If you asked a 10 year old they might say that bears live in caves, fish live in fishbowls and teachers live in classrooms. While this might not be all that accurate, the truth is the classroom is the teacher’s special arena. Like a prize fighter knows the ring, like an actor knows her stage, the teacher is trained to have a clear understanding and respect for the dynamics of his or her classroom.

The classroom is where we spend most of our school days and it is also a place that should inspire our students. So it follows that our classrooms should be exciting and engaging for both ourselves and our students.

Your classroom is for you

Your classroom is your own little world, away from school politics, administrative
issues and staff disagreements. My classroom is a place where I can focus on doing what I was trained to do, to teach and inspire young minds. If you are not used to taking pride in your classroom, take a few minutes today to look around and appreciate your territory. It is your workplace, your amphitheatre, your pitch. Maybe you could tidy your desk, or carve out a new creative space or bring in a bunch of flowers in the morning. Whatever you do, make sure that your classroom continues to inspire you as much as it does your students.

Your classroom is for your students:

Your students are the ones that will build connections between what they are learning under your teaching and the world outside of the four walls of your class. Classrooms should be wonderfully creative, inspiring and stimulating places that challenge your students. For this reason teachers should never get comfortable with their classrooms. Being deliberate with the space and changing things up from time to time are vital to the health of your classroom.

So here are some tips to keep your classrooms full of energy and life:

Inspire your students

Have you ever sat in a doctor’s surgery waiting for a consultation? It’s pretty uninspiring. Many are out-dated, with drab pictures hanging off the grey (or beige) walls. The atmosphere is sterile and not a place that you would want to spend more than a few minutes. Here’s the scary thing: I have been in many classes that are the same! It’s time to be honest with yourself, if you take a good look at your classroom and assess the damage. It’s never too late to change things and it’s never too late to inspire your students.

Empower them to take responsibility for their own learning

One of the things that I love about infants’ classrooms is that they are typically very visually rich. They are colourful and engaging environments. Creating and environment in which students take responsibility for their own learning and where they solve problems for themselves is vital. This could mean adding cards with new words or letters to the room. It could mean keeping your reading corner stocked with interesting books. For high school teachers it could mean mixing thing up and creating more collaborative seating arrangements from time to time.

Provide a safety net to make mistakes and discover new solutions

Classroom dynamics are not just determined by the space, but also by the attitudes and expectations of the teacher and the students. One this I am passionate about it making my classroom a safe place where students can experiment with ideas, ask any questions and try things out without the fear of failure or judgement. Mistakes are a part of life and classrooms need to be places in which students feel comfortable and confident to try and solve problems even if they might get it wrong. In my opinion, making mistakes and learning from your mistakes is not encouraged enough in schools. Championing students who take a risk for a positive outcome is one of the best things you can do as a teacher.

Enrich their lives and their learning experience

Your students should leave your classroom – whether at the end of the day, at the end of the term, or at the end of year – feeling inspired and encouraged to be their best. In many of the schools that I have worked in the classroom is sometimes the most stable and encouraging place in a child’s life. Your classroom should represent a place where children are encouraged to be themselves, try new things, challenge their thinking and be their best. I find laughter and personal and specific encouragement are vital to making the classroom an enriching place.

Cater to many learning styles

Howard Gardiner (1983), the famous educational researcher, identified at least eight types of intelligences. If you have been living in a cave and you are not familiar with his work you need to be. He argues that each child is gifted in a type, or a variety of, intelligences. When setting up your classroom you must ensure that each intelligence is catered for. For example for the special learners have content that stimulates spatial judgement and the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye. When designing your classroom and your teaching program make sure that each of these intelligences are equally catered for so that all students are engaged.

Classrooms are wonderful places. For many students they provide a place of refuge and encouragement, which they may not have elsewhere.. They are places of unlimited possibilities and places that should encourage students to dream and be more than they could have ever imagined.

