Waverley Magazine Issue 1 2014 | Page 12

Here are some facts about confidence

Everyone has Confidence.

Confidence can be Acquired and Learned.

Confidence Is More About Actions Than Feelings.

Confidence is Situational.

Competence Equals Confidence.

Your Mindset Plays a Role in developing confidence.

Knowledge Plays a Role.

Remember

Everyone has confidence, and it can be acquired for any new goal or outcome you want to move towards. The likelihood of you developing confidence for teaching will dramatically increase with practice, the correct frame of mind, and the acquiring of the relevant skills and knowledge. And remember, be kind to yourself, as you have already displayed great confidence in your many achievements to date.

5 – Communication Skills

Communication skills are all encompassing. In other words they impact on almost every aspect of you as a person and how you apprach your teaching. From the minute you walk into a classroom you are communicating with learners.

The way you walk, your dress code, your body language, your demeanor. These are all communicative messages that can impact on how you are perceived by students. All this before you start to speak or teach.

Another communication skill that is often overlooked is listening. Yes listening is a communication skill and a vital one if you are to build rapport with students. Other important ones to be aware of are your presentation skills and the tone and pace of your voice.

6. How do you deal with conflict?

Its most likely that throughout your teaching career you will find yourself in conflictual situations. Nobody likes it but it’s a fact of life in the teaching arena. It can happen in your classroom with learners, or with your peers, or with managers or heads of department. Your teaching career can be a lot less stressful if you know how to react in these situations. They may not be many, but learning some strategies for when they do come about will gain you credibility and respect with your learners and peers.

7 - Do you know how to build rapport

There’s a theory among some educational psychologists that RAPPORT is the new motivation, and I’m inclined to agree with them. It follows on from the decades of research on “motivation” and how to motivate others; and guess what; some experts would argue it’s impossible. You can’t motivate others, they can only motivate themselves.

However, you can provide the conditions and environment that will contribute to their motivational levels. But it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s on-going process of building trust and fostering mutual respect in the classroom.

Here’s some methods to get you started:

Understand how your learners learn.

Understand your learner profiles.

Respect the learning needs of adults in Further Education.

Create an environment that is supportive and safe.

Establish ground rules at the onset that will contribute to a positive learning. environment (learners and trainer should contribute).

Be fair and consistent.

Be professional but approachable.

Be courteous towards learners.

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