7 TIPS TO BECOME A BETTER TEACHER (THAT YOU PROBABLY WEREN’T TAUGHT)

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        Whether you teach art, logic, languages, chess, science, or even a sport, here are 7 essential tips to help you become a better teacher.

 

                             

1. Be Honest

The best tool you can have as a teacher is honesty. You’ll be amazed at the serendipitous moments you’ll encounter simply by practicing it. Knowledge cannot exist without honesty. This isn’t about putting on a false front of being a "good teacher" who always adheres to ethical duties—it’s a tool that helps you understand the world without pretense. Practice honesty with your students and with yourself.

2. More Maieutics, Less Monologue

While a teacher’s monologues—some call them "explanations"—are important for clarifying a topic, overusing them can atrophy a student’s learning attitude. A student who only receives advice, instructions, and directives tends to develop little appetite for independent learning, expecting everything to be handed to them—pre-processed and ultra-pasteurized by the teacher. A good teacher should instead combine methods, challenging students with thought-provoking problems. By asking questions, the teacher can guide students to reach their own conclusions. This fosters reflective thinking, equipping students to tackle situations requiring creative solutions.

3. Less Teaching, More Learning

Since the goal of a good teacher is for the student to gain knowledge and skills—to critically observe and understand something—it makes sense to prioritize the student’s learning over the teacher’s teaching. This doesn’t mean abandoning instruction but ensuring the student truly learns. Don’t just memorize your teacherly monologue; instead, observe carefully how your student comprehends, learns, and retains. The distinction is this: A teacher focused solely on teaching often disengages from responsibility, saying things like, "I don’t know if they learned, but I taught it." A good teacher sees learning as a constant, necessary practice for the student’s growth.

4. Become a Researcher

Add the knowledge and tools of a researcher to your repertoire. Avoid the habit of superficial consultation; instead, strive to understand problems and phenomena within their context. When a concrete idea becomes complicated, turn to abstract analogies. Compare, contrast, analyze, abstract, and concretize the subject of your inquiry. A good teacher isn’t satisfied with quick fixes that temporarily soothe needs—they become relentless researchers, addicted to satisfying their intellectual curiosity.

5. Plan a Lot—Then Forget Your Plans

If you thought lesson plans were meant to be followed verbatim, reconsider. Plan extensively (roughly one hour for every hour of teaching), carefully and devotedly. A lesson plan is like a theatrical script: once the performance begins, you never know what might happen, so you need strong improvisational skills (adjustments, adaptations, etc.). To do this, you must master what you teach and develop the ability to address the unexpected needs arising from each student’s individual challenges.

6. Be Empathetic and Motivating

It’s always useful to understand the emotional context of your student. If a student lacks motivation, little of the lesson will stick. In such cases, empathy is key—guide the student to an emotional state where they feel comfortable. A note: The student’s intrinsic motivation will help with this "problem"; the teacher doesn’t need to perform tricks or fanfare to cheer them up. Also, consider empathy as "the student’s own interests." Remember, the best way to motivate a student is by nurturing their intellectual curiosity.

7. Be a Good Student

Finally, to become a good teacher, you must first be a good student. Study as much as you can in your free time. Seek advice—and question it. Share your ideas with colleagues and maintain a humble attitude (where "humble" means seeing things as they are). Be passionate, like a good student, and infect your students with your avid curiosity to understand the world.