Building Trust

“The dog ate my homework.”  Sigh.

We have all heard it before in one form or another. It’s hard to know when students are being truthful.  In the past, we may have tried keeping track of excuses, checking to make sure the printers actually worked, and calling the coach to make sure they had a game.

In the end, we might give them the benefit of the doubt because it is less trouble.  But what we might not be realizing is that we might be actually harming our students when we don’t trust them. Today, let’s consider why it is so important to build trust between teachers and students.

Trust by the Numbers

Surprisingly, greater student achievement is directly linked to trust between teachers and students, even more so than socio-economic factors!

A study by the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia provides a fascinating statistic: “An average student with a teacher whose interactions scored one standard deviation below the mean in Emotional Support would on average place in the 41^st percentile in end-of-year tests.  The same student with a teacher whose interactions scored 1 standard deviation above the mean in Emotional Support would on average place in the 59^th percentile in end-of-year tests.”[1]

In other words, when teachers offered only slightly more emotional support, student achievement rose 18 percentile points!

 

The study identifies the following features of emotional support: A positive climate reflecting warmth, a sense of connectedness in the classroom, and a teacher who is sensitive to and responds to students’ academic, developmental, and emotional needs.  Other studies have defined the most influential factor more precisely: the level of trust between teacher and student.[2]

Cultivating Trust—From Within

So we are trustworthy when we are competent, honest, reliable, and fair.  We can make sure that our syllabi are well-designed, that they provide necessary information and a clear and reasonable timetable.  We can weave flexibility into the schedule to accommodate students’ inevitable life events; we can limit the number of schedule changes from our end. We can deliver what we promise: return assignments and answer emails promptly, arrive to class on time, plan learning units, and avoid surprises (big test tomorrow?!).  We can be consistent in expectations of classroom behavior (no cell phone use) and work ethic (come prepared).  We can hold everyone to the same standards.  We can behave in trustworthy ways.

Cultivating Trust—In Students

But any successful con man would advise us: Do you want students to trust you? You need to trust them first!  So how can we communicate that we trust our students?  Here are a few examples:

• We trust students to behave well: we recast our syllabi requirements as invitations. We nurture intrinsic motivation by explaining the value of the skills and knowledge students will gain.
• We trust students to respond positively to us: we smile, greet them affectionately and by name, and take an interest in their lives.
• We create a welcoming office: we keep chairs uncluttered and turned toward us, leave the door open, and keep glances at the clock subtle.
• We don’t judge students when they offer excuses for late or incomplete assignments or unexpected absences. Instead, we convey empathy and ask them how they plan to solve their problem.  We trust them to be fair to their classmates and to keep their promises.
• We lighten up in class, telling occasional jokes or personal stories, using expressive body language, and laughing.  If we relax, they will relax.

In other words, we try to communicate that we trust our students in every way that we can.  And as is often the case, the students will rise up to the level of our expectations and be more trustworthy.

Trust Me…

So instead of doubt and skepticism, let’s try a little more trust and see if these small behavioral changes of ours have an impact on our students’ achievement.  It’s worth a try! And the classroom will be more fun, even when the dog gets hungry, the printers go out, and the games are re-scheduled.

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