Learning Together: Building Relationships Through Educational Experiences

The Importance of Building Relationships in Education

Educators in schools and colleges create meaningful educational experiences for students through a mix of personal and professional interactions. Many students – for good or for ill – choose to engage in particular courses and educational experiences because of relationships they have built with educators who teach in those programs. Undergraduate students often identify making connections with faculty as one of the most important things they can do during their undergraduate experience, and graduate students frequently cite their advisor as a key person in their success and satisfaction in their programs. It is the relationship we have with students that gives us the opportunity to help, lead, encourage, and support them as we work together to create successful educational experiences.

At a recent college parent orientation, we talked extensively about our philosophy of care. Our platform includes tips on how to make a good first impression, how to build positive relationships that foster cooperation, how to communicate in ways that encourage students, and how and when to refer students to appropriate support services. But what is really important in our approach is summarized in a common phrase, Caring is not enough. It takes caring plus something – in this case, our expertise as educators – to make the most of the relationships we develop with students.

Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Educational experiences are shared experiences, learning experiences are social experiences, and, for that reason, social and emotional safety is of utmost importance. If I come into the room feeling shrieked, that will affect my ability to learn. Thus, I spend the vast majority of the first days of school cultivating a classroom culture of trusting relationships, a united unit of learners. I utilize a combination of class building activities with physical games to teach and establish respect and cooperation. Modeling how to be inclusive, especially when we are discouraged from doing so, is imperative. Right from the beginning, I make my expectations clear to my students: In our classroom, everyone belongs; everyone's voice is important, and your ideas and contributions will be respected.

Both the physical and emotional environments need to be conducive to laughter and conversation throughout every learning experience. Part of the human experience is not only the ability to learn from others, but, more importantly, to learn with others. Reciprocal relationships are critical to any educational setting, adult or child, and are the foundation of building trusting, respectful relationships between students and educators. By creating these positive relationships, we become more entied in the learning process, and, as a result, the classroom culture becomes a united unit. I borrow cultures as we are all the sum of the multiple cultures that define and create our experiences. Thus, the learning environment is impacted by and impacts all its participants. In