BUILDING TRUST
Talk Straight. Be honest with students. Tell the truth with integrity and kindness.
In the online environment, students might be more vulnerable with you, asking questions to which you might not have answers.
We have found that teachers are being asked a number of questions that have them searching for appropriate answers. The lack of physical proximity and the fact that they are home seems to invite questions that might not have been asked at school. Our advice is that you answer honestly when you can and that you are clear about the reasons when there are questions you cannot answer. Our advice is that you answer honestly when you can and that you are clear about the reasons when there are questions you cannot answer. For example, first-grade teacher Ari Brown was asked by one of her students if her grandmother was going to die from the virus. Immediately another student asked if Ms. Brown was going to die. Depending on the age of the student, you might respond that no one knows for sure who gets sick and the doctors and scientists are working really hard to find solutions. High school English teacher Seth McGuire was asked who he would vote for in the upcoming presidential election. Mr. McGuire answered that he was not sure yet but that voting in the United States was a very private matter and not usually discussed. As he said, “We have private places to vote in the US called polls so that people can vote what is in their heart.” (Fisher Douglas. The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12 (p. 69). Corwin. Kindle Edition.)
Demonstrate Respect. Respect the dignity of each student. Show kindness in the little things.
Create Transparency. Be real and genuine with your students. Admit your mistakes. Celebrate your victories.
It is perfect to admit you are uncomfortable with a new online tool or that a lesson didn't go quite as you'd hoped.
Right Wrongs. Model humility for your students. Make things right when you slip up. No one is perfect.
Show Loyalty. Always speak as if the person you are talking about can hear you. Stick up for those who aren't present or able to stick up for themselves.
Examine how you feel about particular students and if your behaviors might be different toward those students.
Be consistent in shutting down negative behaviors. Students notice when one person is called out for a behavior, but another student is not.
Deliver Results. Do what you say. Put First Things First and focus on what is important.
Get Better. Be a constant learner. Model continuous improvement for your students. Get and act on feedback.
Seek feedback from students/families. Improve your lessons or flow based on what students have to say.
Confront Reality. Address the tough stuff in the classroom with compassion--modeling kindness and integrity for your students.
Be honest with students abut their performance and provide feedback that is helpful and specific that will guide them in moving forward.
Clarify Expectations. Be clear about your expectations. Co-create classroom expectations with students. As Stephen R Covey said, "No involvement, no commitment."
Fisher, Frey, and Hattie remind us that new is good in remote learning, but not every week. Have a work flow that is consistent and clear, so that students know what to expect.
Practice Accountability. Hold yourself accountable first, taking responsibility for results, good or bad.
Listen First. Listen to your students with your ears, eyes, and heart. Listen to learn.
Keep Commitments.. Say what you are going to do, and then do it. Choose your commitments carefully. Start virtual meetings on time. Provide feedback on time. Provide lessons and instructions on time.
One student spoke about her teacher's feedback: “On our discussion boards, she gives everybody 10. It doesn’t matter if we write really interesting things or not. We just all get 10. It’s like she doesn’t care. The quizzes are graded by the computer and I don’t even think she knows our scores. And when we submit assignments, the comments are just like ‘good work’ or ‘I see your point’ or ‘that’s interesting.’ It doesn’t help you get any better.” As Mikayla noted, lack of honest feedback broke the trust she had with the teacher.
On a more positive note, Abdul said that his world history teacher records audio files and talks about his student’s work. As Abdul said, “We get a personal commentary back on our work. He talks directly to us, each person, and tells us what he is thinking when he looks at what we did. He talks about things that are effective and accurate and things that are confusing or where we made mistakes. And he tells us what the next step is. I like it when he says, like, ‘So Abdul, your political cartoon was spot on for the issue. And your use of exaggeration really caught my attention. But I think it might be a little too obvious. I think you might want to be more subtle so the person looking at is has to do some thinking. Do you want to talk further about the art of being subtle?’ That really got me and so I scheduled a time to talk with him to learn more. I know he’s gonna be honest and that it will make me better.” Fisher Douglas. The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12 (p. 69-70). Corwin. Kindle Edition.
Extend Trust.. Think of trust as a verb. Extend trust to your students. Allow them to fail and help them to try again, thus helping them develop self-leadership.
Younger Students
We build trust with younger students through proximity. They like to know we are physically there. How can we translate this to the online environment? Consider appointing a student of the day, a teacher helper, or ambassador so students can shine online as they might in the physical classroom. Be creative with your approach to building relationships and trust with younger students and families. Keep schedules predictable.