Virtual K-8 Teaching: A Handbook for Building Productive Teacher-Student Relationships is a deep dive into the ways in which virtual K-8 teachers build those ever-elusive relationships with virtual students. Virtual K-8 teachers rarely, if ever, see their students in-person and yet are expected to build meaningful and productive relationships with them. The literature on this topic was analyzed and discussed. Eight virtual middle-school teachers were interviewed, as well. These teachers shared stories, tips and tricks.
Concerning the building of meaningful and productive teacher-student relationships in virtual settings, the research brought about many common threads, including student engagement, teacher academic and social presence, the nurturing of student sense of belonging, bridging the transactional distance gap and the importance of the student’s educational community. Also, emerging throughout was an immediately useful collection of teacher tips and tricks for creating productive, safe spaces that foster success of the K-8 virtual student. Ultimately, teacher-student relationships were found to be crucial in the overall success of the virtual K-8 student.