When a teacher imparts education to his pupils, it is a learning process for both the entities. It is believed that learning is a never-ending process. Though most teachers show drastic progress in their initial years of teaching, they must not stop honing their teaching skills later too. To err is human. In my experience of teaching, there are some mistakes that most teachers make in their first years of teaching. The purpose of elaborating these mistakes is to make teacher more aware, and thus help them teach in a better fashion. Let us discuss the same here.

Speaking Quickly

The purpose of communication is to have meaningful interaction between the participants. Speaking too fast is commonplace among new teachers. When teachers speak too quickly, students fail to understand them. This is a waste of time for both the parties. This is especially important for educators who teach foreign languages like French, German or Chinese. We must remember that a child learning a new language would find it difficult to interpret a sentence spoken too quickly. Speaking slowly, however, can work wonders. It can help your students understand you better. Teachers should gradually increase the pace of conversation as the child starts learning the ins and outs of a particular language.

Unclear Enunciation

Clarity in speaking is the key to productive teaching. Native speakers often do not enunciate clearly. Your enunciation skills should math the learning ability of your pupils. A mismatch would result in frustrated students and waste of time. Proficient speakers emphasize on proper diction. Again, the whole thing boils down to underrating your student’s level of learning.

YES does not always mean YES

Most of the times when a teacher asks his students if they understood a lesson properly they would nod their heads as if saying ‘yes’. In reality, even if they do not get a concept right, they would say ‘yes’, either to shy away from learning or just out of fear. It is the responsibility of teachers to make students feel comfortable in class. A simple way to check if your student has learnt a concept properly is by asking him to repeat the main points of that concept.

Impatience

Many times, we do not wait for students to speak. The result is obvious- improper communication. Communication consists of three important aspects- speaking, listening and assimilating. If we keep on speaking without giving out students a chance to speak, we would never be able to address the pain points of the students.

No Acknowledgement

How often do you acknowledge the answer given by your student? Everyone loves being noticed. Teachers, therefore, should acknowledge the questions, answers and even doubts of their students.

As educators, it becomes imperative for us to impart quality education to pupils. The purpose of education can only be achieved when we understand our moral responsibilities and strive to make education simpler for students. Psychology is an important tool for better teaching. Here, I have mentioned five mistakes that I feel most teachers make at the beginning of their career. There might be hundred others. Look out for more!