- Greet each of your students by name each day, and ask them a bit about themselves frequently, like what they did over the weekend.
- Give your students the benefit of the doubt and trust that they're trying, rather than looking for "bad eggs." Patience is key!
- Add some humor, activities, or games to your lesson plans to make each day exciting and unique.
Helping Individual Students
Say hello to as many students as possible, by name. Whether it’s the morning or the start of class, take the opportunity to greet your students as they arrive. Use their names when saying hello and use the moment to ask about something personal (e.g. how their sports game went, how they did on a homework assignment in another class, etc.), if there’s time.
Provide your students with individual attention. Even if you’re only able to spare a few short minutes for a student, give them your undivided attention during that time. Have private conversations with your students. Giving a student one-on-one attention can go a long way to showing that student you do care about them and their future. If you notice something may be wrong with a student, take the time to speak to them alone to ask if they’re okay. The fact that you noticed shows them you care and may give that student the courage to speak-up about whatever is wrong. Be aware of how you approach a student for a one-on-one conversation. Many students may automatically assume such a talk is required because they did something wrong. Approach the student with a smile and start by complimenting them (e.g. "nice shirt!", "great question in class today!", etc.) and then ask if they have some time for a chat. You are also likely to be approached by a student who may want to talk to you in private. Try to work these requested conversations into your schedule the best you can. If you don’t have time immediately, admit that and tell the student you’ll follow-up with them very shortly to let them know when you do have time. And then, of course, follow up.
Allow your students to have time to process what they learn. Not everything is going to come easily to every student. Sometimes students need to think something over for a while, or just ‘sleep on it,’ in order for a topic to make sense. Give the students who need this the time. Try not to rush them. Not everyone learns the same way, so you can't teach everyone the same way and expect the same results. When you teach something brand new in class, there are going to be students who get it right away, and students who need some time to grasp the new concept. Students who need more time to grasp new concepts may feel embarrassed if they’re asked a question they cannot answer. Try to assess which students in your class are quick learners and which students are more thoughtful. Try not to put students who need time to think about a concept on the spot in the first few classes that you teach a new topic. It’s also important to avoid rushing through a topic without ensuring the students understand it. While you may not be able to go slow enough for the slowest student (just like you can’t go fast enough for the fastest student), you should at least go slow enough for a decent majority of the class. You may be able to tell if the class needs more time on a certain topic by asking open-ended questions about what parts they think make sense, and what parts they think are confusing. Get them to discuss the topic to see where you may need to expand your lesson.
Speak to the students you know can do better. As a teacher you’ll probably come across one or more students whom you know can do a better job. When you see this, don’t put them down and shame them because they could do better, instead, challenge them to do better. Let them know you believe in them and you know they’re capable of so much more. Encourage them to try harder. There could be a number of underlying reasons why a student isn’t trying as hard as they can. Take the time to find out why a specific student isn’t performing up to par. Don’t automatically assume they’re being lazy. When you come across a student like this, approach them respectfully in private (don’t have this discussion in front of the other students). Tell them your concerns, but also tell them that you think they’re really smart and could do so much better if they did something specific (and provide a very specific action item). Work with that student by challenging them to perform increasingly complex tasks until they reach a point where they’ve gained enough confidence to continue performing at a high level on their own.
Trust your students from the get-go. Instead of having your students earn your trust over time, start off the year by giving them 100% of your trust. As they progress through the year, trust them to do the right thing. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Believe your students when they make a promise. Only start to remove that high level of trust if they let you down — but let them know they’ve let you down.
Creating a Supportive Learning Environment
Explain your lessons in an easy-to-understand manner. Some subjects are complicated, but that doesn’t mean you have to explain them in a complicated way. Explain your lessons in such a way as to be easily grasped by students of all levels. Avoid using big and complicated words that are beyond your students’ vocabulary. Sometimes the easiest way to explain something complicated is to break it down into smaller pieces and explain each small piece individually. Visuals of any kind can make a subject much easier to learn, as a student doesn’t have to try to guess how something works or what it looks like. While you certainly want to expand your students’ vocabulary as much as possible, there are limits. If you’re using a word found only in a university textbook, you’re probably getting a little too complicated.
