What does it mean to be a modern teacher? It means to be able to adapt to the transforming education landscape. The most important skills to work on are adaptability, life-long learning, confidence, and a global mindset.

When teachers try to build these skills on top of outdated educational methods, the teaching process becomes one hot mess. If you want to personalize the process, for example, you have to ditch an old habit: addressing the class as you were talking to a single student. That’s only one of the many annoying teaching habits we’ve inherited from the old days. Now, it’s time to change them.

We’ll list 5 counterproductive habits a modern teacher shouldn’t have. Needless to say, we’ll also give you tips on how to overcome those old habits and replace them with effective ones.

1. Books and Lectures, Books and Lectures…

The Habit:

You have a nice curriculum and a book full of lectures. You like having structure to your work and you don’t want unexpected things to happen. The only problem is: the situations in the classroom don’t go according to a plan. Not all of your students understand what you’re saying, and none of them like listening to long, boring presentations with no visual stimuli.

The Solution:

All students have their own interests, strengths, weaknesses, and capacity to learn. You can’t just give boring lectures based strictly on the curriculum.

• Implement visual triggers into your presentations. You can find images, infographics, and educational YouTube videos on any topic you can imagine. Use them!
• Inspire your students to join the process. Let them interrupt you if they have a good question on their mind.
• Trigger discussions! Find the most interesting element of each lecture and turn it into a discussion topic. The educational process must be interactive.

2. Punishments for Bad Behavior

The Habit:

Few students are having a conversation while you’re trying to present a lecture. Others are playing games on their phones. Someone is trying to interrupt you with silly jokes. Your first instinct is to sanction them. You start yelling, trying to embarrass them in front of the class. Sometimes you even think of the good old punishment your teachers used: sending the student to face the wall, put their hands behind the head and remain there until the end of the class. 

The Solution:

• Never implement a sanction that’s not within the school’s behavior policy.
• As for the sanctions that are allowed in the school’s policy, use them sparingly. When you notice that your students are misbehaving, try to find the fault in your teaching style. What can you do to make them interested in the lecture?

3. Lack of Creativity

The Habit:

You have tested and tried methods and you think they work. Your students always know what to expect from your class. That makes them bored.

The Solution:

You need to introduce something new into your teaching style.

• It may be an educational game. Explore Funbrain – a website with a great choice of games for students at different ages.
• When you’re trying to teach your students to write, get a sample essay from Essaygeeks.co.uk and discuss its elements with your students. 
• Use Prezi to create cooler presentations.

 4. Not Listening to the Students

The Habit:

You’re used to your students disrupting the teaching process, so you prefer ignoring all questions and comments; even the ones that deserve your attention.

The Solution:

Ignoring the students’ wishes is sometimes necessary. They will want to play and they won’t like writing homework assignments. You need to know when to say “No, we’re doing it this way because I’m the teacher and I decide on these issues.”

However, you must also know when to listen. Everything they say and do is feedback. When you listen, you can adapt.

5. Negative Attitude

The Habit:

You’re that grumpy teacher everyone is afraid of. You know how to maintain discipline, but no one likes you. You don’t even care about being the favorite teacher in the school.

The Solution:

Switch this mindset with a positive attitude to teaching. A good, modern teacher is energetic. They can see and understand the struggles of the students and they care about helping them to overcome the difficulties. The smile, tell jokes, and want the students to have fun. That’s the right way to make them fall in love with learning.

It’s not easy to be a teacher in the modern educational system. You face different challenges every day. In a way, that’s the beauty of it. Don’t allow your teaching style to become boring and annoying. Make it fun; you owe that to your students and to yourself.