Rapport refers to the relationship that students and teachers build with each other during the learning process. A positive and friendly relationship between an instructor and a learner is needed to personalize learning and make the process simply fascinating. It is only when students and teachers connect that teaching can become exciting and simplified.
The secret to getting the best out of students is to build a rapport with them. Connecting with students is not about preaching but understanding and acknowledging their individuality and aspirations. For teaching a person in the best way possible, it is crucial to listen to him/her.
Building a rapport between teacher and student is not difficult if one is keen on this mission. Once this teacher-student rapport gets developed, delivering lectures and getting responses from students become a piece of cake with added respect and enhanced understanding.
How to Build Teacher-Student Rapport
Each student might need a different comfort level to open up to the instructor and discuss his/her expectations and targets. Therefore, it is the instructor's responsibility to make every student feel acknowledged and heard, to establish cordial relationships in the classroom.
Different techniques might be needed to build a connection with them. Here are some of the best ways to develop teacher-student rapport:
1.Spend time with your students
For personally engaging with students, a space outside the classroom is required. Teachers must take out time to talk to students, smile at them, and notice their behavior. Apart from this, it helps you welcome your students to your class. It is an excellent feeling to feel welcomed. By engaging in these little activities, you would notice that students already experience a connection with you.
2.Engage in extracurricular activities and clubs
To truly connect with students, facilitating interactions beyond the classroom setup is essential. Teachers can initiate book clubs, study groups, and other fun-filled activities positioned outside the curriculum. Coaching is an excellent way of connecting with students. Engaging in these activities provides avenues for learners to have fun and interact with teachers. It will also help a teacher in understanding the interests of his/her students, motivating them, and gaining their trust.
3. Meet students at school events
Once you are aware of the hobbies of students, you can meet them outside the classroom during school events. Joining a student for his/her tennis tournament or staying back for a soccer game can encourage the student. Even if you cannot stay for the entire game, show up for some time, and do not forget to drop in a comment about the game when you next see the students. It will help in establishing a connection with the students; show interest in their hobbies and passion.
4. Allow students their space
Even though engaging with students and building a good teacher-student rapport is essential, allowing them their space is a must. The instructor must understand that every student takes his/her own sweet time to open up and interact with teachers. If some students like to stay within their shells for a while, instructors must respect their choice. Students might initially feel uncomfortable discussing their issues with an instructor, so they must be given time. It is essential to tackle each student's case uniquely.
5. Look for the good in every student
Several students do not perform their best at school but have other positive qualities which get overlooked often. As an instructor, it is your responsibility to find some good in every student and encourage it. It helps in analyzing the strong points of a student. By looking beyond academic scores and performance of a student, a teacher can build a warm and trusting relationship with students. It is ultimately the responsibility of a teacher to look for the strengths in every student.
6. Be sincere and fair to your job
Becoming an instructor involves delivering lectures efficiently and understanding ways to reach out to every student individually. One needs to be passionate to engage with young minds and personalize education.
Disseminating appropriate information to students in the way best understood by them is an essential role of an instructor. Using multiple methods to infuse education with fun and simplify it is crucial to bridge the gap between teaching and learning and connect with students inside the classroom.
Apart from these strategies, focus on calling students by their names, explaining your method of teaching and course policies. You must also pay attention to rewarding and appreciating students, making eye contact with every student, being respectful to students, and being cheerful and positive throughout your working hours.
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