小提琴那些花儿谱子:Ten top tips for student teachers

en top tips for student teachers

Posted 6 hours, 16 minutes ago in Classroom-based | Print This Post | |  Listen

Just less than two years ago I was on my main teaching practice.Like other student teachers, I had my fair share of ups and downs. I‘dlike to share ten tips that I think student teachers would do well toread and take on board…

It would be great if people could add any tips they might have for student teachers below in the comments section!

1. Be confident: it doesn‘t matter if you didn‘tquite finish planning the lesson to perfection - the pupils don‘t knowthat! You are the teacher and the person in charge - 80% ofcommunication is through body language, so if you get this right you‘renearly there! Stand in confident postures and be assertive.

2. Be yourself: perhaps the greatest trap studentteachers fall into is trying to emulate their mentor or another teacherwhom they respect. Sooner or later you have to develop your ownteaching style. Yes, this can have elements that you borrow fromothers‘ teaching but, in essence, teaching practice is just that -practising different ways of teaching to find a way that suits you andwhich maximizes the learning of your pupils.

3. Don‘t be yourself: on the other hand, you‘ve gotto be a magnified, ‘larger‘ version of yourself. Teaching is a bit likeacting - we‘ve got to pretend to be more offended by remarks andbehaviour than perhaps we are, and more impressed than you actually arewhen pupils produce a piece of work of which they are proud. Ineveryday life we can afford to be unsure about things - and there‘s aplace for this in teaching - but most of the time, be definite andassertive.

4. Smile for a reason: yes, you want pupils to likeyou - it‘s human nature to seek affirmation from others. However, giventhe power of teacher praise and criticism, make sure there‘s a reasonfor beaming at a pupil. Smiling at a pupil who‘s just ‘playing‘ youregarding behaviour isn‘t going to lead to a good working relationship.Make clear what is acceptable and unacceptable in your classroomthrough non-verbal cues.

5. Praise good attitudes: as difficult as it maybe, praise what pupils are doing well and either tactically ignore or -if serious enough - sanction pupils who haven‘t got the attitude youexpect in your classroom. Whilst you‘re teaching it is yourclassroom - whilst a collaborative atmosphere is what you are aimingfor, those who aren‘t ‘playing ball‘ need to come back into line.

6. Perfectionism != good: you can‘t be aperfectionist in the teaching profession and not get burnt out. Trustme. Spend the precious little time you‘ve got (less when you get a fulltimetable) doing things that matter. Tweaking the font on theworksheet, in the whole scheme of things, doesn‘t really matter. Putthings in perspective!

7. Use resources to hand: scour the Internet anddevelop your own resource, by all means. But don‘t spend forever tryingto re-invent the wheel. If the department you‘re in has a resourcewhich you‘re 90% happy with, either use it (they‘ve obviously beenhappy with it) or cannibalise it so that you can add the 10% to make itgreat. Don‘t spend too long on resources. It‘s teaching that makes the difference, not pieces of paper and flashy Powerpoint animations…

8. Keep reading: you have to produce thoseuniversity assignments for a reason. There‘s a proven link betweenteacher effectiveness and continuing professional development. That‘snot to say that you always have to read dry academic journals. There‘slots of websites, magazines and more accessible journals which providereal, pedagogically-sound advice for making a difference in theclassroom. Get in the habit of reading more than just what isrecommended to you on a course.

9. Keep it real: always remember why you wanted tobecome a teacher in the first place. It wasn‘t, I‘m sure, to prove youcan create amazing resources; it wasn‘t to gain the respect ofcolleagues; it wasn‘t to shout at children. For 95% of teachers, theyentered the profession because they want to make a positive differenceto the life of young people. Keep that at the forefront of your mindwhilst you‘re teaching and planning. If what you‘re doing doesn‘t matchup with this goal, then question why you are doing it!

And finally…

10. Be consistent: probably the most importantthing you can remember when dealing with impressionable young people,many of whom may not have a stable home life. If you say x will befollowed by y, make sure it does. Even if, for example, a pupil who hasearned himself a detention in the first part of a lesson works hard inthe second half, don‘t let them off. Praise the goodbehaviour/attitude, certainly, but the key is consistency - if you‘vesaid you‘ve put them in detention, that‘s exactly where they should endup.