Category: Teacher Development

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Teachers are considered to be one of the best professionals in our society considering their role in the development of the next generation of citizens in our society.

Every successful person can name a teacher or two who were their guiding pillars during their education phase. They will proudly share the role they played in their life which was crucial in their successful path.

Even when we boast about their selfless nature, constructive criticism and timely advice, we should accept the hard reality that their career is not that hassle-free like what others think.

There are enough reasons for them to feel low and it is no wonder why a good majority are quitting their job halfway. Here let us have a look at the key reasons behind the sad reality and see what can be done to get over it.

1. Being Underpaid Despite Hard Work

Being a teacher needs a lot of hard work. From handling students from different backgrounds and culture to helping them stay successful in their results despite their diverse understanding levels, it is not so easy.

Even with all their hard work and selfless service, it is no secret that teachers are underpaid in most occasions.

The sum may not be good enough if he/she is the sole bread for the family and this is sure to cause the frustration in them. This, in turn, will reflect in the way they approach the daily lessons and the resultant failures can add up to their state of mind.

It is no wonder they will look up for additional jobs during their free time that in turn takes a toll on their health.

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2. Overwhelming Stress

Many survey reports have suggested that teachers are experiencing overwhelming stress than any other general workforce. Many of the teachers have openly accepted that they are not having good mental health.

Working under pressure when you are emotionally not fit can add to the trouble.

They won’t be able to do their best with such a state of mind and this eventually affects the results.

The performance pressure from management can do no good in their career and many of them are not able to survive for more than 5 years.

3. Lack of a Support System

Many teachers are complaining about the lack of a support system, be it from the parents or the management.

A close working of teachers, parents, and management is necessary to get the best results out of a student and for the smooth functioning of the learning system.

But this is not happening with many of the teachers and they end up being alone in the run.

Also Read: 24 Best Classroom Rules That Will Improve Student’s Behaviour

In many cases, parents often point at the teacher for their child’s failure without thinking about the child’s responsibilities.

This is a bit tricky situation and things can go worse if the management is not ready to give you enough support.

Most of the teachers are complaining about very little positive intent from parents and management when they set up meetings and they find it easy to blame teachers at the end.

4. Being Unnoticed and Disrespected

Teaching is usually considered as one of the most respected professions. But nowadays, being unnoticed and disrespected are among the major disappointments of a teacher.

This case is the most affected when someone is new in the field. Parents should teach their kids how to respect teachers despite their experience and management should workout policies in this regard.

They are often criticized, blamed and underestimated despite their positive efforts. Sometimes management and concerned authorities are not considering their suggestions when making policies that directly impact them.

5. Piles of Administrative Work

When there are lots of administrative works to handle in addition to the ‘normal’ teaching roles, it is not surprising to see that teachers are feeling exhausted easily.

The detailed documentation works of grading each student can often go beyond their 8 hours of usual lecturer jobs.

Preparing behavior reports and similar paper works can be sometimes really tricky which consumes a lot of time leaving no time for proper rest.

6. Too Much Testing

The standardized testing methods can turn awkward for teachers when it goes beyond a limit. Teachers are treated as if they are the sole reason for the failure of a student or school result.

This is causing unwanted performance pressure among teachers.

When things are out of their control, the so-called standard expectations from parents and management are turning unrealistic.

They end up being in a ‘good for nothing’ label which can be frustrating many times.

The responsibility should be distributed among students, teachers, parents and administrators which give space for teachers to give their best.

7. Bad Student Behaviour

Unlike in the past, bad student behavior is being a matter of concern for many of the teachers.

The lack of morals and discipline among students are often underrated which is constantly causing headaches to the teaching crew.

Teachers are finding it difficult to give their best when there is a lack of respect from the student side and open communication with new generation students is a challenge.

Nowadays, students live in their own rules making life difficult for teachers as they are least interested in obeying somebody.

When students refuse to listen to them, making their teaching strategies work can be far from reality.

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8. Handling Too Many Responsibilities

When you are new into the teaching profession, one should understand that multitasking is an art. Otherwise, nobody is going to survive for long as the role is not just inclined to just lectures.

It can include everything from developing classroom discipline, assessing student work, handling project works, collaboration with parents, updating policies from management and a lot more.

Even when teachers who survive the first few years can get along easily in the later years, the new teachers who are just into it can feel uncomfortable if one or more fails.

9. The Boredom of Typical Routines

Being a teacher can be one of the most enjoyable roles for those who love it with all passion.

Teaching from the heart is the key to give the best in the role. But once you start seeing it as yet another career or an 8-hour job, the boredom of typical routines is going to bother you.

The feeling of doing nothing new can result in thinking that it is a sedentary career and you slowly start losing interest in it.

All that you can do is to sense such signals at the beginning itself and take some effort to bring in some variety.

 Teaching and sharing something new and differentiated teaching techniques can come to your rescue. However, cooperation from students and management is the key when you try to be different.

10. Poor Work-Life Balance

This is one of the key reasons why teachers are quitting their jobs halfway.

Piles of administrative work, the feeling of being underpaid, undervalued and disrespected can take a toll on their mind and body.

This will not help them in any way to leave work at school at the end of the day.

They end up carrying the physical and emotional burden to home which affects their quality time with their family and of course their rest time.

This can turn really serious if it continues for too long and they eventually end up quitting the role.

These are just a few among the many reasons why the much-loved profession is turning out to be a nightmare for at least some of them.

It is high time for authorities to look into the matter and do the necessary to bring back its glory.

The school management can take the first step by establishing platforms for teachers to express their concerns.

Open discussion forums, polls and even seminars or lectures from experts in the field can solve these problems to an extent.

Also Read: Top 35 Teacher Interview Questions and Answers

So make sure that they are given the respect they deserve and paid enough for their hard work.

Bring in policies to avoid teacher bullying and set up programs to assure a good work-life balance for these great professionals.

It is the responsibility of the authorities to show more seriousness into such matter or else we might have to see people shaking their head when asked about taking teaching as a profession.

