SIGNPOSTING: YOUR KEY TO EXPLAINING

As teachers, do you sometimes find yourself caught into confusion with how you explain concepts to your students or how you answer their questions? It is key that we, teachers, should always sound organized since our success is measured by how well we explain things and how well we are able to guide our students in understanding what we are explaining.

One very good communication strategy available for us to use is known as signposting. Signposts are numbers or letters we use to guide us along our discussion so that are ideas are logically presented. There are two key benefits when you use signposts. First benefit is that it guides us, the teacher, as we communicate our ideas to our stuidents. It make us sound more organized in our explanation; thus, making us appear more credible to them. The second benefit is that you grow into the habit of being direct and being able to provide straight-to-the-point explanations, which your students will definitely appreciate. Why? It is because when you are direct with your message that you sound more comprehensible to them. (Actually, I have just done signposting with the last five sentences of this paragraph.)

The challenge about signposting is often we get lost along the way. We often start with first and we end up next, next, and lastly. Or we say, "There are three steps in the procedure. The first step... The second principle... And the third idea..." In both cases, we are not being consistent. In the first example, we are not consistent with the use of the ordinals to indicate proper sequence. While in the second example, yes, ordinals are used consistently, but step, principle and idea are three different things. So, what is it really? The challenge, therefore, is to be always be conscious of being consistent!

Let me now share with you more examples.

Miss Ilano said, "In the experiment we are to work on today, there are three very important steps. The first step is.... The second step is... And the third step is..."

Mr. Catalan explained, "There are five questions I want you to answer after reading the story. Number 1 is... Number 2 is.... Number 3 is... Number 4 is... And number 5 is..."

Ms. Afable answered, "Let me enumerate for you the ten key events in Philippine history from 1946 to year 2000. First on my list is... Second is... Third is.... (and so on until the tenth)."

So, the next time you're trapped into the web of your own explanation, why not resort to signposting? It's a sure way to come across organized and effective. It is truly your key to explaining.

KINDERGARTEN LESSONS

It’s summer time (at least here in the Philippines)! Now is the time when teachers go over their pile of papers to check and sort out materials that were stuck there for months, long forgotten.

Going over my own, I saw this handout entitled I Learned It All in Kindergarten. As I went over it, I was reminded that though often I consider life as a journey of never-ending learning, the greatest lessons in this life, most of what I really need to know about how to live and how to bring out the best in it, I actually learned in Kindergarten.

These lessons were:

• Share what you have with others.
• Don’t take things that are not yours.
• Don’t cheat.
• Don’t tell a lie.
• Don’t hit others.
• Say you’re sorry when you hurt someone.
• Say I love you to your daddy and mommy.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Don’t forget to eat your vegetables and fruits.
• Take a nap in the afternoon.
• Draw, sing, dance, and study every day.
• Pray before you sleep.
  

More than what the article wants to impart to its readers, it also has a truly significant message for us, teachers. This simply emphasizes the significance of education and educators in shaping the world because, whether we like it or like it a lot, we, teachers, mold the way people think and behave. Early childhood educators equip young minds with the very foundation by which they build their very own set of beliefs, values and inherent priorities which they need in facing and overcoming life’s challenges ahead.

LIVING A LESS STRESSFUL LIFE FOR TEACHERS

As teachers, we live a stressful life. Agree? And once unmanaged, often leads to hating the work and quitting. So, before we even reach that point of breaking down and despising our profession as teachers, let me share with you some tips which will help you live a less stressful teaching life.

LEARN TO SAY NO.
Yes, learn to say no. The problem with many of us is that we feel it is our duty to do everything that is asked of us especially by our superiors (e.g. Principal, Assistant Principal, Department Head) or even co-teachers. Upon careful examination, most of them are simply favors being asked of us. And because we are so good-natured, we try to accommodate all of them, which actually leaves us with very little time for ourselves, to relax and enjoy.

How then do we say no? First, don’t feel guilty saying no especially if you feel that by saying yes, you will end up sacrificing so much time which you could use in accomplishing your very own list of priority tasks. Second, deliver the message in a polite way. Facial expression and tone of voice are very important when turning down someone. Remember, you can always deliver bad news in a not-so-bad way. Third, be proactive. Instead of simply turning down, why not extend a hand by simply offering alternatives to help the requester? That way, it would sound like a win-win situation for the two of you. Lastly, be firm by giving the requester a reason why it is a no and not an excuse. Just be honest about why you need to say no, and for sure, people will more likely to understand.

EMPOWER YOUR STUDENTS.
Why not tap your students to help you out? I’m not saying, ask them to check test papers for you especially if your school policy doesn’t permit you to do so. Empower the class officers to help you out in the checking of attendance, monitoring of discipline concerns, collecting of class fund. You could also tap the creative students of your class to help you in bulletin board designing and in coming up with ideas for song and/or dance class competitions. This way, you could make your work a little lighter plus you could even train your students to face challenging tasks. And what is even a more important outcome of this is heightened self-esteem among your students brought about by your trust in their talents and capabilities.

MAXIMIZE YOUR VACANT PERIODS.
Instead of being idle by doing non-work related tasks, be productive. Bear in mind that the time you spend in school is your time for work. As much as possible, devote your vacant periods to doing the clerical side of teaching: checking papers, recording and computing grades, preparing visual materials, and lesson planning. By doing so, you are protecting your weekends from paperworks.
It is also good to always come up with a list of To Do’s everyday and do your very best to accomplish what’s in your list. This then would remind us to come up with a realistic list of To Do’s, something you can really finish by the end of the day.

