As a teacher, the greatest feeling for me each day would be that of “satisfaction” of “having conducted a great class at school”! The phrase ‘a great class’ could mean different things to different teachers but in the end, we all teachers want our kids to have a fun class, learning and comprehending all that we want to deliver during those 30-40 minutes of our class. I hope all you teachers will agree with that! Over the years of being around students of several age groups and conducting several classes, here are some ways that have worked best for me to connect in the best possible ways with the students and to conduct a great class.

#TIP 1: Plan your class in advance:

Although planning is a very basic and a necessary thing for conducting a successful class, it is not just enough to decide on which activity you are going to conduct in your class or which power point presentation you are going to show. It is important to plan each step of your lesson starting from introduction of the topic, the way you will lead your students to an activity or the main topics to be discussed, the closure / revision etc. As an experiment, I have been a part of demo classes of two teachers; one who was prepared thoroughly from introduction to closure of the lesson and the other who knew what she wanted to do but had not clearly decided on the steps to take in order to conduct the lesson. Clearly, I felt something amiss in the class of the second teacher and a disconnect at several instances and didn’t feel like I was myself involved throughout the class as much in the case of the first teacher.
At the end of each class a teacher has a clear overall feel of the class they conducted. They can themselves answer the following questions. Are you satisfied with the way you delivered the content topics / subunits? Did the students grasp the topics taught in that class? Did the students have fun? If constantly for most of your classes, the answer to the above questions is ‘No’; then better planning will surely help. Let’s look at some more tips that help in such planning.

#TIP 2: Great Introduction leads to a Great class:

Let us have a look at two classroom scenarios to understand the importance of a good introduction to a class:

• Teacher: “Hello Kids today we will be doing a fun and interesting science activity in this class after sometime! In order for you to be able to participate in it and enjoy it thoroughly; you need to understand these basic concepts which I will be teaching now. So are we ready??”
• Teacher: “Hello Kids, we are going to learn about ‘_______________’ today. Let’s start. (After sometime) Now let us do an activity on what we learnt”.

In which class will the students listen to the topics taught “before” the activity? In which class will the students be able to participate in the activity well and have fun based on their understanding of the concepts taught? Well, definitely the answer is class 1!

What helped the teacher grab the students’ attention so that she can deliver the content to a fully attentive bunch of kids in front of her in class 1? It was a ‘Great Introduction’. The anticipation of having fun with the activity and to be able to participate in the activity in the best possible way, led the students to understand the concepts with maximum attention because they knew that it will help them with the activity! I have always relied on the power of a great introduction for my classes and it has never failed me. It has made my content delivery smooth while I get the most attentive ears for the class!

#TIP 3: Creating a connection with your class using your special activity with them:

TASK CARDS

Each teacher connects with his / her students in a way that is unique to that teacher. Conduct an activity that you have come up with and is unique to your class. This will make your students await your class and take more interest in everything you do in your class, especially around that activity.

For example, create a special activity on the lines of conducting a quiz by using task cards. Divide the class into groups AND add your special element to it : for example, pick a number card for their turn to answer or a color card for point. Basically, add a “unique touch” to the routine activities used for revising or teaching the topics taught or create a different activity all together to do with your students. This will make your class special and you will notice that students will find your class fun and interesting while developing a special connect with you too!

Do you have students in your class who keep fidgeting all the time? They can’t sit in one place for long and want that extra attention? For us teachers, every child is unique and special and there is always a way to deal with different qualities of each child in our class.

#TIP 4: Diverting excess energies of a few students towards productivity:

When you have such students in your class, especially when you are taking them to laboratories, you do not know how to deal with them; the best thing to do is to give them some responsibility. “Please make sure that you give all the lab equipment to each group of the class”. Can you please write the names of the students of each group on the board for this lab activity? Make them your temporary helper while they take some responsibility.

These tasks will divert their energies towards productivity, they will be kept busy and will not be distracted while they participate in the activity with interest.

#TIP 5: Help the shy and introvert students:

All students like to participate in the fun activities in conducted in classes. There are many students who know most of the answers to questions asked in the class but they are afraid to be wrong and laughed at by their classmates or are just too shy to answer. I am sure, we all have encountered such students in our class.

It is our duty to help such students shine in the class and let go of their fear to be wrong. Slowly and steadily, we teachers should encourage them to answer questions in class while not pushing them too much. Appreciate their small efforts and attempts of participating in activities. This will boost their confidence and gradually help them come out of their shells. You will be delighted to see those confident smiles on their faces when they will realize that they are now able to speak in front of their classmates, participate and enjoy the activities just like other classmates.

Well, I am glad I have shared some of the things that have worked for me over the years of being in classrooms and I hope my readers find them useful too. These basic tips have not just helped me plan and execute my class to the best possible way but have been helpful to understand the different kind of students and to deal with them differently to bring out the best in them. Although I have shared just a few types of students in a class and only a few tips to deal with them; the message is to give that equal importance to each child in your class while understanding their shortcomings, fears and problems and help them come out of those in the best possible way!  These tips will leave each child of your class smiling and happy for not just having understood the concepts but also having been understood by the teacher while getting his / her due importance. This will build a special bond with your students that will last forever!