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In 1956, Benjamin Bloom created Blooms Taxonomy. Since then, it is regarded as a comprehensive platform where the learning objectives and its outcomes are classified in a systematic way. This model is used effectively for teaching and learning purposes.

Blooms Taxonomy can be defined as a methodical classification of cognitive skills (as educational learning objectives) to help teachers teach and assess student capabilities better while helping students study well.

The reason for developing Blooms Taxonomy was to provide teachers a common language to converse and exchange learning and evaluation techniques. The ultimate goal of a teacher who uses Blooms taxonomy will be to promote higher-order thought among the learners by pushing up from lower-order cognitive skills.

Levels of Blooms Taxonomy

In a typical classroom setting, educators can apply the principles from different levels of taxonomy to get the best out of the possibilities of intellectual learning. Let’s have a look into the different levels of blooms taxonomy and the way teachers use it in a cognitive domain.

Knowledge (Remember): This is the bottom-most but highly relevant level in Blooms taxonomy. The level involves identifying or recalling facts, basic concepts, terms, or answers without essentially being aware of exactly what they mean. The characteristics may include terminology, specific facts, trends and sequences, principles and generalizations.

Example: Name four common Banana varieties

Comprehension (Understand): This level of Blooms taxonomy is in fact progression from the previous stage (Knowledge) in which information can be interpreted with more readiness. This stage is more about identifying the differences and similarities while making comparisons.

Example: Identify the distinguishing features of a Manzano banana in comparison with a Cavendish banana.

Application: The third but one of the important levels of Blooms Taxonomy is Application which needs a different sort of thinking from the learners. This stage demands learners to make use of the pre-learned information in a somewhat diverse way. This stage will be a success if they can apply the learning in a diverse range of novel circumstances and yield the expected outcome.

Example: Would bananas prevent cardiovascular disease and digestive problems?

Analysis: This is a key stage where learners have to fall back on what they learned in the first stage of blooms taxonomy and retrieve user information. The information in the repository needs to be broken down after having a deeper look at it. The characteristics include analysis of elements, relationships and organization.

Example: List three ways of preparing foods with bananas and provide details about which cuisine can have the best health benefits. Give references to justify your statements.

Synthesis: This stage is about using the information to go an extra step in the progression. This is to insist learners bring in some initiatives and apply novel ideas as a means to problem-solving. This stage demands good planning through which broken pieces of information are put together to get the best results.

Example: Alter an “unhealthy” recipe for the banana cream pie to a “healthy” one by swapping your pick of ingredients. Clarify the health benefits of the newly added ingredients vs. the original ones.

Also Read: 24 Best Classroom rules that will improve student’s behavior

Evaluation: The final phase of Blooms taxonomy is the evaluation of all the learning you had. This involves considering different people’s ideas, criticizing them and at the same time evaluating your personal perspectives.

Example: Which types of bananas are best for baking a banana cream pie, and why?

Creation: This level was added in the revised taxonomy that came out in 2001. It involves coming up with the solution for old problems by addressing the flaws or failures of the previous case.

What makes Blooms finding really special is the way it helps teachers to reflect their teaching and importantly on the consequent learning and understanding of the students. In addition, it could be applied to nearly everything in a learning scenario.

Teaching Strategies with Bloom’s Taxonomy

Blooms Taxonomy is a really influential tool to renovate the phases of teaching and learning. Teachers have to be well planned about how to make use of the possibilities of Blooms taxonomy to build strategies for the classroom. Unlike the basic instructions and content, this is more about the focus to cognitive events in the student’s mind.

Let us see some key teaching strategies that can be used in today’s classroom to get the best outcome of Blooms taxonomy.

  • Make Use of all Levels: There is a common misunderstanding that the bottom level that relates to memorization is given more importance than it deserves. However, the reality is that each of the level has its own significance and utilizing all of them through progression is the key.

In fact, memorization can minimize the cognitive load and they can easily progress to the next levels through quick recall and application.

  • Utilize Blooms Spiraling: This means to spend considerable time at each level before moving to the next level to get the exact benefit of real progression. This helps students to cope up with the demand for an increased level of thinking. This, in turn, helps to use it as an ultimate trail to lead the learning process.
  • Using Technology to Highlight Particular Levels: In Blooms revised taxonomy, the emphasis is shifted towards creativity and this demands students to think more innovatively.

Utilizing the possibilities of social media and digital technology can be a great approach in this context. It gives students a platform to learn at their own pace by bringing in a lot of thinking. They can simply observe and put in strategic input by taking into account their background knowledge, readiness, and relevant expertise.

  • Allowing Students to Lead: Giving students a chance to bring in their own thinking and ideas to the structure can make a lot of difference in the way they progress.

The resultant collection of information can be presented in a classroom showcase or student community to acknowledge the effort they have put in.

  • Plan Project-Related Learning Sequences: This can be a groundbreaking change in the way a student progresses in his learning. However, it is not something out of the box as anyone might think.
  • The initial level is defining, recalling and identifying key modules of a project and its challenges.
  • The second stage is evaluating the cause or effect of the modules and challenges.
  • The final stage enables them to formulate new strategies to solve the challenges and improve the situation.
  • Give credits for each level: It is important to give equal points or credits for students being involved in all levels as each level has its own significance. However, you can reduce points if it seems students are spending a longer time than expected at lower levels.

Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy in the Classroom

Blooms Taxonomy is an influential platform for learning and teaching that lets you shape almost anything that is part of your classroom. Here let us have a look at the number of ways a teacher can use this platform.

  • Design or enhance an assessment
  • Offer learning feedback
  • Visualize progress of student over the course
  • Direct research projects
  • Develop question stems
  • Differentiate instruction
  • Learning reflection journals
  • Frame a mini-lesson
  • Summarize a reading passage
  • Refine and enhance queries
  • Map curriculum
  • Assess the champ in a debate
  • Assist students to develop reading response prompts
  • Brainstorm ideas for project-based learning

These are a few among the thousands of ideas which show the power of Blooms Taxonomy. A wise teacher can make the best out of this comprehensive theory and cultivate highly valued qualities in his or her students.

