Tip 8: Additional Worksheets
Teachers should always have additional worksheets and activities ready for those early finishers. One of the biggest problems in class is when students do an activity and then there are some students that work quickly and rush to finish first and then either want to play, or bother other students.
To prevent students from falling into this habit and misbehave, the teacher should have additional worksheets or activities ready to keep those early finishers occupied.
Alternatively, I told students in my English classes to always have a book to read with them. So, as soon as they finished with their work, they could start reading.
The other reason for handing out extra worksheets is because a lot of students will rush and do sloppy work just so that they can finish and do something else, but if you have extra worksheets or extra activities planned for them, they will take their time and actually finish the work you’ve set for them properly.
It’s very useful to have additional worksheets and activities that complement the work that they’ve already done. It will also help students feel more satisfaction at learning more.
Tip 9: Challenge Learners
Ask your students questions from that very first day during class to keep them engaged while you’re teaching. “Jimmy, what do you think about this? Johnny, what is this? Sarah do you know the answer?”
By randomly asking students questions, the teacher keeps them on their toes. They have to stay engaged and watch you; they have to listen and take in the information.
What I like to do before I start an activity is to ask the students what the activity is to double-check and make sure the students know. Maybe some students were absent or did not quite understand, but now that their friends are explaining it, they grasp it. So it’s very important to double-check by asking students questions and see if they understood.
A lot of teachers complain that their students are too shy. By getting them to answer questions on work that they grasp, you are also building their confidence. They will become more open to talking about things and gain confidence to answer more difficult questions.
For this reason, also heap praise on students when they answer correctly to make them feel good and encourage them to answer more questions in the future. As a teacher, your job is to engage the students and build their self-confidence. Constantly challenge your students, get them involved in the lessons.
Tip 10: Vary Activities
Young students especially can’t focus for a long time, so do different activities or break long activities into smaller parts. As teachers, we have routines and we have those trusted games that we always use, but if you use them too much, many students will get bored and they won’t enjoy it that much.
So, you can still have your routines and your activities that you usually employ, but try to introduce a new game, or a new idea, or a different way of doing things. We should be continually growing and experimenting with new ideas so that we stay fresh and on top of the game.
I think the worst thing is when teachers get so set in their ways that they don’t look for new opportunities for growth for our students and ourselves. We should vary these activities to keep students engaged and excited about the lessons that you’re teaching. Try not to do an activity for too long, especially when students are younger. You want to have short activities; break it up, quickly transition to a new activity. That way you keep them engaged in the classroom.
Sometimes when students really enjoy a game or activity, don’t let it run for too long so they will feel that they wanted to do more. Instead of it going too long, stop it so they want to repeat that activity in the future. So, make sure that instead of continuing activities for too long, rather end it a bit earlier and always vary your activities so that students can get the best out of their learning experience.
