Teachers work hard both in an out of the classroom. With the rise of technology and other distractions, finding new ways to be effective in the classroom is more important than ever. Children increasingly have shorter attention spans, and classroom management is more of a challenge than it’s been in past years.
Whether you’re a teacher looking to increase your own effectiveness or you’re helping a group of teachers at your institution, these tips will help you become a more efficient educator. Get started today to start seeing a big difference in your day-to-day teaching practice.
Start at the Door
Great teaching doesn’t start when the bell rings, it starts the moment your students step through the door. By greeting each student with a warm welcome, they’ll feel more motivated to start each lesson. Students want to feel their teachers care about them as individuals, not just students. This starts with a smiling face and a “Good morning!” at the door.
Visualization
Academics can get dull quickly if teachers aren’t careful. While some topics will naturally lead to more interest than others, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring out the excitement with some visualizations. Visuals and practical learning encourage students to get hands-on with their education.
Too often our classrooms revolve around concepts. We live in the real world, so bringing these concepts to life in a real way will pay off for your students. From photos to classroom experiments to field trips, show your students why what they’re learning really matters.
Inquiry Learning
In this age of technology, too many young people have information handed to them on a silver platter (or Google results page). While this is a great tool, it shouldn’t substitute inquisitiveness entirely. Students need to learn how to pose their own questions and think for themselves.
Include elements in your classroom that encourage students to pose their own questions. Have them take on the challenge of investigating the answer for themselves. From there, have students share their unique views to start a discussion. These are life skills that will take kids to adulthood and beyond.
Technology in the Classroom
Too many teachers today are averse to new educational technology. While it’s true that there will always be a place for old methods, technology can be a major asset to any institution. For instance, the rise of artificial intelligence is making testing easier for students of all levels. Similarly, virtual reality is changing the way students approach lessons with virtual learning and realistic visuals.
From using tools to calculate total gross pay in a finance class to showing students the world through a virtual reality lens, why wouldn’t you want to use all of the tools at your disposal? Teaching in today’s society has a lot of advantages. Technology helps us reach more students, find more effective ways of teaching, and add to innovation.
Behavior Management
Finally, a noisy, disruptive classroom is not a classroom for learning. Unfortunately, disruptions come in all shapes and sizes. While no student is perfect, it’s important to learn effective ways to manage poor behaviors in problem students. While these tips above will go a long way to building respect and trust, it’s still worth developing a landscape of respect and discipline.
One of the most effective ways to do this is through a rewards system. This can be done for students of all ages and levels. With fun activities for those who participate and showcase good behavior, it’s easier to manage growing classroom sizes without the added stress. Most importantly, be consistent in your behavior management strategy.
As you can see, there are a lot of challenges that come with being an educator today. At the same time, we’ve never had more technology and tools to use to our advantage. Strike your own balance with new technology as well as the strategies above. Finding new ways to be effective as a teacher will help you reach more students, find more fulfillment, and develop professionally.
Larry Lipman Knows Team Building for Teachers
I facilitate seminars that are interactive, learn-by-doing, and rich in content. Participants will learn life skills that they can apply in the classroom and at home. Call me today at 770-333-3303 and find out how I can customize a educator team building day specifically for teachers!
About the author:
Wendy Dessler is a super-connector who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.
A great resource for visual aides in teaching is iCLIPART for Schools https://schools.iclipart.com/.