4 Things Successful Teachers Do Differently

All of us had that one teacher in school that we loved and that made a difference in our life. He/she was everything the other teachers were not! We got inspired, engaged and most importantly we learnt something valuable from that teacher.

What is that makes such teachers stand out? They are successful for a reason and they make it a point to do everything differently to get through to each child.

Goodbye boredom

Unlike many teachers, successful teachers give no room for boredom. Everything you teach can be made into a fun learning activity, which is called active learning. Cognitive studies have shown that children learn better by doing rather than watching and listening. Successful teacher take advantage of this fact and assign projects to ensure complete understanding of the subject matter whilst enjoying.

A science teacher creates an experiment of a certain principle; a math teacher creates sums based on the students or uses tools to solve math problems; an English teacher creates assignments like writing a book or a movie review, conversing with your parents in English or conduct interview of someone in English etc.

Depending on the objective of each topic, great teachers have created real life examples out of it to enhance holistic perception.

Student-centric approach

The most successful teachers are those who put the needs of the students before all. Every day is a new day and you have to evolve with it. You can’t be doing the same thing, the same way everyday just because you have to finish something.

The mood of the students, the previous class they attended, the weather outside can require you to alter your plans and go with the flow. If the students are bored, you may need an activity to stimulate their brain cells. If the students are energetic, you may need to channel those energies into a project that intensifies their curiosity. Small decisions such as, letting students sit in a circle instead of on benches, changing the arrangement of benches, sitting under a tree on a chilly day can help students get out of their rut.

Successful teachers know when to encourage students to do better. In a student-centric approach, negative feedback is never an option. Discussion of failures with a positive approach is much needed tool and they always give a constructive feedback to encourage students to try harder.

Consistent learners

The greatest teachers in the world are consistent learners. They never stop learning and exploring their subject matter. When they teach something they’ve learnt, they will not shy away from sharing all their knowledge. The only way they can keep inspiring their students is if they’re inspired to learn themselves.

Successful teachers purposely take help of their students to learn something outside of his/her expertise. This shows the students that their teacher can also be a student sometimes and they feel motivated to explore new topics.

Respect and consideration

Successful teachers respect the students for their opinions even though they may not agree. They find a way of discussing a few things other than the subject they teach and get to know the thoughts and ideas of their students. Every student is unique and every student must be appreciated and respected for what they are. Successful teachers don’t have favorites. All their students are their favorite!

A successful teacher feels that the learning of the students is the greatest success and takes the responsibility to make a difference. We salute the successful teachers who teach differently.