As teachers, we are always striving to find more effective ways to plan our lessons, complete our marking and spend less time behind our desks. There are so many guides out there that present all the different things you can do to become an ace teacher, but really it boils down to 3 main things
- Put the students at the centre of their practice
Every teacher is taught that they should plan from specifications and then create objectives, what is it that you want the student to learn?
But actually, the most effective teachers understand their specifications inside-out and can create meaningful objectives as a second’s notice and so spend the majority of their time studying their student’s abilities and needs, by planning their lessons to the individual needs of the students teachers save time on differentiation and resourcing as the lesson itself is catered to each and every student.
- Never stop learning
A teacher who says “I know everything about my subject area” is lying. No one, no matter who they are can know everything as we discover new things every day. The teacher who continually learns in and around their subject is always ahead of the game in curriculum development and so is never surprised by any changes. This means they do not waste time having to research a change or taking a stab in the dark.
They are always evolving their practice through self-study. A skill they then pass on to their students.
- Be consistent
Whether it’s raining, snowing or sizzling hot. Whether they have had no sleep, broken up with a partner or just moved house; effective teachers are always consistent.
They learn to leave any exterior feelings at the door of their classroom and not allow it to affect their practice. Their students know the expectations of the classroom and these never change therefore making the students comfortable in the knowledge that as long as they follow those guidelines they will succeed, and even if the students have a bad day they know exactly what the consequence is and that after it is done they get a fresh slate.
Inconsistency breeds uncertainty in teachers and this can really affect your teaching if your students see that you are unsure of what you are doing, they lose belief in you and therefore you have lost they attention.