There are so many different things to consider when it comes to teaching, from meeting with parents, curriculum changes and inspections, to making sure your students are enjoying their classes and taking as much away from each lesson as possible. One of the best ways to deliver a positive, effective lesson is to inject a little creativity. By providing a creative environment and delivering a creative lesson, your students will thrive and engage more with learning.
Encourage Hands-On Learning
Many people find that they learn better when they get involved with something, rather than reading through content heavy pages in a textbook. With this in mind, now is the perfect time to encourage hands on learning in the classroom, to get your students more involved with what you’re teaching them. For example, instead of asking your students to read through certain sections of their textbook, why not get them into groups and have them read aloud to each other, making notes on key points and discussing as a collective rather than keeping those thoughts to themselves.
Interactive Boards
Nothing screams creativity like an interactive touch-screen board at the front of the classroom. There are some great websites that have been designed for educational purposes, such as BBC Bitesize, that can be used through an interactive board to get your students involved and engaged with the lesson. By having a visual aid in the form of an interactive board, you are more likely to find your students want to come to the front of the class and get involved, as it’s a little more interesting than the traditional whiteboard and marker pens. Take a look at online retailers such as Interactive Panels for a wide selection of educational touch-screen boards to add to your classroom this term.
Mix Things Up
For those who teach in the same classroom every day, the layout can start to feel a little boring and old. By mixing things up a bit and changing the layout every now and then, you’ll find that your students are more motivated, as they are experiencing something slightly new. It’s always great to try and position tables in a way that encourages working in groups, whilst still having the ability for your students to work independently when required. Aim to switch up your classroom layout at least every term, just to make things more interesting from time to time.
Try a Podcast
How many times have you been stood at the front of a classroom, reading a snippet of text aloud to your students to look up and find half of them gazing out of the window. It’s no secret that after a few long minutes of speaking, students can get a little distracted and their focus can switch onto other things. Try to capture them in a new way, such as a podcast. There are hundreds of educational podcasts available online that are designed to grab your student’s attention and teach them essential things at the same time. You can then pause to discuss or create mini quizzes to find out how much they pick up from this type of learning.