Successful Teaching is about Connection

It’s at the heart of language and communication.

Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

What is language, if not a means to connect with other people? We all have an innate need to communicate, to connect with other people.

In education, this is especially important. Too many teachers communicate without connecting. They just ‘don’t care anymore’.

So why does connection matter in language teaching?

Connection with the Teacher

There is a great TED talk about the importance of the teacher-student relationship.

Its message is that a teacher’s ultimate goal is to build connections — “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like”.

Here’s the talk. It’s only seven minutes long, so grab a cup of tea and watch it now:

Connection in Second Language Learning

However, I believe the idea of connection goes much further.