Back-to-School Tips and Tricks

As the new school year begins, teachers, are you ready to create an engaging and productive classroom environment? Learn how to with Nualang's seven essential tips.

The start of a new school year is an exciting time for teachers and students alike. However, it can also be a challenging and stressful time as schools and teachers try to ensure that they are properly prepared. Teachers want to create the right environment and systems to give their students the best opportunity to learn. With this in mind, here are seven helpful tips and tricks for teachers to consider when planning for the return to school.

1. Teach daily routines and procedures

In a classroom, it is important for the teacher to establish daily routines and procedures that are expected to be followed to ensure the smooth running of the class. These should be communicated early and repeated often in the early stages of the school year so that student’s know what to expect when they enter the classroom. Establishing this consistency of routine enables the teacher and student’s to focus more closely on the lessons that they are learning without unnecessary distractions

2. Prepare your lesson plan

Lesson planning is crucial for teachers to ensure they have the right structure in place to deliver the best learning experience for their students. These lesson plans should include the necessary learning materials as dictated by the curriculum, and should consider the different learning methods and styles of the student’s in the class. The student’s should be able to understand the learning outcomes of a particular lesson and there should be a clear plan in place for how these learning outcomes will be reached. 

3. Establish clear expectations for your students

This is an important step for teachers to consider as they prepare for the new school year. These expectations refer to both behavioural expectations in the classroom, as well as academic expectations for the students. Behavioural expectations need to be made clear from the outset so as to create the right environment in the classroom for students to be able to learn. Academic expectations should also be set so that students know what is required of them in terms of effort in order to achieve their individual academic goals. 

4. Encourage active participation

Active participation is critical in a classroom in order to keep students engaged with the content they are learning. This is particularly important in a language learning classroom as students need to practise speaking, listening, reading and writing in the language that they are learning. Student’s will not reap the benefits of a language lesson if they are taking a passive approach to learning. Learning a new language is a challenging but fun process, so active participation should be considered when creating lesson plans to ensure that there is ample opportunity for students to get involved in the classroom.

5. Provide timely feedback

Learning is very much a process. Each student will learn at different paces according to their ability and learning style. It is important for teachers to review student’s progress regularly and provide constructive feedback for them. This ensures that they know what areas they are doing well in and what areas may need more attention for them to achieve the best learning outcomes. Positive encouragement when they are doing well can help boost their confidence, particularly when it comes to learning a second language. 

6. Communicate with parents

Just as communication with students is important in a classroom, it is important for teachers to be able to communicate openly with parents. Parents should be aware of what is expected of their children in the classroom, both in terms of behaviour and learning outcomes. This helps to ensure that teachers, students, and parents are on the same page and can help work towards their common goals. 

7. Use technology to supplement learning

Technology has the potential to elevate the teaching experience of teachers and the learning outcomes of students, in particular, in a language classroom. The teacher is still central to the learning process as they can choose the right technology and what content is being used. Technology can help students practise the language that they are learning. It can be used to give them a more fun and engaging method to learn and practise the language. Technology can be used to allow students to engage with the material in their own time, in a manner that they are familiar with and enjoy. Gamification of lessons is a great way to make a lesson fun for students and it encourages problem solving and critical thinking. Technology is a great tool to supplement teaching when used correctly. 

Discover how Nualang can help supplement your language teaching experience. Our innovative and interactive features are designed to bring your language classroom to life and enhance the learning outcomes of your students to get them communicating with confidence.