Connecting with Students

Strategies for Building Rapport with Urban Learners

By (author) Crystal Higgs

Not available to order

Publication date:

11 December 2013

Length of book:

90 pages

Publisher

R&L Education

ISBN-13: 9781475806847

Connecting with Students: Strategies for Building Rapport with Urban Learners focuses on how educators can efficiently establish ongoing rapport with each student through three simple steps: Seeing beyond barriers, sharing their intentions, and showing their "face". Chapter details are narrated through anecdotal experiences, confirmed by research, and seconded by actual urban learners. Educators are prompted to consistently reflect on their classroom practices and implement new strategies and techniques. This text will provide immediate strategies and techniques to build relational capacity in the urban classroom, so that frustration levels are lowered, classroom management is enhanced and academic deficiencies can be addressed. The content of the text is delivered in a multi-genre format. Within the narration there are several true anecdotes, analogies, extended metaphors, dialogue, and genuine student reflections on teaching.

Preface

Introduction

Part One: See Beyond the Barriers

Mistakes as Barriers
Difficulty as a Barrier

Part Two: Show Your Face

Show Students Your World
Show Students You Have Time
Show Students You Believe in Individuality
Show Respect for Identity

Part Three: Share Your Intentions

Intention to be Attentive
Intention to Uplift
Intention to Influence
Intention to Believe
Intention to Assist

Conclusion

References

Appendix
Reflection Exercises Revisited

As the former Principal of Evans High school, an inner-city school that improved from an “F” grade to a “B” grade, we were fortunate to have educators like Crystal Higgs who understood the complexity of urban teaching and learning. In the words of Ms. Higgs, “Urban classrooms possess a unique beauty.” In Connecting with Students: Strategies for Building Rapport with Urban Learners, she is able to deeply understand the beauty and complexity of an urban classroom and innovative approaches to teaching and learning in an urban classroom.