How to teach in a clear way?

There is no a magic way to teach clearly, because what for me it is something clear, maybe for other person it is not. But at least, I could say a couple of tips to help in teaching clearly.

The first, as I have said many many times, is the lesson plan. Because if you have your content, your activities, your methodology clear, then everything will be clear for you.

Don't go inventing something new. If you don't know something, it doesn't mean you are a bad teacher, it just means that you have a new chance to improve and learn something new. Don't lie to your students, because they will know it immediately. It is better to say "I don't know" than giving a wrong answer.

Give direct and short contents. Don't make up a long story to just give a short instruction. Just say what you have to say. Although, it seems to be easy, it is really hard, because you must be repeating not just once or twice, but many times, if your studetns are not paying attention or talking. We must be sure they are hearing our instructions.

Don't use the whiteboard to write a book. Just use it to give short meanings, vocabulary, or just to create diagrams. Nobody wants to read too many lines. just few, and if there is an image or a diagram, better.

Don't use complex words, but don't forget to teach them those hard words.

Don't just use one way to teach, but many. Tell the instruction, write it, give an example, draw the intruction, use colors, if there is music, better.

It happens a lot, but avoid to waste too much time in sharing experiences or stories that are not connected with what you are teaching. It is nice to stop the class a bit to share a joke or saying something nice, but just for a bit, then go back to your class.

Use a formal language, dont use too much slang. Remember you are supposed to be a model to follow.

Do you have other idea to share?

Social networks, good or bad?

I was reading a comment in a forum the other day, and I just started realizing about the power of social networks (actually, I already knew it). How important and breathtaking can be. But at the same time, I was wondering if it is good or bad to just give hours and hours of our lives to be connected and talk or share with friends about what we think or do.

Maybe, as a way to kill the time, or just really feeling connecting with friends, social networks can be one of the moments we wait the whole day. And considering this, it is something that cannot go away from our sight, specially for teachers. We see this trend in our students, and in some ways, it must be useful.

But think of this, if it is part of our daily life, does it really mean that can bring any help in our work as a teachers?

It is true that if you don't have information, then you are totally away of having a clear opinion. But what happens if you are full of information, that you can't even be sure if it is real or not.

The point is, that social networks are really good to be in contact with friends, to learn new things, to give opinions or leaving comments. But how much of that is really a process that you can call "pedagogical"?

This is what we have to start considering seriously. Just because it is a trend, it doesn't mean that it is really giving me a learning experience. Most of it, it is about information, but how much of it is really becoming a learning process, and how much of it will be really useful in our lives.

What do you think? It is great to know through social networks that our friends are going to a party, but do you think that that news is really important for my life? what can I do with that information? and how much of that information is really true, or reliable?

Which is the role of teachers in this matter? What do you think?

What do you expect from education?

I expect so much from education. Because I feel it is the reason why everything exists. Just think about it... everything that can exist is because someone learnt it, or someone was taught.

I  really expect so much from education. And as a teacher, I agree with the demands of the students. They want a better education. who doesn't? But I feel there is a lack of touch, a lack of wisdom, and a lack of respect in they way we can demand our rights.

I want the best for the students, I wish they have the best education. But if we talk about "rights", we have to talk about "duties". We can't demand if we don't show that we can do our part in improving our education.

I would be hypocrite to ask for better conditions of work, to increase my salary, to have bonus, or anything, if as a teacher, I don't do my work.

If we want to improve the education (students, teachers, parents, government, among others) then we have to really work for it, we have to give our best to be the best. As a teacher, I must be responsible, I have to study, I have to really be the best. But, the students, parents, and everyone who is part of the schools must do their job too.

I expect the best of the education, but changes won't come as a miracle. We all have to do our part.

And let's be ready, because we are demanding to have a better education, if we really want to change our education completely, then we will have to show how professional and responsible we can be.

If I deman the best education, then I will be demanded to be the best teacher, the best student, the best parents. I hope no one will be washing his/her hands in the future.

Stressed classroom? Then relax

I have talked already about the importance of relaxing when you feel stress. A stressed teacher can just make it worst.

But what about your students?

I have found many times, that my students are really tired, and like bored, so I have to think in how to give energy. But I have found too, that other times, students are so energized, that I can't stop them. Both states are not good to have a calm and nice place to study and work.

If your students are a bit stressed or so much energized, then try to make them relax. Give a time in your class to relax.

It is just 5 or 10 minutes, but it will help a lot.

Play relaxing music, and tell them a story (the one I tried is this):

Relax your body, close your eyes and imagine that you are in a far place, alone. It is really a nice place, so relaxing, you can see a lake, and a big forest. You go there, and you watch the place, you see the sky and the clouds when they are passing by. Take your time to think about you, about your life, about your family. Breathe deep, stretch your body, relax. Then you will continue walking until you find a cottage, and in there your find and old man. He invites you to sit, he gives you gift, it is a little box. You keep it. You say thanks, and then you continue. Relax. Then when you are alone, you open the box, and inside you find a nice gift, that just you know what it is. It is something you need so much and you feel happy because you have it. Then you keep it with you forever. Then little by little you come back to the classroom....

Most of the students gets asleep. Let them. The idea is to relax. When they are back in the classroom. Talk about the gift, and share which were the gifts they saw in the boxes.

Try it, and you will see how nice is a relaxing moment in the classroom.

Do you really need multimedia to teach?

Once I read a story like this:

There was a teacher trying to calm 30 students. They were not hearing because they were not behaving well. The teacher tried everything, but she didn't calm the students. By that moment, there was an inspector coming to the classroom. When he saw the situation, he told the students "Hey children! How are you? But nobody answered.

Then he said: "I have something very special in my pocket, nobody has seen it before". Then some of the students got interested in knowing about this special thing. One of them asked: "what is it?, can you show it to us?". The man said, "Sure". And then he took a cork out of his pocket. The students said: oh, but that is only a cork". The man said: "yes, but do you know where this cork comes from? No. Well, it comes from Italy, do you know where Italy is? Yes, in Europe. ... Yes, what other country is in Europe?   ... Well, Spain, France, Germany...  Yes, Do you know France?...

Students didn't notice the time was flying while the man was asking and asking questions. The teacher was amazed about what the man did, and she said that she would try to do the same.

After a couple of days, the man happened to come back again to the school, and he decided to visit the classroom of the teacher. But the classroom was the same, a mess. So the man asked the woman what happened. And the teacher said, oh, it is just... I lost the cork, and I can't find it.

Sometimes we depend too much on the tools, on the multimedia, but we haven't changed the way we teach. A boring class. The point is that the tools are changing, evolving. But teachers are not.

Teachers need to be updated.

Multimedia. My new course

I have just started a third e-learning course, called mulitmedia. I haven't had enough time to do all, but I will try to continue leaving posts everyday.

I hope to learn new things and ideas, so I will be sharing all I learn with you all.