Teach English in CaojiAdu Jiedao - Shanghai Shi

Establishing RapportIn the pursuit of facilitating student growth and development in the classroom, the question of ?how? to go about doing this often appears more illusive than it might seem. There are many factors which play into the creation of a successful learning environment, not the least of which is the relationship between the students and the teacher. In fact, this student-teacher relationship may very well be one of the most influential factors in student development. In essence, what one is talking about here is the process of building up rapport within the classroom. This concept of rapport involves a number of different things, as some professors from Auburn University have summarized, it mainly involves the following: ? The degree to which students accept and acknowledge the goals portrayed by the teacher and how they play out in the class; ? The students willingness and ability to progress towards such goals; ? The teachers ability to care for the students in such a way as to assist their growth and development; ? And lastly, the relationship and connection made between the students and teacher on an emotional level which thus contributes to the student?s motivation to participate in the class and in the learning process. By understanding these above concepts related to rapport, one then can see the importance that student-teacher relationships in facilitating a constructive learning environment. Unfortunately, teachers too often ignore the importance of establishing rapport with their students. They believe this will naturally happen over time, and that it requires no direct work or focus. This view does not prove to be an effective way to address such a critical aspect of ESL education. Rapport should be integrated into lesson plans, and seen as an integral part of student development and english learning. The benefits to putting rapport as focus are evident: students will have greater respect for the teacher, communication will be smoother, students will feel more comfortable in class, and they will be more willing to learn. If there is no relationship between the teacher and students, then the teacher cannot fulfill their obligation to seek out what is best for the students, because in essence they do not know the students or what is best for them. There is no ?one way? to build rapport with students. Some teachers use games, others have discussions, and many will come up with their own special ways of building meaningful relationships with students. Yet, a common trend in successful relationship development is that it must be a somewhat regular occurrence, and not pushed aside as a peripheral concept of little importance. This is not to say building rapport is a mechanical process. On the contrary it should be quite natural, and may not involve too much structure or organization at all, and yet it needs to be incorporated into class time in some way or another. Many forms of building rapport are actually easily integrated into normal class interaction. For instance, simple encouragement and praise from a teacher can build a profound sense of self-confidence and accomplishment for a student, resulting in a greater desire to engage and learn. By genuinely encouraging students the teacher is growing the relationship in a positive direction, and yet this must not be overused, as students can tell when teachers are being ?fake?. As a final point to be made on the issue of establishing rapport, one must consider one final group not yet mentioned; parents. Teachers often forget this all too important aspect of effective relationship building. They assume their role is only in relation to the students themselves, and in that they have a flawed understanding of how education works. Education does not occur in an isolated context. Education is a product of not only what happens in the classroom, but also what happens outside of the classroom; this involves how concepts are encourage, reinforced, applied and developed in the social context the students face everyday. The role of parents in student growth cannot be overemphasized. And if this is the case, then the importance of the teacher-parent relationship is also of critical importance. As John Myers put it, ?Parents play a vital role in helping their child to learn the skills necessary to succeed in school. Teachers and schools have an obligation to reach out to parents in the community in order to open and maintain a continuous dialogue to elicit an effective collaboration between the school and the home.? It is with this understanding that it becomes clear that a teacher must work towards developing positive rapport with not only students, but also with parents and the surrounding community; all for the sake of successful student growth and development.