Planning is key. Competency minus planning is a failure. A classroom teacher must plan well for his/her class.
Such planning includes listing all the topics to be covered in each term. Listing the topics will help him/her to prepare the scheme of work. Planning his/her topics will help him/her finish the syllabus as required. Planning reduces pressure. It gives confidence to the teacher. Every teacher is asked to plan to have a successful classroom.
Having a scheme of work and lesson plans brings more success for a classroom teacher. Scheme of work is the breakdown of the syllabus into teachable topics and sub-topics. It is the main tool for teaching. It helps the teacher to set objectives for the lesson. The teacher will identify his activities and the activities of the learners. The scheme of work also helps the teacher to prepare his/her teaching materials in advance. The teacher will be familiar with resources and references.
Besides the scheme of work is a lesson plan. Lesson plan is done daily. It is an engine for a successful classroom. Any teacher who has a lesson plan teaches the best lesson. Introduction is the best part of lesson. The well-introduced lesson is a successful lesson. Introduction is an arousal. It is where the attention of the learners is caught. You will have a bored lesson if you have a boring introduction. It determines whether the learners will pay attention to your teaching or not. Have a lesson plan for a successful classroom.
A teacher who needs success in his/her classroom must study the needs of the learners. It is important to understand the needs of the children you need to help. Some children are quick learners while others are slow learners. Others also have some natural disabilities. It is important to know each one of their needs so that you plan how to help each one of them. For those who don’t pick well, you can arrange for them a remedial teaching. They can help their special class after your class. For those who need talking, you have time where you can counsel each one of them alone. Understand your learners and you will have a successful classroom.
You cannot have a successful classroom without using the correct method of teaching. It is sad that many teachers are still using the traditional way of teaching whereby a teacher is the centre of learning in classroom. The modern way of teaching puts learners in the centre of learning. The teacher must not be in the classroom to show his knowledge. He/she must be in classroom to help learners learn. Learners must dominate the learning. The teacher in the classroom supervises, motivates, directs, instructs, guides, to mention a few.
The Task-Based Learning (TBL) is the best approach for teaching. It is where a learner is challenged to finish a task. Where a learner is tasked, he/she will research and learn much from it. The learner will take ownership of the learning. In this century, learning takes place mainly when one is challenged. We must encourage our learners to take responsibility for their learning. The technology has helped us with everything. Everything can be achieved through research. Task your learners to have a successful classroom.
A teacher who takes his/her learners from known to unknown has a successful classroom. A teacher must not assume learners don’t know anything. Learners know something! The teacher must build on what his/her learners already know. Learning is easier when taken from what has been known. Recognize what your learners have already known, you will have a successful classroom.
A successful classroom teacher does not compete with his/her learners! Many teachers compete with their learners. Their being in classroom is to show that they know better than the learners. These types of teachers are not corrected by the learners. They are “I know all” teachers who don’t bring success in classroom. They always set hard exams to fail the learners so that learners fear them. What do you get from learners fearing you! You will only harvest failure. Never compete with your learners. Admit where you are wrong. It is normal. You are even a learner in the other way around. We are lifelong learners. You still have a lot to learn as you still live. Focus on the success of your learners.
Any teacher who is the best friend to his/her learners makes his/her learners succeed. Friendship matters in a classroom. To build such a friendship, know your learners by name. From my training, I learned that it is a must for a teacher to know the names of his/her learners. The learners feel you care for them if you know their names. Everyone likes being identified by their names. Asking a learner to answer a question, don’t say, “You.” Say, “John or Mary.” You will make them love your class.
To make learners your friends too as a classroom teacher, put love into disciplining them. Don’t cane them like robots. Put first talking to them alone. If a learner goes wrong, don’t correct him/her in front of other learners. Call him or her in your office. Talk to him/her as you talk to your children or siblings at home. Don’t be angry so quickly. Let the learner see that you care for him/her.
Still in building friendship with your learners, please, listen to them. Many teachers don’t listen to what the child wants to say. Allow them to express how they feel. They may be correct. Everyone demands freedom of expression. It is weird to deny learners self-expression; just because they are children. Children may know more than their elders. Give them time to talk. It will solve many things.
A teacher who brings success in classroom motivates! Don’t force your learners to learn. Motivate them to learn. Learning is a choice. It can be chosen if it is attractive. Be live to motivate your learners. For many teachers, they teach while absent-minded. They have their physical being in class. Their minds may be calculating something else. Let the learners see that you love your work. Sometimes we communicate to learners that we just teach because we are told to teach. They will practically see that we teach so that we are not terminated. Be live and motivated to have a successful classroom.
A successful classroom teacher is a model!!! Every child wants to be like his/her best teacher. Do your learners say, “I want to be like you?” What do your learners want to copy from you? Do they desire your character? Can they copy how you talk? We all learn by imitation. We ask learners to read after us. Being a teacher is a divine task. Teachers should be more careful than any other people in the society. Whatever a teacher does, is what the child should do too.
Isn’t it very strange for a teacher to condemn a child who drinks or smokes when he/she drinks or smokes? Some teachers dismiss learners who date themselves in school when they also date the students. A head teacher impregnated a schoolgirl last year. Was he teaching his learners to do the same? Sometimes teachers fight while they condemn fighting in school. Sometimes teachers come late to school while expecting the learners to come early. Teachers must know that they are there to be copied by learners. Whatever they demonstrate is what the learners will copy; whether it is bad character or good character. Teachers are their learners’ models.
A teacher who needs success in his classroom must be time-conscious. He/she must keep time when entering the class and when leaving the class. Punctuality is the right hand of success. Try keeping time, you will find yourself succeeding in everything. Don’t cheat yourself on time, you will succeed.
Be competent! Especially, in South Sudan, what every learner wants to know is whether you know the subject or not. Being competent will prove to your learners that you can make them pass their exams. It is true children don’t go to school to pass exams only. We know they go to school mainly to pass life. But human being must believe first before they succeed. When children believe that their teacher is very knowledgeable, they will pass his/her subject very well though he/she does not teach much. Make your learners believe in what you can do. When they compare you with other teachers, let them say you are the best of all. You will be surprised they will pass your subject.
To add to your knowledge, don’t stop learning! Things are changing each day. Don’t be left behind. Update yourself with the new information. Read a book. Visit U-tube. Attend some trainings or workshops. See advice from your fellow teachers. Upgrade your degree or certificate. Never focus on what you learned in college or University. Focus on what you want to learn. You will forget everything if you don’t keep learning. Build yourself each day. You will be successful in your classroom.
In conclusion, be honest to yourself. Don’t lie to your conscience. Besides, fear God the most. Be kind to the nation.