As part of our career focus we are going to take a look today at the World of teaching and drill into what skills it is that the very best teachers possess. There was always that one teacher at school who you connected with best, the one whose style met perfectly with your learning needs, but what was it about them that struck a chord with you?
We have been chatting to Peter Benedict St Andrews head master about what exactly makes a great teacher and what are the skills that they offer. If you would like to teach one day then these are some of the skills that you are going to need.
Command Discipline
The first step to successful classroom management is that you create an environment where rules and discipline are understood and respected. In order to do this you need to be able to set firm ground rules that make sense to the students and enforce them with consistency. You are ether of course, to impart knowledge on your pupils but you also need to understand that many of your pupils may not wish to be there and will take any opportunity that they can to disrupt others. Remedying this is two-fold and along with having strict rules in the classroom with fair punishments, you will also need to ensure that you are trying your best to teach in a way that connects with your students.
Flexibility
It is important that you have a flexible style when you are teaching your pupils as not every student learns in the same way. Naturally you cannot teach every student on an individual basis but you will need to ensure that your style speaks to the masses and that you also have varying styles to use when you do need to help students on a one to one basis.
Supportive Nature
Each student is going through something different outside or inside of school and you must remember that you are not only there as an educator but also as a carer. The students in your care may need to talk about problems or ask for your help and you have the responsibility of helping them as well as you can. In order to do this best you will need to have a nature which makes the student feel as though you are there for them.
High Standards
Never forget that you are there to educate the pupils on a particular subject and the best way to do so with success is by having high standards that you have set for both yourself and for your students. If you constantly aim for these high standards then you will be able to best prepare your pupils for the World and ensure that they are achieving the best grades that they are able to. High standards can be tough to reach but if you set the bar low then you will never push yourself or your students to be the best that they can be.
