Tips For Teaching Classroom Safety to Kids
Posted by in Classroom Teaching on October 20, 2011
Teachers are tasked with having an “in loco parentis” status for the duration of the school day. This means that they are responsible for the safety and general welfare of their students. Should a child be placed at risk or injured while in the care of the school or individual teacher; the institution’s management, the education department and even the teacher could be sued for negligence.
Apart from the threat of legal action, teachers obviously are concerned about the safety of their charges. It is wise when deciding collectively on classroom management rules, that teachers include safety rules in the discussion. Once the rules have been drawn up, they need to be posted on notice boards and the students need to be reminded of the importance of the rules every now and again or as needed.
There are a number of safety issues which need to be considered in a typical classroom. One must firstly warn the children of the dangers of sharp pencils and mathematics instruments with sharp points. It must be clear that no child may point a potentially dangerous item at another child. When walking with sharp instruments, including scissors, learners must walk with the sharp end pointing downwards towards the floor.
Teachers must remind students that just as they should never run with an object like a lollipop in their mouths, so too should they not walk around with a pencil or pen in their mouths. Explain carefully to the children what would happen to the pencil, for example, should they trip or be tripped and fall face downwards onto the floor. Read the rest of this entry »
Teaching Tips to Motivate Children in the Classroom
Posted by in Classroom Teaching on October 20, 2011
The problem with motivating students is a far-reaching one that even the most seasoned educators sometimes have trouble with. No matter what age group your teaching or how large your class is there always seems to be at least one student who isn’t exactly motivated to learn. Becoming an effective teacher requires that you motivate your students, and many times a student will work harder for a teacher that she likes than she will for a teacher that she doesn’t like. And although it is not your duty to make your students like you, it is important that the students respect and trust you before they will be motivated to perform for you. So how does one gain this illusive respect that is necessary to motivate students in the classroom, and just how can respect and trust be useful in becoming an effective teacher? Read the rest of this entry »