As A Career Changer, How Do You Plan To Bring Your Previous Work Experience Into The Classroom? By Dominic Attrell 

Throughout the application process, and as I prepared to teach my first lesson, I thought of times in my previous careers that I have used the mathematics we would be introducing in class to do my job and solve real life problems to show the students the potential applications for the exercises we would be going through. 

It has taken me less than 4 weeks in the classroom to appreciate this may not be the best approach. Whilst it is great to have sufficient mathematical skills (and courage) to go through a question from a year 8 student in front of the class; subsequently referring them to a time you did this in business gains more blank looks than praise. 

But this does not mean that the time spent working prior to teacher training has been entirely wasted. Rather during my, admittedly brief, time in the classroom it has been the other skills I have gained that I have found most useful. Treating every lesson like a meeting (having any worksheets printed out, being confident in the lesson plan and the material that will be covered) has meant I am prepared to deal with any changes or unexpected questions that may arise. 

It is important to remember that the lesson is not a one-person show, with the students watching a performance, and the ability to see how the class is responding and reacting to it has enabled me to adapt the lesson as required, either going back over information as required or going forward to allow us to look at more advanced questions. Opening up the lesson to incorporate student input has been vital and knowing who to call on, either by an eager raised hand or the look of a student who is on the cusp of understanding and can be coaxed into giving an answer, has been invaluable. 

Indeed, it has been having the confidence to step back and let the students shape the discussion and discuss the question in their own language that has proved one of the most effective methods of teaching. Stepping in only to correct misunderstandings and bringing the discussion back on topic, this experience mirrors the times that opening up the discussion, rather than dominating, has allowed the introduction of valuable new viewpoints that lead to highly beneficial outcomes. 

I am sure as my training continues I will encounter even more occasions where the soft-skills I had not previously considered will enable me to adjust to new situations and make me a better teacher for the students in my class.

By Dominic Attrell 

Image provided by author

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