Written by Rachel Davis
Okay, so right now you are probably trying to figure out what in the world we are talking about. Well, here is the explanation that goes along with the above slogan!
My husband Scott and I were talking about ways to improve our instructor’s teaching and about how we teach. We have been doing a lot of watching our classes and there are definitely some great teachers out there! We were sitting here and trying to think about what makes a great teacher. And believe me, there are many things that make this up. Here are our latest thoughts on how to help our teachers and how to make them the best teachers they can be. We are pleased with all of our teachers, but even Scott and I, realize there is always room for improvement. Here are three things that we ask our teachers to do every day that they come into work.
- Watch your Students
Okay, sounds simple right? What we are talking about here is to really watch your students, watch their behaviors, make the necessary corrections and praise them for their successes. This is what we mean by watching them. Be attentive and responsive to your classes.
- Entertain your Students
This one is always harder than it sounds. While we always want to the students to have fun, that is not all that we mean by entertaining them. Also, try to make sure that you are challenging them.
- Move your students
This one has several different meanings as well. Here the thought is watching how long you make the students do a skill at an individual station, most of the time, you would want for your class to run through stations at least 2 or possible 3 times per rotation. This also includes moving your students through the skill progressions as well as the appropriate levels.
Have you ever had the kid that says constantly says, “I’m bored!” The first thing you need to think is why is he/she bored? Have they been on a station doing forward rolls five or six times in a row. If this is the case they will start misbehaving. They are bored with the skill. Have you made corrections and praised them while they are doing the skills. If they can do it very well, find a way to make it more challenging. This situation shows where these three ideas tie together and how one can affect the others. Make sure that you are watching your students, individually and as a whole class, and you are the entertainer here. It is your show. And finally, keep them moving.”
Our business has 50 employees with probably 80% being instructors. We are definitely not experts on teaching ourselves, but I am always looking for things that can help them become better teachers. I think that one of the things that we, as the business owner, forget is that we most likely were teachers at one time. You probably know a thing or two about what works or worked for you. Your employee craves knowledge, so be sure to give it to them.
