Blistering barnacles! Imagine turning up for double maths to find your teacher in full pirate costume, complete with bandana and gold hooped earring.
The teacher in question is an American who treats his classroom like a stage, using magic, lights and sound to get across the concepts of calculus and Confucius. This means it’s unlikely he’ll be dropping anchor here anytime soon.
But it does illustrate the lengths some teachers go to in order to engage their pupils.
Times change and old-age teaching methods don’t always cut it with the kids.
So, if you’re keen to forge a new career in education, we’ve put together some suggestions to make you classroom cool.
- Flipping heck!
Traditionally a teacher prepares a lesson and conducts it in front of the kids. Using the flipped classroom model this is inverted to motivate students to prepare for the lesson. If they watch a tutorial or correct their own homework the night before, the lesson can become a Q&A. It’s a great way to fuel curiosity and creativity.
- Go, go, gadgets!
Once upon a time technology meant an overhead projector. Now there are whiteboards, internet and apps that make learning more appealing. Using technology as a collaboration tool is a cool way of getting kids to engage with all areas of the curriculum, from YouTube maths tutorials to book critiques on review sites.
- Learn the lingo!
Keep your trend meter on green by being on top of the latest trends. Knowing coatigans are the new parkas is an easy way to amp up your cool. As effective teaching hinges on communication, using popular culture in classroom discussions can be a way of reaching students less interested in the subject.
- Make the headlines!
Create some catchy titles for your lessons to spark interest. Write them up on the whiteboard so students see them as soon as they enter the classroom. Highlight the weird, unusual or unique aspects to a subject. Or use real stories and photos from newspapers as points of discussions, if you can relate them to your topic.
- Change your approach!
If lessons are no longer fun for you, think what it’s like for your students. Make an effort to be fresh, try new approaches and don’t be afraid to get things wrong. Your students will love you for it.
Ditch the pirate outfit and check out s1jobs for exciting roles in education.