Tips For During Lessons

Once we have initiated a positive, inclusive and engaging beginning to a lesson, it is imperative to maintain the momentum throughout the entire class. It is also important to consider factors that will:

• establish a consistently fertile learning environment in class
• enhance student engagement with us and our engagement with our students
• build rapport through relationships, and
• reduce behavioural issues and keep classroom stress levels down. 

Some strategies well worth trying in our classes to achieve these and provide a strong impetus for high quality learning and teaching are: 

• as a class make up songs using subject material to music and play it while students are learning; the right brain hears the music while left brain hears the words; the whole brain is working together
• role modelling positive 'can do' and 'want to' be there behaviours that show our students that we enjoy learning, teaching and our students’ company
• this sends the message that we care for our students as people and show a genuine interest in wanting to discuss, investigate, think, take up a challenge and learn with them as a team
• use "we” and “us” not “you”
• avoid sitting passively at the teacher’s desk; it is poor role modelling for active, interested and alive team learning
• circulate around the room assisting, talking to and praising students one to one to develop their personal attributes and qualities as independent learners
• when helping students, kneel down or sit on a chair so that they are at eye level with you; don’t hover, students often find this intimidating body language 
• while circulating write notes in students’ diary planners highlighting positives (more than negatives); ask them to show their parents and then have them sign the notes
• should we feel that the lesson is losing momentum, digress with a ‘hypothetical’ such as, when we woke up today there was no electricity or gas supply; ask them what they would do; their creativity will amaze us and get the class back on track
• don’t insist on silence in class, but rather encourage quiet dialogue; enable students to share their understandings, points of view and make new connections together.

 There are things that we should practise ourselves, such as:

• Pretend that we 'don’t' understand a particular issue or 'can’t do' a problem; then ask the class to help us get through our difficulties; it empowers a true sense of team in the class and models to our students that it’s OK not to know and that asking is the way to go.
• Why do we have to know first? We would be in wonderment and awe at what many of our students know and can do.
• Encourage and role model good manners; hands up and one person speaking at a time, including us; greet each other with a smile.
• Rehearse body language at home in front of a mirror and practise sending the messages we wish to send; our students watch us carefully and learn to read our body language well.

“Those who dream by day are knowing of many things that escape those who dream only at night”

 Edgar Allan Poe