Archive for category: Aitta Blog

Children in elementary school are at an age, ranging from around five to eleven, where they are very sensitive to the influences around. Herein, comes the role of the elementary teacher. A good teacher can help children to basically lay a strong foundation in learning so that they grow up to become successful individuals. Thus every elementary teacher should nurture a number of strategies which will help them to promote learning and increase their students’ thirst for knowledge. It is at this stage, that a teacher should really work towards guiding the student in building a solid interest towards education.

Let’s, travel through the landscape, of strategies that would help you become a good elementary teacher:

1. CLARITY IN TEACHING – As a successful elementary teacher, explaining with clarity is the first and the foremost requirement. Clearly explaining the goals and purposes of any lesson; clarifying both during and before and after the lesson, is essential. Students tend to be inquisitive at this stage. Hence, students raising any kind of questions should be clearly answered by the teacher and this should be done with patience.

2. CHUNKING METHOD – Chunking refers to teaching in small parts rather than teaching huge sections at one go. This is important because it is the ultimate way to test a student’s understanding and learning. This method allows the teacher to ask a lot of question after teaching that, in turn, helps in continuous assessment of the students and helps the teacher in engaging their attention better.

3. INTERACTIVE SESSIONS – Interactive Sessions and Discussions are said to be one of the most effective methods of teaching. Asking questions to the students; clearly answering questions raised by students; encouraging them to ask questions and contribute, through their inputs; extensive discussion  on lessons and topics;- are some of the ways in which elementary school teachers can promote  interactive and discursive learning necessary for effective education.

4. META COGNITIVE STRATEGIES – It is important, for students to develop an understanding of themselves as learners and to increase their awareness of their own thinking- this is called the process of meta-cognition. Students should be given the opportunity to plan and organize their own project; monitor their own work; self reflect and also build healthy social relationships with class mates and other people- these strategies of meta cognition should be extensively used by elementary teachers.

5. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS – Summative Assessments are also very important in any kind of learning. Summative Assessments usually take place at the end of the course meaning once or twice a year. Summative Assessments usually assess the mastery of learning standards. Thus mid-terms, end terms, chapter tests are a necessity that elementary teachers should always stress on.

6. FEEDBACK – Feedback, both of the learning procedure and the teaching procedure, is essential and should be provided by every elementary teacher. Teachers should provide for both individual and whole group feedbacks on patterns that lead to, not only individual but collective growth of the class as a whole unit. Students should also be provided with an opportunity to give feedback with regard to the teaching procedure, so that as the teacher you can flexibly adjust your teaching process, the materials you provide and other instructions in accordance with the student’s need.

Thus, being an elementary teacher can be the most adventurous job, in contrary it can be difficult too and hence these strategies should work like magic for you.

Papers are spilling off the table. Your phone is ringing. You are buried under piles of notebooks and little smiley face stickers seem like smiling at your poor condition! All teachers have been through this phase. When it comes to teaching, there are always days when you eagerly wait for the final bell to ring and you just want to escape from the classroom, interact with someone much older than kindergarten kids or simply plug in those earphones and listen to some soulful music.Papers are spilling off the table. Your phone is ringing. You are buried under piles of notebooks and little smiley face stickers seem like smiling at your poor condition! All teachers have been through this phase. When it comes to teaching, there are always days when you eagerly wait for the final bell to ring and you just want to escape from the classroom, interact with someone much older than kindergarten kids or simply plug in those earphones and listen to some soulful music.

One of the most important but often overlooked aspects of education is having coaches and mentors who help you deal with the turmoil of daily struggles and the challenges of the job. If you want a career as a teacher, you would be in so much profit if you enroll your name in a Montessori teacher training institute for a short course. You may not get incredible seniors every time, but you will be self sufficient enough to salvage your sanity, challenge your own limits and learn to adjust under any circumstances.

Undergoing a program of Coaching and Mentoring

You may have to undergo the program at some point of time either when you are a student preparing for teacher’s training, as a newly appointed pre-school teacher or even after a promotion within the education hierarchy.
Montessori teacher training institute is now offering coaching and mentoring for professional development which has its roots in both psychological approaches to enhance performance in the classroom as well as business leadership.

What’s the difference?

Are there any real-life differences between coaching and mentoring aside from the theory? Simply put, it slims down to this:

Coaching: Whenever an individual feels the urgency to assess their professional caliber, allowing for honest continuous professional development (CPD). It can be senior-junior or peer-to-peer as well as.

Mentoring: Managing career change usually with a senior member of the organization who passes on their skills to the one whom s/he is mentoring.

You will better examine this in terms of teaching if you get yourself trained from a pro Montessori teacher training institute.

Coaching as a Teacher

Coaching as a teacher is different than what we see in sports.  Effectual coaching mostly deals with providing people with the apt knowledge and skill set for them to function their best. The strategies that several instructional coaches employ are:

•  Observation
• Reflection
• Creating model
• Debriefing

The first step involves observing the teacher at work. The coach occupies a seat in the back of the classroom and observes how the teacher is taking the class, conning with students, interacting and how students are responding.

After the class is over, the coach will share observation with the teacher. If s/he observes distraction, s/he may suggest breaking up the lesson with some engaging activities where all students can participate.

Creating model means setting up exemplary activities that would help teachers to keep their students attentive in the class. The coach mocks-up activities, but, teachers are free to make alterations as far as it helps students to stay focused.

