14 Classroom Do’s and Don’ts for Teachers

Teaching can be a challenging and rewarding experience. But, in order to make it rewarding for your students there are certain do’s and don’ts for you to follow in the classroom. We wrote them down so that you don’t have to!

 7 practices to avoid in the class

Common pitfalls that may prevent your students’ engagement:

1. Pretend you don’t understand the students’ mother tongue, especially if it’s yours. If you teach a monolingual class, translate and explain in your shared mother tongue. As long as the tasks are done in English, there’s no problem.
2. Write extensively on the board: Your back will be turned to the students waiting for you to write. Try using Interactive Whiteboard Software instead, which will make the lesson much more interesting for them.
3. Sit at your desk for the whole lesson: It hinders students’ engagement and motivation, as it makes you appear disinterested in the lesson. Try to move around the classroom, in order to create a more dynamic and interactive learning environment.
4. Rush through lessons: This can leave students feeling overwhelmed and confused. Allow enough time for activities to be completed and homework tasks given.
5. Apply double standards: I can be late, drink coffee, not correct homework on time, be on my phone, but students…
6. Over-correct: While it is important to correct your students' mistakes, it can make them feel self-conscious and discouraged. Instead, correct their mistakes gently and offer them guidance on how to improve.
7. Ignore cultural differences: Be aware of cultural differences and avoid making assumptions about your students based on their cultural background. Be respectful and inclusive of all cultures and backgrounds.

7 practices to employ in the class

Maximise your classroom’s effectiveness and make your lesson run as smoothly as possible:

1. Create a positive learning environment: As students, we should embrace open communication and promote mutual respect. Expressing yourself in a language, which is not your mother tongue, can be intimidating. Make your students feel safe and confident language speakers.
2. Vary your teaching methods: Use a combination of teaching strategies (i.e. discussions, role-playing, games, and multimedia resources) to keep your students engaged, interested and motivated.
3. Use visual aids: Visual aids such as pictures, charts, and videos can be an effective way to explain concepts and help students better understand the material. Read here how you can implement technology in your lesson.
4. Provide constructive feedback: Feedback should be concise, specific, clear, and actionable. This helps students identify areas of improvement and work on them.
5. Always come prepared: Have your lesson plan ready, and use your time wisely. Have in mind the resources you may need (digital or print) and have them ready to be used.
6. Be empathetic to your students. Show them that you care, listen to their problems and let them express their worries. This will help you a much-needed rapport with your class. We suggest 6 easy ways to motivate your students.
7. Discover underlying causes for misbehaviour, and figure out how to help students overcome these issues. Always contact parents to let them know what their children are doing and how they perform in class.