Y'all, stop what you're doing right now and listen to this amazing podcast from The Hidden Brain about how teacher/student connections can make a HUGE impact on student learning. The podcast begins with the teaser that if students and teachers don't have a natural spark of chemistry, it can be engineered. Wait, what?! This seems too good to be true.
Here's a few highlights:
Here's a few highlights:
- Researchers asked teachers and students a variety of questions. They then suggested possible connections between the student and the teacher.
- Not only did the relationships get stronger, but grades improved - particularly with minority students.
- In the study, there was a 60% reduction in the achievement gap at the school studied.
Anchor of Commonality
The researchers believe that a connection is formed simply by the anchor of commonality that teachers may not have otherwise. I find this so powerful. You can listen to the podcast below, read a summary, or see the full paper here.
What do you think? Share your thoughts over on Facebook or in the comments below.
What do you think? Share your thoughts over on Facebook or in the comments below.
