Congratulations! Diploma in hand and certifications acquired, you are ready to step into your own classroom! It is a scary but exciting time, and it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some tips to help you establish a positive and effective learning environment:
Build Positive Relationships
Take the time to get to know your students individually. Start off the year with an “All About Me” survey. Ask students what name they want to be called, what activities they are involved in, what their favorite movies or game or shows are, and what careers they are interested in. Check back on those surveys periodically to show genuine interest in their lives, listen to their concerns, and offer support when needed. This can be especially important if you have some behavior issues with one or multiple students. Building positive relationships will create a more welcoming and engaging classroom environment.
Set Clear Expectations
Establish clear guidelines and expectations for behavior, academic performance, and classroom procedures. Communicate these expectations to your students regularly in the first two weeks and consistently enforce them from the beginning. This will help create structure and minimize disruptions later on. While effective at communicating information quickly, reading a syllabus on the first day of school can become monotonous for many students. A fun way to show students where important locations are in your classroom (extra supplies, where to hand in papers, etc) is a scavenger hunt. You can even include questions about procedures that students may need to read the syllabus to find!
Collaborate with Collegues
If you are brand new to teaching, you will probably be assigned a mentor teacher. ASK THEM QUESTIONS! They have chosen to take on this role, and want to help you. Ask them questions as simple as: Where do I find reams of paper for the printer? How do I apply for a day of leave? Is there a refrigerator for teacher use? Continue to seek support and guidance from your mentor and experienced colleagues throughout the years. Collaborate with other teachers to share ideas, resources, and strategies, both in your school and with those you’ve met elsewhere. Many would even be happy to give up a plan period to come observe a class period and provide you feedback. This collaboration will help you gain insights and enhance your teaching practice.
Be Organized and Prepare
Maybe it goes without saying, but it is absolutely essential to plan your lessons in advance and have all necessary materials ready. There will come a time where you will be able to make major changes to your plans on the fly, but that develops after years of practice and understanding how long certain learning activities and transitions take. I would actually encourage you to NOT plan incredibly detailed lessons down to the minute, there are better uses of your time. However, being organized will help you manage your time effectively and ensure smooth transitions between activities. In the event that the unexpected happens and you need to abruptly change plans, you should have a few activities prepared based on the situation at hand.
Provide Timely Feedback
This one is HARD for inexperienced teachers. The issue is typically that new teachers try to grade every single assignment and learning activity their students engage in during the day. Even with very small classes, this is impossible, especially when you are also in the early years of figuring out your curriculum. Choose 1 to 2 assignments per week to formally assess your students’ progress, and provide feedback as soon as possible. This does not mean you are not checking student understanding on a daily basis – you do that by walking around the room, talking with students and looking over their work – that immediate feedback is much more helpful to students than an assessment that took you 3 weeks to return to them. Feedback helps students understand their strengths and areas for improvement, allowing them to grow academically.
Differentiate Instruction
It is so important to recognize that students have diverse learning styles, abilities, and interests. To differentiate is to modify instruction and learning experiences to meet the needs of students in the classroom. It is your job to incorporate the unique strengths, preferences, and learning profiles of each student to provide equitable access to learning opportunities. This process is formalized somewhat by student Individualized Educational Program (IEP)s, so it is important to check with your special education department to be aware of any exceptionalities with any of your students.
Use Varied Teaching Methods
Utilizing a variety of teaching methods and resources to cater to different student learning styles is not only important to keep all students engaged, it is also a way to keep you as a teacher from becoming bored with the day to day routine. Incorporating hands-on activities, use of technology, group work, discussions, art projects, and visual aids make lessons more interactive and engaging. Not every student will enjoy every method you use or change of pace you try, however, many times students will also remember those different assignments more than anything else, and others will appreciate that their favored learning style was acknowledged.
Encourage Active Participation
Gone are the days when authoritative teaching styles were desired, where instructors stood at the front of a classroom and lectured while students sat and silently took notes. Today we encourage students to actively participate in class discussions, ask questions, and share their ideas. Create a safe and supportive environment early where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and taking intellectual risks. This can be achieved by establishing classroom norms, posting them, and requiring that students abide by them. These norms can include an oath to engage in active listening, respectful language, and equity of participation. You can even involve your students by guiding them through the process of developing their own set of classroom norms at the beginning of the year.
Take Care of Yourself
Teaching is mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically demanding work, so it’s important to take care of yourself. Set boundaries between work and your personal life. Leave your work in the classroom instead of taking assignments home to grade and avoid checking your school email. There are few things so important that you need to know about them at 9 pm and can’t wait to handle until 8 am the next day. Allowing yourself to rest and play at home, to fully engage with your family rather than stress about work will keep you from burning out, a feeling that is way too common with new teachers.
Foster a Love of Learning
THIS IS WHY YOU BECAME A TEACHER! You are ready to inspire your students because you show real enthusiasm for your subject matter. You know how to connect the content to real-world examples and demonstrate its relevance and you are excited to show them how the things they learn will affect them in their lives. As a teacher you encourage curiosity and a growth mindset, and emphasize to your students that mistakes and challenges are opportunities for learning and growth. You are going to be a great teacher!
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