Think about a time when class was over and you felt that your students “just didn’t get” what you were trying to teach that day.
1- where were you
2- what was the lesson
3- who were the students
4- what went wrong
I think it is fair to say we’ve all had moments like this.
Things have changed. Long are the days where being a credentialed knowledgeable instructor are always enough to get the students motivated and open to learning the information you have to deliver. Just as we are encountering 21st century students, we, too, have to challenge ourselves be 21st century teachers. I sum this up below in what I’m calling your External and Internal Toolbox
The External Toolbox:
When I was training to be a Pilates instructor, during my apprenticeship we were taught that in order to be successful and effective for each individual, we would need to have a variety of ways to teach the same material in our “toolbox”. You have to know the material that you teach so well that you can adapt it to anyone you encounter through a variety of different methods to achieve the goal. In other words, as quoted by Einstein, “If you can’t explain it simply you don’t understand it well enough”.
You gain understanding through knowledge and experience.
Here are a few things that may contribute to what I will call your “External Toolbox”:
Education
Experience
Degrees
Certifications
Prior Knowledge
Longevity
Content
Historical Relevance
Cross-Curricular developments and understanding
Cross-Cultural developments and understanding
For years, that was enough! If you had the knowledge, experience etc., students were showing up, ready to learn and eager to hear what you had to offer. Many, if not most, were coming already disciplined with a skill set and value system that included: discipline, structure, self-esteem, self-worth and respect. It was because the students had that strong internal foundation, that they were ready to be learners in your classroom and were able take in all of the knowledge you had to share.
Things are different now. Teaching over the past 10 years has really changed how I approach my own work; it’s quite different than how I approached my teaching the 10 years prior to that. What I’ve learned?
Now we also need an Internal toolbox to share experiences that dig beyond the superficial level of the content being taught. This is what I call the “Internal Toolbox”:
LIFE SKILLS
Optimism
Grit
Communication
Responsibility
Self respect
Self esteem
Goal setting
Problem solving
Advocacy
Compassion
I learned that in order to be effective teachers of what you have in your external toolbox, you have to also be effective at teaching students what makes up their internal toolbox. What I’ve experienced over the past ten years? So many students give up too easy. They quit the moment anyone disagrees with or corrects them. When years ago corrections in class were taken as compliments, they are now taken as insults. They run when things get hard. They are not adept in handling adversity. Because of this, I had to change how I was approaching my teaching. Lessons now started incorporating little nuggets of my internal toolbox and it made all the difference.
Below are just a few tips on how I incorporate these skills into my dance teaching:
-Make eye contact and greet each student as he/she enters the room
-Teach them about goal setting by having them create extremely small, attainable personal goals for themselves
-Create a lesson about how self- esteem and self-respect are related and you can’t have one without the other.
-Body Language. Teach them about how their body language in class is delivering messages that leave room for interpretation by their teachers. Give them tips on how to be eager learners through their faces and their bodies.
-Help them learn how to solve problems that act as barriers to achieving their goals.
-Demonstrate by example the importance of being punctual and create a standard procedure for what time class begins
-Create opportunities for them to have to support one another and dissolve walls between students.
-Help them learn to find their voices by being able to voice their opinion in a confident, respectful manner.
-Find ways to show and share examples of grit anytime you can
-Create standards and hold ALL students accountable to them. Don’t let their talent be an excuse for their poor behavior. The same discipline that would apply to the least talented student in the room must apply to the most talented.
It’s easy for us who have been teaching 20+ years to simply say “kids have changed” and label them off with words such as: lazy, bored, disinterested, entitled etc. However, if you really want to be the key to every door in your teachings, we too must become 21st teachers and understand the “new” needs our students are coming to us with that go far beyond the technique we teach. We have to teach them how to be effective learners, first, and quit labeling.
Finally, my last bit of advice. Sometimes they just don’t listen- keep teaching anyway. They are hearing you and one day will hear your voice and words in their mind when they need it most.
