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Relational capacity is the degree of trust and level of safety between members of a group. In an educational context, this specifically refers to the established level of trust and safety between teachers and students, as well as directly between students. Classes that are low in relational capacity are often teacher-centered, with little dialogue or collaboration amongst students. Alternatively, classes that are high in relational capacity are characterized by energy and comfort, where students feel mutual ownership in the expectations and learning within the classroom. (AVID: Critical Thinking and Engagement)
Guiding Questions
How will you get to know your students? How will your students get to know each other? How will students get to know you?
How will you establish a culture of safety and trust?
How will you get students to feel safe sharing novel ideas and engaging in productive struggle?
What roles and responsibilities do students have in your class structure? How can you foster student ownership over classroom norms for behavior?
Get-to-know-you activities:
About me assignments are great opportunities to get to know students. These are usually projects that students complete the first week or so of school. Usually, the teacher makes one about themselves, shares it with the students, and then gives the students a template to follow. The finished product is often shared in small groups or displayed in the classroom. Linked are some examples.
About me assignment ideas:
23 about me assignment and example
Letter to your teacher
Album of my life project
Name poem
Moves that Build Teacher-Student Relationships
Greet everyone upon entering
Spend time in hallway noticing and talking to students
Write a Welcome Students letter
Positive Post-its - during work time, scan and write some positive post-its!
Learn the accurate pronunciation of everyone’s name and use names often
Targeted side-bar conversations (brainstorm questions you might ask, topics you might bring up)
Go to lunch or recess and talk to students (or when you have lunch duty, talk to students)
Share small facts about yourself, and invite students to share as well (i.e. on the Do Now or Exit Ticket, write, “Ms. Sloan has 2 cats. Do you have any pets? If so, what are they? If not, do you want any?”)
Have students write you a letter and write them back
Keep track of who you have talked to/focused on so that you don’t end up leaving some students out or appearing as if you are “favoring” other students.
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