8 Teacher Strategies Successful Teachers Use

Teachers often face many challenges.  But despite these challenges, there are some teacher strategies any educator can take to help make their lessons exciting even for the most difficult of students.

​Successful teachers often have certain habits that make them successful.  These habits keep the students interested, happy, alert, and on the edge of their seats.​

Many students feel a personal connection to their teachers. And that’s because the teacher provides students with the passion and inspiration that motivates them to succeed.

Successful teachers are also well aware that there are many different routes to becoming a great teacher.  But, regardless of how you arrive at your job, you will have the chance to make a difference in the lives of students.  It’s this chance that really enables us to feel happy in our jobs.

Here are some tips on how to reach your students and make a difference in them.

Have a clear goal in mind

At some point, we have all used a road map or GPS to reach our destination.  In education, the goals you have in mind for your students are like road maps while your plan is the GPS.

​Some teachers struggle through many days feeling lost or stuck.  It can be difficult not to get distracted by the demands of teaching.

No matter what subject you teach, great teacher strategies include always making sure to start with the end in mind.

Setting out to teach a lesson with no plan or thought as to what you want your student’s final product(s) to be, is setting yourself up for failure.  Start imagining how you would like your class’ time together to go, and have a clear answer in mind as to what you want their product to look like.​

Too often teachers spend hours and hours immersed in the day-to-day tasks of teaching: lesson planning, grading, and teaching.  But what many forget is that all those tasks lead up to one single goal: better learning.

This means that before you even begin planning an activity for your students, you should have first asked yourself the following questions:

1. What do I want to accomplish with this activity?
2. Why am I doing this (what specific strategies will help me achieve my goal)?
3. What are the outcomes I want to see at the end of the activity?

Having these questions answered is extremely helpful.

Expect your students to flourish

Do not get disappointed if you do not see immediate results.  If you expect to see results in a very short time, it will only bring disenchantment and you will run out of steam.

​The key to successful teaching is in devoting enough time and energy to your students.  Think of it as a farmer. You need to nurture the crop and take care of it before you see the results.

Many teachers believe in flashy tactics and expect results in a short time. This is not fair to the students.

When you teach, dedicate yourself to your students and their progress.

Teacher strategies to make students feel like experts

No matter if you teach science, math, or music, students enjoy feeling as if they are experts as they learn.

Your students are smart, and they’ll appreciate it if you respect them by speaking to them in a way that doesn’t assume incompetence.

Teachers can make their students feel like experts by giving them accurate feedback about their work.

Giving your students feedback is crucial for their growth.

But this can be difficult, especially if you are working with younger students.

If you’re not careful, giving feedback to your students might end up discouraging them.  The main goal of teaching is to encourage stronger learning skills, so teachers have to make sure they don’t destroy the confidence of their students by critiquing their work too harshly.

It is also important that teachers empower students to do exercises and activities that allow them to understand the real-world application of the content that is being taught in class.

Students feel like experts when they learn things hands-on and they effectively engage with the topic.  This will make them more likely to engage with the topic in the future, and help them come up with creative solutions to the problems they will encounter in their careers.

Ask questions and listen — and do not assume students know the answers.

Another way you can make students feel like experts is by not creating a lecture style but instead having students speak in small groups to create an atmosphere of ownership.  It is also a great way to get students to internalize the content.

Sometimes learning something new may seem complicated, but usually, students just have to make themselves look like an expert.

Learn to take a calculated risk

There is a saying that reads “You miss every shot you don’t take”.

Always be on the lookout for teacher strategies and methods that will have the greatest impact on student learning.

​Teaching methods need to evolve as well.  The best way to do this is by using interactive learning activities that will help engage students in an educational setting.

Although teaching methods can greatly affect student learning, not all teaching methods will have the same effect.  Some teaching methods may even be counterproductive.

When it comes to new ways of teaching, taking calculated risks by studying all outcomes and possibilities is part of the success formula.  You never know how far you can go unless you try.

Students like to see teachers try new things in the classroom and they will watch to see how you accomplish your task, no matter if you fail at first.

Of course, not all risks are smart.  If you don’t know what the negative outcomes could be, how to fix them or even if a risk will benefit you, then it’s probably best not to take it.

​Think things through carefully and be prepared.

It’s important to know when a risk is worth taking and when you need to walk away from the idea.

It’s easy to spot a successful teacher

You know the ones.  They are the teachers who are always doing new things and activities for the students.  They enjoy teaching and have a contagious energy.

They also welcome change.  Remember the time you rearranged the furniture because you wanted to feel it was a new room?  The same concept applies to your classroom.

They use teaching methods that grow and evolve in order to adapt to their plans or outcome.

A successful teacher knows how to motivate and inspire his/her students. They’re willing to go the extra mile when it comes to teaching and they genuinely care about helping their students achieve their goals.

In addition to delivering content in an engaging manner and tailoring it to student needs, a successful teacher should also adapt content to student interests.

Teachers need to spend some time preparing teaching materials that will help their students learn better.  It is more than just reading from a textbook or writing on the chalkboard.

It’s about making things easier for your students so that it’s not boring and so that they actually learn something.  Prepare materials for your students and tailor your teaching style so that it fits them individually.

Go outside the box

Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is the definition of what?  If you said insanity, you are correct.

The best teachers do not allow themselves to be “boxed” into a teaching method. They know when it’s time to go out of the box and try something different.

Those who are best at teaching recognize that flexibility and adaptability are the only ways to provide quality education.  When students are not responding how they usually would to the teacher strategies and methods, they are able to quickly adapt their teaching methods.

It’s easy to fall into a routine and become comfortable with the method you’re using.  But by doing new things and learning from those experiences, you can become a better teacher as a result.

Although it’s important to be consistent, sometimes it’s just as important to understand when you need to push the boundaries of your job.

Never stop learning new teacher strategies

Be determined to learn new things.  It bolsters your knowledge and puts you in a learning mode instead of a teaching mode.

With so many changes happening in almost every field, it’s important to constantly learn new skills and develop your knowledge.  This will help you keep up with the ever-evolving and complex world we live in — and also infuse a little bit of that passion into your tone and language.

Don’t get stuck in a routine.  Always test your limits and don’t be afraid to explore new areas.  Whatever you do, it will ensure you have a more holistic view of the world, which only makes you a better person.

Create and encourage a positive, relaxed learning space.

If you want to be successful in this profession, it’s important to be positive and think about the difference you’re making in the lives of your students.

One way to maintain a positive attitude is to avoid blaming other people or telling yourself that you’re in a rotten job.  Try thinking about the times when you’ve made a difference in your student’s life and let that be your motivation going forward.

Teachers are the ultimate role models.  Students need teachers who will encourage them to think independently, learn about the world, and become the best they can be.  Teachers teach students how to learn, not what to learn.

Final Thoughts

Successful teachers know that there is more to teaching than simply passing on information.

Take care of your students learning about teacher strategies that go beyond the classroom.

​Teachers are responsible for their students’ development emotionally, academically, and socially.

Teachers are not just educators.  They are mentors, mothers and fathers to their students.  They must care about the students they teach, be able to work with different types of personalities and know how to inspire these students to grow into successful adults.

Successful teachers also realize that there is more than one way to get information across to a student.  The best teachers are creative thinkers who can take advantage of the unique learning style of each student in their classroom.

Learn about these other teaching strategies to assist you in developing habits that will help students learn to be conscientious and caring people in society.