Back To School 2023/2024: Top 5 Tips For Teachers

Summer’s end is near, meaning a new school year is beginning. Some students will move up a grade level and maybe switch schools or even cities! Whether it’s a student starting their first day at school or continuing their learning, teachers and parents can use strategies to make this transition easier for everyone. And for that reason, we have compiled these strategies and methods into one post to help you start the new school year in fashion.

#1 Give the New School Year a Smell of Freshness

A new school year has just begun, and students want a feeling of freshness and novelty. They want the new school year to be exciting and full of opportunities to learn new valuable skills and material. Thus, implementing the same exact approaches from the previous year can seem monotonous. Because this could discourage students from engaging in class and having the will to learn new things, implementing new strategies, methods, and tools into your learning environment can be vital.

Giving your students a feeling their classroom experience has been upgraded from the previous year may help them grasp the sense they are also growing and reaching new levels of knowledge. Of course, keep the best practices from the last year and still aim to foster important pillars, such as positive classroom culture. But all the time, keep in mind students always look for what is yet fresh and new.

#2 Create a Healthy Learning Environment

Make your classroom a comfortable place for learning and teaching. Building positive relationships with students and parents is critical, and it starts on the first moment of the first day of school each year. Having a positive classroom environment for your students to learn goes a long way toward helping build a positive classroom climate. The physical environment includes everything from how things are organized to what is on the walls.

This means getting to know each student’s unique personality, including hobbies, what they like, dislike, etc. Investing your time early on will help you support students individually and as a group. And don’t communicate just with the students; take some time to talk with their parents about the good and the bad you see in the classroom.

#3 Engage With Your Students – Remote or In-Person

As educators, fostering meaningful connections with your students remains paramount, regardless of the learning environment. Whether you’re conducting lessons through a screen or standing in a physical classroom, using technology, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of engagement. Cultivating a warm and inclusive atmosphere, encouraging open dialogue, and tailoring your teaching methods to suit various preferences can bridge the gap between distance and proximity. Use innovative technologies, interactive activities, and relatable examples to ignite curiosity and participation, ensuring that every student feels seen, heard, and motivated to excel on their educational journey.

You can increase engagement in your classroom, and one of the best methods is to use a classroom management system such as Blocksi. For example, such a screen monitoring tool keeps students on task – both improving the quality of learning and making everyone feel like a part of the classroom community. Using it, you can make the best of Educational Technology (EdTech) support—make fun assignments, implement group work in your sessions, communicate with no hassle, and much more.

#4 Set Goals

Set goals and expectations early on so that both you and your students know how to behave in the classroom and what to expect. Set both short-term and long-term goals. You can do a better job obtaining good results with these routines. Planning is an often underestimated and useful thing. And ignoring the planning stage is a fundamental mistake. Weekly planning is an excellent rule because your productivity and achievements depend on it. 

Enjoy setting goals for yourself so you can overcome your weaknesses and reach your full potential. You can also start by planning your daily routine and setting deadlines. But ensure your goals are realistic and achievable.

#5 Don’t Be Afraid To Try Something New

Doing the same tasks and routines every day for years may affect students’ interest and willingness to learn. A great method to tackle in this new school year is to try new things to create a stronger connection with your students and increase their willingness to learn and be active in lectures. 

Try switching up your assignments and the curriculum. We know that teaching plans stay virtually the same from year to year, but changing certain portions of the assignments and tests can be useful in improving class involvement. Another excellent method is planning short, fun recap exams at random intervals during the school year. This can break the monotony and increase students’ interest in the subject. And again, use EdTech to help you with that.

Back to School – Organized and Confident

In conclusion, the best way to ensure a positive and effective learning process is to set your goals from the beginning of the year and stay innovative with your teaching. Be honest with yourself about what you want to achieve this school year, and make it a point to commit yourself to that goal. If you feel overwhelmed or like things are not going in the direction you had hoped, that’s okay—take a step back and refocus on where you want to be and why. And don’t refrain from planning ahead while trying new things and experimenting with different teaching methods. Using these 5 tips, you will surely have a successful and productive school year from day one.

SOURCES

[1] Dos and Don’ts of Classroom Decorations
[2] 12 Strategies To Build Relationships With Students