Building Rapport with Students
Just like a physical classroom, the online classroom needs to be optimized. There are three aspects to keep in mind when creating the best online classroom environment: background, distance, and lighting. Enhance the background by selecting a space that is not distracting and can be equipped with teaching tools (flashcards, reward system, etc.) to produce a great atmosphere. Teachers can prevent potential issues in the online learning environment by using a hardline internet connection instead of Wi-Fi, using quality technology (computer, headset, mouse), and consistently be monitoring equipment to certify everything is working correctly. The recommended way to monitor equipment is to conduct an IT test using the built-in function found in the classroom.
| Chinese Student | -Quiet-Calm-Reserved | -The teacher is highly regarded and admired. | -Memorization | -Dependent on teacher-Part of the group thought |
| English Student | -Loud-Open-Challenging | -The teacher is respected. | -Critical thinking | -Independent of teacher-Individual |
Extending vs. Transcending
Extending – There will be instances when a student shows an aptitude for the lesson content. This is an incredible opportunity for the student to build upon existing knowledge with guidance from the teacher. If time allows, a teacher should extend the material by relating lesson content to the student.
Transcending – Occasionally, students will struggle to speak about material on a slide. Talking about outside material that is related to slide content is one method to encourage student output. The goal is to build on students’ knowledge or help them understand content through relating content. This is a chart showing the difference between extending and transcending
Response Time
In a class, exercising a bit of patience (waiting 3 to 5 seconds) will provide the time a student needs to speak.
Speaking Confidence
If a student is struggling to respond, a teacher can ask a leading question without giving the answer to elicit a student response. A teacher is asking the student to take a significant risk when answering them. Rushing or interrupting a student will harm a student’s confidence so teachers should remain calm and ready to help. A student should be encouraged, not hurried. The amount of speaking time a student uses is extremely dependent on the teacher. Simply put, the more a teacher speaks the less time a student has to speak. In a typical class, teachers should strive for students to speak for a majority of the class. However, student expectations and teacher guidance vary between lower and higher level classes.
Rapport Building Goodbyes
After a great introduction and class time, a proper goodbye is all that is needed to finish off a good, rapport building class. For new students, teachers with the student well and speak as if there will be the next class together. This confirms that good rapport was had during class with a possibility of maintaining it in future classes. For Repeat Students, similar to the introduction, the teacher and student will go through their usual goodbye routine, whatever it may be (singing each other’s names, talent show time, making monkey noises). Again, this should confirm good rapport and make the possibility of a repeat student that much more likely.
Rapport Building Introductions
A consistent routine in a fun atmosphere is much more likely to yield a positive experience for students. Teachers should always greet the student, talk with them a bit, and make sure they are happy before moving on and starting class. After the teacher and student have established a connection, a foundation has been laid for having a good rapport. For New Students, A standard introduction engages the student from the initial greeting, then gauges their level, ability, and personality while familiarizing the student with the subject. This can be done by asking level-appropriate questions or through conversation. For Repeat Students, Unique greetings such as a secret handshake or a required password; anything special between the teacher and student. There should also be time for the teacher and student to catch-up and converse for higher level students, or review outside material for lower level students (maybe the teacher has them practice a nice thing to say to their parents that isn’t in the lesson plan). By being friendly and encouraging, teachers can positively influence the student and the class. Active listening isn’t only nodding the head and giving a response, it’s making and holding eye contact to observe the student and their output fully. After teachers do this, they can then start to engage the student.
- Art:
- -Smiling with arrows pointing to the smile on a character’s face
- -Two characters look eye to eye with dotted lines from one’s eyes to the others
- -A character scrunching their face and listening, pushing their ear toward another character
Here are some ways to check for understanding of content: Ask content questions. Ask true or false questions. Ask questions that involve the student. Ask the student to summarize the slide. Test vocabulary by using flashcards.