Let’s talk about more education guides, with a focus on Rookie Teacher. Successful teachers break out of the box: It may be a self-made box. “Oh I could never do that,” you say to yourself. Perhaps you promised you’d never become the teacher who would let students grade each other (maybe you had a bad experience as a kid). Sometimes the biggest obstacle to growth is us. Have you built a box around your teaching methods? Good teachers know when it’s time to break out of it. Successful teachers are masters of their subject: Good teachers need to know their craft. In addition to the methodology of “teaching”, you need to master your subject area. Learn, learn, and never stop learning. Successful educators stay curious.
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 details at Teacher Toolkit and Resources.
Learning is not only for young people. Whether you want to learn how to use email, browse the Internet, do video calls with your grandkids, purchase gifts or other items online, or share and view photos with friends and family, it’s easier than you think. If you have a family member (grandkids are naturals!) or friend to show you some basics, that’s great. If not, then there are several choices out there. Where do you start? Good news, there are lots of places for seniors to go and get computer literate.
It’s important to stop a lot and take time for them to ask questions. The more engaged they are, the more they will take in and learn. Celebrate the small victories. Focus on the positives and what they are doing right and they will want to continue using it. A very good website for senior learning is Tech learning for seniors.
Music learning 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. Different students have different skill levels and different needs. Make sure the tasks you set are appropriate for each student. Ideally a task should be understandable to the student, not too difficult but not too simple either. Right from the beginning, your students need to feel that they will be able to complete the task. A task that appears too challenging from the outset can make students give up and not try their best. Make a task into a fun experience by giving students the tools for success and encouraging collaboration.
Tip of the day for music teachers : Use Technology! It’s not uncommon for young teachers to be so anxious for the school year that they forget one of their greatest assets: technology. Whether its evaluating instrument dealers or streaming music on YouTube, technology provides young music teachers with a number of helpful resources for implementing a fun and educational curriculum.
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 visiting his website at https://www.4themusiceducator.com/.