
Hope to see some of the strategies and recommendations
used in your class
Don't forget to observe each others student teacher
rapports and complete the questionnaire over the next
few weeks.

26. (Search associates, 2014).
(Hub pages, 2014)

27. Referencing list
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