8 GREAT WAYS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER

Teaching effectively is not an easy task. Motivating and leading students at the same time requires some skills.

1.       Your focus is on them and not you: the best instructors see themselves as guides. They share what they know, but understand that they are not the focus. Their students are.

2.       Know your students well: Apart from knowing your material, you need to know the people you are teaching- their talents, prior experience and needs. This way you can better impart knowledge.

3.       Students take risks when teachers create a safe environment: the job of the teacher is to make the students as comfortable as possible. In fact, students need to know that they can trust the instructor. A very important rule is: No sarcasm in the classroom. It creates the fear that you are going to make them  look bad.

4.       Great teachers exude passion: when you so love your job and you enjoy it thoroughly, you are better able to influence your students. Passion is contagious, it motivates you to give the best.

5.       Make it easy for your students: one of the chief attributes of a great teacher is the ability to break down complex ideas and make them understandable.

6.       Teach from the heart: let ideas flow out from you naturally. Be yourself. By so doing, you connect with your students easily. They see you not only as a teacher but also a good friend willing to help.

7.       Repeat the important points: repetition is the mother of retention. In fact, the first time you say something, its heard, the second time, it’s recognized, and the third time it’s learned.

8.       Good teachers ask good questions: when you ask effective questions, you reach the heart of your students. You know whether they are paying attention or not. Also, effective questions help you determine how well they understand the material.

HOW TO SET UP AND RUN A SCHOOL SUCCESSFULLY

Setting up a school is simpler than running it successfully. Many private schools spring up easily but only a few manage to thrive well. In fact, there is a hidden secret to success in this venture but no successful proprietor is ready to blab about it. But I give you this information free of charge.

THE SECRET

1.       The location of your school matters: when you situate your school in a strategic location, you increase your chances of getting more patronage. Nevertheless, location may not really matter if your school is already well established with a record breaking credibility. Only in this case will students attend your school from afar.

2.       Have a nice structure: if your school is in uncompleted building, then you have placed a limit on the patronage you will get. Most high income earners will never take their children to that kind of school with a shabby structure.

3.       Treat your teachers well: teachers are your front line workers therefore, a school rises or falls depending on your teachers. Some fledgling schools are notorious in delaying teachers salary, even when they are poorly paid too. In this case, the rate of teachers drift is high.

4.       Maintain a good relationship with parents: parents often cherish it when you have a good rapport with them. This way they are free to express concerns or complaints to the proprietor. This feedback is important if your school must grow.

QUESTION

Why is it especially important to apply the points stated above?

We appreciate your comments.

CASE STUDY: RAISING YOUR KIDS TO TOP THE CLASS

Mr. Osaigbovo is a welder, he has three lovely kids. He knows the art of good parenting. He has the goal of ensuring his kids top their class. Therefore, everyday he personally teaches his kids. Whenever they return from school, he checks their notebook and thus reviews the material with them. In fact, he utilizes every opportunity to brush up his children. The children, too, became familiar with the routine. To aid their learning, the parent often buys audio and video materials for the children to listen to or watch. This is one of the easiest ways to facilitate learning especially as children love watching interesting programmes. With this the children, including the youngest(below two years), are able to learn so much. To them, learning is fun. The children became very bright and brilliant that the school proprietor was moved to acknowledge this.

On the other hand, Mr. Okoro is a father of two children. The first is three years old while the last is one year. Coincidentally, Mr. Okoro happens to be a welder too. He never attached any importance to grooming his kids from infancy. As a new session was about to begin in September, he took his child to a private school to register him. The Proprietor carried out a quick assessment of the child to know the class he would fit in. Surprisingly, the child performed poorly. For this reason, the proprietor concluded that the kid would be in Pre-KG instead of KG(Kindergarten) 1. The parents were angry and wanted to withdraw their child from that school. But I waded into the matter and advised the father to comply.

QUESTION

Does training your child from infancy have any significant impact on them? We value your comments.

SHOULD PARENTS MAKE CAREER CHOICES FOR THEIR CHILDREN?

In Nigeria it is a common practice for parents to choose careers for their children. This arrangement often have a long term implication for both parties. Currently, I have a student that I mentor one-on-one. She is in senior school 1 (SS 1) in a private school. Right from the onset she has made her career choice known. She wanted to become a lawyer, since she hates the sciences. But her decision did not go down well with her father. The father wanted her to study medicine. As for the mother, she sits on the fence. Right now I wait to see whose decision gains supremacy.

THE IMPLICATION

Choosing a career should never be a battle-field matter. Obviously, when parents impose careers on their children, poor performance is often the result. The heart and mind of the child is far removed from the career. Hence, the child puts in little effort. In some cases, this may not be intentional as the student grapples with seemingly difficult subjects. In the end, they fail their courses.

PARENTS TAKE NOTE

IT is not fair, or wise to impose career on your child. If you really want your child in a particular field, then start early to groom him  along this line while he is still young. This way you prepare his  mind to accept it naturally. Also, observe your child very well because at this level they begin to exhibit certain traits that you can horn to your advantage.

QUESTION FOR READERS

1.       Should parents choose careers for their children?

2.       How did you choose your own career?

11 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

Most of us often forget things easily. You place your keys here, and in the next moment you can’t seem to find it . what about appointments you forget to meet? Well, this article will focus on how you can enhance long-term memory.

1.       Focus attention on the materials you are studying. Increased attention and focus enhance retention, you move from short-term memory into long-term memory. Study in a place free from distractions such as television, music and other diversions.

2.       Avoid cramming, establish regular study sessions. Bjork (2001), helps us to understand that studying materials over a number of sessions gives you the time you need to adequately process the information. Research shows that students who study regularly remember the material far better than those who do all of their study in one marathon session.

3.       Organize the information you are studying: Researchers have discovered that information is organized in memory in related clusters. Therefore, try grouping similar concepts and terms together, or make an outline of notes and textbook readings to help group related concepts.

4.       Use mnemonic devices to remember information: A mnemonic is simply a way to remember information. For instance, you might associate a term you need to remember with a common item that you are very familiar with such as a rhyme, song or joke to help remember a specific segment of information.

5.       Always rehearse the information you are studying: for example when you read the definition of a key term, study the definition of that term and then read a more detailed description of what that term means. This way recalling the information is much easier.

6.       Try to picture concepts to improve memory and recall:  While you read, pay attention to the photographs, charts and other graphics in your textbook.

7.       Compare new information to things you already know: this it becomes easier to recall

8.       Teach new concepts to another person: the more you teach others the more you get to know it. If you teach ten persons the new concept, you will know it ten times more than others.

9.       Pay more attention to difficult information: slow down while you read so the information will sink into your brain.

10.   Vary your study routine: study in different locations and times. If you always study in the evening, try to do it in the morning sometimes

11.   Get some sleep: it helps to improve recall. Always rest well each night. Better still you could take a nap after reading.