Teachers Best Practices

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  • Last minute preparations before the new academic year

    As the new academic year approaches, are you ready for your next year teaching in a school? As the new year starts, being organised can help you get back into the flow of teaching much easier. The 6-week break is coming to an end so making sure you have all the essentials is, well, essential.

    Making sure you have the basics such as an organiser, stationery, notepads and lesson plans is the place to start. After having a break from work, getting back into the swing of things can be difficult, from preparing each lesson, setting homework and of course the dreaded marking. Make sure you manage your time wisely to help you stay on top of your workload and provide yourself enough time to detach yourself away from school life.

    Stress can often show in lessons and student pick up on this easily, if you feel like you are struggling with your workload, speak up early and it will become easier to manage with help and support from the rest of the team.

    Good luck and happy teaching.

  • End of Year Tips for preparing your class for Their Next Academic Year

    It can take a good amount of planning and energy to prepare your class for their next academic year. However, if you follow these tips, you should have a smooth running throughout the year.

    Tidy up your books and notes- If you want to a have a clear mind, then you must clean your desk. This will allow you be productive and get to work once classes resume.

    Create your schedule- If you don’t have a planner yet, you should be looking for one. Create your own scheme and mark out some of the most important dates.

    Check if you have everything that you need for the year- It’s important to have a list and check whether you have everything that you need. This will allow you to get organized for the next academic year.

    Set your goals- You need to set your next academic year’s goals so that you can work towards achieving them. Have something that can constantly remind you of your goals.

  • End of year lesson planning advice

    As the school year comes to an end, it is important to keep your students engaged with their work. Students can become easily distracted as the eagerly anticipate the summer holidays away from school.

    Planning fun and interactive lessons during the end of term can work well for keeping students engaged and learning. Setting out creative projects to be completed within lesson time, such as model building can help keep them focused. Following this create a presentation session where they can present the teach the class about the project they created.

    As the final days draw in, the lessons tend to get lighter and it can be a great way to end a school year on a positive note. This can include a film and popcorn session in between classes.

    As teachers the end of year is great way to reflect upon the previous terms and start your preparations for the next school year, after your well-deserved break that is.

  • Benefits of end of year school summaries

    If you are a teacher, you may want to start writing your students end of year reports. The end of year summaries is a great way to show the students how they have developed over the year. It can also help point out any areas that require further improvements and those areas they are excelling in.  

    These reports allow the students to understand exactly how they have improved, and they can then write new goals or targets to meet in the next school year. Writing school reports can be a time consuming task, as it will need to be complete during ‘out of hours’ in addition to the lesson planning and work marking. Split your time wisely, and start making a time management schedule to assist with meeting particular deadlines.

    A great way to get personal feedback is by asking the students to write you an end of year teaching summary, asking them to write any ways lessons could be improved.

  • Benefits of teaching students in an outdoor environment

    Children today spend less time than ever outdoors. They are so busy playing with their computer games, surfing the internet and texting that they simply do not spend any quality time outside. Children are missing out on the wonders of nature and the world around them. This is why the teaching student’s outdoors is a good idea for teachers.

    Outdoor classrooms allow pupils to spend some quality time outdoors away from the classroom environment. Many people wrongly assume that outdoor classrooms are only of use when teaching about the environment or natural science subjects but, this could not be further from the truth. Outdoor teaching can be used to teach all manner of subjects. For example, children could take art classes in their outdoor classroom; this would allow them to draw landscapes and environments that they see. It can also be used in English classes as children can be asked to write about their environment and so on.

  • Writing Your Personal Statement for University

    Writing your personal statement can be stressing, we all know that. Therefore, we are going to assist you with a few tips on how to go about it.

    When writing your personal statement of course you want to stand out and emerge as the best. First, log into the university’s website and learn about their core values, from there, align them to your strengths, skills and qualities. Be sure not to over do it so try to be natural and witty, not exaggerating when in comes to abilities – as one day these may be tested and no one likes a fraud!

    Try to stand out. We are all different and special in our own ways, so in your statement show them that, as they are always looking for something different everyday. Make sure to proofread your statement, as the last thing you want is to hand it in with 5th grade grammatical errors.

  • Benefits of interactive teaching

    There are many Benefits of interactive teaching resources and they provide teachers with a compelling and simple approach to instructing anything to a class. PC programs and more can be all the more efficiently and effectively taught with the assistance of interactive teaching. It makes it simple for specific skills to be demonstrated before the entire class so teachers don’t spend as much time showing everything to every individual kid. This permits teachers to provide better lessons and has more opportunity to provide extra help to students who may require some extra direction and support.