Conclusion

Developing learning objectives is the key goal of using Blooms Taxonomy. It is explained in a simple way by telling how remembering a concept is the key before understanding it and how understanding it is the key before you can apply it.

Similarly, a thorough analysis is necessary before you can initiate an evaluation process and how a thorough evaluation is critical before you create an accurate conclusion.

The taxonomy from Benjamin was purely one-dimensional and the ultimate focus was particularly on the knowledge domain but it was way ahead of the time. The updated version sees it from a different angle that gives more significance to the powerful combo of knowledge content and cognitive processes.

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Among all the common elements, a special emphasis is given to illegal things teachers cant do.

These are more important things that strictly come under the law regarding a teacher’s responsibility.

However, the laws and rules differ by the constitution, state; countries, local and federal bodies.

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Here let us have a look at some of the common laws that are more or less similar to every entity.

1. Student Privacy

The teacher will have access to a lot of personal information with regard to the students they are handling. Laws clearly give emphasis to keeping the school record information private and not share or publish anywhere without the consent of the parents.

Let it be social media or any other media, handling the student information should be very careful. Disrespecting the student privacy can be an offense if parents approach the concerned court.

This also covers the personal information they share about their family in the course of study which they reveal out of trust.

However, the rules can be an exception in case the teacher comes across a scenario when students are mistreated at home or other public or private places. They should have a talk with the responsible school authority and report the instance to the respected center.

2. Supervision of Students:

Negligent supervision and the resultant mental agony faced by students can be an offense depending on the severity of the scenario.

Certain incidents in classrooms can even affect their mental harmony and make serious problems in the future.

So teachers will have to take special care not to hurt their feelings and offend them intentionally just to use the power.

Also Read: 35 Teacher Interview Questions and Answers

3. Respect For Students

The laws make it crystal clear that every student must be treated as a separate individual and the respect towards them should not be compromised.

Their age, culture, gender as well as socioeconomic conditions should be considered when handling a student.

Moreover, the teacher is not supposed to be partly based on culture or religion and treat everyone equal.

Similarly, respecting their consent is important when it comes to even touch a student and having any outside the classroom relationship with them.

Things can go worse if a teacher is found to be involved in any kind of sexual relationship with them despite the circumstances.

4. Limits on Discipline:

It is quite normal for a teacher to take care of the discipline of the students in the class to ensure quality learning time and improved productivity.

The teacher can involve in disciplining their students if their behavior or attitude is affecting the quality of teaching or harmony of the class.

He/she can report student behavior or attitude to concerned authority if other students are being affected in an unfair manner.

However, the laws have set a boundary line for the way teacher can discipline their students and handling incidents based on their jurisdiction.

 Also Read : Why Is It Important For Teachers to Study Philosophy of Education
5. Punishing Students:

It is not that offensive for teachers to give friendly punishments for students who are not following the lessons regularly, scoring low in tests, coming late for class, lack of discipline and more.

However, the laws are in favour of students when teachers tend to cross the limit in punishing the students.

The guidelines clearly mention the importance of avoiding any acts that makes forceful punishments or any activities in the name of punishments that hurt their feelings.

If a student is seen as using a mobile phone or music player in classroom which is against the school policies, teacher can take it from them and give it back at the end of the day.

If the student refuse to give their belongings, it is not advisable to forcefully take it from them but to report it to the school head.

Similarly, teachers have to give back the student belongings the same day without causing any damage to them.

If a student complained about another student regarding bullying or intentionally disturbing through text messages, the teacher can go through the messages only in the presence of another teacher or school head.

And it is not advisable to view any other private content in the student mobile during the process.

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A good teacher has to be a good human being and that is the right way to mold up a student or correct their mistakes.

They should understand that every student is a separate individual and he/she should be treated well by giving enough personal space.

Teachers have to spend enough time on reading through all the guidelines or laws to be followed when being a responsible teacher to avoid future mishaps.

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Can you relate to this common phenomenon?
You were either attracted or not interested in the lectures delivered by your teachers.
You must have found your teacher’s voice to be harsh or too soft for you to pick and the words.

All the teachers come with unmatched subject knowledge.  The catch is in the style of voice projection in class.Teacher app ad banner

A teacher’s voice is the bridge between the students and their learning capability. Understanding is linked to how clearly they hear what is being spoken.

How your teacher projects his/her voice while lecturing decides the success of teaching.

Surely you are looking to attract the attention of your students through your voice and vocabulary.

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Here is some advice:

1. Focus On The Elements of “Voice projection”

A teacher’s voice in the classroom is linked to a couple of elements. It includes the pitch (a unique sound from the vocal chords, used to emphasize a particular word or phrase), the vocal tone (the manner in which you talk along with the quality of the sound produced by your vocal chords), the tempo (the speed with which you speak; slowly or fast) and the volume.

The Pitch

It is advisable to have a natural pitch while delivering a lecture. In order to identify your natural pitch, you can relax your throat and begin to hum. A humming sound too loud or too soft can mar your lesson delivery. So, you should aim at practicing a natural pitch which is pleasing and audible to your students.

The Tone

A teacher should make the most of the vocal tone while delivering lecturers. They must watch their tone of voice so as to maintain the attention span of students. When you wish to express empathy, a soft tone teamed with a smile can do the trick. On the other hand, instructions and firm statements should be delivered using a formal tone.

The Tempo

You should watch out for the speed with which you speak. A tempo that is too slow or too fast, hinders your lecture delivery. Pause before you begin explaining an important point. This simple trick will help your students pay greater attention to the key point that will be discussed next.

Try to slow down your pace by taking some deep breaths while you are lecturing. Another tip to direct your lectures well is to ask questions. This is to check if students are in good stead with what you teach.

Also Read:  Dunbar’s Number and It’s Impact On Effective Teaching

Volume

Volume isanother important element that decides the success of your lecturing abilities. If you want to impress your students with an honest and serious demeanor, practice a quiet voice.

