Ten Steps to Becoming an Effective Teacher (Guest Post)

by Monica Langley, Teacher and How-To Specialist

Image by Lars Plougmann via Flickr.com

Do you desire to be a truly effective teacher? This advice can help to transform your classroom style from tired and tedious to dynamic and engaging. These few steps will guide you on how to be the best teacher.

Step 1: Set an Example for Your Students to Follow

As the teacher, the example that you set will set the tone for your classroom. Students will pick up on your demeanor, attitude, words, and actions. Project an attitude of calm, confidence, professionalism, and respect. This will earn you the trust and respect from your students that you desire.

Step 2: Define Rules and Consequences

Define rules and consequences from your first day in the classroom. Then, when the clearly defined rules are violated, make sure that you consistently follow through on consequences.

Step 3: Remember to Show Consideration

The way to build lasting relationships with your students is to demonstrate interest in them as individuals. This does not mean that you slack on enforcement of rules, but that even when you do need to take disciplinary action, it is done with a gentle (though firm) attitude. Be responsive to each student's unique needs.

Step 4: Incorporate Variety in Your Classroom

Try to incorporate variety into your classroom by using different teaching methods. Every learner is different. Not every student has the same learning style. The more variety that's in the activities you incorporate into the classroom, the less likely students will be bored – and the more likely you will be to reach each type of learner in your class.

Step 5: Be Willing to Search for Unknown Answers

Even if you have to go out of your way to search for an answer, make sure students know that you care about helping them find answers to their questions. If they see expressing diligence and determination to discover the unknown, that attitude will often be imitated by your students.

Step 6: Find Out What Your Students Understand

Ask questions to find out what knowledge the students may already have obtained about a topic you are starting to teach. Pretest on the topic, letting them know that the test will not receive a grade, but that you are just assessing their knowledge. This will give you an idea on which areas of the topic you will need to discuss more thoroughly than others.

Step 7: Allow for Friendly Competition

For some students, competition can be a great incentive for learning. Make sure that students are never allowed to put one another down. These competitions can come in the form of spelling bees, group projects, or review games involving different teams. Allowing for friendly competition can liven up the learning environment and help prepare students for the competition they will one day face when entering the work force.

Step 8: Plan your Lessons Carefully

Each lesson should have three main points reflecting the main objective.

• Lesson - This is where you present the new material (and any review material) in front of the class. Follow the above steps to make sure the lesson is relevant, the environment is conducive to instruction, and students are properly engaged. This is also a time to allow brief questions and class discussion.

• Group Work - This is a time for students to work together applying the lessons that have been taught. They can work on a variety of projects. This step allows the students to learn cooperation and peer mentoring. At the end of this portion, allow time for the groups to report to the class.

• Individual application - Students should have an opportunity to quietly sit at their seats and work on an individual worksheet or lesson related to the material that was taught. This will give you time to be able to see which students have adequately learned the material and which ones need help and reinforcement.

Step 9: Teach Time Management Skills

Show students how to list their assignments and various tasks so that they have a good understanding of what they are expected to accomplish. This list can include reading and work assignments, along with due dates and suggested amounts of study time. Or you can simply use a to do list template or task list template along with a description and task titles.

Step 10: Stay Organized

Do not get up in front of the classroom without being prepared and organized in advance. To do so is to invite chaos into the classroom. Make sure that you are well prepared and ready to stand in front of your classroom with confidence. That confidence comes from keeping organized and having materials set up and ready to go.

It takes dedication to be an effective teacher. These helpful steps can give you the tools that you need to succeed and inspire success in your students.


About The Author:

Hi, this is Monica. I am a teacher who has spent the last 3 years in an awesome school. Within the last year, I have become very excited about blogging on how to do anything. =)

You can connect with Monica at HubPages.