Student Teacher Survival Guide

We hope our Student Teacher Survival Guide will help you in your your new teaching career. Please do give us feedback and if you have any important points to add to our guide contact us.

1. Join all teacher forums on the internet. You will learn much. Start with TES.
2. Listen to senior teachers. They are survivors.
3. Be tough but respectful.
4. Learn how to be a great communicator. Study non-verbal body language as it accounts for 55% of communication
5. Inspire and motivate your students with role models, stories of achievement and success.
6. Make your subject come alive. Teach it with passion.
7. Manage your emotions by dissociating or stepping outside yourself and observing how you speak and act.
8. Be philosophical. You will have bad days. You are human.
9. Use appropriate punishment for challenging behaviour.
10. Show you are in control by using relaxed gestures.
11. Be consistent in your discipline.
12. Focus on the behaviour not the student.
13. Tell them how their behaviour makes you feel.
14. Create a list of Do’s and Don’ts.
15. Do not show dislike for any student. See Pygmalion Effect for teachers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_effect.html
16. Be big enough to apologise if you have made a mistake with a student.
17. Build a positive attitude in yourself and your students.
18. Introduce yourself to all teachers. They can be of real help in the first weeks.
19. Plan and prepare. Get it right and don’t have students laughing at your mistakes.
20. Learn many teaching techniques. These and your personality are what makes your subject interesting.
21. Create a comfortable, friendly environment. Think about pictures, quotations, students’ work.
22. Be aware of and limit distractions such as windows with no blinds, noises, students walking by, etc.
23. Seat students who either need extra help or have challenging attitudes close to you. If possible seat them and yourself in a circle.
24. Use your students names often and in a positive way.
25. Be different. Be unique.
26. Let students help in setting rules and expectations. If they own them they are more likely to adhere to them.
27. Emphasise individual student effort, behaviour and reward with praise, positive calls to parents, awards/certificates, lollipops!
28. Begin class with a daily “warm-up” activity. Try our Lateral Thinking Problems.
29. Check for understanding and review during every lesson.
30. Always remember the best discipline is preventative discipline.
31. Learn classroom management techniques from the 'veterans'.
32. Create your own student teacher survival guide. Grow it over the years
33. Floss and smile

Inspirational Quotes
Inspirational Teacher Quotes
Motivational Posters
Courses for Teachers and Students

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