Three Ways to Build Rapport with Students?

Answer 1

As an educator, it is very important to build a relationship with one's students. The relationship should strictly be school-related in which both the teacher and students are aware that this working relationship will help them in the classroom. There are several ways to build rapport with students.

One way is to get to know each student as a person. Children understand that they come to school to learn, but they also want their teacher to notice them. Teachers should spend at least five minutes with two or three students just by asking how their day went. This will spark a conversation that can help students realize that teachers do have a life outside of school. In the same token, teachers can begin how to understand a child's thinking based upon their experiences in their life.

A second way to build rapport is to share meaningful personal stories related to content learned in the classroom. For example, if one is a math teacher teaching discounts, sales tax, or mark-ups, then he or she can discuss past shopping experiences to help students understand how these topics are used in life. Also, it would be good to have a couple of students share their own shopping experiences to keep a rich discussion and genuine interest in learning the content. During this discussion, the math teacher should also explain the importance of mark-ups when owning one's own business. This will be a sure way to gain students interest and help show them that teachers really do care about students learning new information.

A third way to build rapport is to eat lunch with students. While it is not a good idea to meet with them every day because teachers also need to bond with their fellow colleagues or complete tasks during their lunch period to make sure that their next lesson is ready for students. A good rule of thumb is to eat lunch with students once or twice a week. For example, if one designate Fridays as the day that students will eat with the teacher, then students will be fine with this. Believe it or not, students want to eat with their teacher and it is a positive way to build a learning relationship with one's students.

Students want to have a positive relationship with their teachers and it is very important for teachers to find ways during school hours to bond with their students so that children want to learn from their teachers.