Teaching is more than just a career path or a job, for most educators it is a vocation, driven by the desire to share knowledge and play an active part in shaping the futures of the students they teach. It is a practical hands-on job, filled with unique challenges; the needs of every student are different and a good teacher has to be adaptable and intuitive to meet those needs and unlock the potential of every student in their class. That said, there are some basic rules and methods that are seen as best practice for a teacher in order to create a consistent and positive learning space.
Establish an Environment in which Every Student Can Learn
The main challenge facing a teacher in the modern world is creating a learning environment in which every student feels like they can succeed. Is it vital to promote cultural sensitivity and tolerance to ensure that schools are inclusive spaces and that every pupil feels invited to learn and share in the classroom. All students, regardless of their backgrounds or individual needs, should feel supported in their learning by an environment that promotes the possibility for every student to learn and achieve. Clever use of varied classroom strategies can create dynamic learning environments that engage diverse groups of students; including those with special educational needs.
Be Prepared
When it comes to classroom management preparation is key, when working with large class sizes it is essential you have a strong lesson plan with clear goals, whether you share them with the class or not. Knowing your subject deeply and providing well planned lessons is at the centre of a teacher’s role, allowing every pupil the opportunity to succeed in an effective and well directed classroom. Having a good knowledge of the curriculum for your subject as a whole will allow you to place lessons in context and planning multiple lessons in advance can allow you to structure the long term learning goals of your pupils, helping them to achieve their potential.
Be Consistent
Studies show that when students know what to expect in a class they are more likely to engage with, work towards and achieve their long term educational goals. That means being consistent in the way you manage your classes, especially with a focus on marking and feedback. Make sure that individual pupils understand what they have done well and what they have done badly, communicate clearly the areas they need to improve and help them to do so. Consistency extends to your professional demeanour and discipline as well, make sure not to target any specific student with too much negative feedback and make sure the same behaviours are punished and rewarded regardless of the pupil in question, the more your classes understand your expectations the more likely they are to put their all into your classes and learn from you.
Be Clear
Recent studies have demonstrated that clear communication by teachers contributes significantly to cognitive learning, classroom engagement and academic achievement. Teachers should use clear teaching strategies that outline course goals and provide positive feedback when students have mastered the course content. Students who understand what is expected of them and have a clear route to achieving it engage more effectively with classroom materials and are more motivated to succeed in the learning environment. This is especially true in ‘interactive’ learning environments, such as adult education, where students and teachers work together to define the learning and teaching process. It has become standard practice to clearly establish the goals of each lesson at the start of the class, this means students know what they are meant to achieve throughout the duration of the lesson and can check their own progress against the goals you have stated.
Be Up To Date
It is a legal requirement in the UK that teachers keep themselves abreast of developments in the subjects they teach. Take advantage of additional training and advanced courses, and read the updates to your subject’s curriculum as and when they are published. Passionate teachers are driven to make sure their students receive the best education they can provide and that means you need to be ahead of the game yourselves. Take time to be interested in the subject you teach, knowing it from the bottom up and being aware of all of the latest methodologies and advances in knowledge relevant to those subjects. It’s good to know you can answer any question in the classroom, even the most specific, difficult and up to date ones. Having a strong knowledge of your subject allows you to dispense better teaching and can help you connect with more advanced students who are thinking about old subjects in new ways.
Promote Good Progress
Modern teaching methodologies put a strong focus on positive encouragement, establish possible goals for each of your students individually and make sure they are effectively communicated. Having something to work towards that they feel they can definitely achieve is a great way to make pupils focus on their personal and educational development. Once the goals have been established, keep the students up to date on their progress towards them with regular and clear updates, encourage students who work quickly towards their goals and find ways to motivate those who are progressing more slowly. When a goal has been attained be sure to praise the students achievement before establishing another achievable goal for them to work towards. By consistently promoting progress in this way you will find yourself bringing the best out of every student you work with.
Be A Good Example
The UK government includes a whole section on its Teaching Standards guidelines regarding personal and professional conduct. It highlights the importance for teachers not only to be providers of knowledge and discipline but also as examples of ethical and positive behaviour. By establishing a good work ethic, positive attitude towards learning and being an example of calm, reasonable thought you can have a huge influence on the attitudes and perspectives of your students, shaping the adults of the future in a way that is respectful, kind and disciplined.
Being a teacher isn’t easy, it requires hard work and consistency in the face of difficult work loads, unique people focussed challenges and high stress environments. Stick to these basic rules of teaching and you can’t go wrong. Maintaining a good plan and a positive attitude can help you achieve the best for the students you teach on a day to day basis. As a new teacher or someone with more experience keeping these basic rules in mind can create a working practice which puts you at the top of your game, teaching diverse classes effectively and helping students to attain their long term educational goals.
