One of the hallmarks of a good teacher is the ability to motivate or cause his/her students to learn. As a teacher, you must ensure that learning has taken place in your students by making sure that the students make sense of a subject, use the newly acquired knowledge, and do something with it.
For some time now a debate has been ongoing on who is responsible for students’ academic failure. Many people believe that teachers take a larger share in the poor academic performance of students. However, to ensure that you have played your part, one needs to check and measure students’ learning process.
- Students want you to be enthusiastic
I am always fascinated by people who are passionate about their work. Their high energy, smile, and diligence increase their productivity.
I clearly understood this trait the day I went to teach a class for the first time. That day, I frowned, and before I commenced my lectures, a student voiced out and said, “I think we will have a hard time in your course with the look on your face.” This statement came as a shock, and I put on a smiley face to ease the learning atmosphere that was already getting tense.
An enthusiastic teacher will always get the interest of his/her students and facilitate learning in them. I believe that learning starts when students’ attention is in place.
- Create a positive classroom environment
A positive classroom is a welcoming atmosphere and with a positive impression, where a student feels safe and willing to share. What this kind of environment does ultimately is to ensure that every contribution from every student matters.
The size and shape of a classroom, the seating arrangement, the lighting, sound, color, temperature, and humidity all have some influence on the learner’s attention level.
I have always noticed that once the atmosphere of the learning environment is right, the students will be willing to learn and make contributions based on the newly acquired knowledge.
- Be creative while teaching
A creative teacher is someone who can use different approaches to deliver his lesson content to his students to cause them to learn. One of the attributes of a boring teacher is that he is predictable, i.e., his style of teaching is fixed.
I have needed to change my approach whenever I discovered that I am boring my students, or the content is difficult for them to grasp. There have been times I crack up a joke to lighten the students’ mood or take them through the lane of what they have known for them to understand the difficult topic(s).
It is your creativity that will help you out whenever it seems your students are not getting the topic(s) you are teaching. Your creative ability can be measured when you understand that learning has not taken place in your students and what to do to change the situation
- Students like it when contents are well presented
Facilitators must ensure that their contents are well thought through and grind to a level that is easily digestible by their students.
Subject contents are like stones that need to be ground into powder before being served to students. This process can only be achieved if the facilitator has expertise in the subject area.
Sometimes, you may need to use visual imaging, stories, songs, rhymes, etc., to convey your message to your students.
- You must be a motivator to your students
One of the primary reasons why students are in school is to learn, which can be achieved when they stay motivated. A discouraged student may find it challenging to have good grades, so a teacher must ensure that his students are motivated.
One of the things I have seen most teachers around me do, which I have also cultivated, is giving hope and making them feel valued. I know of a teacher who has made it his mantra to tell his students, “You are special.”
Motivation is an essential ingredient in achieving academic goals. A facilitator must ensure that every student is allowed to freely express himself in class and be rewarded for any attempt to answer questions.
Someone said, “There is no better motivation than knowing that you have done something well” Making your students have self-belief and respect in class can facilitate learning.
- Maintaining a healthy student-teacher relationship
A Student-teacher relationship is a state of connectedness between a teacher and his students, aiming to improve their academic performance and make them an instrument of change in their society.
Some of the importance of this type of relationship include:
- It gives an avenue for the students to ask questions without fear of being criticized by the teacher.
- It lets the teacher know where a student lags academically.
- Enhances effective communication in the class
I strongly believe that great students are produced when the teachers are interested in the overall well-being of their students.