    Before, if one student had an extraordinary bit of work, all together for everyone else to see it, they’d have to all get on one PC. With this new technology, it’s easy to show the work on the screen so everyone can easily observe it. This reinforces things that students are learning since students can take what they realize, place it into practice, and after that demonstrate it to their peers.

    As teaching resources, interactive teaching techniques open up many new opportunities inside the classroom. They open up correspondence, presentation, and even representation opportunities. By using the technology, information can now be presented to substantial groups of students in ways that are engaging and energizing, which leads to better outcomes for learners.

    Many types of various materials can be used seamlessly together when using the new technology available with interactive technology. Teachers can bring together many materials and resources in all forms. Information and information can be presented in various organizations and after that saved for using again or for students who need to go over the material at the end of the day.
    When interactive technology is used effectively as teaching resources, they can take many distinctive teaching techniques and bring them together. This supports an assortment of various learning styles, making it simpler for students who learn in various approaches to learning effectively.

  • Interactive learning platforms for your mobile or device

    A new way of learning with the changing technology of today. Learning has never been easier, with online learning you can simple download the App for your smartphone and learn on the go. If you have mobile data usage or are connected to WiFi then simply open the App and start learning. Many online learners choose to take a lesson during their commute to or from work or even on their lunch break.

    Having the lessons on your phone means you are not tied down to attending a class at a particular time, you have control of when and where you want to learn. One of the best things to learn online or on your interactive device is a new language. Duolingo is a fantastic site that is completely free, meaning no hidden costs, just pure learning.learning-device

    Learning with Duolingo is also made fun with reward points and a heart system for getting questions right or wrong, if you lose all of your heart you must start again. The App makes it easy to become addicted to as you collect your points for all of your correct answers. It also encourages to learn everyday by having a streak counter, keeping your learning consistent and motivates you to stay on track.

    The Application allows you to choose which language you want to learn, you can even learn multiple amount of languages, although this is more challenging and requires a little more time.

    Having an online interactive learning platform allows your learning to fit around your busy lifestyle. Impress your family and friends as you begin showing off what you have learned, you could even encourage others to join the platform and compete with each other.

    Whether you want to learn a second language so you can have an extra skill, or you want to show off your lingo on your next holiday abroad, interactive learning is a great way to learn.

  • Looking back on your time as a student: A word of advice

    I’m sure many of you have heard the phrase “enjoy your school years and don’t wish them away” or the famous “school is as good as life gets”. These should both be taken with a pinch of salt really but after a few years of work when your time at school seems like a distant past, you’ll likely only hold a few important memories. Trying to remember the work you did and the way the building was laid out is hard enough, let along remembering teachers names, fellow pupil’s faces and the food that was served in the canteen.

    https://images.pexels.com/photos/127564/pexels-photo-127564.jpeg?w=940&h=650&auto=compress&cs=tinysrgbThere will likely be some important lessons that have stayed with you though and you may wonder why. As an example, I’ll never forget the day I learned about irony in English. Mainly because we spent the lesson watching episodes of Top Gear and writing a note each time something ironic happened. Let’s just say I barely put my pen down. That was the day I learned something I knew I would use, even if it wasn’t going to be the most important lesson to learn.

    Naturally, you may look back and find that you don’t remember an awful lot about the lessons you didn’t enjoy. You probably remember the teacher’s name because you feared them so much, but the content of the class may be a little harder to remember. It’s always good to look back on your school years but as adults we will naturally remember our fond memories rather than our failures or misfortunes. That’s exactly how it should be because it prepares you for the future and reminds you to aim high. If you’re a student, don’t worry too much, just make sure you give each class your all and you’ll naturally pay more attention to the subjects that interest you.

  • Going from TA to Teacher

    Being a TA (teaching assistant) is a common starting point for those who aspire to become teachers. Spending time with teachers day in day out, supporting them with their daily tasks is all vital experience that you can take with you into teaching. That said, after several years working as a TA, there is no direct route through to becoming a teacher. You will need to combine teaching studies with your work as a TA so there will be the element of ‘going back to school’. Though many people jump straight into teaching out of university, others work as teaching assistants, but who’s more qualified? Arguable both will be yet those with real hands on experience have the upper hand in our books and by saying you’ve already worked in a school for several years, you’ll be in a good opportunity to get your first job as a teacher.