Posts

Listening and connecting: Effective strategies for building strong relationships

Ball, J., Guros, C., Scott, A., Aceves, L., & Holquist, S.E. (2023). Establishing trusting relationships to transform school systems. Child Trends. DOI: 10.56417/7023q7506u Reprinted from Child Trends Building Relationships: Listening, Connecting, and Establishing Trust Relationship building is based on a universal desire to be seen and heard. Listening and connecting involves acknowledging and elevating those […]

Search Institute Report: Relationship-Focused Strategies for Connecting with Young People

By and Reprinted from the Search Institute As fall approaches, a return to the classroom can mean fresh opportunities for connecting with all students in meaningful ways. Educators and other youth-serving practitioners are busy making plans to return to the classroom, providing the perfect opportunity to consider tools and strategies that are proven to boost […]

Building connections to amplify student voice

By Grace Kuo, Reprinted from along How can inputs from students help educators understand what is or isn’t resonating in their classroom instruction? This key question centered discussion at a workshop moderated by Along leaders at the recent ASU + GSV Summit. Educators say that student inputs are a critical component to building engagement and […]

The Power of a 45-Second Investment in Relationship Building

A short, positive interaction with a student at the start of the school year can pay off all year long. By Lindsay Kervan, Reprinted from edutopia Six years ago, I started an experiment where I spoke with each student during the first week of school. I learned that this 45-second investment in each student, coupled […]

Relationship-Building Behaviors: An Antidote to Loneliness

By Amanda Davis, Reprinted from the National Mentoring Resource Center Loneliness and social isolation have plagued young people in our society long before the COVID-19 pandemic. A national study conducted by Cigna in 2018 found that Gen Z was the loneliest generation in the U.S., with nearly 50% of young people surveyed reporting that they […]

3 Simple Yet Powerful Ways to Build Relationships With Your Students

  Use these interactive strategies to build strong relationships with middle and high school students without sacrificing teaching time By Jori Krulder, Reprinted from Edutopia Twenty-five years ago, as a new teacher, I struggled to connect with students. Relationship-building wasn’t covered in my teacher credential classes, and with everything I was expected to cover in […]

From idea to action: 5 strategies to build students’ relationships

By Julia Freeland Fisher, Reprinted from the Christensen Institute By now, many educators have probably heard about the sweeping Nature study that revealed that whom you interacted with as you grew up is a major determinant of future economic success. Specifically, children who had connections with peers from higher-income families ended up with higher incomes […]

How Building Relationship Skills Supports Student Success

By and reprinted from the Search Institute Young people develop resilience to face life’s challenges when they have at least one well-rounded, strong, and sustained relationship in their lives. And they begin to thrive when they experience a broader web of relationships in their homes, schools, programs, and communities. But developmentally influential relationships do not […]

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Prioritizing Connections During National Mentoring Month

Prioritizing Connections During National Mentoring Month Thursday, January 27 at 3 pm PT / 6 pm ET National Mentoring Month is a great time for educators to share the connection strategies they use with students to support meaningful relationships in their classrooms. In this webinar, you will learn how relationship building practices align with learning […]

How a developmental relationships outlook can help us face our uncertain future

By Ben Houltberg, Ph.D., LMFT, President and CEO, Reprinted from the Search Institute Promoting resilience for young people is critical in the months ahead. This process begins with a clear definition of what it is and what it is not. Resilience Through Relationships  Let’s start with what resilience is not. Resilience is not a character […]