Today we talk about more learning news, with a focus on Rookie Teacher. Successful teachers bring fun into the classroom: Don’t be too serious. Some days, “fun” should be the goal. When students feel and see your humanness, it builds a foundation of trust and respect. Fun and educational aren’t mutually exclusive either. Using humor can make even the most mundane topic more interesting. Successful teachers teach holistically: Learning does not happen in a vacuum. Depression, anxiety, and mental stress have a severe impact on the educational process. It’s crucial that educators (and the educational model) take the whole person into account. You can have the funniest and most innovative lesson on algebra, but if your student has just been told his parents are getting a divorce, you will not reach him. Successful teachers never stop learning: Good teachers find time in their schedule to learn themselves. Not only does it help bolster your knowledge in a certain subject matter, it also puts you in the position of student. This gives you a perspective about the learning process that you can easily forget when you’re always in teaching mode.
Be brief. Speak less. Say more. It’s hard to hear, when you are feeling overwhelmed. When responding to behavioral challenges, be brief. When children are agitated or escalated, they are not able to process. Your goal should be to de-escalate and motivate. The more we engage in a back-and-forth with our students, the more agitated and irritated we can become. Keep interactions simple, leave no room for debate or negotiation. Read more info at Teacher Advices.
Learning is not only for young people. How-To Books for Seniors. Visit your local library or bookstore. There you’ll be sure to find a variety of books to help you learn how to use different types of technologies. Some are quite simple to follow and written specifically for seniors such as the Visual Steps and For Dummies series of books. You can also order these books online at sites like Amazon.com.
Games are a great way to get them engaged with technology. Maybe they love crossword puzzles, scrabble, or Sudoku. Download an app or give them a website and show them how to play from their device. This will help them get comfortable with using the buttons and touching the screen. A good website for senior learning is Tech for Seniors tutorials.
Music teaching is hot this days, many people try to learn music, for various reasons. There are a few podcasts that focuses on teaching people about music and one of them is The Music Educator by Bill Stevens. Performing is an important aspect of music education. Your students can take pride in sharing their achievements with an audience. They can show their peers, parents and others what they have been learning in your class. New technology has made performing possible for anyone with an internet connection. As the culmination of a large class project, give a concert together. If a traditional end-of-year school concert is not possible, why not make a video of your students performing and share it on YouTube. If your school has good video or recording equipment, make use of it to produce a better quality video. If such equipment is unavailable, a smartphone can be used to make a reasonable quality video that can be a record of your students’ achievements. If you and your students are feeling confident, you could even stream your performance live. Just don’t forget to announce it to your intended audience in advance!
Tip of the day for music teachers : Find a Reliable Instrument Dealer: As a music teacher, you’ll need to be able to provide students with reliable and affordable instruments, so it will be important to find a reliable instrument dealer in the area. Young teachers will want to establish a relationship with an instrument dealer far before the school year starts. To help with this feel free to ask local music teachers for ideas, but don’t be afraid to do some exploring yourself.
You can listen to the The Music Educator podcast by using the app from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.themusiceducatorpodcast.android.music. You can learn more about Bill Steven by checking his website at https://www.4themusiceducator.com/.
