Developing Interpersonal Rapport

1. Seminar XI Developing Interpersonal Rapport Ron Welch

2. What Constitutes Exemplary Teaching? • Intellectual Excitement • Technical Expertise • Organization • Clarity of Communication • Engaging Presentation • Enthusiasm • Interpersonal Rapport • Interest in students as individuals • Interest in students’ learning • Receptive to students’ preferences about assignments and policies Lowman Chapter 1

3. Low Moderate High High Moderate Low Lowman’s Two-Dimensional Model of Teaching INTERPERSONAL RAPPORT 6. Intellectual Authority 8. Exemplary Lecturer 9. Complete Exemplar INTELLECTUAL EXCITEMENT 3. Adequate 5. Competent 7. Exemplary Facilitator 1. Inadequate 2. Marginal 4.Socratic

4. Lowman says... “The subtleties of a college teacher’s behavior toward a class throughout the term do more to produce optimal class atmosphere than sweeping structural changes at the beginning.” Study Guide, p.51

5. Group Activity How can we develop interpersonal rapport with students: (1) in the classroom? (2) outside the classroom?

6. Developing Interpersonal Rapport: Get to Know Your Students • Learn students’ names: • As early as possible in the course • Learn what they want to be called

7. Zach Yoklic Lisa Dugan Mike Jablonski Kyle Murray Todd Mainwaring Erik Schutz Drew Miller

8. Developing Interpersonal Rapport: Get to Know Your Students • Use “student data sheets” to familiarize with: • Home town • Academic interests • Extracurricular activities • Attend athletic events and extracurricular activities. • Participate in ASCE student chapter activities.

9. Developing Interpersonal Rapport: Be Available • Come to class early, and stay after class. • Encourage students to seek assistance outside of class: • Always make time to see a student who asks for help. • Seem eager to see a student, even if you are not. • Don’t be punitive. • Be accessible: • Use e-mail or IM. • Consider providing your home phone number.

10. Developing Interpersonal Rapport: Be Fair, Flexible, and Responsive • Ensure that grading is as fair and objective as possible. • Solicit feedback, and respond to it. • Demonstrate flexibility on the scope and timing of requirements, when appropriate.

11. Developing Interpersonal Rapport: Establish a Positive Classroom Environment • Have a positive disposition. • Let your own personality show through. • Use humor...carefully. • Maintain contact with your students. • Avoid cynicism about students.

12. Lowman also says... “Outstanding teachers have often expressed the sentiment that to become a great classroom instructor, one must genuinely like college-age students and identify with their interests, both serious and foolish.”

13. Lowman Chapter 2 Can be enhanced by positive interpersonal relationships The Mann Studies (1970) “The Natural History of the College Classroom” • Initial optimism and positive expectations • Sharp drop in satisfaction and rise in anxiety (4 - 6 weeks into the term) • Period of increasing satisfaction and capacity for independent work • Last lesson

14. Lowman Chapter 3 Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Compliant students • Anxious-dependent students • Discouraged workers • Independent students • Heroes • Snipers • Attention-seeking students • Silent students

15. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Compliant Students (10%) • Teacher-dependent, conventional, task-oriented. • Content to learn what the instructor wants them to know. • Speak in class only to agree with the instructor or ask for clarification. • Often prefer lecture to discussion. • Usually do not show independence or creativity. • Initially accept their dependency; • gradually encourage them to be more independent.

16. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Anxious-Dependent Students (26%) • Want to learn exactly what the teacher wants them to know. • Excessively concerned about grades. • Expect trick questions and unfair grading. • Come to exams looking frazzled and stay until the last possible minute. • Work is frequently unimaginative or erratic. • Seek simple right or wrong answers. • Don’t add to the anxiety by rejecting requests for • “the right answer.” Suggest a broader range of options.

17. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Discouraged Workers (4%) • Depressed and fatalistic toward their education. • See themselves as having little control over their learning. • Overworked burn-outs—no longer find learning pleasurable. • Often older students who have returned to school. • Compliment their work. • Provide face-to-face encouragement. • Acknowledge their low morale, and • demonstrate a desire to get to know them better.

18. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Independent Students (12%) • Ideal, mature, learning-oriented students. • Comfortable with formulating their own thinking on a requirement. • High-quality participators. • Make friends with instructors and identify with them. • Acknowledge their independence. • Encourage them to go beyond what is expected • of others.

19. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Heroes (10%) • Resemble independents—prefer independent or creative work and identify with the teacher, but... • Overly concerned with having the teacher notice what great students they are. • Active in class discussions; sometimes argumentative. • Frequently stop by after the first class to express their interest one-on-one. • Erratic optimistic underachievers who fail to deliver on their promise. • Channel their energies into well-structured requirements. • Giving them independence almost never improves performance.

20. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Snipers (9%) • A hero who is hostile toward the teacher. • Have high self-image, but little hope that the world will recognize their genius. • Sit in the back of the room and make cutting comments. • Retreat quickly when questioned or challenged. • Control your own hostility toward them. Ignore or, better, • respond enthusiastically, emphasizing the positive and • ignoring the negative. Attempt to develop a • positive personal relationship as the course develops.

21. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Attention-Seeking Students (11%) • Come to class to socialize with instructor and other students. • Social needs predominate over intellectual ones. • Like to organize group study sessions and parties. • Can be easily influenced by others. • Capable of good work, if it is clear that they must work hard to be well thought of. • Give ample attention early, then gradually withdraw it, • restricting it to praise for high-quality academic work.

22. Student Types (Mann, 1970) • Silent Students (20%) • Make so few comments they cannot be classified into another group. • Acutely aware of how the instructor behaves toward them. • Afraid that the instructor does not think highly of them or their work. • Don’t ignore! • Make eye contact; attempt to draw them out • in a non-threatening way. If they are struggling academically, • take the initiative to suggest additional assistance.

23. Student Types:So What? • Students’ emotional development varies widely within a given class. • You should respond to each student type in a different manner. • You can’t do that unless you know your students and understand their personalities.

24. Seminar XI Developing Interpersonal Rapport