Class Warfare in classroom?

Needn’t be class warfare

Kudos to Jordan Baker (Good Weekend, 21/10) for the insightful article on classroom management.

All teachers know that the core of classroom management is relational connection. A teacher’s foremost job is to connect, and this is not only the case with at-risk or disengaged youth. Students learn best when they feel known, valued, and respected by both the adults in the school and their peers.

The modern relationship between teacher and student is much more of a partnership, which heightens student engagement. Classrooms that have built community cultures where students are intrinsically motivated and committed to supporting one another are at a significant advantage over stick and carrot behaviourism classes.

Successful classrooms prioritise relationships; those driven by compliance falter.

Cameron Paterson,

director of learning, Wesley College, Prahran