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Establishing RapportTo build and sustain a relationship with a student, the teacher must build a rapport with them. This will also help the teacher as the student will be more willing to listen to and follow instructions. Teachers must be able to understand and appreciate the needs of their students. A genuine interest in the students is imperative as any falseness will be detected by the class and they will become dubious of the teacher. The teacher should design parts of the lesson to build rapport regularly throughout the academic year to ensure student / teacher trust is still strong, and to maintain a good relationship with the class. At the beginning of a school year or term, when teaching a new class, building rapport could not be more important and the teacher?s personality will play a huge part in establishing bonds with the pupils. A good way to start will be to introduce yourself; students need to know you are accessible and an individual. Tell the class a bit about yourself, where you?re from, what you like to be called and ask the students to do the same. Get them to hang their name off their desks and write yours on the board for reference if forgotten. Students tend to work harder when they are called by their name as it is more personal. Letting the students know your enthusiasm for teaching english and your background will let the students see your interest in the subject, and themselves as individuals. Tell them about your hobbies and interests and ask them to reciprocate. Once the introductions are done, ice breakers such as fun games and activities are always useful. The teacher and students can have fun whilst learning more about each other, therefore creating a stronger rapport. Find out about each student, where they work, their hobbies, what else they are studying, motivations for learning english, where they live and their life dreams and aspirations. Discovering this information is not much use if the teacher then forgets it and does not incorporate their findings into personalising lessons to the class and individuals. Arriving early or staying late to let students ask you questions or talk to you about something they perhaps are not comfortable discussing in front of the class is an excellent way to create a good impression with the students: it shows you?re caring, you have a genuine interest in them as individuals and you are approachable. Throughout the term / year, keeping good eye contact, smiling and personalising activities to the class and individuals is brilliant for keeping the bond and rapport strong. Using body language and making use of the space in the classroom will keep students interested and engaged. Make sure that any efforts your students make must be rewarded, by praise, little presents / prizes and recognition. Always be patient with the class, allow them to process the information and give them time to think of the answers. If you don?t know the answer to a question, be honest. The students will appreciate honesty and will be able to see through any lies or falseness and as a consequence will lose respect. Students will be able to see if you enjoy teaching them, and will respond positively. If you dislike teaching english, again the students will recognise this and they will react negatively.
