What is a Warm Demander?
Educators hold their students to high standards, convince them of their own brilliance, and help them to reach their potential in a disciplined and structured environment.
Why is this important?
An educator who is both warm and demanding helps create an atmosphere of safety and co-design with learners, allowing their brains to engage while keeping expectations high.
Looking back on my early teaching days I could probably describe my teaching stance as “organised bouncer”: I was efficient and wholly focused on behaviour management. I felt like if my lessons were well structured and engaging, the traits I felt were most important for good classroom practice, then student behaviour would fall into place. Though I think I was pretty friendly and approachable (I don’t think students hated me!), as a young female working mostly in boys schools made me nervous about dropping my guard, heaven forbid I should become too familiar.
As the years went by and the cute little Year 7 homeroom students turned to teenagers and then hulking great big young adults my nerves abated and my teaching stance mellowed. I still focused on engagement and organisation, my results were good, but what I treasured most were the moments of connection with students. We can all list ‘those moments’, when students showed gratitude or organised something special for us. For me it was a baby shower with Year 11s before my first maternity leave with thoughtful gifts that I was blown away by and still treasure to this day.
Several years down the track I can see what was missing, what I failed to intentionally show up with each day: warmth. Perhaps understandably in the current system, I prioritised curriculum over connection, classroom management over letting my guard down and being more human. I know teachers who readily admit they do the opposite, favouring pastoral connections and the building of rapport over the demand for excellent results.
That’s why one of my favourite workshops to facilitate now is the New Tech Network workshop “Becoming a Warm Demander” - professional development like no other that gives teachers and leaders the cues and headspace to really consider their teaching stance and where they might turn the dial up.
At this time of year when we welcome young people back into our classrooms, setting norms and expectations, I’d encourage you too to use the tool below from Zaretta Hammond’s chapter on Establishing Alliance in the Learning Partnership in her book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain.
Consider this
How would you describe your teaching stance? Where on the chart do you see yourself?
How might your students describe it? How could you find out?
How might you become a little more Warm Demander?
If you’re a Principal, us teachers need both warmth and high expectations too… where does the Warm Demander show up in your leadership stance?
From Chapter 6: Establishing Alliance in the Learning Partnership, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond.
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