2. Unlock the Power of A “Pause”

Teachers should be aware of the power of a pause. To pause, it is important that you attach importance to timing. But to learn when to pause and for long to pause is a skill that comes with regular practice.

3. Aim For Clarity In Your Speech

Pay attention if your students find it hard to listen to your words. This situation arises because you failed to express yourself clearly. To ensure this you need to practice certain exercises that fine-tune your diction. Diction exercises help you speak clearly so that you are audible to your students. These exercises will handhold you to deliver lectures with ease. An exciting way to hone your diction is to ramble tongue-twisters which stress on different alphabets.

Also Read:   How to Exploit the Power of Digital Storytelling for a smart Classroom?

4. A Giggle Here and A Giggle There

Humor is another classroom prerequisite. You can attract and engage your students only if you make an effort to bring a smile on their faces. Humor unlocks the teacher-student divide. It creates an environment of mutual trust and openness. Another tip concerning laughter in classrooms is to blend humor with the topic that is being discussed.

5. The Importance of The Breath

It is important for you as a faculty to observe and focus on your breathe when you teach. It will impact how well your lecture is received by your students. Your breath is linked to the quality and health of your voice. A host of breathing exercises can be practiced by teachers to enhanced voice quality. This will make you a competent and confident teacher.

6. Teachers’ Vocabulary

Another Significant Element of a Great Classroom Session!
Subject knowledge that faculty brings to class determines the success of a lecture.

However, teachers should avoid the use of difficult, technical terms and abbreviations. Students may not understand them.
Try engaging them by adding interesting extracts, facts and nuances.
This will spark an interest level in students.

Include such bits and pieces of rare information into your lesson delivery. Your students will enjoy a deep sense of engagement with you and the topic in general.

Key Takeaways

As a teacher cover the entire nine yards to fine-tune your voice projection and vocabulary.

Ensure every student can hear you. Most importantly, avoid shouting while lecturing in class.

Voice modulation goes a long way in making you an effective and confident teacher. It evokes a great deal of respect and affinity from students.

Pay attention to your vocabulary. It takes all sorts of students to make a class.

Teachers who project voice in a rightful manner will be crowned as effective faculty by their wards.

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While there are many certification courses for different professionals to advance in their career, teachers are not left behind. Teachers can now avail the benefits of professional development which introduces them to a variety of specialized training modules along with advanced professional teaching patterns.

Termed as an ongoing education for teachers, it is through professional development that they can develop new skills by attending seminars, workshops and training courses. All in an attempt to ensure their skills are fresh, professional development helps teachers to constantly learn new skills. For all those who are curious to learn the benefits of a robust professional development program for teachers, here they come.

  1. A Big Boost to Your Teaching Career

Investing in a teachers’ professional development program is the best bet for a school district. Once teachers complete the training program, they will be in a favorable position to take up supervisory positions. When this happens, you as a well-trained professional teacher will enjoy the benefits of increasing pay.

Teachers who have enrolled themselves for a national board certification will be picked up to fill important leadership roles. It is through these development modules that you as a teacher can encourage your wards to stay in the classroom for longer periods. What about struggling teachers? New teachers who find it difficult to manage and teach students will be able to protect their career aspirations, with a sense of faith that they have made a right choice picking up teaching as their profession.

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  1. Promises A Hefty Pay-Check

Knowledge is wealth, more so when it concerns the teaching profession. Teachers who are abreast with the modern teaching techniques and curricula enjoy financial incentives, taking the form of a salary raise. Undoubtedly, a teacher passing out a training course will attract the attention of school administrators looking to hire qualified teachers. After you put in five years of teaching experience post your professional development course, you will also earn a professional license. You can then take pride in the tag of an accomplished teacher.

Teachers who have enrolled for a professional development module will complete it after successfully passing a test alongside meeting the specification of putting in the specified number of training hours. Along with this recognition in the educational space, you as a professionally trained teacher will also take home a hefty pay package.

  1. An Armor to Avert Attrition

The teaching profession is equal with a high level of attrition. Research states that teachers have high turnover rates when they bid goodbye to their profession within the first five years of joining. When teachers enroll themselves in a professional development program, they will able to adopt strategies and best educational practices.

Loaded with tips for effective classroom management, it is through a professional development training program from which teachers enjoy the feeling of being respected. It is through this support that teachers can kick start their teaching careers and become experienced teachers for the long haul.

  1. A Strong Hold on Subject Matter

Every one of us is a student, constantly learning about everything life throws at us. Same is the case with teachers who should be constantly positioned on the learning curve. It will not be an overstatement to quote that a teacher is also a student for life; constantly updating her knowledge about her specialization. It is for this purpose that teachers should constantly update themselves with the evolving teaching technologies.

When administrators invest in a professional training program of teachers, they will be handholding educators to not only develop new skills but also sharpen existing skills. And the best part of such a program is that new and established teachers can make the most of the knowledge that is imparted. All these will lead to a deeper understanding of the subject they will be proud of.

  1. A Cooperative Learning Environment

Mutual sharing of ideas through brainstorming sessions help teachers signed up with professional development programs. When teachers with varying IQ levels meet up on a common learning platform, exchange of information takes place. Alongside exchanging notes about the subject matter, teachers can also benefit from learning new techniques that are either in vogue or are practiced by other educators.

It is through this formal and informal means of sharing pertinent information, teachers enrolling for professional development programs stand to gain in a number of ways. It is through such learning courses that the faculty of schools and colleges tread the path of continuous improvement.

  1. Students Benefit A Great Deal

If you can answer this question as to why administrators invest in professional development programs for teachers, you will come up with a strong reason behind these training courses. The innate benefit of such courses is to help teachers learn new techniques and teaching styles. Thus, while the teachers are learning, students will also learn the better way.

A learned teacher is indeed a boon to a classroom when he/she implements the novel teaching mechanisms assimilated as a part of training course. When a well-informed teacher faces students and lectures about a particular topic, he/she will be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of particular students. It is with this data point that professionally trained teachers will be able to handhold students of diverse IQ levels so as to uncover their dormant potential and make the most of it. Trained teachers also know of ways and means to make a classroom session even more interesting. Using various teaching styles, professionally-trained teachers excite the attention of students towards academics and extra-curricular activities as well.

