The teacher will have a solid understanding of the concepts they are teaching and continue learning about the material so they can provide accurate and meaningful information to students. Teachers will also produce lessons that understandably present content and create space for inquiry, growth, and understanding from students. Three strategies teachers can use to fulfill this standard is professional development, communication with colleagues, and utilization of resources.
Professional Development
Many schools offer, and even sometimes require, their staff to attend professional development (PD) events. Professional development events allow teachers to learn and keep updated on content knowledge, classroom management, and overall expectations of their job as a teacher. Attending and engaging in PD is part of the teacher’s job to be a lifelong learner. Understanding academic content in the context of the students’ world will be key in making content meaningful to students.
Communication with colleagues
Communication with colleagues, especially those colleagues in the same grade level team, can help share new ways to present content, as well as clarification on content. Like students, most teachers have their styles and preferences for learning and teaching. Making the most of the grade’s team members will enable teachers to compile different strategies for showing content to students in a variety of ways. Furthermore, other teachers are a great resource for obtaining ideas for lesson plans, activities, and how to transfer ideas and make connections across the curriculum.
Teachers Pay Teachers
Countless educational resources are accessible to students and teachers that aim to help with understanding content better. One of these resources is Teachers Pay Teachers, a website that allows educators from all over the world to upload classroom lessons, ideas, and activities to share with others. This resource allows for teachers to see the perspective of content through the lens of other teachers and come up with fresh ideas for presenting content in the classroom. Many times, websites like this help save teachers time in building lessons, which in turn allows teachers to focus more on other things like differentiating material and classroom management.