Elementary School Teaching: Strategies for Elementary Teachers

Useful Strategies for Teaching Elementary School

Getting to Know Your Students

Before knowing what strategies will be the most effective, it's usually best to gain a clear picture of who your students are. Every mix of kids is different and strategies that may work for one group may not work for another. For example, a high energy group may require a lot of games and activities to hold their interest, while another group may benefit from quiet, individual reading time. Every class has strengths and weaknesses; the trick is to find the teaching strategies that work most effectively for your students.

Developing and Finding Lesson Plans

Your teacher textbooks probably include lessons that you can use, but if you strictly stick to the script it's likely that your class will get a bit bored. Don't be afraid to be creative and deviate from the norm in order to keep your students' interests. Make sure that your lessons are relatable to the everyday lives of your students and that your class can visualize any abstract concepts you may present.

The Internet can be a solid resource for lesson plans in a wide variety of subjects. You can download and use lessons as they are or use them to inspire your own ideas. There are a number of websites that offer lesson plan templates as well. This is handy if you're learning how to design lessons or want a simple format in which you can lay out your ideas.

After selecting or designing a lesson plan, the next step is putting it into action in a strategic way. Cater a lesson to the strengths of your students while addressing their weaknesses. For example, if your students have low attention spans, make your lessons more hands-on and visual in order to maintain their interest.

Finding Strategies Online

If you're looking for a variety of free resources to help you teach, you may want to try browsing some websites that are geared towards elementary school teachers. Many sites offer curriculum ideas, lesson plans and activity suggestions. Some also offer other supplementary materials, like worksheets, games, quizzes and tests.

You may be looking for support beyond the network of teachers in your school, which is also possible online. It may be useful to get a fresh perspective from other education professionals all over the country and world. Look for websites that offer forums for discussion groups with other teachers. Some websites require a membership fee while many other websites are free.