COMPUTERIZE AND KEEP A FILE OF YOUR TEACHING MATERIALS.
When you are to prepare a quiz, computerize it. Keep a hard and soft copy in your disk. You can do the same for lesson plans and visual materials. Re-use the effective ones and improve on the not-so-good ones. Through the years, you will be able to come up with a compilation of the best lesson plans, teaching materials and evaluation tools which you could always refer to when you are in need of one. This would definitely save you time and effort.

KEEP YOUR WEEKEND SACRED.
As much as possible, weekend is the time for God, family and oneself. You need your weekend to de-stress your life a bit, to re-charge so that by the following week you are in your best shape again. My advice is to engage into something different like sports or exercise (especially for those who need trimming down), socialize like going to parties (especially for singles), other recreation like cooking, arts, gardening, part-time business ( for those needing extra income), graduate school (for those requiring themselves to have MA and PhD), or anything that is out-of-your weekday routine. This will truly help you achieve work-life balance.

I Know Something Good about You

Wouldn’t this old school be better
If the teachers we meet would say
“I know something good about you!”
And treat us just that way?

Wouldn’t it be fine and dandy
If teachers look with eyes so true
And carried with it this assurance –
“Kid, I know something good about you!”?

Wouldn’t school life be a lot more happy
If the good that is in me
Were the only things you’ll remember
No matter how difficult this may be?

Wouldn’t life be a lot more heavenly
If we praised the good we see?
For there’s such a lot of goodness
In the worst of you and me!

Wouldn’t it be nice to practice
This noble way of thinking, too:
You know something good about me;
I know something good about you?

Ask Yourself A.S.K.

There’s no doubt that you’re a GOOD teacher! However, your visit to this tambayan tells me that you are not contented with being one and that you are actually in search for what actually will make you, a good teacher, GREAT!

Let me then share with you a concept I learned from one of the trainings I attended which I find really useful when considering how to be truly effective in almost everything that you do. In our case – in becoming an effective teacher… a great teacher! This concept is known as A.S.K.ing.

I see A.S.K.ing as a pre-requisite to becoming a great teacher! How? A.S.K. stands for Attitude, Skills, and Knowledge. Simply put, among us, teachers, A.S.K.ing is a simple way to assess our attitude toward teaching, to check if we have the skills necessary to function well in the classroom, and to evaluate the amount of knowledge that we have on the subject we are handling.

Of the three criteria, I believe the easiest to evaluate is no other than KNOWLEDGE. Do consider: If you have an education degree, is the subject you are teaching your major or your minor field of concentration? If you’re an AB or BS graduate, is the subject you are teaching relates to your course? A good example to illustrate is a teacher teaching Mathematics who is a BS Math graduate or a teacher who handles English classes who is actually an AB Speech and Communication graduate.

Let me now ask you, “How would you be able to effectively teach something you have limited knowledge of?” It is never possible that you are just a step ahead of your students or, worse, you are of the same level as them. You do not want that every time your bright students asked you tough questions, you will simply resort to saying, “Let me check that out and I will answer your question tomorrow.” Remember that we are supposedly experts in what we teach, and that we could never share something we don’t have.

The second criterion is skills. Do you have the right skills? Some of the general skills I see necessary for us to be a great teacher are those involving the three different stages of lesson presentation: planning, delivery of lesson, and student handling.

Under planning, you might look into persuasion skills. Are you able to persuade your students to buy your ideas as a product of carefully lesson planning and preparation? How good are you when it comes to matching lessons with the right activities so that your students are not just guided accordingly as they learn the concepts but are also having fun in the process? Being skillful at this will help you establish that credible image of a great educator.

Under delivery, platform skills play a major role since is it through how we maximize the use of our words, voice and body language that captures and sustains attention of our students. Examine how you look and sound in front of your students. Did you look enthusiastic when having that discussion on computing square roots? Did you sound madly in love when you discussed Romeo and Juliet in class? Consider that before you could make your student feel, look and sound excited over a lesson, they should be able to see that excitement in you first. Never expect to experience a truly motivated class if the teacher herself is never motivated.

Under student handling, interpersonal communication skill is a must to have. It is the ability to manage your students’ behaviors without resorting to the use of harsh words or even corporal punishment. In other words, it is disciplining through effective communication. Communicate with them assertively by showing them a great amount of respect. Yes, it is through the observance of respect that a harmonious relationship in the classroom is built. You need to respect your students so that you gain their respe ct in return. Always treat them well.

The third criterion, which I consider is the most challenging to address is Attitude. Ask yourself this, “Am I happy being a teacher?” If your honest-to-goodness answer to this is yes, you are, then let me congratulate you. Not all who end up teachers turned out to be happy. It’s true that many are just forced into becoming one. And yes, I pity them, but I pity more their students. Oftentimes, their students end up victims of their ungratefulness to the profession. They come to class unprepared; they waste time; they often get mad, and they even fail students in spite of their own inadequacies as teachers. How sad! We need to realize It is the love and passion for teaching that serve as the driving force behind every successful and great teacher. Without these, we could never dream of becoming any better.

What then should you do if after A.S.K.ing you feel you’re lacking in one of the three criteria? Don’t feel disheartened immediately. What you can do is to work on what needs re-working. Knowledge and Skills are best address by continuous learning. Enroll in short courses, attend trainings, read various references, and learn from another teacher’s experiences. All these lead to enhancement of both knowledge and skills. How about when it comes to Attitude, which seems more challenging to work on? It’s helpful to know that Attitude is a product not only of one’s culture but more importantly of one’s choices. This means whether you are happy being a teacher or not all depends on what you’ve chosen to be. Let me tell you that there are indeed hundreds of reasons to be a happy teacher, but it takes the right attitude to discover each one of them. Begin by asking yourself A.S.K.!