Check out our list of tips for learning how to teach.
Do an “energizer” when you know that learner energy is low. Energizers must be thirty seconds and can be effective at the beginning, after lunch, or at the end of the day. Some examples include getting learners on their feet, stretching, walking like monkeys for one minute, or doing the wave.
Once learners finish a project, test, or unit, celebrate. The observance only needs to take a few minutes. You can have them give them a high five or stomp their feet. Learners like to get involved in the celebration and express “a job well done.”
Commemorate the learning curve you will observe in your class from the beginning to the end of the year. Throw a party, send a good news note home, or let your learners pick out a sticker.
Guarantee that you have included one question each day: a critical thinking question. A critical thinking question is open-ended and has more than one response. Plan one question to force learners to ponder, combine ideas, or formulate new information. Place the question on the board, or type it in huge font, so you don’t forget to ask the question.
Once you assign a big project or a research paper, break the project into manageable sections for the learners. Some learners will do this automatically; others need direct instruction and step-by-step procedures to help them organize and manage such a major project. A few learners will need a very detailed timeline.
Keep families involved in their child’s learning. Create supplemental at-home activities that augment the concepts learners learn at school. Include clear and concise instructions and why you are sending the materials home.
Uninterrupted time in a class is premium learning time. Once learners are distracted, it takes time to refocus their attention.
Conduct research on curriculum prior to a curriculum workshop. Understand what your school’s data tells you about the learners in your building. Bring your standards and benchmarks to the meeting. Contact other school districts to seek info about their curriculum.
Identify that mediocrity is not an option for you or for your learners. Meeting your learners’ unique needs requires intensity, purpose, creativity, and a strong focus on learner achievement. Motivate your students to do their very best by involving learners in their learning through various opportunities
Learners will ask the inevitable: “Why do we have to learn this?” Be quick to answer by drawing connections to real-life situations, jobs, and experiences.
Show learners ways to search for info on their own. In the info age, learners need to know credible places to find the answers. Assist them in navigating the school library and computer lab.
Show your learners that learning is an ongoing process, even for adults. Ask learners to interview adults from various backgrounds about how they must continue learning new skills. As a class, formulate the questions that will be asked. Assign learners to computer generate the interview script. The learning and sharing info will support the message that learning never stops.
Encourage your learners to do their best by providing relevant, rigorous lessons that build relationships between and among concepts.
