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Rapport, according to the Oxford dictionary is a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well. The teaching profession deals exclusively with people and understanding how to communicate with them in a manner that is effective and relevant becomes paramount. I always believed that the very first step to getting a piece of knowledge across is making sure that the person you are interacting with is comfortable with the surroundings, you as a teacher and is open to receive and interact with the teachings. To do so, establishing a good, possibly at times great rapport with the students is my very first concern in the classroom, There are many "tricks" and tips that can be used but ultimately we all have our own personalities as a teacher. There is no set formula to make sure students listen to you. You do not need to be a flamboyant person or an entertainer to maintain a student's attention. However, I believe that, as the dictionary says, it is important to understand the student's feelings and always be mindful that you as a teacher have a great influence on how the class can develop. In the course, we have learned a few ways to establish rapport, among them: - Making seating arrangments being aware of students getting along. - Having an ice-breaking activity at the beginning of the course. - Getting students to help each other. - Not letting individual students dominate the class. - Being positive and showing personal interest. - Never forgetting to smile. To this list, I would add the teacher's ability to adapt to the circumstances, not only of the actual teaching place but also the country and the present moment in time. One such example can be the teacher's flexibility of teaching outdoors(situation permitting) instead of in the classroom when it is a nice day and the students have had to endure a long and dark winter. Another example is understanding that the previous night was an important national festival and the students had little sleep. Their focus is not at 100% early in the morning. To me particularly, I find that I never start a class focusing on materials or teachings. I always start with a good look in each student's eyes followed by a personal question that can be: How are you?; What did you do last weekend?; Did you watch the game last night? or a simple It's hot today, isn't it?. By making sure I ask these things they not only have a chance to speak, which boosts their confidence, they invariably see this as a personal touch of mine. It is human nature that makes us warm and open when someone takes time to care about us. As I have mentioned before, being open is the first key to learning something new. On the other hand, it is important, not to confuse good rapport with allowing students to have bad behavior. It is up to the teacher to allow the delicate balance of having people interested and participating but making sure that they always know that there is a line between what is appropriate and what is not. Such a line can be drawn by the school but often it is common sense and a strong knowledge of your cultural surroundings that define it. In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm the utmost importance of a good relationship between the students and the teacher. As an educator, you want to part your knowledge with the pupils and it all starts with a good rapport.
