Tips for Building Rapport
In the section “The Woo-Hoo Welcome: Creating Rapport with Students” found in the Handbook for Training Peer Tutors and Mentors, M.E. McWilliams discusses the importance of rapport as a “critical foundation for learning.”
As you read through the material below and listen to the podcast, keep in mind the following questions:
- How can you foster a supportive environment for students in the SWW Composition Program?
- What are some of the difficulties you may encounter when building rapport with students?
- Imagine you are the student receiving writing tutoring for the first time. You are not confident in your writing skills. What are some of the things you would like to see or hear from your tutor upon meeting them?
“The rapport between tutor or mentor and student is a critical foundation for learning. Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs affirms that the fulfillment of basic psychological needs of the student must occur before the student is able to process the higher-order thinking required of college curricula.”
“Good interpersonal skills can establish the trust, friendship, community, and self-worth that a client experiences at the learning center. Only then can students reach the point of self-actualization at stage give and begin to recognize their full potential to think critically.” (McWilliams 105)
Building rapport with students in the SWW Composition program is essential to effective tutoring. In your first tutoring sessions, you should be building interpersonal relationships with students which allow them to establish a level of comfort and trust.
LISTEN to the following podcast from Penny Freel, to learn about the best practices and expectations for writing tutors entering the SWW Composition Program
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Before students can realize their full potential, they must be able to fulfill the base aspects of human need. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (as seen below), these include psychological, safety, love and belonging, and esteem needs. Building rapport with students allows you to evaluate where a student stands on the pyramid and interact with them accordingly. Once students feel nurtured and supported in their academic environment, they can then begin the process of critical thinking and writing.
Strengths-based Approach
What makes a strong tutor is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of the student. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses in various areas. A talented student athlete could come to a session and talk happily about her performance on the soccer field but then express how inadequate she feels about her writing. A math major could enter a Comp classroom and feel out of place because he struggles to communicate his thoughts.
Tutors should seek to find the strength in their students. If they express insecurity about their writing abilities, ask why. Seek ways to build their strength and confidence. If you spot a mistake or error in a student’s work, use the Sandwich Method. Introduce feedback by acknowledging a strength in their work, and then point out areas for improvement. Conclude your feedback by acknowledging strengths.
Remember: Before students can improve their writing, they must believe they can.
