New Teacher Tips: How Teachers Can Improve Their Instruction

You can instantly improve your teaching if you make a conscious effort to understand what went on in the lessons on a daily basis.

Generally, to do this, you should assume that your learners have no prior knowledge of the subject you are teaching.

I know you're probably wondering: How is it possible to do this every day? And how is it connected to becoming a better teacher?

My response to that is - The more we assume they don't have prior knowledge, the easier it will be for us to think of ways to engage them. And of course, this becomes more automatic over time.

As you're preparing your lessons for the coming week, ask yourself what will the students need to accomplish the task successfully.

Look through the activities to see if there are any "holes" where students might be off-task.

Are there sections in the lesson where you can provide guided practice and pre-teach a difficult point?

Don't Let Anything Stand In Your Way!

In today's classroom, we know that a little bit of success can go a long way.

But just when things don't go according to plan, teachers become uneasy.

At first, teachers ask, "How will I cope?" Then they might have "What if's statements" like:

"What if I can't control the class?" or "What if the problem continues?"

But that's just a really easy way of avoiding coping with the problem at hand.

Sometimes the answers to the classroom problems and issues we face are much easier than they initially appear.

Right now, your job is to build a long-lasting positive connection with the students.

Don't let something get in your way of making this successful relationship work for both you and your students. Work with the problem you are currently facing by asking yourself three questions:

• What worked?

• What didn't work?

• What's next?

Then take action and follow-through.

It's that simple.

Good teaching is all about reflecting. If you spend some time thinking how to improve your lesson with these points in mind, you will see a difference!

Work it!