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First Time Teaching
Is it your first time teaching a classroom full of children? Are you nervous, wondering how you will manage? Here are a few handy tips to keep those kids hooked!
- Planning
Regardless of how many times we have taught a lesson, it helps
to plan, plan, plan! It will help to plan an introduction that
will arouse students' interest in the subject. Then, logically
introduce other aspects and finally string all the ideas together,
giving them scope to think. Summarising all that has been taught
will reinforce all they have learnt. Make notes, but be sure not
to refer to them too often as this could distract students.
- Recognising and dealing with stage fright
Not all of us are born 'Speakers'. Most of us have, in that early
stage of our careers, suffered from stage fright. It doesn't matter
that the class of students are aged 5 or 15 or 21. Hands get clammy
and there are butterflies in the stomach. Of course, with time
and experience, we would have overcome that problem. Experts say
that stage fright is actually a good thing, because due to fear,
the adrenaline released in the body gives extra energy. This can
be channelised to address the class more enthusiastically.
- Games and Educational Aids
These are ever so important! Students have high energy levels,
but short attention spans limited to about 20 minutes. It is essential
therefore, to intersperse lessons with short quizzes, icebreakers,
teasers, start-ups and discussions with students. Similarly, it
will help to introduce teaching aids such as video and audio players,
if available. Visual aids in the form of pictures, charts, graphs
etc. can be used effectively too. With schools introducing technology
in the form of computers in the classroom, technology-aided lessons
can be used to communicate a lesson even better, making the teaching-learning
process enriching. Students respond positively to these techniques.
- Listening to and respecting student reactions
While it might be bothersome to be interrupted by students, it
might be prudent to actually listen to them and in fact, seek
their opinion. Gauge what they have learned, based on their queries
and opinions. If they have contributed to a lesson by offering
different perspectives to a subject, their inputs should be acknowledged.
It indicates to them that the teacher respects their opinion and
will make them active participants in the class.
- Seeking feedback
Students may not be the experts, but they are at the receiving
end of a teacher's communication. They have the keenness, forthrightness
and perception to let a teacher know how she communicates to them.
Give them the space to do so. You have the advantage of facing
the same audience day in and day out. Take up the challenge and
improve your teaching skills, by encouraging feedback from them.
Allocate a corner of the classroom where you can put up a soft
board. Make two distinct categories - "What I liked most about
today's lesson" and "What I didn't like about today's lesson".
The feedback can be anonymous (nope, we're not forgetting that
you can easily cross check handwriting) and make sure NOT to penalise
students for their feedback and use this feedback constructively.
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