Now that many schools are open for in-person learning, teachers are finding it difficult to build rapport.
Social distancing and plexiglass partitions are barrier enough to the connections needed to motivate, inspire, and communicate with students effectively.
But it’s mask wearing that takes the prize.
No longer can you rely on your smile to express warmth, enthusiasm, and pride in your students. A single look that once spoke more than a thousand words has been taken away.
It’s no wonder teachers are feeling unsteady and frustrated. But once you shift your attention away from what you can’t do, and begin focusing on the tools you have, building rapport gets a lot easier.
What follows are four such tools.
1. Eye Contact
With strong eye contact and an exaggerated crinkle of your eyes, your students can indeed see your smile. No, it won’t communicate the same magnitude of emotions, but it will show your pleasure.
Combined with the context clues of the moment—offering a word of praise, responding to a posed question, the first greeting of the day—your students will get the message.
An important key is to first hold their eye contact for a beat. Wait until you’re locked in, then smile and let your creases show.
2. Air Bumps
Because you can’t make any physical contact, you need a quick non-verbal gesture of acknowledgement students can understand from a distance. Here are SCM, we recommend the air bump, which in the right moment can provide the perfect expression.
The best way to do this is to simply jut your fist out from your shoulder after making eye contact with a student. Keep your fist up and out until they return the gesture.
Your students will quickly figure it out. In fact, by the end of your first day back in school, they’ll be offering air bumps right back to you—and each other.
3. Your Hands
I’m a hand talker. Gesticulating my hands help me better express myself, so I use them a lot. But not everyone does. Some people are more confident in their speaking ability so don’t rely on their hands to carry them along.
With a mask, however, it’s essential.
You’ve heard that 93 percent of communication is nonverbal. If you take away the bottom half of your face, then you absolutely must start using your hands to make up the difference.
Let them describe, model, emphasize, and express right along with the words you use. Exaggerate your movements and mannerisms. Your lessons should feel like a light work out.
4. Your Voice
Your voice is a paltry 7 percent of communication, which underscores the importance of using it well. The single best way to do this is to limit your talking. This will immediately improve attentiveness and add more power and meaning to your words.
Here at SCM, we recommend cutting the amount of talking you normally do by one-third to one-half. You should see dramatic results.
When you do speak, be direct. Never dovetail or get off track. Be clear about what you want and expect from your students. Keep your tone clear and pause often, especially because your mask will have a muffling effect.
Again, eye contact is so important. As is taking your time, slowing your voice, and using your hands to be as demonstrative as possible.
Good communication by itself is a powerful rapport builder. It makes you more likable, the environment a lot calmer, and your class more interesting.
We Find A Way
I don’t want to wear a mask. It’s uncomfortable and removes much of what I rely on to build influence and rapport.
Good teachers, however, find a way. We accept the challenge. We look plainly and honestly at what is in front of us and find a workaround.
We are about solutions, not complaints.
We’re not about moaning and woe-is-me-ing over this and that. We’re never about wallowing in our plight. We look the tiger in the eye and then find another way through the jungle.
In my short experience with in-person, mask-wearing instruction, I’ve found that the workarounds described above are more than sufficient. The ability to make influential connections is still there.
It may not be what we want exactly.
But in the long run, when we’re finally beyond masks and social distancing, we’ll all be better communicators, rapport-builders, and teachers.
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Head in next week. As badly as I have wanted to go back… well this is a new set of problems. Love the can do attitude.
I would REALLY like more information about “less talking.” Does this apply just in general? Only when you’re correcting a student? It’s too vague to be truly helpful to me, but because I’ve read it on this site so many times, I generally just feel like I’m falling short in this area.
In general. Economy of language is a great tool in the classroom. When you can make your point in fewer words, kids will tune you out less and remember your words more. The book Teach Like a Champion has a great chapter on Economy of Language. It also helps to watch a video of yourself (as uncomfortable as that is) or have a peer watch you teach and give you feedback on where you can be more concise.
I am finding that (when I have time) pre-recording my mini-lesson is a fantastic way to get around the mask barrier. It also gives me a nice, neat 10-minute video to post on Google Classroom, which kids can use for make-up or review.
Oh to have the time!! I also want to create videos on Nearpod so my students can understand me without a mask! Since time is so limited with teaching 3 types of lessons, I have found videos on You Tube in my content area and I’m using those videos with questions I embed to introduce our topic (I teach Geometry and AVID). Still takes me more hours than I have so I’m going to see how much a freelancer on FIVERR would cost. It’s either spend time or money at this point!
