Be a Good Teacher

Being a good teacher can be the most rewarding and exciting job in the world - however, being a teacher who doesn't work effectively can be stressful, painful, and exhausting. Here is some information on being a good teacher you may find useful.

Steps

Classroom Management

  1. Set a good example to your students. Remember that you are the teacher. It is important for you to be like a "superhero" figure in their eyes. Remember that your students look up to you and will  try to mimic your disposition. If you are rude or inappropriate, they will have an inappropriate model for their behavior. It is vital that students see you as a person with confidence, so that they follow your lead, and feel comfortable talking to  you. Students, of all ages, need someone they can lean on, look up to, and trust.
  2. Have well-defined consequences. Set specific consequences for breaking the rules. Decide what those consequences are and then implement them consistently. Your consequences should follow a procedure that starts with a non-verbal signal (such as just looking at the student), to a verbal signal (asking the student to please stop talking), to a verbal warning (if this continues there will be consequences), to the implementation of the consequence. The consequences are up to you and depend on the program of the school. Many schools have a detention system (students do despise detentions), or perhaps writing lines, or sitting away from other students.
  3. Be compassionate. Great educators form strong relationships with their students and show that they care about them as people. They are warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. Be open to staying at school after-hours to help students or get involved in school-wide committees and activities, and they demonstrate a commitment to the school.
  4. Set some ground rules. You should have 3-5 rules that the students know about. These are the rules that, when broken, are subject to the consequence scheme outlined above. Try allowing the class to suggest the ground rules: have a class discussion and write ideas, it makes the class feel they are listened to and that you care about their opinions and input while also setting some groundwork that they will feel loyal to because they've made it. Act as a mediator to make sure that the rules decided upon are appropriate. Some may be, for instance, be quiet when the teacher is talking, respect each other, and finish the homework and classwork.
  5. Try maintaining a creative environment!  This will help children (5-11) think more creatively and they will come up with cool, new ideas. 
  6. Maintain peace in the classroom.
  7. Never let your students down when they come to you with their problems. Even if the problems are out of syllabus, try to help the student by using the Internet or library. It would gain both of you some knowledge.
  8. Orally ask about basics before teaching a topic in-depth. Clear the base points which seem to be unknown to your students.
  9. Ask more basic questions in the class, rather than asking something that is taught just today. Everyone needs some time to learn.
  10. Create competition in a positive aspect.
  11. Be smart to deviate attention of students from everything else to the topic.
  12. Appeal to students' interest in the topic instead of commanding them to study.
  13. Understand that every topic in the book has some practical application. Don't forget to discuss that part as it is the most important one.

Lesson Planning

  1. Have an objective. When you are planning a lesson, the most vital part is the objective. What do you want your students to take away from the lesson? If the objective is powerful, deep, and reflects what you really want students to learn, it will be reflected in the lesson.
  2. Have a solid plan for your lessons. Each and every lesson should be divided into three simple parts that reflect your objective.
    • First should be the "lecture" part of the lesson. This is where you teach something new to the class (of course allowing for questions or comments when applicable).
    • Dedicate the second part of class to something that involves a collective group work element where students can work with whoever they want. Near the end of this part, you can have a discussion session where groups voice their findings/opinions, and give marks for adequate participation.
    • The final part of every lesson should be where the students return to their seats and work QUIETLY on one final task, such as answering specific questions written on the board, or drawing a picture related to something they learned that lesson. The students should only talk to you (if they have a question about what/how to do it) or the person sitting directly next to them. This is the wind-down part where students get a chance to work on and understand the material on their own.
  3. Assign relevant homework. Rather than assigning something different every night, it is wise to assign one or two more substantial assignments on Monday and then collect these assignments on Friday.
  4. Consider giving quizzes. You may want to have a quiz every Friday to assess how well the students are grasping the material. You can judge how well you are teaching by how well the majority of your students perform on the quizzes.
  5. Take short notes. Revise once before teaching your class.
  6. Try using a case study.
  7. If you have any doubt about the artifacts, skip something. It's better to review the basics in class premises than to teach something confusing or wrong.
  8. Once you have developed a great lesson plan, your work is not done. Be sure to update lesson plans regularly to address gaps in the curriculum and incorporate new technology.
  9. Make your students excited to learn! Doing the same thing everyday will eventually bore students. Do something both enjoyable and educational every once in a while.
  10. Don't be too strict. Your students shouldn't see you as their best friend, but they shouldn't be scared of you either. Strike a personality balance that you and your students feel comfortable with.
  11. Act like the person you want them to become. Your students look up to you. The way you act towards them has an effect on how they treat others. Make sure this is a good effect.

Tips

  • Make sure all of your students understand what you are teaching. If you ask your class, they may say yes but you may not hear the little voice that says no.
  • Your evaluation (i.e. tests and quizzes) should be formed based on the original objective. It should evaluate how well the students met the objectives you set out when planning your lessons.
  • Effective classroom management is among the most important skills to have as a teacher.
  • You should be at least 1-2 weeks ahead in terms of your lesson plans.
  • Ask more questions from those who disrupt the class a lot. Let them know that the only way for you to stop your questions is to stop their disruption.
  • It is important to use questioning techniques throughout to check that the learner has understood. If the learner finds it too easy to answer then probe them further to gain a more detailed response. Using the terms 'why' and 'how'. This will stretch learners further.
  • Add a little love to every activity you teach. You will get better results from your students.
  • It is important to have some distance from your students, particularly for the first 2 weeks of the term. If you cannot keep a professional distance from your students, it is because YOU have the need to relate to them on a more personal level, probably because you're lacking that somewhere in your more personal life. It is your responsibility to recognize this and deal with it.
  • It is never too late to start to implement these tips and ideas.
  • It bears mentioning again that, making your lesson plans, the most important element is the objective. The other parts of the lesson (part for "lecture teaching", part for students working, and part for quiet working) spring from or arise from that objective.
  • Try removing disruptive students from the classroom.
  • Be nice with your student.

Warnings

  • Never insult someone in front of the class. It may be dangerous for either of you.
  • Never underestimate your students.
  • It bears mentioning again, if you are failing to keep a professional distance that allows you to be a figure to look up to and depend, you are putting your job in jeopardy. Go out and find some friends your own age or get on a more intimate relationship with your significant other.

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