What do you do in your classroom to make it an engaging and fun space? What will you change to make it even better?

There is no doubt that 2012 was a great year. I have been hearing a lot of stories from many of the I’m a New Teacher readers about how they have settled in to their new roles, completed their teaching accreditation and how they have been trying new and innovative approaches to teaching. 2012 was a great year, full of exciting teaching testimonies and challenges that were over come.

Thank you to all of the readers who have supported the work that I’m a New Teacher did last year, I’m looking forward to hearing more from you in 2013.

Most of you will now be enjoying a well-deserved break; with family and friends and returning o school will probably be pretty far from your mind.

I’m a huge advocate for rest, but before you start the next term it is can be beneficial to take some time to think about what you want to achieve in 2013. Many of us make New Year’s resolutions for our health and well being; maybe to run more, eat less, to start of new project of to stop doing some thing that you know you shouldn’t be doing. These are great goals, but taking time to think about your professional goals can make an even bigger difference to the kind of year that you have..

I have written before about the principle of Beginning with the End in Mind – a term coined by Stephen Covey. Here are two things to remember when planning for the year ahead:

1.Work backwards from the year – decide what you want to achieve, and work out what you need to do each week and month to see this happen. If you want to complete you teaching accreditation, you can start think about your evidence today, and reflecting on your teaching.

2. Think carefully about where you want to go. In her journey through Wonderland, Alice and the Cheshire Cat once a had the following conversation:

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

Where do you want to be at the end of 2013? What do you want to achieve?

I’m sure that you’ve heard it before. Family, friends and acquaintances discussing the immense teacher shortage: the increased government funding for teacher positions and the plethora of new teaching positions available. It’s almost insulting that there appears to be so many ‘teaching positions’ yet it is so difficult to get a permanent teaching position. Unless you’re a targeted graduate (lets be honest, it’s not going to happen to most graduates), or you’re willing to teach out in rural NSW the chances of you walking into a permanent teaching appointment are pretty low.

Getting temporary teaching appointments for maternity leave, staff sickness and so forth is a different process.

Just getting to interview is difficult. There is the merciless culling process, the internal appointments and the thorough selection criteria, which are all important factors, which will determine your success in getting to interview. There are a number of things that you can do to help improve your chances of getting from writing your resume to sitting in front of the interview panel.

1.Let your referees know that you’re applying

Make sure you read through a copy of the job application and find out which referees are required. Ensure that your principal and your other referees know that you are applying. Their account of your suitability for the role and your professionalism are vital.

2.Proof read your resume for errors.

There are few things that will get your resume thrown out immediately, careless grammar and spelling mistakes are one of them.. If grammar and spelling isn’t your strength ask someone else to read your application.

3.Use the correct school name

It sounds obvious, but this is crucial. When you write lots of resumes many teachers create a template and then personalise the application for each school. The problem with this is that it is very easy to send the wrong application to the wrong school. I once spelt the school name wrong, lets just say it was an embarrassing conversation when I asked the principal what I could do to improve my application.

4.Ask a supervisor, school executive or your principal to have a read through your resume.

A trusted colleague, or experienced teacher familiar with the application process, can offer invaluable advice. When I asked one of my first supervisors to take a look at my very first permanent teaching application, it came back covered in red pen, with multitude of errors highlighted and changes galore. It was a little awkward. Just remember, it’s far better for someone to pick up the mistakes on this end than failing to make interview because of oversights.

5.Read the school’s annual school report

Whenever I apply to a school I always take some time to read through their most recent Annual School Report. The Annual School Report is usually available on the school’s website. It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the goals of the school and to show how you can help the school move towards fulfilling those objectives.

6.Explicitly address each selection criteria

This is where most teachers miss the mark in their applications. Each selection criteria is important and it has been included for a reason. Make sure that you thoroughly address each of the components showing your suitability for each. Use specific examples and demonstrate the outcomes of your actions. Use action verbs and ensure that the initiative and action you have personally taken is clearly communicated.

