After all, schools or the educational system in general aren’t built for everybody. However, it provides some with the foundations that they need to venture into their career path and for others, the clarity they need to try something different.
There are plenty of ways in which you can inspire and entertain kids in the classroom. Here are a few ways in which you can make that happen.
Devise a teaching strategy that works for you
Every teacher has their own strategy when it comes to learning, so it’s useful to find what yours is in order to achieve success with your students. It might be that you want to focus on the kids who are quiet in your class and help bring them out of their shells.
It could be finding a singular, individual quality in each student so that the student can use this to their advantage in the future.
You may want to help the student with more than just their education; you may want to help them with their mental health. There are lots of things that students can learn from when it comes to their teachers and so it’s good to create a strategy that will help bring out the best in your students and the best of your teaching skills.
Make learning fun
Learning can be a lot of fun and it doesn’t always have to feel like hard work. Sure some topics are going to be a little harder for some students than other subjects, but if you make it fun, then learning in general is going to be more enjoyable regardless of whether the information is being retained or not.
Learning with fun can also be more productive when you’re trying to teach children more complex topics or subject areas. Bring fun elements into the classroom in order to assist with teaching.
Trial and error these fun elements to see what works and what probably doesn’t hit in the same way that you expected it to. Looking to help with their maths or learning numbers? How about class bingo?
Games can also be a great way of making learning fun and it’s often the case that this information goes in better when games are played.
Warm up the mind before every lesson begins
When the children walk into the classroom, they can often be mentally exhausted from previous classes or ready to go home if the class is at the end of the day. For classes starting first thing in the morning, the children might not be quite ready to learn so a warm-up is required.
Consider what type of warm-up might be useful in order to help get your kids to learn quicker and more effectively. It could be a fun pop quiz based on the weekly news or a little game that gets the mind thinking.
Warming up your body before exercise is something that’s recommended you do every time to avoid injury. The same can be said to warm up the mind, as ultimately, it gets it ready to learn.
Gamification is helpful for digesting information and knowledge
As it’s already been mentioned, it’s probably something you have already incorporated, especially as the world is so digitally driven nowadays.
Gamification is incorporating games within lessons so that the information goes in a lot better. When playing a game, kids are likely to pay more attention to what’s being said before, during and after the game.
If you’re finding the kids are switching off and the lesson plan you had prepared isn’t quite hitting the mark when teaching the children, consider switching it up with a game or two. Always have a backup gamification opportunity where you can wake up the class if they’re not at the level of engagement that you want them to be.
This type of method can be fun for kids of all ages, particularly those who are older and perhaps less enthused about maths at 10.30 in the morning.
Encourage free thinking and leadership
Sometimes, being the teacher can be exhausting, so why not let your kids take the lead? When it comes to the classroom dynamic, it’s usually the teacher who is in charge, facing the class from the front and pointing to a board.
The average adult having to attend a presentation meeting on the daily or weekly, can find this mind-numbing, so how do you think children feel having to do it several times a day, five days a week?
Switch the dynamics on its head and allow your children to get involved with how they want the lesson to go. Encouraging free thinking is important because we all have the freedom to our own opinions and to make suggestions.
At the same time, free thinking can be a great example of showing leadership. This is a quality that many might need one day when they’re leading a company or team.
Create opportunities and individual goals
When you’re trying to inspire kids in the classroom, focus on how you can create opportunities for each and every one of them.
Each child is different and they each have their own talents so it’s important that you do what you can to help nurture those individual talents and personalities in any way possible.
Setting individual goals can be handy, especially if you’ve noticed areas of improvement for each child. It’s always good to utilize the catch-ups with parents to understand what their child might need more help with or the opportunities they feel that they’re missing out on.
Anything that you can do to help create opportunities for the children to flourish and thrive is a job well done as a teacher.
Incorporate class discussion into lessons
Class discussions are always helpful to have because changes are, and there’s always an opinion to be shared and differences to be had.
From a young age, it’s important for children to know that everyone has their opinion, and as long as that opinion isn’t harmful to others, it should be welcomed.
Try to hold class discussions throughout your lessons, especially when it comes to discussing topics that will likely divide certain classmates in their viewpoints. It’s always good to create a space for healthy debate and discussion. It’s something they’re going to need to be used to when they grow up and enter the adult world.
Keep them busy
Finally, be sure to keep them busy. There are always moments when a kid might get bored of the class or start to procrastinate in order to avoid doing the work. That’s where mixing it up can be helpful to keep them busy and motivated.
Look at how your lesson plans run and consider making changes where required in order to make the most of the class and their attention span.
We all know that children’s attention spans aren’t great at the best of times, however, if you’re keeping it interesting, then they’ll likely stay engaged for a longer period of time.
Inspiring and entertaining kids within the classroom is a challenge and something that needs a lot of work and effort putting into it. Beyond just being their teacher, there are so many influences and efforts that need to be made that are often not rewarded or truly appreciated by the children or their parents until later on in life.
Make sure to use these tips to inspire and entertain the kids in your classroom this year.