Wrapping It Up

Everyone who dreams of staying on top of the game should keep reinventing themselves. All in an attempt to keep pace with the changes in educational space, it is through professional development programs that teachers and students enjoy a plethora of benefits. While teachers earn recognition and enjoy hefty salaries, students learning from trained teachers develop an interest in academics alongside uncovering their nascent talent.

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“One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world”

Teachers influence the lives of students much more significantly than we imagine. A teacher with the right skills inspires and influences entire student lives. They are instruments who can ignite powerful thoughts in students, helping them unleash their true potential.

To bring about such long-standing impacts, it is important for teachers to have certain skills. Let’s take a look at them.Teacher app ad banner

1. Discipline Skills

Discipline is an important skill that you should possess a teacher so as to be labelled as effective. A vital component of effective classroom management, your discipline ensures that positive behaviour is encouraged inside classrooms.

Unlike common belief, discipline is not about punishing students. Rather, it is a way to manage and guide students. Discipline is directly affected by the kind of relationship you have with your students.

The most important discipline skills you can have includes being respectful, responding to students, and reciprocating their interest. A teacher should be skilled in setting an effective routine with the right amount of flexibility.

As you might be already aware, proper communication and relationship building are very important skills as well.

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2. Classroom Management Skills

As a teacher, by ensuring good behaviour of students, the battle is half won.  But to be an effective teacher, you should also be able to help students develop study and work habits.

Good classroom management skills start with setting certain ground rules to stress the importance of classroom dignity.

Teachers should exercise patience along with a deep sense of care and kindness towards their wards. You as an empathetic teacher will win over the hearts of your students by demonstrating sensitivity, especially during student rifts.

Better student-teacher relationships emerge when you demonstrate a willingness to lend an ear to the problems faced by your students. It is important for teachers to establish a good rapport with students so that a positive, productive and safe learning environment is created in classrooms.

Also Read: 35 Inspirational Quotes for Teachers Appreciation 

3. Observation Skills

It is the prime responsibility of teachers to have a thorough understanding about the cognitive, emotional and social development of students. Since a classroom is filled with students coming from different parental backgrounds, it makes sense to a teacher to be aware of the learning capabilities of different students.

Here, observation is the key skill that every teacher should possess to become an effective tutor.

A class can be a mix of slow learners and intelligent students. This is a challenge that teachers face day in and day out when they need to adopt specific teaching patterns so that no student is left behind.

Understanding the innate abilities of each student helps you to match your teaching pace. Remember, given the variety of students in your classroom, “One size does not fit all”. You should adjust your teaching pace taking into consideration the overall IQ level of your class to ensure that every student benefits from your classroom lecture.

Also Read:  Why Is It Important For Teachers to Study Philosophy of Education

4. Student Engagement Skills

Day in and day out, every teacher handles a bunch of students with different mentalities towards learning.

While some students demonstrate a keen interest in learning, others are distracted at the smallest provocation. Hence for you to be called an effective teacher, you should develop student engagement skills so that you can motivate your students.

You can make the educational content interesting for students by using different strategies such as the use of visuals and impressive feats and facts.

Developing a strong rapport with students is one of the best ways to ensure your students are engaged in the class. Show genuine interest in them and their interests. Be receptive to their queries and ideas.

Take that extra effort to understand their lives and problems better. Student engagement skills come naturally to some teachers, but others can develop them with practice. If you do it well, you become a “go to” source for the emotional or educational support that every student longs for.

Also Read: 7 Great Indian Teachers Who Gave Education a New Meaning

5. Strong Communication Skills with Students and Parents

Being a teacher, you are always putting your communication skills to test, every single day. Hence it is very important for a teacher to possess effective communication skills.

Your oratory skills coupled with a strong understanding of the subject matter will attract the attention of your students, paving the way for a high level of concentration towards the topic you are discussing.

Your preparedness comes to the fore when you are in a position to clarify the doubts of students so that you can make the subject material interesting to them.

An effective teacher is also expected to communicate with the parents of their wards. When you begin to constantly interact with parents, you will be able to bridge the gap between what is happening in school to what is expected from a particular student.

Parent-teacher meetings, along with phone and email conversations with parents are the tools that will help teachers stay in constant touch with parents. With such conversations, it becomes possible for teachers to update parents of the progress and weaknesses of their wards.

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6. Teaching Skills

Tagged as a noble profession that can change the lives of students for the better, every effective teacher requires good inter-personal skills along with effective speaking and strong presentation skills. Teaching skills include all of these and more… such as great organizational skills.

Teachers should be well-prepared for their lectures ensuring that they carry all the material that aids in teaching, to the class. You should have a penchant for working in groups.

Along with motivational skills that will keep the fire burning in the bellies of students, an effective teacher should rank high on empathy and rapport-building strategies.

Giving timely feedback about the behaviour and performance of your wards are also part of effective teaching skills.

Also Read:  21 Innovative Apps for Teachers

7. Subject Matter Expertise

Every teacher comes with a specific specialization. Putting in years of teaching experience, effective teachers stand in line with the changes to the curriculum of their favourite subject.

Keeping themselves abreast with the new topics that are added to the course, effective teachers will ensure that their students receive the best education from them.

When teachers demonstrate a high-level of subject matter expertise, students will be encouraged to pose questions with a belief that they will be clarified then and there. This overall knowledge about the subject you have chosen to teach will thus pave the way for interesting classroom sessions.

8. Time Management Skills

It is easy to get carried away by so many different aspects of teaching. But you only have limited classroom time.

Alongside ensuring that the curriculum is completed within the pre-defined time frame, you should also attach importance to the time taken by students to complete their assignments. You should follow a strategy to organize your working day around educational and non-teaching priorities.

An effective teacher, with an intention to offer repetitive practice to students, should strategically plan homework tasks. You can ensure the best use of classroom time by framing and structuring assignments which will help students sit for studies while at home.

