BUILDING RAPPORT WITH YOUR STUDENTS

LESLEY STRAWDERMAN, PHD, PE

PROFESSOR & INTERNATIONAL PAPER CHAIR

UNDERGRADUATE COORDINATOR

INDUSTRIAL & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

AUGUST 16, 2018

TODAY’S AGENDA

Fundamental Teaching Tenets

Rapport – Why?

Rapport – How?

Overcoming Obstacles

Quotes from Students and Teachers

Best Practices

Q&A / Troubleshooting

FUNDAMENTAL TEACHING TENETS

Respect

Honesty

Transparency

Fairness

RAPPORT – WHY?

Improved classroom engagement

More questions, open communication

Excitement about class topics

Equal investment of energy, concern, commitment

Team-approach to tough topics (trust, comfort)

Academic honesty

Improved retention and performance

Instructor satisfaction and well-being

RAPPORT – HOW?

Show genuine interest in your students

Chit-chat before class

Learn student names

Student information sheets

Share stories about yourself!

Don’t be afraid of vulnerability

Admit when you’re wrong!

Show grace in correcting mistakes

Gather student feedback

Bad jokes go a long way…

Be caring

Follow-up emails

Smile and make eye contact!

RAPPORT – HOW?

Advocate for your students

Be a listening ear, sounding board for other stressors

Remember they have a life outside of your class

DON’T overstep here

Communicate clearly and often

How to start/end each class

Interact more, lecture less

Be approachable and accessible!

Show enthusiasm and passion for topic

Tell them which topics are your favorite

Share personal experiences

RAPPORT – OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

“I don’t have time to socialize”

“Students don’t like me”

“I’m afraid they will take advantage of me”

“My job is the content, not the relationship”

Others?

THOUGHTS FROM MSU TEACHERS

I have started having students fill out a student profile form. The form asks them a few questions and has a place where they can tell me something interesting about themselves. It's been useful in my large classes because I find out a great deal of information that I would not know otherwise. Also, I incorporate examples into class based on the info their profiles contain.

I have a bunch of joke memes about “It’s in the syllabus” that I use in my introductory go-over-the-syllabus lecture that ends with a meme saying “Teacher tries to be cool by including a bunch of memes in her lecture”. I also always wear my day one t-shirt that says “If I’m Talking, You Should Be Taking Notes.”

My advice for new teachers is about the first day—I always think that if I expect the students to talk in class throughout the semester, then, no matter how briefly or how minor it is, I should get them talking on the first day. “Break the ice and keep it broken.”

THOUGHTS FROM STUDENTS – BUILDING RAPPORT

He is very eager to help us, as well as help us get the best grade possible and improve.

She is very enthusiastic about what she is teaching and likes doing her job.

He is really laid back when talking to us… and he’ll make jokes and stuff that make us laugh and feel comfortable.

When it comes to grades, all marks are commented upon so that the grade is fair. We, as students, know what is

expected of us and therefore know how to obtain the grade we want.

He listens to our contributions and tries to respond to them specifically. Everyone’s ideas and questions are

respect[ed] and answered.

She clearly understands the life of an undergraduate student.

He is very personable and easy to talk to.

From: Webb, Nathan, and Laura Obrycki Barrett. "Student views of instructor-student rapport in the

college classroom." Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 14.2 (2014): 15-28.

THOUGHTS FROM STUDENTS – HURTING RAPPORT

I feel that the rapport is okay in class. Our teacher gets angry easily but he is also very nice at times. He is a little

tricky to understand.

I don’t feel like my instructor [built] any rapport with me or the other students enrolled in the class. He missed

six classes of a Tuesday/Thursday section.

His lectures rarely pertained to what was actually in the book. Instead he told complicated “debate team” lectures

that only slightly related to the readings, which we never discussed in class.

He changed assignment due dates on short notice.

From: Webb, Nathan, and Laura Obrycki Barrett. "Student views of instructor-student rapport in the

college classroom." Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 14.2 (2014): 15-28.

BEST PRACTICES

TALK to your students

Remember that each student and teacher is a PERSON

Emphasize RESPECT

Be HONEST in all of your interactions

Show TRANSPARENCY in grading and assignments

Be FAIR to all students

REMEMBER what you enjoyed as a student

ENJOY teaching!

Q&A / TROUBLESHOOTING