In our last post, we took a deep dive into Teacher Credibility , as we explained what it actually is.
You might recall that Teacher Credibility is about students' beliefs that they can learn from a given teacher. Key to this. is if they perceive a teacher to be "believable, convincing, and capable of persuading students that they can be successful" (Fisher & Frey, 2018).
Teacher Credibility, as an area of explicit research, dates to the 1980s and the work of Dr James McCroskey, an expert in the field of communication studies. The concept of Teacher Credibility has evolved to include four key factors related trust, competence, passion/dynamism and immediacy. This is about whether students perceive a teacher as being someone who will enhance their learning and it is of critical importance.
The research shows us that maximising Teacher Credibility is a vital in ensuring student learning. In fact, with an effect size of 0. 9 (Hattie, 2016), there is clear evidence that if students see their teachers as a credible, they are more likely to succeed. The alternative is also unfortunately true. If a teacher is not perceived as credible, their students switch off, and perhaps worse, can erode a teacher’s credibility, which can quickly spell disaster for learning (Haskin, 2000).
This week we are going to unpack the first of the Teacher Credibility elements, Trust.
What do we mean by Trust?
As identified in our first post, Trust is fundamental to teacher-student relationships. Improving students' relationships with teachers can have important, positive and long-lasting implications for students' success. Indeed, teachers who foster trusting relationships with their students create classroom environments more conducive to learning and meet students' developmental, emotional and academic needs.
So, what can you do to cultivate trust in your classrooms?
Connect with your students. Making connections with our students is critical to cultivating positive and productive relationships. Some suggestions that can help build connections with your students include:
Making the effort to spend time with each student as often as possible.
Meeting students at the door when they arrive and see them off then they leave.
Learn and use the names of students.
Actively seek out information about the interests of students and use this to connect with your learners.
Strive to understand what students need to succeed in school, and respond to this. Consider using questionnaires to find out about your students. Make sure you use the information you gain to deepen your relationships with your students.
Be mindful of interactions. The way with we interact with and in front of people is important. Therefore, you should consider how you interact with other people in class, and the school in general. as students notice.
Manage your emotions. Consider how you react to situations in class. Students notice how you regulate and manage your emotions. Students also notice positive strategies, such as taking a deep breath or talking about your frustrations. They also notice negative strategies, too, such as yelling at students or making mean/disrespectful comments.
Check your body language. Consider how you carry yourself in class. What does your body language show your students? Do your facial expressions show that you are interested in them and their learning?
Have a fair approach to classroom management. Ensure you have established expectations for behaviour and learning in your class, and are consistent in the application of management strategies. If students perceive that their teacher is inconsistent in how they treat students, trust can erode.
Be consistent. Remember that reliable and consistent behaviour on your part allows people to anticipate what you’ll do in the future. Be aware that you are always on show. Whether intended or not, you are always modelling behaviour for your students. Are you telling them to do one thing, yet modelling quite different behaviour?
Never take student behaviour personally. When you allow students to get under your skin, it’s hard not to fall into reactive methods like yelling, lecturing, arguing, and sarcasm—which in turn, causes students to view you as a peer-equal. Then comes the backtalk, as they challenges and wrestle for control. To earn their respect, avoid angry and resentful behaviours, and keep your emotional distance when responding to unwanted behaviour.
This list of suggestions is by no means comprehensive and we would love to hear your ideas.
Next time we will focus on tips and tricks for enhancing students’ perceptions of teachers. It’s all about Competence.