MYP: Relationships Matter

​As we start the new year, a focus at AISL is relationships. This is not new. Our advisory program in its present form was introduced 7 years ago and regrettably COVID saw an interruption to connection and relationship building. This week we have had Ellen Mahoney come and facilitate sessions with teachers and students to help move us foreward. The work she does aligns with the research that Eduptopia have listed in this article: The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2022 which is well worth a read. I have copied below only the first of the research studies.


“1. THERE’S NO CONFLICT BETWEEN RELATIONSHIPS AND RIGORObservers sometimes assume that teachers who radiate empathy, kindness, and openness are “soft” and can be taken advantage of by students. But new research shows that when you signal that you care about kids, they’re willing to go the extra mile, giving you the flexibility to assign more challenging school work.
That’s the main takeaway from a 2022 study that examined teaching practices in 285 districts, comparing relationship-building strategies with the flexibility that teachers had in assigning challenging and complex work. The researchers found that the most effective teachers build their classrooms by getting to know their students, being approachable, and showing that they enjoy the work—and then deftly translate emotional capital into academic capital.
“When students feel teachers care about them, they work harder, engage in more challenging academic activities, behave more appropriately for the school environment, are genuinely happy to see their teacher, and meet or exceed their teacher’s expectations,” the researchers conclude” (Terada and Merrill).
Terada, Youki, and Stephen Merrill. “The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2022.” Edutopia, 7 Dec. 2022, www.edutopia.org/article/the-10-most-significant-education-studies-of-2022.​