Teach English in Taihe TujiAzu XiAng - Chongqing

How Teachers can Increase their Confidence in the ClassroomFor most people, the first time standing in front of many people and speaking is a nerve wracking experience. We experience shaking, sweating, voice crackling, dry mouth, memory loss, nervousness, and feelings of dread. For those who have to teach to a group of students on a continual basis, those symptoms are detrimental to both teachers and students. The physical and mental stress on the teacher will eventually cause physical and mental breakdown. For the students they see the way the teacher is and causes them to be less confident in the abilities and materials the teacher is teaching. The students are trying to gain confidence in the materials being taught and an unconfident teacher does not instill confidence in a student. The teacher who has confidence in her/his ability also gives and shares some of the confidence with the student, whether they realize it or not. Before any of the materials and subject matter, a teacher needs to have confidence and show confidence to their students. A teacher can gain or increase their confidence in the classroom by being prepared in appearance, lesson plans, and knowledge. Most human beings are visual creatures, which mean that most of our information processes are based off what we see. Include the fact that we are opinionated and judgmental, we tend to form first impressions based off what we see. The first time a student sees a teacher, they form an impression that will last a very long time, even if we say nothing. Breaking that preconception is very difficult and best avoided by dressing the part and having good posture. By dressing professionally, we gain confidence because we look our best and fit in with the basic looks of what a teacher should look like. Having good posture show confidence in the way we walk, stand, and interact with others. These visual signals of dress and posture impact the way students think about us whether they are conscious or unconscious of the fact. A lesson plan which is comprehensive and complete helps plan out what we are going to do, enabling us to teach in a flowing, concise, and methodical way without trying to figure things out on the fly. By having a lesson plan, we can use the lesson plan as a guide in case we get lost or confused. A good lesson plan has extra tricks and activities planned in case something unexpected happens. lesson plans take out a large amount of uncertainty from a classroom and makes everything else easier to deal with. Lastly, confidence is built through knowledge. A teacher increases their confidence in the classroom by having knowledge from outside the classroom. A TEFL, tesol, or a general teaching course brings the expertise and theory that other people have learned and give it to the teacher. Another way to build knowledge is to learn about the local culture, history, and geography. What seems insignificant or significant to the teacher can have the opposite value and without knowing the difference, you can make mistakes that should have been avoided. Using knowledge to know how to teach, what to teach, how much to teach, when to teach makes you more confident as you avoid confusing your students. Knowledge helps you plan activities and lessons that engage and interest your students, how to deal with questions you don?t know at that moment, motivate your students and encourage your students. When teachers can apply what they know to what they are doing, the teachers gain confidence in their overall abilities and show their confidence to their students. While there are many different ways to increase confidence in the classroom: appearance, lesson plans, and knowledge are a couple of ways. Every teacher gains knowledge in different ways because they have strengths and weaknesses that are different. When teachers work to fix their weaknesses and play to their strengths, they will gain even more confidence and that confidence will show to their students and in the classroom.