Answer to Question 1
Teachers who are able to develop positive teacher-student relationships are supportive and are able to create emotionally safe and low-conflict learning environments. Further, a positive teacherstudent relationship contributes to students' intrinsic motivation and provides a foundation for future motivation and academic achievement. This relationship is particularly important for children who are academically at-risk and/or who come from predominantly low-income and ethnic minority backgrounds. Teachers who create positive relationships with students also tend to focus on increasing understanding, emphasize that grades take care of themselves if students understand content, avoid social comparisons among students, and use assessment primarily as a tool for increasing learning.
Answer to Question 2
Several differences exist between a mastery-focused and a performance-focused classroom. For example: (1) a mastery-focused classroom focuses on improvement, whereas a performance-focused classroom focuses on high grades and doing better than classmates; (2) value is placed on effort in a mastery-focused classroom, whereas high grades are valued in a performance-focused classroom; (3) increased understanding is the reason for effort in a mastery-focused classroom, whereas getting high grades is the reason for effort in a performance-focused classroom; (4) ability is viewed as alterable in a mastery-focused classroom, whereas ability is viewed as fixed in a performance-focused classroom; and