Building Rapport as a Student Teacher

For students studying education, prac placement is often your first chance to step into the classroom since your own school days. In amongst the excitement and the nerves—and that’s completely normal, by the way—prac provides a taste of what lies ahead in your chosen career as an educator.

Whether it’s your first rodeo or you have a bit more experience under your belt, there are strategies you can use to ensure you make a good impression and give yourself the best chance of having a good experience on prac. Perhaps the most important of these is knowing how to build rapport with your class and your supervising teacher. Let’s dive into it.

Why is rapport important for student teachers?

Building rapport with your class and colleagues is important for all teachers and can heavily influence your success as an educator. For student teachers, your ability to develop a rapport not only with your class but also your supervising teacher can dictate the sort of experience you will have on your prac placements. By forging good relationships in the classroom and the wider school, the day-to-day running of the class will be smoother, and you will enjoy yourself. Taking things one step further, having a good rapport has been shown to keep students motivated and lead to better learning outcomes overall.

Now you know why it’s important to build rapport, here are some of the ways you can do it.

Before you begin your prac placement

Sure—you could wait until the first day of your prac to get to work but doing so would mean you miss out on the opportunity to get a head start and really make the most of your placement experience. Here are the steps we recommend you take before day 1.

Do your homework

There’s a school of thought that says you should think of prac placement like a prolonged job interview. While that may sound like a nightmare to some (us included), there is some truth to it. Like with a job interview, if you want to have the best experience during your placement and build a rapport with your students and supervisor, it pays to do some research.

Brushing up on details like your supervising teacher, the school you will be teaching at, and the subjects you are likely to be teaching is a good place to start and can help minimise first day nerves and ensure your prac starts strong.

Get to know the school community

One of the best ways to help you build a rapport with your new students is to find out a bit about them. If you’re unfamiliar with the school where you will be doing your prac, a good place to start is exploring the school website and social media platforms. Gaining an understanding of what’s going on in the school community—including sport, events and other unique activities is a great first step to building rapport with your new students.

Reach out to your supervising teacher

The relationship you develop with your supervising teacher has the potential to make or break your experience on prac. To give yourself the best chance of working well with your supervisor, it’s a great idea to get in touch with them before your first day in the classroom.

Whether you decide to have a chat on the phone or catch up in person, make an effort to get to know them on a personal level while also getting an understanding of what they want from you during your prac. Use this opportunity to ask about their expectations of you and the work you’ll be doing, processes to follow during your placement, and any other burning questions you have that will help you feel confident once day one in the classroom rolls around.

During your prac placement

Woo Hoo—the big day is here!

Once you start your prac placement, it’s time to put your research and preparation to work. If you have taken our advice and followed the steps above ☝️ you should be feeling confident walking into the classroom. Now that you are on a roll, here’s how you maintain that momentum and build rapport.

Get to know the class

Like with all relationships, those built on understanding are bound to be more successful. This is why making an attempt to get to know your students early on is a good move for all student teachers. Use the intel you gathered from your research as a launchpad to bond with your students. Ice breaker activities are a great way to kick things off and help you get to know the class. A quick and easy one is to go around the room and ask your students to list their names and something interesting about themselves. Just make sure you are listening and doing your best to remember this information. It’s perfectly fine to take notes if you need to. Here is a great guide with tips to remember the names of students in your class.

Personalise your lessons

One of the most effective ways to build a rapport with your supervising teacher and your class is to be open and share details about yourself and your life. While it’s understandable that you may not want to share your whole life story with your class, drawing on your personal experiences—particularly as they relate to a lesson—is a great way to endear yourself to the class and can be an effective teaching strategy, too.

Don’t be afraid to maintain structure

Many new student teachers fall into the trap of trying to be their student’s friend first, and teacher second. While it can take time to understand the line between building a rapport with your students and being their teacher, this is one of the most worthwhile lessons you can learn during your prac. Whether they like to admit it or not, all kids crave structure and boundaries, so by being clear with your rules and expectations and then sticking to them, you will build rapport with your class while also gaining their respect.

After you finish your prac placement

Your placement is done. Congratulations! Whether it was your first prac or your last, you should give yourself a big pat on the back for all the hard work you have done to make it this far. Before you pop the bubbly and toast a job well done, here are some final steps you can take to ensure you leave the classroom on a high note.

Ask for feedback

Most universities have some sort of structured feedback process that will ask your supervising teacher to rate your performance during placement and provide feedback. While this is a great starting point, if you are serious about developing in your craft—and leaving a lasting impression on your supervisor and other staff you have interacted with during your prac, consider asking them in-person for any feedback they can offer outside of that required by your university. It will tell them you are serious about your future as an educator.

Say goodbye to your class

While you may have only been with your class for a term, chances are you will have made more of an impact on your students than you realise. Make sure you take the time to say goodbye and end your time with them on a high note.

Thank your supervising teacher

Finally, while having a student teacher in the classroom can be a big help for the supervising teacher, it can also add to their already large workload. Depending on the relationship you have built with your supervisor, consider writing them a thank-you note or leaving them a small gift to show your appreciation. After all, the education world is a small place and you never know when you will cross paths again.

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