Effective time management skills are vital for providing quality education to students while also meeting the specific learning needs of each student.

Also Read:  20 Best Attendance Management App for Teachers

9. Clear Planning Skills

You should be able to clearly plan what the objective for each class is. Planning ahead of time allows you as a teacher to be more confident about what you are going to teach each time you are in a class.

There can be holidays and unexpected events which need to be taken into consideration while planning. Also, have measures for students who are absent at times to help them catch up with the rest of the class.

10. Passion & Positivity

While not exactly a skill, being passionate about teaching is a pre-requisite to be an effective teacher. When you are passionate, you can learn from experience and there would be a constant search for methods to improve yourself as a teacher.

Maintaining a positive attitude is also very important, as you are a role model for your students. Your attitude towards each student will reflect in the way they behave and grow. So, maintain a positive attitude towards each of your students and avoid negative elements in the classroom.

Also Read: 20 Things Teachers Shouldn’t Do in the Classroom [Infographic]

11. Be a Team Player

Students would love to have teachers who are friendly and understands them. Rather than forcing students to learn by disciplining, working with your students as a team would help them have fun while learning.

It creates a positive atmosphere in your classroom, helping students to associate learning with fun activities. If you are a team player, it helps students to bond not just with you, but also amongst themselves.

Also Read: 25 Movies that Educate and Inspire Students 

12. Patience

Let’s deal with it; managing a classroom full of students is not the easiest of jobs. There are going to be few students who would test your patience. But, if you lose your nerves during such testing times, it can produce only negative outcomes.

By being patient and working with troublesome students individually, you would be able to improve your classroom atmosphere effectively.

Key Takeaways

To be an effective teacher, you should be able to motivate and support students so that they are well-equipped to deal with any challenges life throws at them both academically and otherwise. With all the above skills in place, you will invariably take on the title of an effective teacher who inspires students in more ways than one.

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Teaching is a huge responsibility and an ideal teacher should make sure that the students are comfortable with the way they deal with a classroom.

Students spent more time at school than at home. So, teachers should be an ideal role model for their students. You should try to create a bond between the hearts and minds of yourself and the students.

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The statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) helps school teachers to analyze the standards that early year providers should meet. This would enable children will learn and develop well. Along with that, here are certain things that you should avoid as a teacher to create a pleasant, safe as well as comfortable atmosphere for their students.Teacher app ad banner

1. Yelling – No students like yelling at them. This will cause them to slowly dislike the teacher and may result in distrust too. Also by yelling, you can never follow the classroom management plan. Students will more listen to you, when you speak in a normal voice. While raising your voice, it seems like you are showering your frustrations in front of them. Clear communication will make teaching an easier and enjoyable task as well.

2. Short temper – It is just not fine if the role model lose temper in front of the students. Especially if you are an Early Years Foundation Stage teacher. Rebuilding trusts and relationship with students is not that easier as it seems to be. Try to keep calm and take effort as to avoid shouting. In case if you have raised your voice, make sure to apologize. Also focus on your behavioral aspects and change the things that need to be done.

3. Unprepared for class – Coming unprepared for class is the loss of valuable teaching time. It also indicates a negative behavior.

4. Loss of control – Never let the class become unruly. Take control of the class. Students may become overexcited and may create noises. Early Years Foundation Stage teachers might find it difficult, but it is a skill that can easily be developed. An ideal way would be to create signals such as clapping hands or raising hands to keep them quiet.

5. Continuous sitting – Teachers sitting at the beginning of the class is fine. But remaining in the seated position throughout the class may create lack of interest and motivation in students.

6. Arguing – Discussions and argument are both different. Even if the student argues on any point, you should never encourage that. While setting rules in the beginning of the year, make sure to include that arguing is not an appreciable behavior and it shows disrespect.

7. Humiliation – Never hurt the dignity and self-respect of a student. He/she will lose confidence in your classroom. Also they will never trust you.

8. Getting too much friendly – Most new teachers make this mistake. They try to win the students by compromising on discipline, which may result in disrespect. Make sure to follow the set of rules that teaches them discipline. Also never be too open with students to discuss your personal information. Instead stay professional and try to earn their respect and appreciation.

Also Read: 45 Famous Quotes On Teachers

9. Late rules – Establishing rules in the beginning of the year helps to create a peaceful atmosphere during the whole year. Routines and rules, established late will fail to serve the purpose.

10. Complaining about coworker – Talking ill about other staff, management or other teachers in the school will be of no gain at all. It is better to talk directly to the teacher or staff member whom you have issues with and solve the problem then and there.

11. Too tough and authoritative – A teacher’s authority is a responsibility. Never misuse that. Being too tough and hard may result in students being afraid of you. Your aim should be to be loved, respected and not to be feared by them.

12. Over dependency on administrators – Make your own strategies to manage the class. Never depend too much on school administrators. A teacher also plays the role of an educator and disciplinarian.

13. Too much hard work – Along with work, find time to relax and be with your family after work.

14. Unequal treating – Never treat students based on your likes and dislikes. All the students should be considered equal. Punishment should be same for everyone and never show special consideration for the one you like the most.

15. Getting late – Punctuality is crucial as students learn many things from you. Getting late occasionally is fine. When you get late, make sure to say a sorry to your students.

16. Lessons from text book alone – Just teaching the students what is dictated in the text causes boredom. Also they will miss many things like experimenting what they learned, projects and assignments.

17. Unfair rules – Rules certainly are created to follow. But certain alleviations should be made based on the valid excuse and situation of the student.

18. Accepting late work – Rules you make should be consistent. Do not accept late submission unless and until for a valid reason.

Also Read : Tips To Tackle Cyberbullying among students

19. Making simple things complex – Don’t confuse them. Explain your instructions in clear language, bit by bit so that they know what they are expected to do.

20. Too much directions Stop providing too many instructions. Make them feel that you are one among them and are reliable.

21. Eating Lunch during class hours You’d be surprised to see any teacher bringing lunch to a classroom. This is not good with any level or any age. Having a cup of tea or coffee is ok, but don’t eat your afternoon meal during class hours.

