According to Cohen, these types of positive messages, when delivered authentically, “can really undo a lot of the damage from these past experiences that these kids come with.” When rebuilding trust with students is successful, expectations of those students can also be adjusted to reflect that they are capable of academic success and achievement, Cohen said. This process can help open “students’ minds to a new way of looking at their academic experience,” he continued.
Fostering belonging during adolescence
A sense of belonging is important at any age, but in adolescence these feelings can intensify. Sometimes feedback from a student’s larger culture or community can cause feelings of inadequacy when the belonging isn’t there, according to Andrew Fulini, co-CEO of Center for Adolescent Development at UCLA.
Adolescents are building an identity, which includes discovering things you’re good at, Fulini said. When students are told they are behind in a skill, it can damage their sense of belonging; feelings are heightened because adolescents are particularly prone to internalize the messages they hear.
Many students mistakenly believe that academic ability is fixed rather than a developed skill, Fulini said. Creating a growth culture in the classroom, especially “cooperative learning situations where children of different abilities work together to achieve a higher standard,” can help foster a sense of belonging for students who are falling behind, Cohen added.
“Generally, remediation just sends a message that you need help, and that message can be quite threatening,” Cohen said. It is often assumed that “poor performance reflects poor ability, but this is not the case. It’s often a lack of preparation,” he continued.
The role of teachers and adults
Adolescence is a critical period of developmentduring which students “try to understand the reliability of institutions and people like teachers,” Cohen said. For members of marginalized groups, “the additional question is, ‘how are they going to treat people like me?'” he said.
Adolescents are particularly keen to find out where they fit in and care a lot about social status, and that won’t change for this age group. That means adults have the responsibility to control how they respond, and they can help students who are falling behind have a positive outcome through small actions and comments of affirmation, according to Fulini.
“Validating the contributions, ideas and values of all our students can really go a long way,” Fulini said. When a student’s contribution and skills are validated in these small ways, it cultivates a sense of trust and allows them to see that they are “valued members of the community.”
I see progress
According to Bennison, who teaches students through sixth grade, sharing a student’s reading progress with them can be a helpful way to boost their confidence and strengthen student-teacher trust. Setting very clear goals and allowing students to constantly see their own success helps students continually build their knowledge and skill set, Bennison said.
“I teach in a way that they know they are growing,” she continued. Bennison doesn’t share the original enrollment information with her students because she doesn’t want students to be defined by the original data. But he periodically shares the students’ progress with them.
When her students make mistakes, Bennison takes note and makes the necessary adjustments to incorporate that skill into each lesson until that learning is reinforced. According to Bennison, allowing students to correct their own work, without the pressure of grading, helps students recognize their own growth. In May each year, Bennison takes time to look back at the beginning of the year with each student to show them how much they have learned and grown.
“I know that when I teach them to read and encourage them to do hard things, I’m not just letting them get through the day, I’m preparing them for their future,” Bennison said.
