Discussion - Preparing for Individualism, Strategies for Teachers

Discussion -

Preparing for Individualism [WLO: 2] [CLOs: 1, 3]
 

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Strategies for Teachers to Develop Positive Relationships With Students (Links to an external site.) and Principles of Effective Family Engagement (Links to an external site.). An important step in preparing our classrooms and curriculum is getting to know our students as individuals and building a relationship that is reciprocal and characterized by trust. Jaruszewicz (2019) discusses the importance of building individual connections, stating that building trust requires connecting with each child on a personal level, so that they know you care about them and what happens to them, are curious about what they think, and firm with them when they need guidance. These things give children the emotional security they need to share with you their impressions, confidences, questions, and fears—information you can use to develop, adapt, and personalize whatever curriculum you use to best represent what your children know and do. (section 3.3, para. 32)
 

Notice how Jaruszewicz emphasizes that knowing the students as individuals allows for designing individualized curriculum which is more aligned with their needs. In this discussion, we explore the importance of building trust with students to gain insights into how to best meet their needs in an education environment.