Meaningful Connections
Olivares-Orellana (2015) states, �Meaningful connections with students can take a variety of forms� (p.
167). Then adds, �Connections with students� families are of equal importance. Whenever possible, an
effort should be made to include the families and the community in the education of their children� (p.
167).
Write 2-3 substantial paragraphs that answer the following:
*What forms of meaningful connections are critical?
*How are families included in building an effective relationship between the teacher, student, and family?
MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS 2
Meaningful Connections
According to Olivares-Orellana (2015), one way through which teachers improve student
performance in the classroom is forming positive relationships with them. Also, there are
numerous approaches that the teacher can use to create important connections with learners. Five
forms of significant relationships have been found to be critical. First, the teacher should take his
or her time to learn the cultures of different students. This knowledge should be used to
implement teaching approaches that promote collaborative learning. Second, the teachers should
develop an interest in helping students to solve both academic and social needs. This contributes
to building trust between the teacher and the learner, which eventually translates into improved
student outcomes. The third and fourth forms of building meaningful relationships are acting as
a role model to students, and asking general questions when introducing a new topic to enable
learners to connect concepts to real life experiences (Olivares-Orellana, 2015; & Fleming, 2002).
Teachers can help students to improve their academic achievements by allowing parents
to take part in the educational lives of their children (Olivares-Orellana, 2015). One of the ways
through which parents can be involved in strengthening the relationship between the family,
teacher, and the student is allowing parents to become part of presentations in which their
children are active participants. Moreover, parents can be given an opportunity to accompany
their children on educational trips which have been organized by the school. Again, families can
be allowed to contribute to building a meaningful relationship with parents, students, and
teachers by inviting them to school to discuss academic progress of their children with teachers.
MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS 3
These approaches are beneficial in creating a web-like relationship between students, teachers,
and families which are mainly aimed at improving the success of students from diverse ethnic
backgrounds (Olivares-Orellana, 2015; & Fleming, 2002).
References
Fleming, D. (2002). Collaborative family-school relationships for children’s learning: Belief and
practices. Virginia: Virginia Department of Education.
Olivares-Orellana, E. (2016). Equitable ways to teach science to emergent bilinguals and
immigrant youths. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through
Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-
4166-2250-5.
