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Establishing rapport is one of the most important aspects a teacher can focus on in order to ensure the success of their teaching, their relationship with individual students, as well as the success of the classroom as a whole. The benefits of a positive relationship between the teacher and their students ultimately feed into each other, creating an easier, more enjoyable learning environment for the entire class. There are various ways in which a teacher can alter their own behaviour to establish rapport. The way teachers manage how students engage with each other can establish rapport and lead to a better class environment as well. In order to establish rapport, one of the main goals is for the overall classroom environment to feel fun, enjoyable, relaxed, and not intimidating. Regardless of a teacher’s personality, it is possible to build rapport through physical mannerisms like eye contact, gestures, voice, and smiling. Students inevitably play off a teacher’s attitude that they bring to the classroom, so it is essential that a teacher behaves in a way that is conducive to creating a good classroom atmosphere, as well as teacher-student relationship. When students feel comfortable in the classroom and with their teacher, they will in turn engage and interact, overwhelmingly more than if they were in a more intimidating, nerve-inducing environment. Not only is this significant in student engagement, but it will then raise their overall confidence in the classroom/with learning in general. Another way to establish rapport is making sure that individual students feel seen, heard, respected and attended to by their teacher. An obvious but important way a teacher can make individual students feel cared for is by knowing all their students names and engaging with them personally. To establish rapport and also keep lessons interesting and motivating, teachers can personalize activities to their students’ interests. Rapport in the classroom isn’t only about the relationship of teacher to the students, but also how comfortable the classroom feels as a whole, including how well the students engage with one another. It is up to the teacher to facilitate positive interactions and engagements between the students, while ideally enhancing learning as well. Good ways for teachers to do this include things like pair and group work that’s varied but also keeps students relationships with each other in mind, as well as seating arrangements that are beneficial to the class communicating effectively. It is undeniably essential that the students relationships with each other affect the class productivity and mood as a whole. Good rapport is also important with regards to discipline as well. If a teacher doesn’t have a good relationship or rapport with their students, they may find it hard to control the classroom or discipline certain students. For a teacher to have successful discipline techniques, it is important for students to respect them. Respect should go both ways, which is why students will be more responsive to a teacher that they feel respects them as well. Ultimately, establishing rapport is extremely significant in the classroom. It makes teaching easier for the teacher, by having eager to engage, happy, relaxed students. It undeniably creates a better learning environment for individual students when they feel personally seen and respected by the teacher, and comfortable and confident enough to regularly engage. The entire classroom as a whole benefits as it can be a productive, happy, fun environment.
