Building Rapport with Students
I feel one of the most important thing you can do to build rapport with the students is to show them that you do not know it all and make mistakes. Being a technical Instructor I some times but out wrong information. When I do, I'll get the whole class together for a "Pow Wow". This gives me the opportinity to correct my mistake and shows them my human side as well.
One other note from past experince. If you are sitting in another Instructor's class and he/she makes a mistake get with them on a break and talk about it. That way after break they can make the correction with the class themselves. Never try to correct he/she in front of the class. Doing so causes them to lose creditability.
I feel that being honest and trouthful with my students creates trust. I explain to them that I do not know everything and while they will learn from me I will learn new things from them.
Hi Diane,
I like your humble approach to helping your students. You are a subject matter expert (SME) that is willing to help your students in anyway you can. You also are willing to learn anything new that you can about teaching and your career area. This is the sign of a true professional.
Gary
I agree, even though we are professionals, we do not know everything. I always stress that to my students, that even I am still learning. I am always there for my students, my job is very important to me.
Hi Rickey,
Right you are about developing rapport with students. Working that closely with them for an extended period of time gives you real insight into their abilities and skills. This is what making teaching so enjoyable.
Gary
The auto collision repair industry is different in many ways than others.Teaching basic skills and techniques lets you do "hands on"experiance.This gives you an opportunity to build rapport by explaining things you have tried and seen,some successfull,some not.This creates a learning enviroment without the fear of failure.
If comments from students are encourged, I think it is important for the instructor to respond to those comments before asking further questions. Don't you?
Hi Marina,
Well said. The key is respect. If your are fair, consistent and competent in your career field your students will respect you. Often times new instructors strive to be liked more that to be respected and as a result they often lose control of their classes.
Gary
Hi William,
Excellent advice for new instructors. Be human and be professional and strive for improvement in all that you do. By doing the above mentioned items and following your advice new instructors will be ready to face a variety of situations and students.
Gary
As a female in a world dominated by men it is very difficult to bypass the need to show everyone that I can do the job. On the other hand, I have come to realize that the less you try to be impressive the more impressed the students end up becoming. My recommendation to all instructors is that we get past our desire to be liked and admired and focus on making sure that the students are getting the best possible education they can get. At the end of the day, seing a student graduate and become successful in his/her field is the greatest compliment we can ever hope for.
All great replies.
Some of the issues I have observed over the years as an instructor appears to be the need for an instructor to impress the students no matter what, up to and including false information. We should be experienced and knowledgable, we also have the right to forget. Making a mistake and admitting it shows accountability and integrity, something we want to instill in a tech. I have seen far too many coverups in the field by techs to avoid admitting they blundered. I do not know everything and have forgotten many things, as Manuel stated "allow the class to learn with you in finding the solution." it shows we too are human and not perfect
I agree an instuctor should admitting when he makes an error and allow the class to learn with you in finding the solution.
Hi Pamela,
Great job on discussing how to handle the "mistake" situation. You are right. Admit it, learn from it, and move on. Also, the learning part is most important. It is how we instructors learn from the mistake or grow from it.
Gary
I concur with the "come clean" & "I made a mistake" admission from an instructor. I would add that its valuable to now know about something I was not clear about - or I may not have even been aware of until now that I did not know. I also attempt to learn something from the mistake - so there is some value gleaned in the experience. ie: Admit it - learn from it - then move on. Sometimes the making of a mistake opens up the mind to think about something in a new way.
I have always told my students that knowing where to find answers is more important than memorizing 50 answers.
Hi David,
You are right on in terms of instructors needing to establish rapport with their students. What have you found to be the most effective ways of creating rapport with your student population?
Gary
How can learning occur when knowledge of the target audience is absent? i believe it is important to build a rapport of trust with students so open communication and dialog can occur.
On several occassions, there are students who will like to participate in class discussion but will refrain because he or she might feel inadequate and not as smart as the other students. However, if the instructor takes time to buid a rapport with each of his students they can diaolog and find a solution.
Hi Brian,
This is a great learning tool. While you are searching for the answer your students can be doing the same and then you all can compare your answers to see if you both find the correct ones. Learning by exploration and inquiry is very good since it really helps the learners to remember what they have found out and learned.
Gary
I agree, no one knows everything about everything. In the technical world there is so many possibilities to tons of situations so there is no way an instructor knows it all. When I am confronted with a question that is asked that I don't have the CORRECT answer; I tell the class that I will get the correct answer so it is not a guessing game. The answer might come right away but I use all my resources to make sure it is explained so everyone in the class understands.
I agree> If you do not build rapport with the students, you will not be able to connect with them.
