It's been 5 years since I started my teaching journey. The first time I stepped into a classroom my heart was in the right place, but I still needed to learn so many skills in order to become an effective teacher. Fast forward to today, I've become far more confident and capable. Here's what I do well:
- Classroom control: I make classroom rules very clear and easy to understand from the beginning. I show and explain to the students exactly what is expected of them. When needed, I have very good use of sets and resets to get everyone's attention.
- Games: I have a good ability of using games as a means of practice/revision. This makes the lessons more fun for the students and keeps them engaged.
- Application: I apply what I learn well in the classroom. After reading the book "How To Talk So Kids Can Learn - Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish" I was able to take some of the key points, like acknowledging the students feelings at the start of conversations in order to make communication more effective and help them feel understood, for example, and apply them in my daily interactions with the students and get good results.
- Differentiation: I have a good ability to teach the same lesson from multiple perspectives and catered to different learning types.
Despite coming a long way since I first started teaching, I still have so many skills to acquire and I will never stop learning. Here's what I would like to improve for the upcoming academic year:
- Reflection: Reflection is one of the most important tools that a child can learn. I want to make more time for and teach students how to reflect on their learning and how to transfer that skill into their non-academic lives.
- Learning outcomes: At the start of each unit, I want to explain in more details to the students what we will be learning about and what knowledge and skills they will gain by the end of it. This will be done through discussion and by showing visuals when applicable.
Something new I would like to try:
- Proof of progress: I want to keep files with samples of work from the students to physically be able to show them how much they have progressed over time. This will boost their self confidence and help them with their reflection. They could also use that to showcase their progress to their parents/guardians.