2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport

An essential skill of teaching is that of managing relationships with students and ensuring that relationships among students are positive and supportive. Teachers create an environment of respect and rapport in their classrooms by the ways they interact with students and by the interactions they encourage and cultivate among students. An important aspect of respect and rapport relates to how the teacher responds to students and how students are permitted to treat one another. Patterns of interactions are critical to the overall tone of the class. In a respectful environment, all students feel valued, safe, and comfortable taking intellectual risks. They do not fear put-downs or ridicule from either the teacher or other students.

“Respect” shown to the teacher by students should be distinguished from students complying with standards of conduct and behavior. Caring interactions among teachers and students are the hallmark of component 2a (Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport); while adherence to the established classroom rules characterizes success in component 2d (Managing Student Behavior).

Danielson, C. 2013

Artifact 2a-1

Behavior_Clasroom Managment Plan.pdf

Classroom Management Plan

Before students can even begin to learn in a classroom, they must feel safe. In order to create an environment of respect and rapport, it is key to creating a behavior management plan and classroom rules/expectations so that each student can feel like they are being treated with value and respect in the classroom. In addition to the respect that students are expected to give each other, the behavior management plan helps ensure that respect is mutual between the students and the teacher. The classroom management plan that I developed with my Senior Practicum partners was developed in a way that sets a positive overall tone for the classroom and encourages learning. Through our implementation of this plan in my summer school classroom, the students in our classroom have treated each other with respect, are excited to learn, and do not fear making mistakes. This artifact provides evidence that I am capable of designing a classroom management plan that leads to an effective environment for teaching and learning.

Artifact 2a-2

Class Building

This photograph was taken during a field trip that I went on with my Senior Practicum class at Tiebreaker Elementary School. One of the key aspects of creating an environment of respect and rapport is ensuring that relationships with students are positive. Rapport is defined as, “a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well.” This cannot be developed without working to understand your students’ lives and interests. On this occasion, I was assigned to chaperone this group of students throughout the zoo. I took the time to talk with them about what they were excited to see, what animal was their favorite, etc. After the field trip, my relationship with all of these students improved and they actually wanted to talk to me about more than just questions on their work. One of the students that was in my group struggled with listening to me and following directions. However, after our experience at the zoo, he listened to me more and was more willing to work with me. This experience truly helped me see the significance of developing respect and rapport with your students.

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