The thing about teaching that isn’t always easy to remember or even all that obvious is that it’s not just about imparting knowledge; it’s about creating an environment where students are keen to learn and where they’re engaged with the lessons they’re being taught. As a teacher, you have a huge role to play in making sure the educational experience (at all levels) is exactly right for your students, giving them the most chance to catch all the opportunities life throws at them.
One way you can do this is to engage with your students as much as possible, helping them understand not just what they’re being taught, but why. With that in mind, here are some ways you can do just that.
Make A Positive Learning Environment
When it comes to being more engaged with your students, one of the best things you can do - and the first thing you should do - is to make a positive learning environment for them. This means making the classroom itself a welcoming place to come to where students feel comfortable and ‘at home’. Make sure you greet your students at the door, smile at them, and make them feel as though they belong there - it can all make a difference to their entire day and therefore, their entire learning experience.
It’s also a good idea to try to make sure everyone gets along as well as possible in your class. Of course, there will always be personality clashes, and no one can like everyone, but creating a place where students can learn from each other and see the potential in each other is a good idea.
Be Enthusiastic And Passionate
If you’re enthusiastic about what you’re doing, it can be infectious (in a good way!), and it could be what really ignites your students’ interest and passion about whatever it is you’re teaching them.
One way that might help them understand your passion more is if you link your lessons to real life, and explain how the knowledge and skills you’re teaching them can be used in the future in their own lives. When someone can see that a subject is relevant, it becomes a lot more interesting, and they’ll be more enthusiastic about learning more.
Get Coaching
It’s not easy for teachers to teach students and engage with them at the same time, and the problem is that it needs a balance to be found - that balance is so fragile that it can tip over to either side at any time, meaning you can go from being a good friend to a strict teacher in moments, and that’s confusing for your students, and it definitely won’t help them learn. That’s where specialists in coaching teachers can be useful.
Coaching for teachers is a great way to look at what you’re doing now and see what can be improved - it’s always difficult to really objectively consider your teaching methods, especially if you’ve been doing it for years, but with a coach, you’ll have the chance to see what’s already good and should be kept in your teaching and what is actually not working, and should be removed or, ideally, improved. In this way, you’ll have all the knowledge and tools you need to really engage with your students.
