The Lana team in Vietnam prioritizes student-teacher relationships to boost motivation and engagement in the classroom.
As educators, the Lana team recognizes the impact that strong student-teacher relationships have on the student experience. These relationships are built on mutual trust and respect and can make or break student success. One This holds especially true in our English Language Training (ELT) program in Vietnam. Our team works with English language learners (ELLs), and our goal is to guide them to communicate effectively. This requires not only textbook instruction but motivation and engagement.
One of the ways we motivate our students is by building rapport with them. Our instructors spend six contact hours of instruction with their students every day. This leads to students and their teachers getting to know each other on a personal level. The students are more motivated to communicate verbally when they are discussing a topic of interest to them. This can be anything from their family to their jobs. Sharing parts of their personal lives is a huge factor of motivation for our students. We celebrate their diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Benefits of strong student-teacher relationships
Positive relationships play an important role in the learning process. Our ELT instructors focus on the following to fuel their relationship building efforts.
- Trust: A trusting relationship allows students to feel at ease and encourages active participation.
- Individualized Support: When forming relationships, teachers gain the ability to understand the unique needs of their students. This allows them to scaffold instruction and tailor learning materials to fit their students’ specific needs.
- Motivation and Engagement: Students feel respected are more likely to actively engage, ask questions, and take risks in class. This is especially important for language acquisition since our goal is getting students to communicate.
- Emotional Well-Being: ELLs are subject to facing challenges with cultural adjustments. Having a teacher who provides support and encouragement, can promote their well-being.
- Academic Success: Positive student-teacher relationships lead to improved attendance, effort, and overall academic achievement.