22. Making Fun of Students It is obvious that you make fun of students but sometimes your joke or comment can hurt the student’s self-confidence. Surely, it is a great talent you have if you are able to use humor in classrooms and make students laugh. But be careful that your jokes or comments doesn’t harm any particular student personally.

23. Only Following the Book Many a times, teachers teach everything directly from the textbook; this tends to boring and monotonous. It makes your student to show disinterest towards your lecture. Because they are learning something new, they want opportunities to do and experiment with their new skill. So, ensure that you are connecting your activities to book instead of just teaching whatever given in the textbook.

24. Sitting Down and Teaching Sitting down and teaching throughout an entire class is not apt for a teacher. The teachers you are expected to stand or walk around while taking a class as sitting down for long duration is a sign of laziness, unless you’re ill or injured.

25. Playing Favouritism Every student must get your direction and attention. It is quite obvious that every teacher has a favourite student in their class but be sure that you don’t give any special consideration to he/she which you don’t give to other students of the class. Whatever might be the situation, always be fair to all the students in your class.

Conclusion

Lack of a pleasant atmosphere will cause boredom and thus misbehavior follows.

The EYFS framework provides common principles and commitments to deliver quality early education and childcare experiences to all children.

But, how these principles are followed depends on how teachers like you execute the principles.

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So put your best foot forward to be an awesome teacher.

If you have any suggestions to add to the list, please share with us in the comment section.

Also Read : 20 Best Attendance Management App for Teachers

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Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another. John C. Maxwell

While some kids are good leaders by nature, other students need to be encouraged, role modeled, and nurtured to develop leadership skills. By being a leader, a child will develop qualities such as honesty, belief in one, dedication towards the task, being a good listener and positive attitude. Teachers, caregivers, parents and other family members can encourage the development of these qualities in early life.

Building Leadership in Kids – Teacher’s Role

Let us consider a school environment. Teachers can give children opportunities to serve in leadership roles. They can teach the skills necessary for children to take on leadership roles now and in the futureTeacher app ad banner

  1. 1. Leadership activities can help kids to-
  2. 2. Check the positive as well as negative aspects of their behavior
  3. 3. Identify areas where they lack courage and improve
  4. 4. Boost self-confidence
  5. 5. Express themselves to others correctly
  6. 6. Develop organizational skills

Certain ways to develop leadership skills in children include helping them learn to see different viewpoints in a situation which will help to manage multiple opinions in a group setting, teaching them to set goals and try to do their best at everything, helping them maintain a positive attitude even when others make things difficult or tell them they can’t achieve something and teaching them that mistakes will always happen and are a natural part of life and not to let the mistakes beat them down.

Activities That Teachers Can Adopt

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1. “Create a New You” –  The game requires materials such as a crayons, poster board/construction paper, magazines, scissors, and newspapers. Ask children to sketch themselves on the board or paper. Tell them to make identifications to clearly show that the picture is theirs.

They can use magazine or newspaper cut outs which include their favorite activities and food, pets, whatever makes them special and where they live. Once completed, children can present the poster to other children. This artistic activity will improve the kid’s confidence to lead.

2. “Same or Different” –  This simple game doesn’t require any material. Ask the children to sit in a circle. Select one child to go first. The kid should be asked to point at someone in the circle who looks similar to him in appearance, hair style or even dress color. When the kid chooses one, ask him to point out what differences and similarities they have with one another. The game will help the teacher to explain that everyone has differences and everyone also has things that are the same.

3. “Move the Egg” – Divide the students into groups of four or five members. Students have to choose a leader for their team. Provide spoons and eggs for each participant. The leader should find an effective way to transfer the eggs from one point to another. While one child creates a line to pass the egg, other child might ditch the spoons and simply instruct the team members to run for it. The team that gets their eggs across the finish in a creative manner will win. The game helps to teach children how to lead their peers.

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4. “Lead the Blindfolded” –  The game reveals the importance of communication skills in a leader. Choose a large indoor or outdoor area for this activity. Divide kids into two groups and provide them enough blind folds. Place the teams at opposite sides of the space and instruct everyone except one member of each team to put on a blindfold. The one member, who is not sporting a blindfold should lead his team across the field by providing clear commands. Make sure that each member in the team is getting a chance to lead the team in regular intervals. The team which successfully leads their members across their finish line wins.

5. “Charity Support” –  Teacher can support charity activities by assisting the kids with planning a fundraiser. Assign each child with different tasks. While one student finds a worthy charity to support, the other one should find a space to have the fundraiser. And other should get donations. Along with teaching the importance of being a leader, the activity also help to learn about supporting worthy charities.

You May also Like: Top 12 Classroom Management Tips

6.“ Planning Strategies”  – Planning strategies, taking time to discuss and create strategies are very vital leadership skills. Teach the student to split a large task into small groups. Assign them a large task just like conducting a class function. Show them a plan as to how to do it step by step. Many children can be involved so that they can share their task. Evaluate each kids job and provide suggestions for better improvement.

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7. ” Volunteer Roles”  – Volunteering is a key on leadership roles. Talk to children about how they would like to help any one in need. Interested kids can be directed to organizations in your own community that may need assistance. For instance, if a poor family needs home, you might suggest students to collect fund that would help the poor family in any way. Teachers should make sure to choose volunteer opportunities that give children a chance to lead and work with other children.

8. “Untangle Human Knot” –  Ask students to have a group and have them put one hand out and grab someone else’s hand. Once this is done, ask everyone to put their other hand out and grab someone else’s hand. The goal is to figure out how to untangle and create a big circle, without releasing their grips. Also assign few kids to help everyone get untangled.

9. “Just Listen” – This is a listening test. Agree on that you and your student (s) will not talk about yourselves for an entire day. Ask them only to listen to others, and in case if they talk, it should be about the other person with whom you are talking to. The game will force them to become completely others-minded. Also the listening skills will emerge. The activity will help to learn the power of focusing on others instead of themselves, which is the foundation of relational leadership

10. “A Quick Quiz” – This is an activity to build good habits. Prepare students to interact with others while on the trip. Just ask them to be ready to evaluate their experience when its over. Ask them questions like Do you remember the name of the dog we saw? What was it? Did you touch that dog? What is that owners name? and more.