Be patient with your students. Patience is a virtue and an absolute must as a teacher. Teachers who get upset easily, or yell at students constantly, are usually those who students try to avoid. Depending on their age, you may need to use your patience in order not to get upset if your students won’t calm down or pay attention. But you’ll also need to use your patience when explaining concepts and answering questions. Remember, there is no stupid question. Never put a student down for asking a question, no matter what it is. If it’s an inappropriate question, explain to the student, and the class, why it’s inappropriate. Even if you’re getting impatient and frustrated on the inside, keep your composure on the outside. If you need to vent about something your students did to a fellow teacher or friend later, that’s fine. Some students try to get extra attention by acting out in class, disrupting your lesson, and causing the other students to lose focus. While this is annoying, keep in mind that there may be something happening to this student personally that is causing this behaviour.
Listen to what your students are saying. There is almost nothing worse as a young person than to be disrespected simply because you’re a young person. Age doesn’t depict intelligence, just the amount of knowledge you already have. Students can be afraid to ask a question or give an opinion because they aren’t sure if an adult will care. As a teacher, you need to care about every question and opinion your students have. Again, there are no stupid questions. If a student asks a question, it probably means there’s something they don’t understand or are confused about. Use their question as a guide to further explaining whatever was confusing. People of all ages have opinions, and there are no wrong opinions. Respect what your students have to say, and engage them in a conversation about their opinions without using your more extensive knowledge or experience to put them down. Help teach your students how to argue and justify an opinion without disrespecting someone who has a different opinion. EXPERT TIP Joseph Meyer Joseph Meyer Math Teacher Joseph Meyer is a High School Math Teacher based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an educator at City Charter High School, where he has been teaching for over 7 years. Joseph is also the founder of Sandbox Math, an online learning community dedicated to helping students succeed in Algebra. His site is set apart by its focus on fostering genuine comprehension through step-by-step understanding (instead of just getting the correct final answer), enabling learners to identify and overcome misunderstandings and confidently take on any test they face. He received his MA in Physics from Case Western Reserve University and his BA in Physics from Baldwin Wallace University. Joseph Meyer Joseph Meyer Math Teacher Effective teaching strategies consider a student's individual strengths. Tailoring instruction to a student's existing skills and encouraging collaborative activities can improve a student's outcome. Recognizing diverse learning styles allows for a stronger approach, fostering potential in all learners.
Choose to ignore bad behaviour sometimes. Some semi-bad behaviour isn’t great, but it’s also not worth the time to interrupt class to address. Pick your battles. Don’t be the teacher who stops class for every little misbehaviour. Focus on addressing bad behaviour that is disrespectful, cruel, mean, or physical. When bad behaviour does happen in your classroom, use it as a teaching moment for the rest of the class to better understand why that behaviour is inappropriate. Even if a student is being disrespectful to you with their behaviour, you shouldn’t be disrespectful to them with your behaviour. Keep your cool and demonstrate how you’re the bigger person.
Consider helping your students with career planning. Students like it when their teachers spend time on topics that aren’t typical to a school classroom, like career planning. Teaching a specific subject is great, but how does that subject fit into the grand scheme of the world. Observe your students, and their skills and interests, and try to link those to a potential career that might interest them. Career planning doesn’t have to be taken on by you, as the teacher, alone. Invite guest speakers to your classroom to help explain a specific career or how one might decide what career they want to pursue.
