Image by: Keerati
Building rapport is essential in any organization. In a school setting, developing student/teacher and parent/teacher rapport can lead to increased learning. Developing a positive relationship takes time and is often not discussed in teacher preparation courses. Like many teachers find out, this topic is often part of the ‘on-the-job’ experience and evident during the first year of teaching.
To be an effective teacher, students need to understand that everyone at the school is there to support their learning. Building student rapport is vital and that positive relationship often encourages students to learn at optimal levels. Having stellar rapport can lead to increased student confidence. Increased student confidence may lead to increased achievement. How do you build appropriate student/teacher rapport? The list below isn’t all-encompassing, but I’ve used and found success with many of the ideas below. I’ve included a link in each line for more information.
- Create a survey to learn more about the students that you teach
- Play games
- Be strategic with your seat planning
- Use humor
- Encourage discussion
- Show enthusiasm
- Create engaging lessons
- Set clear expectations
- Tell stories
- Listen actively
- Offer choices
- Give individual feedback
- Recognize effort
- Communicate that mistakes happen
- Allow student input
What are some activities or strategies that you use to improve rapport?
Educational Aspirations 