One of the most popular teachers in England, the founder of the TeacherToolkit project, Ross Morrison McGill, seems to know how not to give up and not burn out even at the equator of the third, most painful academic quarter. His advice for teachers is suitable for those who are right now in a dead end and a creative crisis
1. Set up feedback with children
Over the past decade, the teaching profession has undergone a significant shift from formal assessment of knowledge towards the collection of feedback from students. However, the educational system has not yet had time to adapt to this request, and the responsibility for grading continues to lie with the teacher as a heavy burden. In order to strike a balance in this matter, it is worth first paying closer attention to how teachers usually assess the knowledge of students in the classroom.
Three main methods can be roughly distinguished:
Written/Digital - text comments, marks in the diary and class journal;
Oral - praise, criticism, remarks, etc.;
Non- verbal - gestures and facial expressions of the teacher, the rate of speech, intonation, silence, etc.
In terms of feedback, in recent years, researchers have identified three questions that quality feedback should answer:
"What is my purpose?" — comparison of acquired knowledge and skills with the desired result;
“What is my progress towards this goal?” — comparison of acquired knowledge and skills with what was before;
“What problems do I need to solve?” - an explanation of how you can independently use the acquired knowledge and skills to achieve the goal.
Advice. You may notice that grades are just one of many options for how to set up contact with students. At the same time, it is far from exhaustive and leaves room for trying others, combining them with each other. The traditional knowledge assessment system, of course, must be reckoned with, but it is worth allocating time and opportunities for new ways of building a dialogue.
2. Try to contact a mentor
Mentors have existed throughout the history of the civilized world. Over the past few decades, this area has seriously developed and acquired new tools to increase efficiency. At the same time, the number of coaches who work without clear algorithms and without knowing specific teaching techniques has also increased. But there is a certain proportion of incompetent representatives in any field of activity, and this does not mean that you should refuse the help of professionals.
Advice.Today there are all opportunities for self-collection of the necessary information and evaluation of the quality of different mentors. You can study customer reviews, compare their results before and after contacting a particular specialist, read specialized books and articles, evaluate the experience of a mentor and his level of proficiency in various techniques based on your own experience. A well-chosen mentor will help you not only increase your efficiency at work, but also tell you how to remove unnecessary stress and free up your time.
3. Practice Public Speaking Skills
Any lesson is communication with the audience, because in front of you, as a rule, there are more than two viewers. The profession of a teacher is largely tied to oratory skills. Each lesson provides a chance to improve yourself in this matter: by improving the quality of your communication with students, you can along the way acquire competencies that are beyond your specialization.
Try to find venues for speaking outside your school: pedagogical forums and conventions, open lectures, group discussions. Think over the possible topic of your speech, structure, key thoughts. Use simple and accessible language. Assess the possible audience: what is interesting for your listeners, what should be emphasized?
Advice. Don't neglect gestures. Look at the speeches of lecturers on the net, choose those whose style is close to you. And for practice, you can try to record your performances on camera (if you find these videos successful, then they can be published on social networks).
4. Take on some of the organizational functions
The decisions of the school management often cause dissatisfaction and indignation among the teaching staff. If you feel the potential of a leader in yourself, try to take part in organizing the work of your school. This can change the way you look at how the education system works, as well as your own teaching experience.
Advice. Ask the school administrator: in what areas could your help be useful? Pay attention to systemic issues: do you have any ideas to optimize workflows? Write down your proposals and submit them to management for consideration. Talk to your colleagues and students to find out their wishes, offer to become their representative in a dialogue with the administration.
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