By, Edwardo Mojena
Not to establishing rapport with the students they will not open up to you in the class room. When the student is afraid they will not learn as much.
Hi Kay,
Right you are. Trust leads to respect and rapport both essential ingredients for learning and teaching success.
Gary
Instructors need to develop a trust with their students so the students feel they will learn from the instructor and be supported in that learning process. Rapport leads to an easy relationship with the instructor where the student is comfortable in asking questions and seeking help. Rapport helps keep struggling students in class.
Hi Melonie,
So true. Trust, respect and rapport are all essential ingredients for teaching success.
Gary
Rapport determines how sucessful you will be at relaying the information. If the students dont trust or believe you, they will not retain the best of what you have to teach them.
Rapport I believe is the foundation for the class. Once the student understands that his or her interactions in life are not unique, although circumstances may vary, the instructor then can relate to being part of human situations and able to relate to the unique circumstances of each student. Caution needs to be exercised at this point. Although part of the human situation, the instructor needs to maintain the leadership role. If clouded or undefined the role of teacher, defined as experience in practical application, or educator defined as application of knowledge in the practical situations, is of no value.
I believe it is very important because it allows you to form a relationship with the students so they feel comfortable asking questions, giving examples of class content, and most especially, coming to you for help.
Because it shows you respect and care about them. There is a lot that goes into building this rapport; however, the main ingredient is communication and how I respond to each student, such as not embarassing them or humiliating them in class. I find that being a good listener and being non-judgmental goes a long way. I always try to keep the lines of communication open regardless of my opinions. I also try to model the behavior I want my students to imitate. I work in a hospital where I might be the first person that anxious patient or visitor sees and I must create a positive and caring experience for this person. Just like the classroom, I am responsible for setting the stage or influencing how students feel about their entire educational experience. I am going into my fourth term and I have developed rapports with several students and it's such a great and rewarding experience.
Hi Trevor,
Right you are about the need for students to feel comfortable with the instructor. Instructors need to work at earning the respect of their students while creating rapport with them. These connections will help to keep the students engaged throughout the course.
Gary
Students will not feel comfortable if they don't trust an instructor. Comfort is key in allowing a student's mind to absorb information. Without rapport with students, an instructor cannot have a comfortable classroom.
I agree. I have gained strong following and respect from students that I have good rapport with.
You will lose thier interest if you do not have rapport
Rapport is crucial toward cultivating student success. An instructor can create a winning environment with great student rapport which, in turn, will make motivating students much easier. Because of the success of student rapport, class buy-in is accepted as well as students rising to accept the challenge of becoming better. In the end, I believe students will be appreciative of their effort and success because the instructor never waivered in their belief of the students.
Hi Kamille,
Yes, they will. Respect is a two way street and has to be earned by both parties. This is why the instructor needs to know as much as he/she can about the students so he/she can provide the needed support at the right time.
Gary
Identifying and building rapport with students is crucial to making the learning environment all that it can be. Adult students want to be treated as adults. They want to be valued as individuals with experience and the desire to succeed. It is so important to establish this by fostering mutual respect between the students and the instructor. When a student feels valued, he or she will trust the instructor and be more likely to invest him or herself in the course.
I feel that having a rapport with my students helps the entire class move forward. It helps to keep everyone on pace to the task at hand.
Hi Louis,
Trust, respect and rapport are three key words to teaching success. You are right on with your comments about the need for developing them with students.
Gary
I believe the trust in developing rapport is enhanced by your own experiential feelings and stories of building trust with new bosses, companies and responsibilities.
Hi Travis,
Can't say too much about rapport. Rapport really helps to keep students engaged and focused on the course for the duration. All instructors need to realize its' importance and strive to create it with each student.
Gary
A good rapport helps to open the communication between student and teacher. When students feel that you are approachable they will not be afraid to ask questions for things that may need clarification or if they are struggling for other reasons be it financial or personal. Having this good rapport keeps you in touch with your students and their learning process, this allows you to adapt the class around your students and to customize it as you see fit.
