top of page

Module 2 - Session 4

PUTTING RELATIONSHIPS FIRST

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CRSE) Across Learning Environments

Module 2 - Session 4 Program Cover - Asian female teacher speaking to African American girl

GETTING STARTED

OVERVIEW

Welcome to TALE Academy Module 2: CRSE Across Learning Environments!

Goal – The goal of this module is to help teachers expand their capacity for effectively utilizing CRSE across learning environments.

Module Content – This module consists of 8 sessions that support culturally responsive-sustaining education across learning environments. Each session contains a variety of content and learning activities.

Session Content – You are beginning Module 2 – Session 4: Putting Relationships First.

MODULE WORKBOOK

If you have not yet downloaded your personal copy of the TALE Academy Workbook for this module, do so now. See directions below. There is only one workbook for each module which contains activities for all sessions within that module. 

​

Step 1: Create your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook.

Throughout this session, you will complete the session activities and take notes in the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook. You will have many opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills you learn using your digital workbook. When you click on the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook link, you will be prompted to make a copy of the workbook. Once you do so, your notes and your work within your workbook will be visible only to you. Please note that the workbook is fillable using Google Slides. We do not recommend printing a copy due to the length of the workbook.

​

Step 2: Get familiar with the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook.

Now that you have your personal copy of the workbook, review pages 1-7 to learn about the workbook’s contents and tips for using the workbook. Don’t forget to add your name to page 1 to personalize your workbook!

 

Step 3: Review “Key Terms” for Session 4 in the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook.

Your last step is to review the key terms for Session 4. For every TALE Academy session, the key terms are listed at the start of each new session in the workbook. You can return to the key terms page(s) of your workbook throughout this session to add your notes.

GUIDING QUESTIONS & LEARNING OBJECTIVES

GUIDING QUESTIONS

  1. What do I need to know about myself in order to connect with students who are unlike me?

  2. What makes a school or a teacher inviting, inclusive, and affirming? 

  3. How are teachers successfully building bridges to students and families that are unlike them?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this session, you will be able to do the following:

  1. Understand the benefits of strong student-teacher relationships as essential supports for learning.

  2. Identify ways that implicit bias and deficit-based thinking may shape your expectations for student achievement or your pedagogical decisions.

  3. Understand the importance of self-reflection and self-knowledge as a foundation for forming strong relationships with students.

  4. Explore strategies for building, strengthening, and maintaining school relationships across learning environments.

  5. Develop a plan to strengthen relationships with students in the context of a unit of study using strategies shared in this session.

ENGAGE: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

LEARN FROM OTHERS: 
VOICES FROM THE FIELD

The following video highlights the reflections of New York State educators on how they are putting relationships first in order to create a culturally responsive and sustaining educational environment for their students.

Video thumbnail of African American female sitting at table working

WORKBOOK
ACTIVITY

To activate your prior knowledge on the topic, please complete the following steps:

  • In your copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, complete Activity 2.4.1 – Strong Student-Teacher Relationships.

  • If you have not already created your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, you can make a copy of the workbook.

EXPLORE: TOPIC OVERVIEW

READ, WATCH, LISTEN

Select from the learning modalities below to explore an overview of the topic for this session. You may read a magazine-style article, watch a video, or listen to a conversational podcast.

 

You need to select only one option: read, watch, or listen.

As you read, watch, or listen, consider pausing and reviewing the key terms for this session in your workbook. You can add your own notes, ideas for application, or definitions of the terms in your own words.

READ

Dive into our Module 2 – Session 4 READ, a magazine-style overview of the session topic with infographics and links to resources.

Tune into our Module 2 – Session 4 WATCH, a narrated, animated video that provides an overview of the session topic.

LISTEN

Settle in for our Module 2 – Session 4 LISTEN, a conversational, podcast-style discussion among educators about the session topic.

EXPLORE: CHOICE BOARD

Select one option from the choices offered below to learn more.

You need to select only one of the choices, but you are welcome to explore all the resources!

Establishing Opening and Closing Routines

Synopsis: Read this extensive toolkit of opening classroom and closing routines that are designed to build stronger relationships between teachers and students, as well as between the students themselves.

Format: Toolkit 

Time: 25 minutes

 

The Influences of Teacher Self-Reflection Practices While Interacting with Families

Synopsis: Read this study that asserts the importance of teacher self-reflection and the powerful implications it can have on teachers’ relationships with families, students, and other colleagues.

Format: Article 

Time: 75 minutes 

 

Why Teacher-Student Relationships Matter

Synopsis: Read about the range of benefits that result from strong teacher-student relationships, cultivating empathy, and maintaining healthy boundaries with students. 

Format: Article 

Time: 6 minutes

How to Strengthen Relationships with Older Students Online

Synopsis: Explore 5 ways to develop relationships with middle and high school students.

Format: Video

Time: 3 minutes

 

Relationships: The Tool that Was Never Taught

Synopsis: Watch an education administrator explore how educators can influence students to change their perspectives and behaviors through relationships.

Format: Video

Time: 10 minutes

Rita Pierson: What Role Do Relationships Play in Learning?

Synopsis: Listen to a veteran educator share the ways in which relationships are crucial to education and how classrooms can build the kind of human connections students need to feel inspired and to learn. 

Format: Video and Podcast

Time: 7.5 (video), 7 minutes (podcast)

ESTABLISH: REFLECTION FOR ACTION

WORKBOOK ACTIVITY

  • Return to your copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook and complete Activity 2.4.2 – Relationships Across Learning Environment.

  • If you have not already made your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, you can make a copy of the workbook.

EXTEND: DEEPER LEARNING

Extend your learning by engaging in a longer workbook activity and/or accessing additional resources.
This section is designed to help you begin a journey into deeper learning on the topic area.

WORKBOOK ACTIVITY

Return to your copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook and complete Activity 2.4.3 – Building Strong Relationships Across Environments. If you have not already made your personal copy of the Module 2 TALE Academy Workbook, you can make a copy of the workbook.

Time: 20 minutes

ADDITIONAL 
RESOURCES

3 Models for Making Sure Minority Preferences Don’t Get Marginalized

Topic: Three learning models that provide a flexible learning environment for students: flipped classroom, enriched virtual, and à la carte 

Format: Article

Time: 5 minutes

 

Designing Equitable and Culturally Responsive Learning Spaces

Topic: How to build equity in teaching practices based on the five dimensions of multicultural education, focusing on what teachers need to consider when planning lessons 

Format: Article

Time: 11 minutes

 

Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Reflection Guide

Topic: Eight competencies for culturally responsive teaching to support reflective practice related to meeting the needs of all students; includes a helpful guide for culturally responsive curriculum “look-fors”  

Format: Policy Paper

Time: 17 minutes

 

Connecting with the Experiences of Migrant Students

Topic: Key ways that teachers can build relationships with migrant students through language, humor, kindness (cariño), and incorporating stories, poems, and novels from migrant authors  

Format: Video

Time: 2 minutes

 

Culturally Responsive Instruction and Teaching Basics

Topic: An instructional coach’s perspective on culturally responsive teaching and learning and steps to consider when implementing culturally responsive strategies 

Format: Video

Time: 8 minutes

WRAP-UP & NEXT STEPS

This session gave you information and resources on how to put relationships first in order to create a culturally responsive and sustaining classroom across learning environments. In the next session of this module, you’ll explore how to help develop sociopolitical consciousness within your students.

bottom of page