7.Give equal attention to each selection criteria

It is easy to give more attention to the components that you feel most comfortable with. But it is important that your resume is equally weighted and addresses each section independently.

8.Project yourself into the role

As an employee of your prospective school how will you contribute to the school community, how will you interact with parents and stakeholders, and how will you implement quality education program? Projecting yourself into the role not only shows your suitability for the position but also helps to show that you are confident in your abilities.

9.Ask for feedback

If you don’t make it to interview, or even if you do, ask the school principal what you can do to improve your resume. As part of the application process schools are required to give you feedback on your application. Take some time to implement the changes that they suggest. It probably took twenty ‘I regret to inform you…’ letters and countless phone calls to principals for me to get to my first interview. It is important that you continually fine-tune your application taking on board any suggestions that you are given.

Remember that applying for a job is a complex progress. Some of you will get through to an interview on your first attempt. For most of you, like me, it will be a process of learning and refining your approach. Many of you will fine-tune your resume each time you apply for a job. Make sure that you keep tying and ask for constructive criticism from each of the schools that you apply for.

A few months ago I wrote an article about recognising the masterpieces in your classroom, which resulted from a Picasso exhibition that I had the pleasure of seeing in Sydney. Viewing his work for the first time, I was struck not only by the range and immensity of his drawings, models, sculptures and pictures, but also by the development and evolution of his craft of his craft over the course of his life. It was impressive to see the diligence and dedication with which he approached his work. Reflecting on the experience, I have begun to see another connection between what we do as teachers and creating artworks.

Imagine for a moment if you had had the opportunity to watch Picasso at work. Each stroke of the brush, every colour that he mixed – exuding confidence in his ability yet still enjoying the possibilities and exploring new ways of approaching the work. I believe I’ve seen true artists, just like this, in action in the classroom! A particularly memorable one was a fantastic literacy lesson, which one of my supervisor’s conducted in my early years of my career.

My supervisor was teaching the class about how to use adjectives to add richness and depth to writing. She dressed as a wizard, danced around the classroom and conjured up intriguing spells. I was completely absorbed, with the rest of the class, in the lively world that she created with words. She took us on a journey through history, to castles where the heroes fought dragons and then back to her classroom. The students the had the opportunity to write about the experience. The content was great, but the way that she delivered her lesson, confidence, precision and expertise was outstanding. She was, and still is, an expert in her field, a true artist.

Teachers are like artists in that they:

See potential where others do not. Teachers see the potential in the students that they teach. Teachers see that each student is unique and that each student has unique gifts and talents, which need to be encouraged and challenged.

Choose the right tools for the job at hand. Teaching tools, lesson sequencing, appropriate scaffolding, inquiry learning and knowledge of teaching pedagogy are tools that teachers use to bring out the greatness of their students. Teachers select, implement and use teaching tools appropriately to bring out the potential of their students.

Exercise discipline. Without discipline you cannot achieve a consistently strong result, both in the completion of your various tasks and goals and in the results that your students produce. A true artist and a great teacher cares about the finished product too much to let their discipline slide.

Perfect their craft. Teachers should be the best learners. To be an effective educator you must be up to date with the current research, trends and materials that are associated with your profession. Teachers need to make sure that they are continuing to learn new skills and that they are implementing their skills expertise appropriately.

Great Teachers are true artists. As a teacher your see the immense potential in the students that you teach and you use tools and strategies to bring out the gifts and talents of your class. As educators your need to exercise discipline and precision and continually perfect your practise. Teachers are artists in their finest form.

