Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch the river flow by instead, t

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How can a workshop leader connect emotionally
with workshop students? Ramesh Nanduri, Peer
Leader, The City College of New York
Learning and teaching should not stand on
opposite banks and just watch the river flow by
instead, they should embark together on a journey
down the water. Through an active, reciprocal
exchange, teaching can strengthen learning how to
learn. Loris Malaguzzi
Hypothesis How can a workshop leader connect
emotionally with workshop students? The aim of
this research is to study different ways to
connect emotionally with students by using
various suggested methods. Students need heroes
they can look up to - someone to connect
emotionally with - and that someone can be a
workshop leader. Emotional Bond is the ability
to understand, manage, and express emotional
aspects of one's life in ways that enable
successful classroom management such as learning,
forming relationships, and solving problems in an
effective manner. It is important to do so for
reasons such as to motivate, and communicate
efficiently (share ideas) within a group.

• Implications
• Our actions must speak out loud. There is a need
  for better communication between a leader and a
  student and also among students themselves. Need
  for a necessary attitude - must be trusting,
  open, empathic, and honest. There must be a
  willingness to deal with emotions.
• Explore strategies that provide frequent
  positive student interactions with each other
• Display student work in the classroom - students
  like to see themselves through their creations.
  Leaders at all levels should try to display, and
  exhibit student work on a regular basis in the
  classroom
• Effective time management - students need time
  to practice, rehearse, review, apply, and connect
  new learning and relate it to their everyday
  lives - so give them sufficient time
• When students believe that there is a personal
  connection to the school, they are more likely to
  engage in activities and conform to norms.

• Experiment
• First exam grade tells us if the student has
  really understood and implemented the class
  discussions. I have made my emotional bond with
  every student by the third meeting. But there
  was one, I noticed who was shy, hesitating to
  raise voice, and speak up. I am comparing this
  student - student B with student A from my class
  observations.
• Both student A and Student B received equal
  treatment in terms of
• Individual attention
• Opportunity to involve themselves
• Caring and other techniques listed above
• Observations
• Student A Student B
• Reacted well to individual attention by speaking
  up Nodded head all the time
• Asked questions whenever in doubt Remained
  quiet
• Provided suggestions and/or comments Still
  quiet
• Performed well on blackboard Lacked some
  detail
• Maintained good communication when relaxing
  Head on the desk - trying to get a nap
• E-mailed me with questions regarding homework and
  exam Never tried to seek help if needed
• Obtained very good grades in the class
  exams Satisfactory performance

• How to connect emotionally
• Taking time to connect with students, to win them
  over, is the first step in forming an emotional
  bond.
• Greet students as they come through the door
  (make eye contact) with a handshake and words of
  encouragement
• Let them see that you as a workshop leader are
  self-motivated and willing to walk through each
  door as a group for a successful completion of
  the course material
• Talk to them about their overall goals for
  taking on this course - internal motivation -
  this will encourage them to invest more heart
  into the workshop, making the sessions more
  effective for themselves and for everybody else
  too
• Icebreakers make students say their name,
  major, and hobbies to the entire group
• Communicate with respect (anger and attitude
  management)
• Let them know Why am I here to help them learn
  something new?
• Indicate that each student has an equal
  opportunity to be involved in all of the class
  discussions - gender equity
• Ask, how was your day? or what was the best
  thing that happened to you today? - just to
  start off the day with a simple gesture
• Talk to them about upcoming exams and if time
  permits review - also let them see their mistakes
  after the exams - this will make them realize
  their mistakes and encourages them to work harder
  for the future exams
• Praise their effort - encourage them with a
  positive attitude no matter what
• Help them relax by talking about some of their
  hobbies (music, movies, art, etc) - leads to a
  decrease in tension and stress, therefore,
  improving their ability to learn
• Be professional, well-organized, prepared, on
  time, smiling face, and enthusiastic
• Never stop talking - always maintain a
  continuous discussion - do not give a feeling of
  boredom
• Suggested methods for a successful workshop
• Exchange e-mail addresses - send and receive
  e-mail messages with questions, suggestions, or
  asking for help - offering help outside of the
  classroom will make the students feel more
  involved and motivated

Conclusion During my experiential process,
strategies and concepts were used to form an
emotional bond, stimulate self-esteem and develop
advanced problem-solving, decision-making and
stress reduction skills to prepare students for
leadership roles. The emotional bond between a
leader and a student can only happen if there
exists a communication from both sides with no
gaps. Communication has to be direct and
respectful by using personal attitudes.
Strategies such as Internal Motivation should
be used to make sessions more effective and
productive. Gender equity will make the
students feel more involved and the emotional
attachment enriches by itself. If there is a
way to succeed in forming an emotional bond with
students then it is to be one of
them-understand their feelings from their
perspective-make sure that you as a workshop
leader and the student are both on the same page.
Communicating like friends, with no such
boundaries as higher level or lower level
differences, will definitely bring the students
closer to the leaders. The closer the students
get the stronger the emotional bond. Once the
emotional bond is made, anything can be done.
For instance, student B gradually succeeded in
his academic performance because of the closeness
obtained from peers and from myself. Build trust
and be honest in whatever you do. This will
definitely lead you to be a successful workshop
leader.

• Discussion
• It is very obvious to see that student B is a shy
  one, whereas, student A took advantage of what I
  had to offer as a workshop leader. Student B
  lacked self-esteem, and self-confidence.
  Therefore, I put student B in to a group where
  there is a chance of better communication between
  peers.
• I made use of the paired problem-solving
  technique to overcome what Student B lacked the
  most - motivation, communication, and
  self-confidence
• I arranged all my sessions to work in groups
  such that Student B had to offer or request
  information from other students
• I made the sessions sound more interesting and
  seem more fun by talking about something
  irrelevant to the course material (movies, music
  etc)
• Outcomes
• Student B gradually performed well by
  participating in class discussions, sharing
  ideas, performing well in class quizzes, and also
  class exams. The overall improvement was a
  result from an emotional bond that was being
  cultivated among peers. Student B saw the
  motivation coming from his peers and made friends
  with them forming a bond to attain
  self-confidence and self-esteem.

• References
• Roth, V., Goldstein, E., Marcus, G. (2001). Deci
  and Ryans Motivation Theory and the Workshop. In
  Peer-Led Team Learning, A Handbook for Team
  Leaders.
• Santoro, A. (2003). Building an Emotional Bond
  Part of A Peer Leaders Role. Progressions
  Peer-Led Team Learning, Volume 4, Issue 1 2,
  Fall 2002 Winter 2003.
• Richard, C. (2001). Motivation in the Workshop.
  Progressions Peer-Led Team Learning, Volume 2,
  Issue 3, Spring 2001.
• McLeod, J., Fisher, J., and Hoover, G. (2003).
  The Key Elements of Classroom Management
  Managing Time and Space, Student Behavior, and
  Instructional Strategies.
• Mendler, A.N. (2001). Connecting with Students.
  Related Web inks http//www.ascd.org/cms/onjectli
  b/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publicationhttp//www.as
  cd.org/publications/books/2001mendler.2001mendlert
  oc.html
• http//www.leadershipfdn.org/workshops_schedule.ht
  ml
• http//deepspace9.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/MontanaPresent
  ations/What20Can20Faculty20Do20to20Help20Pee
  r20Leaders.ppt
• http//www.coe.uga.edu/sportlab/abandbrief/briefs/
  brief99.html

Special Thanks To Ms.AE. Dreyfuss, Oleg
Survillo, John Pohas, My Fellow Workshop Leaders,
and My Workshop Students.