What if the new teacher doesn't know how to teach? Don't panic, here is a practical guide!
Time:2026-01-12
Source:Artstep
For novice teachers, standing on the podium for the first time, facing pairs of curious and expectant eyes, it is inevitable to feel nervous and uneasy in their hearts. Especially when one finds themselves unable to teach in class with ease, that sense of anxiety is always present. So, what should we do if the new teacher doesn't teach?
Don't worry, we can solve it step by step according to the following methods.
1. Don't overthink attending classes.
Many times, the more we overthink, the more likely we are to get stuck in confusion on the podium, leading to increasingly unclear speech. Based on my valuable experience accumulated over the years of teaching, for new teachers who are just starting out on the podium, focusing on two things can lay a solid foundation for their future teaching journey.
2. Clearly convey the content to be expressed
The new teacher should be clear that the core focus of teaching lies in the content of the course you want to teach itself. In the process of lesson preparation and teaching, it is important to firmly grasp the essence of the content, rather than being overly fixated on form. Always remind yourself that standing on the podium at this moment, your role is to be a guide for answering questions and imparting knowledge, rather than simply completing the task of "teaching".
3. The key to imparting knowledge is to present complex problems in a way that is easy to understand and understandable to students.
For example, when explaining the concept of functions in mathematics, if students only memorize the definitions from a textbook, they often become confused. But if we take a different approach and use common examples in daily life to analogize, such as comparing a function to a magical machine, inputting a numerical value and processing it by the machine, it will output another corresponding numerical value. This vivid and visual explanation makes it easier for students to understand and accept.
4. Don't overly focus on the 'classroom' format
If a new teacher always focuses on the form of 'I am in class', it is easy to fall into the trap of formalism. Lectures can become stiff, insincere, and lack genuine emotions, making it difficult for students to resonate. Moreover, this excessive focus on form can make us constantly ponder our own performance during lectures, leading to confusion in our thinking, feeling increasingly strange as we speak, and making progress exceptionally difficult. Being in this state for a long time, new teachers are prone to falling into the abyss of lack of confidence and developing a fear of teaching work.
So, how can we avoid this situation? Here is a highly effective method recommended, which is to one-on-one explain problems to children. In one-on-one communication, the new teacher can focus all their attention on how to explain the problem clearly to the child, completely eliminating formal interference. Without formal constraints, we can organize language more freely, adjust our teaching methods in a timely manner based on students' reactions, and thus better achieve the transmission of knowledge.
5. Gain a deeper understanding of students
In the teaching process, we often encounter situations where we think we are explaining clearly, but the students look confused and completely unable to understand. The key reason for this is often that we are not on the same cognitive level as students. Therefore, new teachers must spend time getting to know their students, which is a key step in improving teaching effectiveness.
One of the best ways to understand students is to give them one-on-one questions and have in-depth communication with them. Through direct communication with students, we can understand their current cognitive situation and know which knowledge they have already mastered and which is still in a blank state. Only when we look at problems from the same level as students can our explanations truly meet their needs and be easier for them to understand.
6. As teachers, we need to be clear about what knowledge students have already learned in the current stage of learning
What knowledge is there that they have not yet encountered or find difficult to understand. At the same time, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of their cognitive level, which knowledge points are difficult for students to learn, and where this difficulty lies. For example, when teaching subjunctive mood in English grammar, we need to know which tenses students have learned before and how well they have mastered them.
The reason why subjunctive mood is difficult for students may be because its concept is relatively abstract and different from the language expression habits in real life. When we have a clear understanding of these situations, we can hit the nail on the head and quickly solve students' confusion when explaining problems.
In short, it's not scary that a new teacher can't teach. As long as we master the correct methods and start from the two key aspects of expressing content clearly and understanding students, constantly practice and accumulate experience, we can gradually grow into an excellent teacher. If you want to learn more about teachers' teaching skills and growth methods, you can click here to start your journey of teaching improvement.