The classroom is a vibrant environment, it brings together students from different backgrounds with various abilities and personalities. Being an effective teacher, therefore, requires the implementation of innovative teaching strategies in order to meet students’ individual needs. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been teaching for a couple of months or years, it can be trying to know which strategies will work best with your students. As a teacher there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, so figuring out effective teaching approaches to inspire classroom practice is important. It could be about pushing for better grades, or increased involvement in class, or even imparting lifelong social skills; however, it’s the role of the teachers to ensure that they help their learners attain and utilise their full potential. Educationists say as students resume school this new term, employing new skills and strategies on how to manage them is important. Strategies to adopt John Nzayisenge, the director of Good Harvest School in Kigali, says one of the strategies that educators should look at is helping students set personal goals. He says this is important, especially at the start of the new school term, as students are fresh and it is easy to guide them. “Although learners have to come up with their own goals, it’s the role of the teachers to help and guide them on how to do it. This will not only guarantee success at school, but also prepare them for life after,” he says. He says that in doing so, students work towards achieving the targets they set for themselves. The goals, he says, don’t necessarily have to be school activities only; they should range from home to even the community. Nzayisenge says it’s through this that students also get to work together as a team, understand how to face challenges, learn how to solve problems, and take responsibility for what they do. Teacher-parent relationship Jesse Shyaka, a Kigali-based entrepreneur and mentor, believes that it’s important to start a new term by building a strong relationship between parents and teachers. He says that by doing this, the two parties are also fostering a strong and consistent relationship with the students. “First of all, teachers should make it a point to know students’ parents. Knowing them means creating time to interact often so that they get to understand each other better,” Shyaka says. He adds that it’s through this that teachers will be able to instruct and guide students well. And parents will be there to support the learning process even when students are at home. Shyaka says, however, that this can only happen if there is collaboration between the three parties; parents, teachers and students. He points out that if this relationship was non-existent before, effecting it at the start of the term is important. Students’ involvement Ben Byaruhanga, a tutor, says teachers should consider other aspects, like ensuring that the whole class is involved in what takes place, whether in or out of class. He explains that this is because during the new term, students move to new classes and, there could be newcomers, therefore, “moving together as one” is important. “When this happens, it helps learners work together to achieve common goals because of the collaboration among them. This can be done by encouraging good communication among learners and teachers, and getting constructive feedback,” he says. As a teacher, Byaruhanga says when it’s a new term, making changes or working on what was missed the previous term is also important. He says that teachers need to learn simple things, like warming learners up for the new term, adding that it may look simple but if not properly planned, it can be challenging. “If a teacher is able to keep students focused from the beginning of the term to the end, it’s easy to manage them in everything they do. This also minimises the time students spend being idle when they are on their own,” he says. Encouraging teamwork Diana Nawatti, the head teacher at Mother Mary Complex School in Kigali, says encouraging teamwork helps students achieve not just academic success, but an all-round education. This effort, she says, should be made by students, teachers and parents. She says, for instance, if this is practiced in the classroom daily, students learn to work as a team and aid peers where required. “It is important for educators to encourage teamwork as soon as students resume studies. It helps communication too; students agree on who will handle a specific assignment, like cleaning, arranging the class, or heading a discussion, and so on,” she says. Nawatti adds that because there are many things to be done when school starts, working together will ease the process, creating sufficient time for learning to start. Nzayisenge says that anything done or decided by the school for students to follow, should have the input of students too. He says that even though learners follow guidelines and rules set by their teachers, they do better if and when they are also actively involved. Nzayisenge believes that engaging students in matters that concern them, helps teachers and parents understand them better. He says that when students are faced with certain problems in their homes or even in the community, it’s easy for them to open up to their educators on what is going on, adding that this can only happen if they are involved in decision-making discussions. “This helps the guardians work closely with students to solve any underlying issues. It also boosts the learner’s confidence, to be brave enough to deal with the challenges that come along their way,” Nzayisenge says. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
