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As a teacher, the success of your class and your students learning largely rests in establishing rapport in the classroom. A fun, safe, engaging atmosphere lends itself to students feeling relaxed and excited to participate in the learning activities. When students feel intimidated or uneasy speaking out loud and participating in the class their learning of any given subject can and likely will be hindered. Being mindful and educated on the ways to establish rapport will not only help myself but any teacher wanting his or her class to be an environment conducive to learning, lots of participation in classroom dialogue, and just plain having fun with your students. Learning the techniques of establishing rapport, thus turning your classroom from what could be an awkward, aloof, unsociable place to a space full of motivated students, discussion, and laughter, is of high importance for learning. One of the most basic techniques, and one that should happen at the very beginning of the course, is to learn your students’ names and have them introduce themselves to you. Furthermore, icebreaking activities set a fun tone and will get everyone talking to not only the teacher but to each other as well. This can be the first opportunity in the course to establish a safe, enjoyable environment where you and the students are talking and laughing together. Calling on your student by name and being very cognizant to include all of your students will add to the dynamic that everyone is a part of the group and will participate. One of the simplest techniques to make anyone feel comfortable is to smile. It reveals that you as the teacher are friendly, relaxed, and approachable. Another key factor in creating an interactive space is how you decide to set up the classroom layout. You may want to make a U shape if it is a smaller class or set the chairs up in groups. These layouts let the students interact with each other easily and build rapport amongst each other. Other factors in building rapport are making sure you know when it is necessary to correct a student and when it is not. Not every mistake needs correction and not every moment is a good moment to do it. Often times students will correct each other which may be a bit more comfortable, as it feels more like help from peers rather than correction. There are many consequences of not building rapport in your classroom. Students may not feel comfortable to answer out loud or discuss anything in front of the class if there is no rapport. This can lead to students not asking questions when they don’t understand something or need further clarification. Then this leads to not learning the amount of material they may have been capable of learning if there was rapport and they asked questions to get clarification. Not building rapport can also lead to students not wanting to participate in class activities and may even cause students to not pay attention to the material being taught. Not having rapport is a huge hindrance to the student learning and education. So, have fun with your students, know their names, smile and laugh a lot, create fun group activities, and genuinely enjoy the time you get to spend with you students. I look forward to mine.