Making Learning Fun
Make the subjects you teach interesting. Let’s face it, some subjects you need to teach students are exciting while others can be downright boring. And not everyone (teachers and students both) agrees on which subject is which! Therefore, regardless of what subject you’re teaching, you need to make it inviting, interesting, and intriguing to your students. Engage and interact with your students while you’re teaching, don’t just write endless words on the board. Rather than telling your students everything, ask them to provide opinions, ideas, or even guesses. Ask your students to explain WHY something is the way it is. Sometimes understanding the ‘why’ makes understanding the ‘what’ much easier. Invent and play games that teach the subject in an interactive and exciting manner. Use images, pictures, and videos as often as possible. If the subject can be taught ‘hands-on,’ get your students involved in the lesson. Read the article How to Make Learning Fun.
Add humour to your classroom every day. Laughter is the best medicine sometimes. But it can also be a great learning and teaching tool. Being able to make something funny, or joke about something embarrassing makes you human. Students like to see their teachers as human. There is a never-ending array of comics and memes on the internet for just about any subject you can think of. Consider finding these pictures and putting them up around the classroom. Think about including a joke of the day or other activity to your classroom to start off a lesson and grab your students’ attention. Laugh at some of the jokes your students say as part of their answers. Yes, it may mean they didn’t study, but getting mad at them isn’t likely to help. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Teaching isn’t easy and you’re going to mess up every now and again. Try not to get upset about your mistakes, instead, find humour in the situation when you can and laugh about it.
Show off your great personality. There’s a reason you wanted to be a teacher. Maybe it’s because you love kids, or because you like the idea of preparing the next generation for the future. Regardless, you’re a teacher because you wanted to be and you have a great personality. Use your personality to customize the way you teach, or the way you decorate your classroom. You may teach a subject that you absolutely love more than anything else in the world. Show that passion off to your students. It’s amazing how contagious passion can be.
Smile. You are both a teacher and a human being. You have your own personal problems outside of the classroom. While it’s hard, don’t bring those personal problems to the classroom. Remember that your students have nothing to do with your personal problems (most likely) and don’t need to be punished because you have a personal problem ongoing in your life. Once you walk in the door of the school, put your personal problems aside until you’re outside of school again. Smile to your students and other teachers. And keep that smile going throughout your whole day.
Going the Extra Mile
Have one or more class pets. Animals are awesome, and they can teach students a large number of different skills and abilities. Depending on the age and type of classroom you have, consider adding one or more pet to the classroom. Use that pet as a way to teach your students responsibility and other important life skills.
Allow your students to decide what they want to do. Every so often, maybe once a week at a certain time, allow your students to decide what they want to do or learn. Maybe this time is a special play time where your students get to pick what game they want to play. Divide the decision making between different students or groups. Allow your students to become part of the teaching process. This might also be a great opportunity to have your students present to the class, instead of you. Make it an assignment that each student, or group of students, has to present a topic of their choice to the class.
Add music to your classroom. Music can do a lot of wonderful things for people. If you have a way to incorporate music into your classroom or lessons, do so. Maybe you even have the ability to allow your students to select the music.
Find hands-on ways to teach a lesson. Students are individuals and they all learn differently. Making sure they have ways to experience a lesson outside of the textbook or homework is a great way to enhance learning. Consider more hands-on ways to enrich your lesson planning. If you are learning about local history, plan a field trip to a local museum. When teaching a new math concept, use math manipulatives so they can see and feel the lesson. EXPERT TIP Joseph Meyer Joseph Meyer Math Teacher Joseph Meyer is a High School Math Teacher based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an educator at City Charter High School, where he has been teaching for over 7 years. Joseph is also the founder of Sandbox Math, an online learning community dedicated to helping students succeed in Algebra. His site is set apart by its focus on fostering genuine comprehension through step-by-step understanding (instead of just getting the correct final answer), enabling learners to identify and overcome misunderstandings and confidently take on any test they face. He received his MA in Physics from Case Western Reserve University and his BA in Physics from Baldwin Wallace University. Joseph Meyer Joseph Meyer Math Teacher Take satisfaction in seeing your students thrive. Celebrate your students' "aha!" moments and enjoy witnessing their progress. Appreciate when they buy into the collaborative learning environment you've been fostering. These rewarding moments are the fuel that will uphold your passion for teaching.
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