TEACHER-STUDENT
RELATIONSHIPS
Chapter 4

Teacher-student relationships are the
keystone for most issues in the classroom.

Without the foundation of a good
relationship, students commonly resist
rules and procedures along with the
consequent disciplinary actions.

Many problems can be avoided by better
teacher-student relationships.

Wubbels and Levy(1993) identify two
dimensions whose interactions define the
relationship between teacher and
students.
Dominance vs. Submission
Cooperation vs. Submission
1.
2.

Bottom line – the right combination of
moderate to high dominance and
moderate to high cooperation provides
the optimal teacher-student relationship
for learning.

Figure 4.2(page 43)

Wubbels(1999) – page 44

Chiu and Tulley(1997) – Optimal teacherstudent relationships consists of equal
parts dominance and cooperation.

Brophy and Evertson(1976) – page 44

Figure 4.4 – page 46

Between 12 and 22 percent of all children
in school suffer from mental, emotional,
or behavioral disorders, and relatively few
receive mental health services.

40% of children are at risk of failure in
school because of serious problems
outside of school.

School may be the only place where the
needs of many of these children facing
extreme challenges are addressed.

Brophy(1996) – the most effective
classroom managers tended to employ
different strategies with different types of
students.

Effective classroom mangers do not treat
all students the same, particularly in
situations involving behavior problems.

1.
Teacher Expectations and Student
Achievement Program – Teachers should
ensure that their behaviors are equal and
equitable for all students, thus creating an
atmosphere in which all students feel
accepted.
Response opportunities – equitable
distribution of positive types of response,
helping individual students, response
latency, and types of questions.
2.
3.
Feedback – affirmation of correct
performance, praise and reasons for
praise, listening, and accepting feelings.
Personal Regard – addresses proximity,
courtesy, personal interest, touching, and
desisting.
Action Steps
1. Use specific techniques to establish an
appropriate level of dominance in the
classroom.
 Balance those behaviors that
communicate a proper level of dominance
with those behaviors that communicate a
proper level of cooperation.

Once you have established and implemented
rules and procedures as well as positive and
negative consequences, you will have
communicated your dominance.

Two other areas are important to this
communication:
Exhibiting assertive behavior – ability to
stand up for one’s legitimate rights in ways
that make it less likely that others will
ignore or circumvent them; “constructive
assertiveness”.
1.
a.
b.
Assertive body language – eye contact;
erect posture; facing the offending
student but keeping enough distance;
facial expressions.
Appropriate tone of voice – speaking
clearly and deliberately; using pitch; avoid
emotion in your voice.
Vigenettes – page 50
Communication - Establish Clear Learning
Goals
 Establish goals at the beginning of a unit
 Provide feedback on those goals
 Continually and systematically revisit the
goals
 Summative feedback
2.
Rubrics – page 51
Action Step
2. Use specific behaviors that communicate an
appropriate level of cooperation
 Flexible learning goals
 Taking a personal interest in students
 Using equitable and positive classroom
behaviors
 Responding appropriately to students’
incorrect responses
Action Step 3
Be aware of the needs of different types of
students
 Passive
 Aggressive
 Attention problems
 Perfectionist
 Socially inept
Summary
Communicate
Special effort with some students –
instruction, etc.