Teach English in Liucun Zhen - Linfen Shi

Establishing rapport in a classroom environment, whether it’s rapport between the teacher and students or rapport between the students themselves is of vital importance as it determines the classroom dynamic, which in turn determines if the class is successful or not. The likelihood of students participating and contributing in lessons is far greater if there is a positive classroom atmosphere and the students all have a good relationship with the teacher. While the students themselves largely determines the atmosphere in the classroom, the teacher can help encourage and stimulate it by means of various approaches and his/her general attitude. There are various practical approaches to help establish rapport in a classroom environment with one of the most important approaches being getting to know each of your individual students better by showing personal interest in them and getting to know their names and some basic information about each of them as well as their interests which in turn will help you in the future to personalize activities around the interests of your students which in turn will help encourage motivation, participation and contribution. This approach is also vital for the students to establish rapport amongst themselves which will help them feel more comfortable and interact better with one another as well as share their opinions and ideas more easily and openly with one another. This is very important when it comes to all the various phases of a lesson, whether it be the Engage, Study or Activate phase. Rapport amongst students can also be encouraged by frequent use of pair/group work which forces interaction amongst students. It is also important to change/shuffle pairs and groups frequently so that students get a chance to work with a variety of different students and not just establish rapport with some students but try and establish rapport with all fellow students. Another good practical approach to help establish rapport amongst students is to encourage students to help each other as well as correct each other. This creates the sense that their fellow students are there if they need them and are willing to help them which will encourage participation especially amongst more reserved students. Frequently asking students for their comments and opinions is also a good practical approach to establish rapport between teacher and students as it assures the students that the teacher values their comments and opinions whether right or wrong. Having an ice breaking activity at the start of a course is also an excellent practical approach to establish rapport between teacher and students as well as amongst students themselves. This can also set the tone for the rest of the course. An ice breaking activity creates a less formal atmosphere and helps the students feel more relaxed. Activities such as games where the teacher also participates with the students can put the teacher in a less formal light and portray him/her as a less dominant figure which contributes to the student’s relaxed state and allowing them to feel more comfortable and willing to participate from the start. There are various other practical approaches that can be used to establish rapport in a classroom environment such as giving clear instructions, portraying a positive attitude at all times, maintaining good eye contact with students etc. Establishing rapport starts with the moment you first walk into a new classroom environment with a new group of students and you as teacher should start establishing rapport from that very moment & ties in with the significance of always being prepared and having an ice-breaking activity ready.