As I continue my research on the possible ways in which we can become more confident in ourselves as teachers, I found presence of a teacher to be extremely important. If we present ourselves in a positive manner, our students will respect us in a more positive way! Having students react positively to how we portray ourselves, will most likely boost our self-confidence!
Step 1: Build Relationships
Motivating your students to learn depends on how well you manipulate your teacher presence effectively. In addition to how you stand in front of students and present yourself teaching academic content, teacher presence is really about how teachers build a positive relationships with students, which is just as important (if not more than) teaching academic content. As future teachers, we want our children to feel comfortable approaching us about anything. We want them to see that we support and care for each and everyone of them. Developing a strong relationship with each student of yours will help motivate students to behave and succeed in the classroom.
Step 2: Develop Trust
Say what you mean and follow through. Give students sometimes the benefit of the doubt. If they say that they couldn’t find material on the internet, believe them. Give them a feeling that you are listening to them even when they give you feedback. Make sure they know how they are doing and that you are there to keep them on track.
Step 3: Hold High Expectations for your Students.
You want to help fulfill your students hopes and dreams and in order to do this, you need to challenge your students by pushing them beyond their limits!
Step 4: Dress Professionally
You want your students to take you seriously and for this reason you must present yourself in a clean and uniform manner. Students will learn from your positive example.
A couple other important qualities a teacher should have in order to have a positive presence are
- integrity
-courage
-willingness to help others
I found some helpful tips for creating a positive presence to your classroom at this site: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachers/issue36/secondary/features/aheadofthegame/
Here are some of the tips that this particular website includes!
Top tips
A calm, relaxed facial expression that breaks into a smile when appropriate says that you're in control
Be at your door to greet your pupils as they come into your room. Make eye contact with each one of them
Be clear about how pupils attract your attention when they are working. Do they come to you one at a time, or do you go to them? Both can work equally well
Use names frequently through each lesson
Develop clear routines for pupils
Stand as much as is practical through each lesson. Be a visible presence
Use inclusive language when talking. For example, say: "We learned about", "The work we did", "Our classroom". This places you alongside pupils, rather than apart from them
Notice the impact your clothes have: smart, comfortable clothes in plain, darkish colours can work best
I completely agree that it takes all of those steps to become a more confident teacher. Of course the more years we teach the more confident we will naturally become in ourselves as well as our students. I think it is extremely important to hold high expectations for your students, we don't want to dumb anything down for them, and its important that they know we have faith in them that they are capable of challenging themselves as well. It is always best to set your students up for success, but that also means that you need to challenge them in order for them to be successful and more confident with themselves.
ReplyDeleteAlly,
ReplyDeleteVery good post! We as future teachers could be highly knowledgeable in our science field but not have the ability to reach a student and allow them to learn to the best of their ability. Your 4 steps that you outline definitely need to be achieved in order to supplement learning. I a big believer that they way one conducts themselves rubs off on others. I especially want to join the teaching field, not to just teach kids science, but to be a mentor and a positive role model. I think all your points above highlight the necessities!
I agree with both Michelle and Brandon. It is very important for educators to be able to reach students in a variety of ways. I noticed some of the tips correlate with what we have been discussing in our classroom management seminar. I, in particular, am trying to work on relationship building in my clinical placement. Every morning, my clinical partner and I greet the students as they come in the door. We always use their names because we feel it is more personal. After doing this for the past couple weeks, I have noticed new students coming to us for help. We can tell that they feel more comfortable around us. They know that they can ask us any questions they have and that we'll do our best to help them.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that experience plays a large role in how confident a teacher is. The more a teacher is able to teach lesson or work with a particular class, the more comfortable and confident they will be.
I can't wait to read what you research next!
In addition to the previous comments, dressing is incredibly important. A teacher needs to remember that they are representing themselves and the school! This goes for interacting with students, parents, and other faculty. Dress code typically determines the amount of respect that is received.
ReplyDeleteI am more likely to respect someone who is dressed professional versus someone in jeans and a sweatshirt. I think students show more respect too because they see that we are dressed like their parents (like adults!)
However, I also think teachers should take advantage of dress up or casual days. This shows the students that teachers can have fun too. It also shows them that we are normal people as well- we have jeans and flip-flops in our closets too!