research ideas

• adolescent psych
• pull research on motivation
• surveys: 1,000 students across demographics--anecdotal evidence about what students look for in a teacher
• what students want vs. what they need: is there a difference? Would students admit it?
• teacher evidence: what do teachers think about who has great rapport with students. Why do they think so?
• Who are the current gurus in this field?
• This book has to be serious piece of research. It can't just be anecdotal, and it can't be self-serving. My impressions are my impressions--must be research and sata-based for legitimacy.
• Not expecting to have great rapport all the time: At what point does rapport go beyond being liked and wanting to be liked. WE all start that way, don't we? We watch Robin Williams in DPS. We observe teachers who are revered in our building. When we start, we thinkrapport = being liked. We confuse leadership with friendship. We come from a place of inscurity, a place that maybe developed when we were in high school ourselves. The fact is that for teachers to gain legitimacy they must move beyond this phase. They must see themselevs as professionals who, if they are methodical and develop a set of skills that work in real time, can build rapport with students in a way that transcends friendliness, openness, and "coolness."
• Kids and teachers want different things. It comes down to giving kids what thye need and what they want. Kids and adults see things differently. For example, kids want feedback. If you fail to give kids timely feedback, you'll lose rapport. Kides want to feel comfortable. If you fail to provide an environment that makes kids comfortable, you'll lose rapport.
• Every teacher starts the year at "zero" rapport, plus or minus a few points for reputation and repeat students. That is, there are a few kids who have been in your class before who spread the word about you before day one. Those factors are easily swayed, however, positively or negatively. Students have short memories. They forgive--much more readily than we do.