By now you should be well and truly used to writing ‘2013’ and you should be starting to think about your professional goals for this year. 2013 is going to be fantastic year, full of exciting new professional opportunities and learning curves. This year will also be a great opportunity to start thinking about, continuing or completing your National Teaching Accreditation. It doesn’t have to be a bore, and as with all goals, there is always something that you can do today to start making progress.  Here are 24 ways that you can make some traction with your National Accreditation in 2013:

1.  Familiarise yourself with The Professional Teaching Standards – What do they mean to you and your professional career
2. Standard One – Know students and how they learn. Do you know how your students create meaning?
3. Standard Two – Know their content and how to teach it. What strategies do you use to effectively teach your students?
4. Standard Three – Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning. How do you plan for your lessons?
5. Standard Four – Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments. What practices do you have in place to ensure safe working environments
6. Standard Five – Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning. How do you monitor student learning?
7. Standard Six – Engage in professional learning. How do are you developing your skills as an educator?
8. Standard Seven – Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/caregivers & the community. How do you engage others in student learning?
9. Have a look at the NSWIT website there are some great resources
10. Start having the conversation with your mentor and use your initiative
11. Understand the difference between the NSW and the new national responsibilities.
12. Be proactive, use your initiative and take responsibility. Its your professional accreditation.
13. Understand the difference between the Domains and the Elements
14. Start before your ready – make a timeline and use your initiative
15. Begin to think about your evidence – what pieces of evidence can you use
16. Don’t reinvent the wheel, you can use most of the resources, lesson plans and programming that you have already.
17. Look in your program. Most of the evidence that you can use is already in your program
18. Consult the Information for New Scheme Teachers booklet and the Evidence Guide – it’s a really great resource
19. Select your evidence carefully – what pieces of evidence will represent you well?
20. Visit the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership website and spend some time looking through their resources.
21. Show how your piece of evidence relates to other components of the National Teaching Standards.
22. When writing your reflections be honest. Quite often things don’t go to plan. How do you think on your feet?
23. How does this piece of evidence relate to other Standards in the National Standards for teachers and other relevant documents?
24. What teaching strategies did you use to effectively engage your students?

As the famous saying goes “How do you eat an elephant?” the answer “One bite at a time.” Your teaching accreditation can seem like a daunting task. But, as with all large tasks, there are some very simple, small steps that you can take each day to get it finished this year.

No two days are ever the same in teaching therefor, handling complexity is vital skill. At any given moment you will have deadlines (often conflicting ones), parent expectations, staff expectations, school policies to implement, class routines to uphold and supervisors giving you feedback. To add to the complexity you could have students having a bad day, a differentiated curriculum to implement and students to engage in a variety of creative ways. There are always things to do and things that you will feel as though you could have done better. Amongst all of this chaos and confusion, you have your own emotions to deal with; are you having a bad day (we all have those) or are you having a good day? Are you feeling sick or are you feeling on top of the world? With such a diverse profession, it becomes essential to have the skills to manage complexity or you’ll end up feeling tired and frustrated.

So what can you do to simplify your work habits and get the most out of your day? How can you plan and prepare, but still remain flexible?

1. Write things down

I have been teaching for a number a years, and I would not survive without my daybook. My daybook doubles as my diary and I carry it everywhere. I do a daily ‘brain dump’ (link to David Allen article) and write down all of the things that I am thinking about.

Remember: If you don’t write things down they take up mental space.

2. Making actionable items

At the end of each day I write no more than three actionable items for the following day. I decide on the three items that are crucial for that day. This helps me to feel in control and gives me a sense of accomplishment when I complete the essential three items (rather than drowning in list of tasks that are not prioritised). It also helps to write using ‘verbs’ so that you attached an action to each of the points. For example, for tomorrow, I have ‘Book excursion bus, Burn new musical CD, Practise drumming composition with the students.’

Remember: Choose three things that are essential for that day.

3. Plan your week

I always plan a whole week ahead. That means that all of my photocopying, class resources and teaching equipment are ready one week ahead. Sometimes this is not always possible as others teachers may be using equipment, but I try my best.

Remember: Think ahead, what equipment and resources will you need?

Teaching is a complex and multifaceted profession. It is important to get some of these practises in place so that you can keep some brain space free for what matters most, your students.