The time has come, and your learning is underway! Now, you’re looking for student teaching tips to help you make the most of your current situation! Well, look no further; I’ve got what you’re looking for! Each preservice teacher (or future teacher) participates in student teaching, and every experience is different! Whether your experience is going amazingly well or not what you hoped for, this blog post will give you 18 tips to make the most of your experience!
During student teaching, you will grow through the three levels:
- the observer
- the student, and finally…
- the teacher.
In this blog post, we’ll focus on the second level of student teaching – being a student – learning to teach! We’ll go over the best student teacher tips that will help you really make the best of this learning opportunity!
Before you read on, I want you to remember –
You got this; I mean it!
If you’re new here, hello! You’re reading part 3 of a 4-part student teacher help blog series! Check out the first part of the series here: No More Stress: Learn All About How to Prepare for Student Teaching if you’re looking to get set up with everything you need to before you start your student teaching experience! In part 2, Student Teacher Help: Quick Advice for New Student Teachers, I go over ten tips to start your student teaching placement off on the right foot!
If you’re looking for a printable guide as you prepare for student teaching, click here to download your copy of the Student Teaching Success Guide!
Advice for Student Teachers
LEVEL TWO: THE STUDENT
#1 – Find your person.
Find someone you can trust, someone that you can grow from and grow with. Find a teacher who is a role model for you – someone you hope to be like. This might be your mentor teacher, but it might not be, and that’s okay!
#2 – Organization is key.
There’s to keep track of when teaching – lesson plans, personal deadlines, college course deadlines, and job tasks you may have. Keep yourself organized with a master calendar (pro tip: color code your life buckets). And use templates when possible to streamline tasks (e.g., lesson plan templates, course assignments, etc.)
#3 – Find your OWN groove.
You don’t have to teach how your mentor teacher does. It may take a little bit to find your groove and your style, but it’ll come!
#4 – Work hard.
Treat your student teaching experience as if it’s your job.
#5 – Take care of yourself.
Ask for help, take a break, and prioritize.
#6 – Be proactive.
Ask your mentor teacher to try a variety of teaching methods. You’re trying to develop your own teaching style; this is a chance to do so with support!
#7 – Observe anyone and anything.
Observe as many teachers as you can – don’t be afraid to go outside of your grade level or even outside the scope of classroom teaching. This will show you a variety of teaching techniques – from good teaching to not-so-good teaching looks like.
#8 – Respect your cooperating teacher’s time.
We know teachers have many responsibilities inside and outside a school/classroom. Respect your mentor teacher’s time and establish expectations that consider their schedule.
#9 – Adjust your schedule to work with your mentor teacher.
Some teachers arrive at school earlier than the day’s start time while others stay after. Both have the same purpose – to prepare for the upcoming day. This is a great opportunity to see what goes into preparing for your lessons and students.
#10 – Don’t Reinvent the Wheel.
Pinterest classrooms… you know what I’m talking about. You might want to start off with a super cutesy, creative room and adorable activities. Remember, there is a lot to juggle and learn during student teaching and your first years of teaching in your own room. Repeat this to yourself often – not everything needs to be cute. Not every lesson has to be a brand-new idea, game, or project. Don’t reinvent the wheel!
#11 – Get to know your students.
Rapport and trust take effort and can make or break our class dynamics. Get to know students academically and personally.
#12 – Build Relationships.
Remember, if students consider you more as a friend than their teacher, you will struggle with being seen as the authority figure you are meant to be. Not all students will like you, and that’s okay. It’s normal. Give respect but demand respect.
#13 – Work the room.
Stay on your feet and alert for student questions and checks for understanding.
#14 – Take risks and experiment!
Your mentor teacher and their classroom are intended to give you hands-on, practical experiences. Use these opportunities to try new things and take risks, knowing that nothing will be THAT detrimental.
#15 – Make mistakes.
Mistakes are great. We learn from them. And they can be fixed.
#16 – Give students choices.
Whether it’s picking their own independent reading books, partners for group work, or topics for writing – giving students choices encourages better engagement and helps students buy-in to the lesson or activity.
#17 – Learn how to differentiate in the moment.
Making adjustments for students when needed is important. These small changes might impact the whole class, individual students, or specific groups of students like English Language Learners or Special Education students. The goal is two-fold. First, it’s to ensure the student feels successful in accomplishing the task. Second, you want to ensure the students understand the completed work.
#18 – Practice reflection.
Reflect independently and with your mentor teacher. Write questions and pointers down. Share the notebook or document with your mentor teacher for additional feedback and tips!
Before you go…
Save this blog post and come back to it throughout your student teaching journey! Student teacher tips come plenty, but use this as a guide, not a must-follow! Try what resonates with you; you don’t have to do it all! And if you DO want to try it all, kudos! Book a free 20-minute session with me, and we’ll talk about the steps you’ve taken and what you can do next (click here)!
Here are some additional reads for student teacher help you may be interested in:
- No More Stress: Learn All About How to Prepare for Student Teaching
- Student Teacher Help: Quick Advice for New Student Teachers
- How to Get the Most Out of Student Teaching (and 4 Things to Avoid)
- 10 Tips for Student Teachers
And don’t forget to download your Student Teacher Success Guide to hit the ground running on Day 1!
Let me know in the comments: How is your student teaching experience going? What is your favorite part? What would you like to change? Oh, and if you have any student teacher tips, please share!
