Helpful Teaching Tips

Every profession has its tow on the people it involves; and teaching is no exception. Every child is influenced by the environment of the classroom and the teachers who teach him or her. Therefore, the teacher must be extra careful and try to avoid mistakes as much as possible to avoid any damaging effects. However, falling into errors is inevitable and errors are true and highly practical opportunities to learn. Here are some -hopefully- helpful tips that can help maintain a healthy classroom environment:

• When initiating a lesson, look for hints that indicate discomfort or lack of interest and try to deal with them  on the spot. A child who is distracted by physical or emotional factors cannot be expected to perform at his/her optimal level.
• Color; colors have a major influence on the learners' psychology and perception. Encourage decorations that enhance learning, posters, models, name tags, advance/ point-recording charts.. etc.
• Students who cause distractions usually need close-up, personal analysis; get to the bottom of the issue! and find a way to help the student overcome his/her troubles. It can be effective to contact guardians and develop a plan.
• A student's classroom is his/her environment for about 6-7 hours a day. Make sure it supplies comfort, safety and interest.  After all, one of our main aims as teachers is encouraging students to become fond of their schools and educational institutions. 
• Be Fair! Fairness is a number one quality that students seek in a teacher. Treat students equally, share their concerns, do not under-estimate their intelligence or provide them with tasks that are beyond their cognitive, social or physical abilities and finally, make sure that your instruction, assignments and discourse do not convey any hints of gender, ethnic, cultural or racial discrimination.
• Don't forget to SMILE! A smile is a shortcut to people's hearts; especially when it is genuine. Of course this does not mean that you should over-use smiles. Too much smiling is actually discomforting. 
• Always relate learning to real life. Get examples close to home, let students come up with their own and allow them  the opportunity of practical experience for more effective learning. 
• Introduce material in diverse forms to make lessons more interesting so that students look forward to new topics and be involved in various ways. 
• And finally, love your job! You are given the opportunity to exercise change in society by shaping young minds and  influencing the generations of tomorrow, so cease the opportunity... 

References:

Gerald Corey (2009)Theory and Practice for Counseling and Psychotherapy (9^th edition).

Cengage Advantage Books.

Paul D. Eggen and Donald P. Kauchak (2006) Strategies and Models for Teaching (5^th edition). 
Jon Saphier, Mary Ann Haley-Speca and Robert Gower (2008) The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills (6th edition).