| Remember the scene from Karate Kid where | | | | up now you open yourself up to using your hands to |
| Daniel-san had learned all of the supposedly inane | | | | emphasize what you're saying and to exaggerate |
| techniques like painting the fence and waxing the | | | | words and phrases with hand gestures. |
| floor? He thought it was all useless until Mr. Miyagi | | | | Make eye contact. If you've been avoiding making |
| showed him that all that time he had been learning | | | | eye contact because you didn't feel confident |
| karate moves. The look of realization when Daniel | | | | enough with your abilities, now's the time to start. It |
| learns that he knows more than he thought he did is | | | | shows the students that you are indeed confident |
| the same look you will have in one of your classes | | | | and it commands that they match your eye contact |
| one day soon. It is at that point when you can | | | | or look at their notes or book in front of them |
| switch from learning your craft to mastering it. Here | | | | because they know you are looking at them. Either |
| are some more advanced teaching techniques that | | | | way, you win. |
| you can incorporate into your lessons once you've | | | | Lose any verbal crutches. If you've been using a lot |
| got the basics down. | | | | of "ers" and "ums" and "uhs" or even words like "well" |
| Move around. You may have stood in the same spot | | | | and "actually" to buffer your sentences you'll want to |
| and delivered your orations when you first started. | | | | get rid of them completely. Kids love to imitate their |
| Now it's time to let yourself roam free and explore | | | | teachers and the less ammunition you give them the |
| the different parts of the classroom while you teach. | | | | better. |
| It not only shows confidence that you can walk and | | | | Let everyone see the board. When you use a |
| teach at the same time, it also gets your student's | | | | chalkboard or whiteboard you'll want to stand and |
| attention and gives them something to follow so | | | | write on the board in a certain way so that |
| their eyes don't get bored. | | | | everyone can see. If you are right handed you'll want |
| Go hands free. If you've been clutching your lesson | | | | to start on the right side of the board and once |
| plan like a life preserver up until this point it's time to | | | | you've used up all of that space you can move to |
| put it down. You should now have the confidence to | | | | the left side of the board. Reverse this if you are left |
| be able to keep your place without a constant | | | | handed. This makes it so that everyone has a clear |
| reminder in your hands. When you open your hands | | | | view of what you are jotting down. |