Other artistic activities for exploring leadership include writing a poem about leadership, drawing cartoons, and creating a recipe for how to cook up leadership.

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Abu Dhabi Education Council never hesitates to make necessary reformations to promote world-class quality in education. Irtiqa is the latest initiative of ADEC.

This time ADEC aims at ensuring highest international performance standards with Irtiqa. All students all schools deserve the best when it’s about education. The “Irtiqa’a” program is introduced across schools of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi for the same.

What is Irtiqa?

“Guaranteed Quality in Education”

ADEC intends to provide world-class comprehensive educational assessment framework to schools through Irtiqa. It will support schools to achieve the goal by creating a competitive environment, increasing awareness among educators about the importance of quality performance, providing inspection tools and established standards. The programme examines school performance to identify their quality level.

Read Also: The Role of Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC)

About Irtiqua

“Mission is Perfection in Education”

Comprehensive evaluation of schools helps to identify the shortcomings of the institution. The vision of the new programme is to pave way for improvement till perfection is achieved in education.

Irtiqua is a smart step of ADEC. Promoting quality and excellence in education by introducing strategic goals is what Irtiqua does. Continues improvement with the co-operation and partnership of teaching staff and management can bring positive change in any school.

Objectives of Irtiqua

  • Analyse the performance level of the schools within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
  • Provide recommendations for improvement
  • Policy-making
  • Encouraging and sharing the best practices in education

How does Irtiqa work?

“Change is vital, improvement the logical form of change.”

– James Cash Penney

Team of international experts inspects majority of schools once every two years. They evaluate eight areas or ‘Performance Standards’ during inspection:

  • Standard of the school and its progress
  • Personal development of the school
  • Teaching quality
  • Meeting students through appropriate curriculum
  • Providing support, care, guidance and protection for the students
  • School Premises and building quality
  • Leadership and management in the schools

The target is crystal clear, overall school improvement. The inspection team generates two reports on the light of inspection.

All about the reports

Two reports are generated by the inspectors:

  1. A Summary Report: It is a concise document describing the most significant strengths and weaknesses of the school. Summary report also includes what the school needs to do for further improvement.
  2. A Technical Report: The detailed assessment and grades for each Performance Standard is furnished on the technical report.

The ultimate focus is on education standard, from better to best then to outstanding. The invaluable guidance is a treasure for schools.

Read Also: The Good, Bad and the Ugly of Taking up a Teaching Job at ADEC

How does inspection influence school standards?

For educators: Inspection is a motivation for principals and teaching staffs of any school to raise their standards and deliver progress towards excellence. It helps them to undertake a professional approach to the whole concept of education. The inspection makes it clear that the teaching methods used are in line with the best practices.

 For Students: Students well-being is the ultimate cornerstone of inspections. The change will eventually boost up their confidence.  Giving a scope for their talents to flourish is really important.

For parents: Parents can remain calm about the quality of education their children receives.  Inspection guarantees that the time children spend on school is happy, productive and safe.

*Inspections for efficiency

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The early years of a child’s life are crucial. Foundations for future choices, attainments and well being are built during these years. Children should receive guidance, care and love during the early years.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a syllabus that sets standard for learning and development of children from birth to 5 years of age. The goals of EYFS are impossible to achieve without the support of responsible teachers.

What is an ideal teacher?

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instil a love of learning”  – Brad Henry

Any teacher who has a mission and completes it without fail is a good teacher. He/she helps to overcome difficulties without hesitation. A good teacher is capable of transforming the learning experience of his/her students.

Must have qualities for Early Years Foundation Stage Teachers:

The prime concern of EYFS teachers is to make education comfortable for children by reducing stress. Many teachers take the help of smart apps for preschoolers to make learning more interactive and enjoyable.

EYFS teachers are accountable for achieving the highest possible standards in their professional practice and conduct. The teachers must act with honesty and integrity.

  1. Sustaining positive attitude and inspiring children

Teachers must sustain safe and stimulating environment for the children, where they feel confident to learn. A good teacher always concentrates on the positive side. Maintaining positive values, attitude and behaviour can enhance the capabilities of children.

Set standards that can challenge children belonging to all backgrounds, abilities and disposition. Not a single child must be ignored while making education plan. Transferring from a passive teacher-headed classroom to an active class can improve the environment of the class.

  1. Always encourage the good progress of children:

Goodness should never go unnoticed. Effective teachers focus on the progress and attainment of children. They promote model strategies which help in developing children’s learning and thinking ability (including sustained and shared thinking). Communicating, listening and responding with children from birth to age five is crucial.

  1. Planning education as per needs

Educational programmes must have balanced and flexible activities. These will promote a love of learning in children.

EYFS aims at providing a better environment for students to learn, where they enjoy learning. Need varies from child to child and having an eye on each students’ requirement can make a teacher better compared to the rest.

  1. Respond to the needs of all children

Emotional, social and intellectual development of children is crucial.   There must be a clear understanding of the requirement of children including those with special needs. Teacher must be well aware of when a child is in need of additional support.

The needs of children might vary, but they deserve individual attention. Children at an early age get distracted easily. They tend to concentrate more on things other than learning. It’s the responsibility of an EYFS teacher to make the classroom exciting for them.

  1. Promote the welfare of children with a safe learning environment:

A good teacher must possess adequate knowledge about health guidance and welfare of children. They should be able to employ practices that promote children’s health and safety. They should have knowledge of child protection policies and procedures.

  1. Wider professional responsibilities:

Equal opportunities must be provided to each child without discrimination. There must be contact with parents or care takers of children. Support good practices and evaluate the effectiveness of current provisions. Giving the right feedback at the appropriate time is significant.

Appreciating students motivates them to achieve high. Monitoring the learning of students can help them attain better development. As teachers get more professional, the benefits for teachers will increase.