Finally, the debriefing session comprises of discussing the strength and weaknesses of the teacher, areas of improvement, special lessons to take the next class better.

Be a better teacher and guide your students like a leader with specialized courses from a Montessori teacher training institute.

Mentoring as Teacher

One of the mentor’s first responsibilities is to set up a trusting bond with the new teacher. Research suggests that mentoring is most helpful when the new teacher trusts the mentor. The mentor builds this trust by forming a risk-free learning atmosphere for the beginning teacher by offering support that is confidential and non-judgmental. Confidentiality encourages honesty, risk taking, and self-assessment by the new teacher. The mentor does not leak any evaluative info about the new teacher with anyone, including the principal as well as the administrator. However, content; subject matters and strategies can be shared with administrators.

“The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another.”

There are various factors working on simultaneously to assess the effectiveness of a teacher. These are knowledge of the content, speaking aptitude, experience & certification of the teacher and ability of developing bonds with the students.

Knowledge of the content is essential to upgrade the ante of learning methodology as teachers with sound knowledge over the subject proves to be more effective than teachers who lack strong knowledge of the content. Sound knowledge over the content and subject also aids teachers in bringing up new skills in the teaching process in the context of fast changing educational space consisting of latest technologies and pedagogy. Speaking aptitude of a teacher is also imperative in the process of learning as it is used in delivering the knowledge and imparts learning. Therefore how teacher speaks is taken into consideration to identify the effectiveness of a teacher.

It is essential that a teacher should be competent enough to deliver a lesson on particular topic clearly enough so that students from diverse background and abilities should be able to understand it without much hindrance.
Experience is always handy in every sphere of work be it any profession and in teaching it has no less implications. Prior experience in teaching is a major indicator for efficient and effective education system. It also builds up the core competencies of a teacher in a certain way. Similarly certification equally fits in with the experience and together it becomes a very effective tool for learning and education.

However, much said above, there are still some clouds of uncertainty and unfamiliarity hovering around the youth aspiring to take up teaching as a profession in the upcoming days. So here are 10 major motives or needs of imparting proper training prior to become a professional teacher.

How to teach :-

Well, this might seems to be very easy at the initial glance particularly because it is one undervalued aspect of teaching yet very essential one. Delivering a lesson requires both the application of art and science blended perfectly to make it easily accessible to the students understanding.

It also requires tangible as well as intangible means of teaching to make the learning more operational. Therefore to know and understand exactly how to teach requires constant progression of self-assessment and learning which can be gained only through a professional teaching course.

How to Learn :-
Right after one gets a fair idea about how to teach then comes another most essential aspect, “how to learn”. Yes learning for teachers is as vital as teaching itself and even more sometimes.

One can only be able to teach a given topic effectively when one holds a sound knowledge and proficiencies over the content. And for that one should know how to learn on that topic first prior to deliver it on the classroom.

What to Teach :-
Subject matter is very essential in the context of teaching, and therefore one should know and plan well before executing a lesson in the classroom on what exactly to teach to the students. There is a particular methodology on this and this could be learned only through a professional teacher training course.

Procedure to Design Instructions :-
Now coming to the more technical part of the context, designing instruction is one thing which needs a proper training and hands on expertise. To design instructional notes one should focus on various essential facets like designing and scheduling of proper lesson plans, preparing a sound enrichment activities, chalking out evaluation parameters and many more.

Classroom Management :-
Managing a classroom requires high level of concentration, self-application, patience, hands-on expertise and required experience. Because, it is like navigating through the hazards of diverse culture, demography coupled with mostly disinterested and hostile pupil.

Classroom management can also be put under a distinct discipline of studies as it is compromise of clustered elements of psychology, imparting discipline, counseling, drill on self-confidence and many other delicate arts.

Counseling and Advocating Students :-
In a fast paced world where lives of students are being brought under the microscope of evaluation every now and their space for breathing life is getting narrower by the day, counseling and advocating student and regaining their faith is one very essential component of teaching which can never be learned without a professional guidance.

Self-Counseling:- Profession as a teacher can sometimes be very toiling upon oneself in respect of the continuous societal judgment and the challenges they face at the workplace every day. With the accountability of student’s intellectual development, teachers are also responsible for their overall development as well.

Therefore it is very indispensible for the teachers to learn and know how to counsel themselves of their own to keep themselves up for the task both mentally and physically.

Parent management:-
Not just students, teachers are also in the task to actively manage the parents and effectively engaging them in the learning procedure. And this can be very tricky for those who do not possess professional knowledge on the same.

Acquire Necessary Funding:-
Much like counseling students and parents, teachers also need to be constantly active in grabbing a chance to acquire necessary funding for the development of the class or procuring essential learning kits.

Teachers also sometimes need to act as a channel to get the required technology, supplies and expertise for the betterment of the class and augment the learning process.

Motivate and Inspire Learners:-
Above all teachers are the builders of a nation, they nurture the budding talents and shape them up into those pillars upon which the entire nation depends and progress thereafter.

Therefore teachers should learn to motivate and inspire the learners so that they gain the essential knowledge effectively in order to put them up in practical use and help the nation grow further.
So these are the 10 essential motives for the need and requirement of a professional training for teachers prior to stepping into the real work field. This will not only help the teachers to execute and teach in a classroom efficiently but also help the learners to grasp the knowledge imparted on them easily and conveniently.