Every year millions of aspirants across the country appear for various teacher eligibility exams such as TET (TET full form: Teacher Eligibility Test), REET (REET full form: Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teacher) and likewise. However, only a handful of them make it through. Even among them, not everyone becomes a successful educator.
Over the years, the field of education has evolved at a rapid pace. Especially since the coronavirus pandemic, when schools and college campuses were shut down, locking millions of students and educators across the entire nation out of the classroom, there has been a radical change in the ways of teaching and learning. We have increasingly shifted from traditional teaching methods towards more effective teaching modes such as e-learning, smart classes and likewise. However, the core fundamentals of learning remain unchanged and any educator worth his salt should definitely have a good grasp of the basics of learning. A successful educator is one who is not only well-informed about these fundamentals but also makes a generous use of them while devising their teaching strategy. Here are some fundamentals of learning that every educator should learn and apply to their teaching regimen in order to make their teaching career a resounding success…
Each student learns differently
Even though it may seem obvious, it is seldom taken into account while designing the curriculum or making lesson plans. For students who are visual learners, using flashcards may be a good strategy but it may do nothing for other types of learners. This is the reason behind the widespread popularity of teaching methods such as personalized education and hybrid learning. If the educators incorporate this basic principle into their teaching style, there is a lot that can be done. By designing your lessons in such a way that it caters to a wide variety of learning styles, you are bound to improve upon the level of student engagement and student learning outcomes in your class.
The Seven Learning styles
Even though different people define “learning styles” in different ways, which is in fact the reason why it is one of the less understood facets of teaching to begin with; there are seven widely accepted learning styles. These are Visual, Auditory, Verbal, Logical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Kinesthetic learning styles. Each student uses a combination of these learning styles at school. The learning style most dominant in a student is taken as their preferred style of learning. It is quite important for teachers to know about the different types of learners they shall be tasked with teaching in order to prepare themselves to effectively communicate with all types of learners in their class.
Importance of curiosity and engagement
When your students are interested in learning the subject, their ability to concentrate, comprehend and retain, all shoot up considerably. They are more engaged, focused, determined and motivated towards learning. Ideally, this is the frame of mind which the educators want from all the students at any time of the day. However, the hunger and curiosity which the students exude in the class, in a large part depend upon the skill and willingness of the educator to engage the students. As a teacher, you should always put effort into getting the students to enjoy learning and try out various ways to whet their appetite for gaining knowledge.
Importance of Feedback
The importance of prompt feedback can’t be overstated. Feedback is crucial in guiding the students about how to learn and helping them understand their strengths, weaknesses, talents and interests. Constructive criticism goes a long way in enhancing student performance. It enables the students to learn from their mistakes and learn in the right way. Research has shown that the time of feedback is equally critical, if not more than what the actual feedback is. Imagine taking a medicine that shows its effect 10 years later instead of 12 hours. Therefore, educators must realize the importance of feedback and also provide timely and prompt feedback to the students in their class.
Teaching is a great profession to be a part of, especially in this day and age when teaching has been made ever so simple and efficient with the help of the latest innovations in pedagogy. Before anything, in order to be successful, a teacher must stick to the basics of learning mentioned in this article.
About The Author
Nicole Hinton
Nicole is a freelancer & passionate blogger. She has 4+ years of experience in digital marketing and specialize in content writing, content marketing and organic search engine optimization. She has worked with many brands from Canada as well as the USA. Currently, she manages content marketing team of freelancers and doing their business efficiently.