Masks on adults and children is abuse. Masks are extremely unhealthy. Humans are supposed to breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. It’s about control not health. Nobody at school should be wearing a mask. It’s idiotic!
I have been in person teaching since August. I have had 2 students who had CoVid both were contracted through family members. Because we wear masks and I clean between classes and we wash our hands, no else was infected including me. It does work and my sweet third graders are learning and staying healthy and I am too! Hang in there.
Agree. Though it is hard to hear sometimes and hot, it is a small price to pay to ensure safety. The kids are super flexible and have not struggled with them on. The most important thing is that they are happy to be back.
What a foolish response!!! Abuse in what way??? Saving your life? Saving someone else’s life? How in the world do you think your doctor works all day in the surgery? Should they stop wearing masks in hospitals? All masks help some, and some are certainly better than others. Try checking out the science: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-effectiveness-masks.html
I hope you — and all in your family– avoid to suffering through COVID. Most of all, I hope you do not kill anyone else with your nonsense.
Try researching the real science.
I’m sorry to say have to say this, B. And I can’t believe there is an opportunity for me to need to say the following.
I’ve been living in South Korea for over 5 years and wearing masks is COMMONPLACE here. So going to wearing masks full-time wasn’t an issue whatsoever. Virtually every person wears a mask in public at all times (excepting eating and drinking) and literally no one has suffered ill effects. We’ve had the opposite happen particularly in terms of the pandemic.
If they were so unhealthy, professional healthcare workers could not and would not use them for hours on end. If they were so unhealthy, there would have been people suffering issues from mask-wearing over the decade or more that Koreans have worn masks on days when sick, wishing to remain anonymous, hide acne or other skin issues on their face, and there are some who will wear masks to hide the fact that they are wearing makeup from their parents and teachers.
Asking people to wear a mask is literally no different than asking people to wear safety equipment in hazardous areas except that in this case they also protect others even more so.
Oh. And I taught in person classes the last YEAR wearing a mask ever moment with ALL the students wearing masks and the rest of the school wearing masks. No one I came in contact with ever complained. Not once.
I’ve been wearing a mask while teaching at all times except eating and drinking, even during outdoor recess supervision, and I can tell you some of my colleagues and I definitely feel oxygen-deprived throughout the day. It’s a huge relief to take the mask off in the car at the end of the day while going home and finally breathing properly.
Yes, an old quote purportedly by an Irishman says, “A body can get used to anything, even hanging,” but that doesn’t prove it’s beneficial. It may mean you may have gotten used to something far less than optimal wellbeing.
This can’t be further from the truth. Please research long-term health problems. Why would you wear make-up if you need to hide it?
God has made us with a full face and an immune system.
Totally agree with you, B!! Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn’t look at the data, just listens to the fear-porn headlines.
As well, the data shows that children are not super-spreaders. They get it from family members, and have not been proven to spread it in schools.
Most teachers are sheeple though.
I think we have every right to whine and complain 🙂
Is it possible that fear of mask-wearing is itself a byproduct of “fear-porn headlines”?
Oh B,
And the virus is a hoax, right? Do you really not yet know someone who has been seriously ill or died from COVID-19?
Abuse? Really? Get over yourself.
And have a great day. 🙂
It is abuse and one day you will have to answer to the children that you have taught. Are we truly educators?
You always give the best advice and make me feel confident in tackling whatever obstacles come our way as educators. Thank you Mr. Linsin, you are truly an amazing motivator and inspiration to us all.
I have never had to talk as much as I do right now because I am teaching in “dual modalities.” When I read the comment about talking less, I honestly almost stopped reading. I have 5 students in my room, and the rest are doing eLearning from home. I am repeating myself all day long because what I say is having to compete with younger siblings having a temper tantrum, parents on phone calls, various noises in the waiting room for dental appointments, etc. I have students losing their Internet connection all day long so I then have to try to catch them up with what is going on when they get logged back in the class. I would appreciate any suggestions that you can offer.
Maybe the first time you deliver instruction verbally you can write the simple instructions down as you talk them out with your class. I do this under transitional circumstances and leave the simple list under the doc cam for students to access at any time during the remainder of the period or lesson.
Keep the written instructions very simple (limited to the main point) so it encourages children to listen to the first set of verbal instructions.
You can take a picture of the list and post to Google classroom for the virtual students to access as well.
