A REFLECTION: Relationships matter: go (teacher impart), grow (students engage), and glow (school support)
The success of students is also success for teachers. The school environment is a strong influence in the academic performance of students.
Go
Teachers mold students. The support from teachers can be shown by letting learners feel that they are involved and they care about them. Students need to know that they can make important decisions for themselves and that the given task has relevance to their present and future lives. They must have a clear sense of structure within which to make those decisions. Several studies show that students with caring and supportive interpersonal relationships in school report more positive academic attitudes and values. They are more satisfied with school when they know what adults expect regarding conduct. Teachers are role model of values and must have discipline or not be clouded by emotions and weakness of vises. School heads also play crucial role in the relationship. They coordinate and direct all the activities in the school for development, and maintenance of the physical plant and equipment. They stablish cooperative interrelationships in all the branches to realize organizational goals- (Enthusiastic, dedicated and committed to serve.)
Grow
Engaging students in their own learning has challenged educators for decades. Since engagement in learning is important for success in school as it is elusive in the vast majority of traditional, bureaucratic school structures. Engagement then defined as “a psychological process, specifically, the attention, interest, investment, and effort students expand in the work of learning “. Connell (2004) and colleagues measured two forms of engagement. First, ongoing engagement refers to student’s behavior, emotions, and thought process during the school day. Behavioral engagement includes time students spent on work, intensity on task, and prosperity to initiate action when given the opportunity. An emotional component of engagement includes heightened levels of positive emotion during the completion of an activity, demonstrated by enthusiasm, optimism, curiosity and interest. Cognitive, students understanding of why they are doing what they’ve doing and its importance. Second, reaction to challenge refers to students coping strategies for dealing with a challenge, particularly whether they engage or withdraw when faced with perceived failure in school. Students perceived the situation as challenging actively persist in the face of failure through the use of effort, strategic thinking, problem-solving, information-seeking and experimentation. Conversely, students threatened by a situation tend to react to a perceived failure by escaping the situation mentally or physically, and by avoiding or delaying the activity.
Glow
Research links higher level of engagement in school with improved performance. Students’ engagement is a robust predictor of student achievement and behavior in school. Students engaged in school are more likely to earn higher grades.
Teacher support is important to student engagement. Students who perceive teacher as creating and caring, well-structured learning environment in which expectations are high, clear, and fair are more likely to engage in school. Engaged students pay more attention, look more interested, are more persistent in the face of challenges than disengaged students.
As a whole strengthening relationships among students, school staff, and families, improving teaching and learning in every classroom must be observed to achieve goals so that all may go, grow and glow.
By: DANIEL L. DELOS SANTOS
Malapgap Elementary School