Being a new teacher in an ESL learning environment is not easy. There are so many cultural gaps in between that are unavoidable. Plus there is a substantial language barrier the ESL teacher faces. Building Rapport in your ESL Classroom is essentially a priority. Whether you are teaching online or offline, building that trust and mutual respect between you and your students makes the learning environment a safe place.
Since we know how integral it is to engage learners for effective lesson delivery and it can only be done when learners feel connected with the teacher.In a classroom building rapport is a must-have.Rapport building is all about developing trust, respect and a relaxed environment where the student feels held by the teacher and they feel capable, motivated, and creative to express their potential while studying.
3 StrategiesToBuild Rapport With Your ESL Learners –
Be Keen On Your Students
The groundwork of creating rapport with your ESL students is to ensure you are taking time in knowing your students. When you show interest to know them, you reflect your sincerity that each of them matters. You can simply learn their name as your first step and then get to know them on a personal level, by listening genuinely and asking follow-up questions to know them personally.
This will also increase your chances of designing the learning activities that are in alignment with their likes, interest, and learning style. When learners discover that their teacher is interested in their personal lives, they will be more open to engagement.
Be Culturally Sensitive
Cultural sensitivity is fundamental in an ESL classroom. as you will be teaching English to non-native speakers, you need to make sure you are acquainted with their cultural norms and that you and your teaching are respectful towards their customs and culture. Cultural appropriation in ESL classrooms is becoming a prevalent talk in the educational industry. While it may be hard to practice, nevertheless, building rapport of incomplete without understanding your learners' way of life.
Use Group Activities
Group activities are useful in so many ways. It enhances the interaction and enables the teacher to create a collaborative environment. Often, when you, as a teacher, who is an outside person to your learner, they may take time in breaking the ice with you(reframe the sentence). Group activities can bring them out to a lot of personalities in the class without much hesitation and when you enjoy the task, they become more open and expressive.
For instance, learners might think they are being polite by staying quiet in class; however, this can create an uncomfortable dynamic for the teacher especially when the teacher wants a leaner's involvement. Try splitting your learners up into small groups, and let them work on activities such as role-play, dialogues to present the class together.
TEFLers Takeaway
Building Rapport in your ESL Classroom may take time but is certainly worth all the patience. And since the ESL learning environment is more prone to attract diversity in the classroom it goes without saying, developing an authentic connection with individual learners is part of an ESL teacher’s job. While you don’t necessarily need to be forgetful about being professional as a teacher but you certainly need to maintain an atmosphere of synchronicity with your learners using your friendly nature.
Many times, building rapport may not be an immediate success and the truth is a lot of the time each different class has its unique dynamics. But over time when the teacher begins to feel more comfortable, and you put in your time and effort, with the TEFL course in Kolkata your confidence can lead to opening students instantaneously. ESL learners' experience in your classroom will be rewarding, and we all know that is our ultimate goal as an English teacher abroad.
Written By : Soma Adhikari
