Teaching Tip Tuesday – Be Enthusaistic!

Jumping Over The 3rd Largest Pyramid In The WorldImage by Anirudh Koul via Flickr

Here are the two most important words a teacher should live by – Be Enthusiastic.

Enthusiasm is like a yawn, laughter, or Chicken-pox. It is contagious. You can pass it along to others.

That is why we need to give it our all when in front of the classroom. We need to be excited about the material we are presenting. We must share a passion for learning with our students.
 
In this aspect, teaching is like acting. We need to convince our audience that what we are doing is genuine, has a purpose, and is worthwhile. This is where enthusiasm comes in.

Students are smart. You cannot simply act enthusiastic. You have to BE ENTHUSIASTIC! Students will know when you are being fake.

So how do you get enthusiastic about subjects or topics that you have to teach?

1) Find something that excites you.

You can find something in every unit of study that appeals to you. Let the students know how you feel about it and why you love it. If it’s a subject that doesn’t really interest you. dig through it until you find one thing about it that does.

2) Find something that will excite your students.

Remember, just because you think or feel a certain way doesn’t mean your students will. They will often have different interests and passions. Tap into this if you can.

Even math?

I never liked math as a student. I find that this is the case with most people (adults too.)

But I get excited about math.

If a student answered a question in way that I had never considered before, I share my enthusiasm right there. I say, “I love math because there are so many different ways to answer the same question!”

I show the students how learning math facts in actually quicker than using a calculator and I try to race against them to prove it.

So the teaching tip for this week is BE ENTHUSIASTIC!

Believe me, it pays off in dividends!

Enhanced by Zemanta

2 responses to “Teaching Tip Tuesday – Be Enthusaistic!”

  1. Hi Chase .. you're right ..any class – adult or as you do teaching the kids. But .. it applies in life – if we appear bored or not that interested the two way aspect disappears immediately .. while if we engage – hey presto .. what a change!

    Thanks great post – applicable all the time .. cheers and hope the term is going well .. Hilary

    PS – I'm certainly you'd be interested in watching the TED talk I highlight in my latest post .. very applicable for the kids too …??!!

  2. Hi Hilary,

    Some people think I'm too upbeat, especially in the morning. But I think being upbeat and enthusiastic is the only way to go when I'm teaching.

    Of course that's hard to do all the time, but it is worth the effort.

    I'm going to check out that TED talk now. Thanks!