Relationships.
Building strong relationships with students is one of the most important aspects of effective teaching. By making friendship bracelets for my class, I wanted to symbolize the genuine connections I had formed with each student. Positive relationships create a sense of trust, belonging, and safety, which are essential for meaningful learning to take place. When students feel seen, valued, and supported, they are more likely to take risks, engage fully in their learning, and show kindness to others. Strong relationships also support classroom management, reduce behaviour challenges, and foster a positive classroom community. These bracelets served as a small but powerful reminder that each student matters and that our classroom is a place where everyone belongs.
Get to Know me Activity
During my first week of practicum, I structured my lessons around relationship building. Throughout my week, Incorporated games that allowed me to get to know their names and allowed the students to showcase their personality. For example, in grade ¾, I played a game titled Camping Trip where students stood in a circle and took turns stating their name and something they would like to bring on our “camping trip”. Little did they know, the secret rule was that the item they chose to bring had to be an alliteration with their name. The students though it was hilarious when I told them that they were not allowed to come if they did not catch on to the secret rule! Starting with a few silly activities was crucial in establishing trust with my students and I strongly believed this positively contributed to my level of classroom management.