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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

Teaching is more than a profession – it’s a lifestyle. The best teachers are those that honestly want the kids in their classroom to learn and so do everything they can to make it possible.

However, not all children learn in the same way. That’s why it’s vital that teachers adapt their teaching methods to ensure every child walks away from class feeling as though they’ve learnt something.

As a parent, you’ll undoubtedly want to make sure your children are getting a good education, so look into whether their school makes use of these teaching strategies to improve learning:

1) Keep teaching the teachers
New teaching methods are constantly being released after rigorous research and testing. If teachers aren’t taking it upon themselves to keep up with the latest teaching breakthroughs, they’ll fall behind the times very quickly. Doctors are constantly attending seminars on the latest medical techniques, but while their study is focused on the body teachers can learn more about the mind by doing regular research.

>strong>2) Break up the day
Giving kids regular breaks can help them to stay focused on the task at hand. It’s the same as you getting up from your desk at work to go and make a cup of tea – it just gives your brain a chance to reboot.

Teachers should spend just a few of minutes every half an hour getting the entire class involved in a fun activity.

3) Combine learning styles
Everyone learns in a different way, so teachers can’t expect visual learners to process tactile learning correctly. Neil Fleming’s VARK model includes three main learning styles:

  •  Visual learning
    Visual learners work best with visual aids and diagrams that they can easily process through the use of sight.
  • Auditory learning
    Auditory learners can learn by listening during lectures or sitting back and taking in discussions and classroom debates.
  • Tactile learning
    Tactile learners need to physically experience what is being taught to understand it – this can be done through movement, touch and participation in experiments.

4) Increase positivity in the classroom
Kids can be highly susceptible to the self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s been proven that seeing the grades A and F before entering an exam or working on coursework can impact on students’ results.

Giving kids a chance to feel positive about themselves can help them to succeed in many different ways. Encouraging students to speak positively about one another can do this.

5) Seat children in groups
Research shows that children take in information better in groups, as they can learn from each other. Seating plans should be set in stone as well – constantly changing seating plans can make children feel on edge, whereas they need to feel relaxed in the classroom.

6) Learn on the go
Children that are more active have better memories. Teachers should get their kids up and about for a 15 minute walk outside, or could get them to do five minutes of aerobic exercise before sitting down to class.

Learning can be seen as a terrible bore by some kids, but there are lots of ways that teachers can make it fun, interesting and, most importantly, easy.

This post was provided by Lord Wandsworth, a school based in Hampshire, UK, which provides independent teaching.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want the best learning for their kids.