How To Improve Student Teacher Rapport

Children are usually only five or six years old when they start school.

Many kids feel overwhelmed by this transitional period.

Some children may display poor behavior in the classroom, on the playground, or at home in response to this inner turmoil whilst others might not show any signs of the upset that they are experiencing.

It's a teacher’s job to develop a good connection with each and every one of their new students and to help them to look at learning as a positive experience.

Once a truly positive and mutually respectful relationship has been established, the teacher will be able to motivate each pupil to the greatest extent possible.

Naturally, there may be some student-teacher relationships that don't develop as smoothly because of disruptive or bad behavior, excess energy or even  learning disabilities. This is something that the teacher has to identify and overcome quickly in order to truly understand the child and find out the best ways to motivate him or her.

This approach to developing a positive relationship with a student can be referred to by many terms, but we will call it the “welcoming factor” in this ebook.

Generally, there are two ways that the welcoming factor influences student outcome:

When a teacher is liked by the student, they receive the child’s respect. Most experienced teachers and classroom helpers understand that students are best motivated by people (their teachers and parent helpers) rather than concepts or programs.

This translates to intrinsic motivation because the student wants to engage directly with their teacher to take in the subject matter which is being covered in the classroom and various discussions. Simply put, “If the teacher likes this stuff, and I like the teacher, then I want to really learn all about it too.”

Bonding with each student traditionally encourages even the most disruptive or combative children to recognize that they like their teacher. This makes it difficult for them to continue being antagonistic in any way and instead forces them to redirect their energies to the classroom discussions and tasks.

Because the development of the bond requires the teacher to reach out to their student in an unconditional and non-judgmental way, the student is intrinsically motivated to channel once problematic behaviors into far more productive ones. Simply put, “My teacher really listens to me even though I may have acted badly or not done so well with some of my work, so I know that paying attention to him/her is a good thing to do.”

There are many ways that a teacher can create the welcoming factor in their classroom each and every day. This could be through:

• Greeting students individually.
• Making sure to have physical contact with each one through a pat on the back, a reassuring hand on their arm or shoulder, or even a hug.
• Active listening on the part of the teacher.

The first connections a child makes at school will tend to influence how they feel about the entire educational experience. It is important that the teacher instantly create a welcoming and mutually respectful environment in order for student-teacher rapport to begin to develop.

How can this welcoming factor be created?

As stated earlier, it all begins very early.

One good approach can take place on the very first day of school where the teacher could require that each child officially greet them at the start of each school day.

They can be given a choice between three different ways to deliver their greeting:

1) They can simply look the teacher in the eye and say hello.

2) They can use a formal handshake.

3) They can enjoy a very casual and informal “high-five” with their teacher.

What would this exchange do?

First, it provides a formal opening to each school day and is as a convenient way to settle down the students.

Next, it allows the child to choose a different way to respectfully speak to their teacher, and also allows them to see that their teacher is accepting of them regardless of the approach selected.

Finally, it allows the teacher to understand each child a bit more through their choices.

For example, a bolder and more confident child will probably opt for the high-five right away, while a shy or reluctant student might simply opt for the spoken greeting.

Such a system can work to gauge the student’s mood and progress where their confidence is concerned. It will also allow the teacher to measure if they are succeeding at establishing a welcoming and positive rapport with each student.

Should this be something that is fostered through extrinsic motivational tactics?

For example, should each student receive something for delivering the daily greeting?

Most teachers would say no to that because the pleasure of connecting with their teacher and sharing a moment of communication should be the reward. If the student is only saying hello to get a sticker or some sort of classroom currency then the motivation is not beneficial to the development of the student-teacher rapport.

There are many ways that a teacher can welcome students into their classrooms.

It is important for all students to feel a sense of belonging and a connection to their teacher. As the old saying goes, “Students don’t care what you know until they first know that you care.”

By connecting with each individual on a daily basis, even if it is through something as simple as a daily greeting, the teacher is staying connected to the student and demonstrating that each of them matters a great deal.

Many educational experts talk about teaching styles and attitudes. They usually use words such as “invitational” and “disinvitational” to show how the teacher is approaching their relationship with each student.

Interestingly enough, a teacher can be intentionally or unintentionally one or the other. They might be unintentionally inviting by unconsciously providing positive words and praise when a student does well, or they may be intentionally disinviting by using judgmental words and phrases when speaking directly to a student.

For instance, the teacher who says, “Could you please just do the assigned work once in a while?” is intentionally disinviting to the student because the phrase is dripping with judgment and negativity. It is laying out the idea that the student is a constant source of disappointment and a failure.

On the other hand, the teacher who responds to the student who fails to do the assigned work with, “Well, you can do it if you really try” is being intentionally inviting by establishing that they believe in the student and that they expect them to try.

To develop the welcoming factor to its strongest degree, a teacher must understand what attitude they are using with each individual. Only then can they know with absolute certainty that they are truly inviting their students into the classroom and the learning environment, and giving them that powerful sense of connection that leads to self-motivational behaviors.

An invitational teacher is telling the student that they are important, interesting and significant, regardless of the class size, the individual’s personal capabilities or limitations, and the status of other students in the same class. Such a teacher is making the learning experience fun arewarding for all involved because they are letting each student know that they can achieve their goals if they just try. 

While a supportive student-teacher relationship may appear as extrinsic motivation, i.e. the student is working hard to please the teacher that they respect – it is also simultaneously intrinsic motivation too. The student is actually engaging in the learning process because of its meaning to him/her, and not about what they might receive from the teacher. They may not understand or perceive that they are developing a large measure of self-respect and personal satisfaction from successful learning, but that is the payoff for their hard work and developing motivation.

The student can commit to such a high degree of effort and challenge because they receive constant reinforcement and encouragement from their teacher.

An invitational teacher who works to develop a good rapport with each student is often seen by the student as “having their back”. This means that they are well aware of the support which their teacher is happy to offer and with which they cannot truly fail at any learning or educational endeavor.