In the Elementary, a teacher should be flexible enough to teach any subject because teaching in elementary is general in nature, you may be assigned in any particular field of disciplined because unlike Secondary Teachers, they have their field of specialization so they are just handling load according to their major, where in elementary teachers do not have their line of specialization so it expected that they can teach any subjects in elementary.
Starting out as a new teacher in Elementary and Secondary can be intimidating and frightening specially if you will be assigned to teach Math and there is no one who like to teach Math because for those teachers whose inline is out of Mathematics, they will only live in stress and anxiety in teaching this Major subject.
Here are the suggested tips for new Math teachers;
1. Teachers at the first time of teaching are too serious. That is in nature because everything new thing is kind of scary, so when you stand and teach math, it is expected that it will be intimidating at first. Try not to frown or look to serious, it will discourage your pupils to look at you, they will be afraid of you instead. Use humor in the class. That will be the step to get their attention, it will be the bridge that will connect you with your pupils. Remember that a good laugh is like medicine for the body.
2. As great minds said “There is no Learning unless there is Discipline”, that is very true. You cannot teach well if your pupils always misbehaving. You should imposed rule inside your class, it is better to fall behind by a day or two early in the year to address discipline, than to have an uphill battle all year long over behavior. Let your pupils know what the acceptable behavior is and what is not. This way they won’t take chances.
3. Use group work or even peer teaching. It will help you to teach math in a great way. Pupils may act as teachers at the same time, teaching their classmates. By doing so, you are developing at the same time their potentials as a leaders and a good follower. Aside from this, doing group activities develop their trust to each other. In a long run it will benefit your pupils if they get along smoothly and there will be order in the classroom. You may have competitions between the different groups as well to develop their camaraderie and teamwork.
4. Be a motivation to your pupils. Let them see the beauty in studying math. The importance of dealing with numbers. Let them know the value of learning Math that it will become a major part of their everyday lives. Try to find out on what particular skills in math they find difficulty, and help them to overcome those areas. If you can give them a place to feel safe and comfortable they will give back to you a solid return by doing their best.
5. Use your creativity as teacher. You may use various methods and techniques in teaching Math. The best way to make it more interesting is to relate their everyday experiences as examples to draw and hold their attention. As much as possible, do not use the same pattern of teaching Math everyday, because they tend to get bored if they all ready know what will come next. Use basic things that aren’t costly even junk materials from home to use as their projects.
6. Learn to prioritize. Set your goals and objectives clearly. Don’t over run by a lot of ideas you wanted to implant on your pupils mind. Don’t expect too much, because if you do, you will just be frustrated. Have a work plan for the whole year that will check if you’re on the right track. A budget of work is also best for you to determine if you are able to teach all the objectives based on the curriculum all year round.
7. Take time to relax. If you are tired and feeling so bored from your hectic and very hard task, give your self a time to breath. You may give your self a break for a while. Make time for your self. Go to the mall, watch movies, eat in your favorite resto or even hang with your friends. If you are stressed out you cannot give your best that is always proven true. When you feel relaxed and comfortable, your pupils will benefit from it.
8. Always be ready. Nothing compares to a teacher who is always ready with his lesson plans and instructional materials. You are effective and efficient teachers if you are able to prepare your lesson before hand. This will minimize classroom discipline if you are always ready at all times. Take time everyday to prepare for the following days lesson. This will pay tremendous rewards as you san then give your full attention to the subject at hand. Don’t let your pupils caught you that you do not what you are teaching. Don’t leave things and hope it will work out. Be prepared for all situations.
9. Your skill in organizing is very much important. If you are able to organize everything, from the physical appearance of your classroom, you will probably save a lot of time and you will spend your precious time in teaching the subject. This skill is your lifeline that will help you to deal with your pupils in enough time for them to master the skills in Math.
10. Pupils are active individuals. When a group of a class is very noisy, it indicates they are not doing anything. The teachers probably don’t gibe them an activity. As a teacher, you should provide a lot of activities to make them busy. Our teaching must be child centered, to do this, they must be the center of the teaching and learning process, they should be given a lot of activities to develop their vast knowledge and skills. There are pupils who finish quicker than the others, give them extra assignment, something that will be a challenge to them. This way they will be kept busy and won’t bother each other.
As a first-year teacher, you are in for a challenging year. It might be a
painful at times, but you couldn’t choose a better career. That is assuming that you don’t have the skills of a professional athlete or the singing/acting talent of legends. As many for the veterans math teachers look back. it was the best of times, it was the worst oft times, but it provides great foundation.
By: Christian N. Carizal, T-II Tipo Elementary School
