Soft Skills
How do you earn trust as a new instructor?
Whenever I begin a new semester, there is a need to build a trusting rapport with my students. This is why I present an very detailed syllabus to my students, outlining the course expectations. I tell my students that I have a high level of expectation, but everything that I expect is here, in the syllabus. And I explain to them that the syllabus is not a long to-do list; but rather, it is a contract between myself and the class, so that students know that I am promising to provide "A, B, & C" to help them along in their educational experience. If the students see that I hold both the class and myself to a high degree of accountibility and integrity, trust will form. If I am wishy-washy, students will not feel like I have their best interest in mind, and potentially take advantage of the situation.
I earn trust as early as I can by being transparent. On day one I share my one goal for them, to see them succeed.
Trust is hard for some students and being ablue to see this in students is necessary . Using a syllabus and communicating with my students on a daily basis about the task of the day before we start and after we've finished is helpful in reminding them of what was done and how they did.
I guess this would depend on what type of class you are teaching, but I find trust is very much like respect. If you want their trust you must trust them. Sometimes this is hard to do. But if you trust them and the see that, then they will trust you.
Be in control and confident. If necessary fake it till you make it. (They can sense if you are the one in control or if the students are.) But if you are the one in control they will trust and respect you for it. (Like was said no wishy-washy; it does have to be kinda my way or the highway, for they will constantly test you. I have a quote I posted by my desk that says: inconsistancy signals to the students that they should try harder to get away with more) This is a lot of hard work but it really pays off!
Establishing rapport with students starts on day one of the class by giving recognition to each student with a brief introduction and a positive environment for learning. The teacher should conduct herself professionally, exude with command and respect, be kind but firm in establishing the rules and policies and expectations. The course syllabus and objectives are explained followed by the course overview... it is important to start good communication with a dash of healthy humor to relieve anxiety. The teacher should be a keen observer to identify the unique learning needs of each student.
