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Tips for Teaching (ergonomically & effectively!) | Ergonomic Resources

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Tips for Teaching (Effectively & Ergonomically)

Oh, ________. Its time for school!
How did you fill in the blank? Hopefully not with any choice words. I was actually thinking, yea if you can believe it. For some, the start of a new school year is exhilirating, while for others, its just another thing to survive. I taught high school Spanish, and my first year was definitely the latter, though with some planning and thinking ahead, I learned to anticipate each new year with fresh enthusiasm. I think a major part of this shift in my attitude was planning ahead and trying to foresee any likely problems or glitches. With some planning and a few tips, I truly believe any educator can shake the stress and fear of a new class (or classes) so they can enjoy a wonderful year.

Before you even start the week, have that weeks worth of lesson planning done and all copies made by Monday morning.
I know it sounds impossible, but if youll push yourself at the beginning of the year, when youre fresher, youll be able to get ahead of schedule. This places more than the proverbial 2 steps ahead of the kids and affords you the opportunity to schedule assignments and assessments purposefully, while still allowing room to flex. Thus, the goal is to find the right pacing for you and for your class. If you over-plan, youll get too rigid and have trouble flexing for reteach time. On the flip side, if you go day-by-day, its possible to run out of activities or lessons and find yourself twiddling your thumbs in front of 20 or 30 pairs of eyes. Set your classroom up for optimal learning. Position your desk in a way that you can sit at it and still see whats going on. Position the students. Remember that kids are kids- be intentional in how you arrange their desks/chairs. Whether you opt for rows, groupings, or even 2 sides facing each other, think through how much lecturing you will be doing. If a lot, it may be wise to place them in rows, facing the front. If there will be guided discussion or student debates, etc., it may be smarter to have them angled off the front where they can each other, but arent too distracted. Have a table at the front, easily accessible, where you can keep copies and anything you need during the day. (Make sure not to leave quiz and/or test papers out as a free-for-all, though!) Position yourself. Again youll need to think through how youll be teaching, but most effective teachers command the classroom by presenting well-prepared information and an interesting format. One way to manage this is to try a mobile stand, or some sort of desktop that allows you to teach from any place in the classroom. Presentation keyboards allow you to present lessons from any point in the classroomeven next to the 2 talkers who wont be quiet unless youre right next to them!
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Tips for Teaching (ergonomically & effectively!) | Ergonomic Resources

Set up your own ergonomic workspace. Clear the clutter for 2 reasons: 1) You lose credibility when you look disorganized and cant find something. 2) The less junk you have cluttering your desk, the less distracted, and conversely, the more focused on your students youll be. Practice good ergonomics. Keep your keyboard and mouse on the same surface and next to each other. A keyboard tray is ideal for freeing up desk space and also maintaining a good neutral posture. An ergonomic keyboard and/or mouse also make for more efficient and more comfortable typing. If you type from notes frequently, consider a document holder to keep them at eye level, thus reducing eye strain. Filed under: Category Career, Health | Tags: Ergonomics for Teachers,Tips,Tips for Teachers by emily Comments are closed. How to Survive in a Cubicle How to Choose an Ergonomic Desk

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