If you’re looking for ways to improve the way that you teach, then you’ve come to the right place. Teachers are the reason we see the world progressing; this responsibility comes with a considerable amount of hard work. We wouldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for teachers we had along the way.
While we all have those teachers we love and those we wouldn’t want to see again, we can’t deny the fact that they made us who we are. From fixing our mistakes to making sure we turn out to be decent human beings in all walks of life, our teachers have played a significant part in where we stand today.
As time passes by, new ways to deal with things emerge, and teaching is a profession that has to keep up with all these changes. With thousands of research papers being produced in the field of teaching, teachers need to stay in touch with such new inquiries into their field. If you are planning to go into the profession of academics, then here are a few skills that you need to be effective in teaching. you can read The Ultimate Guide to Teaching English Online
Confidence & Humility
The first thing that you should have is confidence. When you walk into a room filled with kids, they should feel the need to sit up straight and pay attention. A good way to do that is to dress the part. Professional attire always has a serious effect. Another thing that will surely make you seem more confident is to have a good command of what you teach. Make sure that you always go over what you plan on teaching in the class and be open to questioning.
The line between confidence and being overconfident is thin, and students don’t want to look up to a demigod or some unrealistic goal. Try to be grounded and accept your faults and shortcomings. If someone points out a mistake or asks a question that you don’t know, you should be accepting of the fact and learn to fix the problem at hand.
The Ability to Adapt
With innovations in every field, the field of teaching has also been revolutionized. What were considered to be the best ways of teaching children have now been proven wrong, and new ways are coming each day. You need to adapt to new changes and incorporate new methods of teaching along with time. With the rise in technological use, teachers have not only had to change their medium of presentation, but also the way that they engage with their students.
A Proper Way to Deliver Constructive Criticism
Another skill that you should have if you want to be someone who influences children’s lives for the better is to deliver constructive criticism. While we all agree that every student is different from one another, and there cannot be two students of exactly the same caliber, you should be careful when you point out areas of improvement. While some may be able to take harsh criticism, some may struggle with even the slightest remark.
The Ability to Inspire
As a teacher, you deal with lots of students, and each one of them is a different individual with different baggage. One thing that you need to do is to make sure that you inspire them. Nowadays you can’t just ask someone to do something, people want to be inspired and as a teacher you must make sure that each child in your class is inspired to be more, to be a better person. Regardless of the age of your student, inspiration is an essential component of effective teaching.
Patience
Apart from inspiration, an effective teacher also needs to be patient. Whether it is kindergarten students or a TEFL class, patience is an utmost necessity. Even after you’ve put in all the hard work, you’ll still have a student who will ask is TEFL (certification) worth it? Do we have to go through all of this? Such questions may seem like setbacks, but you need to deal with such conditions patiently.
While you will have some students who will be really motivated, others won’t be, and you need to make sure that you take the class together. Leaving half of the students behind is not an option that you can go for.
The Ability to Detect Troubled Children
Last but not least, you need to have the ability to tell when one of your students isn’t in the right frame of mind and deal with them accordingly. There are numerous cases in the US that state that disturbed children are further bullied in class and at school.
The teacher should have the ability to tell if something is going on and inform the right authorities. Taking care of a child is in the job description, and you should have the knack to detect the trouble and put an end to it.
This aspect of teaching was brought into the public’s eye through the popular TV show 13 Reasons Why. In which the counsellor and a teacher are brought under scrutiny because they fail to realize how intense the situation with their student is. I’m sure none of you wants to get caught in the crossfire of an incident like that, that’s why you need to know what your students are dealing with and what goes on once you leave the class.
If you’ve gone through the above-mentioned points, you now have a mapped path to follow in order to become a more effective teacher, remember that you make or break the future of not only your country but also the world that we live in.
Try to work equally on every student so that you are proud of the people that they become. Know that you’ll have to make hard choices sometimes, and you might not be the best teacher in the school, but students tend to hold the teachers that shape their lives in high regard throughout their life.
About the Author:
After graduating in Industrial Engineering in 2007, from day one, Marcel has been working as a freelance writer, digital marketer, and business trainer. He’s very much into foreign cultures and learning languages and enjoys leaving his office for backpacking and hiking trips in the countryside. Together with his team, he blogs about teaching English as a foreign language on https://jimmyesl.com.