Just the first thought that came to mind!
Keep working hard! We will all find a way through this!
Paula
March 13, 2021 at 10:42 am
I am finding that (when I have time) pre-recording my mini-lesson is a fantastic way to get around the mask barrier. It also gives me a nice, neat 10-minute video to post on Google Classroom, which kids can use for make-up or review.
Read Paula’s response. I teach art which is a hands on step by step process. I heard a rumor that my school plans on bringing as many student back to the building as they can by 3/22/21 while following g the hybrid model. I feel the anxiety creeping up because this means more talking. But, I recently purchased a document camera and plan on recording my lessons starting next week. It is the only logical thing I can do especially since I’m experiencing aches and pains from standing in one place, sometimes for up to four hours, while hunched over my computer. And, my lips are constantly chaffing and splitting from all the talking with a mask on.
We’ve been in school, wearing masks, since August…my grandchildren wear masks all day, also…it really hasn’t been a problem. Uncomfortable, yes. Inconvenient, yes. Miss smiling at the kiddos, yes. But we’ve been able to stay open and the students are thriving, so it’s a win!
I struggle to hear kids with their masks on. How can I get small children to speak more clearly?
E, I teach young children (K-2) and this is a real struggle! Many of my students are unclear in their speech to begin with, and coupled with the masks, it’s super hard to understand them all the time. I have used phrases such as “show me what you’re talking about” or “tell me more about this but slow down please so I can understand you” to get them to either repeat slower, physically show me, or explain in different words, and slower. Asking them to repeat themselves sometimes helps, but not a lot of the time. If there are other children, especially older ones, nearby when I admit I’m having a hard time understanding them and ask them to repeat, the other students will often assist in helping me know what the child was trying to say. And, admittedly, if they’re telling me a story of something that happened at home etc, I hope I got the gist of the story, nod, affirm, and move on as if I understood every word. I love my kids but some of them are hard to understand through the masks.
I’ve been teaching with a mask since August. We have been on a hybrid system, but starting next week we will have all students T-F with Monday a remote day. All of your suggestions are spot-on. It really isn’t that difficult. I’m an English teacher and from day one I told the students that they were going to learn to project through that barrier. They wanted to stay silent at the beginning of the year, but I have required presentations and speaking all along, and they’ve risen to the challenge. Some of my quietest students are now confidently standing and presenting. I compliment their color choices, the bling bling sparkly masks, and simply make mask wearing a fashion statement. We’ve had very low transmission rates and hardly a flu season at all. I make mask wearing fun, and the kids are great about it. Then again, I’m one of the weirdos who actually LIKES wearing a mask.
The true teachers are able to connect from their heart to the students’. A spiritual connection where the secrets within the hearts of true scholars who practice truth with sincerity are poured into the hearts of the students, illuminating them. That is why the guru is called the dispeller of darkness. When truth is the main purpose of education. But then again knowledge is defined as true justified belief by the Western tradition.
I find that leaving notes for my students is a good way to build rapport with my students since we have been in person and wearing masks since about September. I also use the thumbs up sign which my students love and will say ” I have gotten five thumbs up today, yay me!” We too have had very low covid rates and SO many fewer colds, flu and other sickness. I am not a fan of masks but it does have it’s up side.
I have been teaching in person all year. About a month in, I jokingly said that skincare companies and plastic surgeons are going to make a fortune off of teachers because we were smiling so much harder so the students could see our eyes crinkle. Your suggestion about smiling made me laugh, but also made me realize how instinctual some things (like smiling bigger) can be. Thanks for the guidance and encouragement!
Everyone draw smiles on their masks.
I really like your approach of solutions and not complaints!
And you give some good ones. I especially like that they come from your personal experience. I already do some of them but want to see if more gesturing will be helpful.
The only point I was surprised to see was that the voice is supposedly only “7 percent” of communication. Hmm, I have some extremely strong doubts about that! I can tell a great deal from someone’s vocal qualities and inflections.
Hello, The article is very well written and by that it is mentioned that these things we have to follow for us.
I have been teaching online and coming in when allowed the onsite clinical lab days twice a week. It has been a little tuff for those students who are struggling with their assignments and not being able to help them in person. Some understand when am able to zoom and help them get from point A to D but others are not computer savvy and don’t know to share in order for me to help them I see them get very frustrated and they get so overwhelmed. Now that we are introducing slowly coming back to class it will be much easier.