Teaching is a notoriously difficult job, one that requires long hours and does not necessarily get the kind of recognition it deserves. However, the best teachers excel at their jobs despite the clear drawbacks, with the intense love for their students and the profession overtaking other concerns. As a teacher, you’re invested in getting better at your job, and learning new techniques that will help elevate your lesson planning. The following are a few key strategies to help you improve your lessons, and become the best teacher you can possibly be for your students.
Show That You Care
You don’t have to be a sitcom character from the 90s spewing wisdom to your students, day in and day out, but you should find different ways to show that you care. Mostly, be invested in your students and make sure that your interactions are meaningful. Don’t only learn their names, but how to pronounce them correctly. When it comes to lesson planning, you should take the time to hear all the necessary feedback from students without feeling defensive, and respond accordingly. A lot has been said about the culture of giving gold medals to every child, but much of that discourse has been overblown – you can and should highlight everyone’s accomplishments and give them an extra pat on the back when necessary. Furthermore, if you notice a child misbehaving or feeling distracted in your class, set aside some one-on-one time. Don’t ignore or focus solely on reprimanding them in front of their peers. This can do some lasting damage and will be disruptive to the class in general.
Encourage Participation
Kids hate being lectured at for too long, and a lack of practical, hands-on lessons is not a great look for a teacher. Encouraging active learning in the classroom helps what you’re teaching “stick” because kids are applying them to real-world scenarios. Check out a few resources for teachers to learn more about how to do this according to different topics, but you’re bound to find plenty of techniques to incorporate. Also, be sure to facilitate lots of in-class discussion and group work to get students thinking outside the box, while also cultivating a sense of team spirit amongst themselves. Another thing that is highly recommended for teachers to do is to offer mentorship when necessary. Having a strict wall around you of impenetrable scrutiny is daunting for students and won’t encourage them to ask you about any questions they may have.
Set Clear Outputs
Being a good teacher is a lot about being able to set a clear set of expectations with students on what the learning objectives should be, as well as their outcomes. Having things seem confusing is not only frustrating for the students, but it will be unpleasant for you, since you’ll end up creating more work for yourself without meeting your goals. Try to make the objectives of the classwork as explicit as possible, and demonstrate the ways in which they are applicable to the outside world. Set out the assignments early on, and make sure that the homework is directly related to what the kids are learning from you in class. Don’t assign homework that has nothing to do with what you have been teaching them.
Plan Ahead of Time
Everything entailed in being a good teacher boils down to being a good planner. Don’t only plan your lesson ahead of time, but also prepare your tests and homework assignments early on. Of course, do not teach only according to the test since that way you’d only be encouraging mindless memorization, but keep in mind clear the sort of takeaways you need the students to grasp by the end of the class. The tests and homework should provide a clear overview of what your students should expect to learn, and they are a good guiding post for both you and them on the class objectives. Not being a good planner can result in tests that are too hard or don’t really quiz students on the subjects you’ve taught them, which can be pretty bad for morale overall.
Even if you are a naturally gifted teacher with a gift for making even the most convoluted lessons feel digestible and understandable for your students, you can still benefit from some fine-tuning to make your work even better. Being open to learning new teaching techniques is what sets apart the so-so teachers from the truly great ones, so don’t hesitate to broaden your horizons and incorporate different strategies in your lessons.