Effective lesson planning goes hand in hand with effective visualizing effective instruction. Often, new teachers experiment with different teaching and classroom management styles as a way to find their own teaching style that appeals to them. Effective visualization techniques can help a new teacher turn those "bad" first year experiences into lessons of becoming effective teachers and classroom managers. Using a few visualization teaching techniques, you can discover those "right" answers all on your own.
However, as a new teacher, you might not know exactly what the problem is right from the beginning. It could be anything from classroom management to lesson planning, right? This is why it makes sense to use visualization techniques as early in your teaching career as possible as you learn how to become a more effective classroom manager and teacher.
How to Visualize Effective Teaching Strategies
Think about 1-2 things you would like to change about any particular class or with a specific student. This can range from getting students to listen to you more to differentiated teaching. Avoid over- analyzing specific classroom experiences and bad lessons. Look at your experimentation with visualization techniques as an opportunity for further growth and change during your journey as a new teacher.
Next, try and think of 1-2 concrete steps or actions, which will help help you learn how to become a more organized and effective teacher. They key is to focus on just a few specific steps which will help you get started. Writing them down will enhance your overall mental picture of visualization. Here are a few examples:
- Providing more input before assigning a task.
- Elaborating on classroom procedures for collecting work.
- Discussing group work procedures.
How To Become an Effective Teacher
Now, take a deep breath and visualize yourself teaching the class using these new actions. What exactly is going on? Are your students listening to you more? Are you raising your voice? Can you now easily transition your lesson from one part to the next? Do you have more effective lesson beginnings?
When you’re relaxed and not absorbed about the planning elements of classroom management and lesson planning, you’ll have a better chance of identifying those elements that might interfere with having a better lesson and a better relationship with your students. Eventually, these steps will give you the clues and hints you need to know how to become a better teacher.
Keep trying to visualize a picture of effective teaching and think of 1-2 steps you will need to help you teach better.
Experiment Using Visualization Techniques
Make periodic notes of your weekly and perhaps even daily progress using visualization teaching techniques and strategies. If you notice that you are still experiencing the same struggles, then maybe you need to take further steps beyond using visualization techniques. Maybe you need to speak to a school counselor about a particular student, conduct a two way meeting with a homeroom teacher or call a parent. As a new teacher, you have the authority, professionalism and responsibility to take charge of specific situations that can be negative and make them work for you.
When used consistently over a period of time, visualization teaching techniques and strategies will help you create the picture of how you ideally see yourself dealing with classroom management and lesson planning. Try it!
Dorit Sasson - Hello! I'm an ESL instructor, teacher diversity coach and writer for the educational markets who writes on English language learners ...
