How To Teach With Passion (13 Ways You Should Know)

Most of us enter the teaching profession because we love to work with children and want to help prepare them to be responsible adults.

We enjoy our jobs and always want to do the best for our students. But while we may be passionate about the job, this may not always be reflected in how we teach, which can impact students’ performance.

So, let’s take a look at what we can do to bring our passion for teaching to life and better engage our students.

Ways To Teach With Passion

You don’t need to be new to teaching to take these steps. Experienced teachers can also leverage these steps to better connect with students and increase engagement.

Develop Expertise In Your Area

Having a deep understanding of your subject area is a good way to teach with passion. Delve deeper into the subject by advancing yourself academically, attending conferences, or simply staying updated on developments in the field.

The more you learn about a subject, the more confident you’ll feel when students ask questions about it.

If you’re worried about your lack of knowledge on the topic, or even fear of students asking questions you may not be able to answer, it may be reflected in your teaching.

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Stick To One Area

It’s always advisable to stick to one particular subject. Understandably, teachers at the elementary level may teach multiple courses.

In such cases, the teachers may not need expertise in their fields as they only need the basics to provide instructions to students.

But in the case of teachers at the high school and above levels, it’s always advisable to focus on a single subject. Simply build yourself in that area to generate confidence and expertise in the field.

Love For Subject

Don’t spend every day teaching something you aren’t passionate about. Your dislike for the subject will be reflected in how you teach. You wouldn’t have enough experience in the subject to excite your students.

The excitement and energy that you may bring to your subject would make your passion for the subject evident to your students. That said, if you’re stuck with a subject you don’t love, it’s advisable to find something that excites you about it.

Creative Teaching Strategies

While some courses are simply boring to students, you can leverage some creative strategies to make learning fun. Don’t present the same examples that were used decades ago in your lessons.

Instead, connect your lessons with real-world examples that modern students can better relate to. You can also leverage technology, like digital apps and smartboards, to make lessons fun and exciting for students.

Incorporate Experiences

Make classes engaging by incorporating your life experiences in your instructions. Sharing personal examples shows your experience with the subject and also creates an engaging learning experience for students.

Avoid oversharing experiences. Simply leverage experiences that are relevant to the subject matter to illustrate key concepts on the topic.

Keep in mind you’re not the only one who may have some form of experience on the subject. You can ask students about their experiences on the topic which would be easier for their peers to connect with.

Harness Students’ Curiosity

Course material can be more relatable and learner-centered if teachers relate it to students’ interests and abilities. Students pay greater attention and retain material when they are interested in a topic they can relate to.

Encouraging students to explore activities outside their comfort zone can also help them discover their passion and teachers can also help them identify their interests by providing resources outside the classroom.

Connect With Students

You can connect with students by identifying their interests and any challenges they may be having with the subject. Make the classroom a safe space where they feel valued and respected.

Students develop trust in the teacher which makes them feel comfortable participating in class discussions, asking questions, and seeking help when needed.

Learn Students’ Names

This may be difficult but learning the names of individual students helps them better connect with you. Some teachers, especially at the higher levels do not put in the effort to learn the names of their students.

The general thinking is that students would be moving on to the next class within a few months. It feels pointless to learn the names of individual students.

Unfortunately, this can lead to a disconnect between the students and the teacher. These teachers may eventually learn the names of a few students who contribute the most in class.

It’s always advisable to get to know the names of individual students. It shows that you care about the students as individuals and can make them feel more welcome in your class.

Not only that, but you can also get to know them individually. Reach out to students who didn’t perform well to identify the reasons behind their poor performance and what can be done about it.

Listen To Students

You’re not always the smartest person in the class. Some students may have personal experiences on a particular topic and may be willing to share.

It doesn’t matter whether their opinions aren’t valid, it’s advisable to show them that you care about what they have to say.

This shows you care about their opinions and thoughts which can help create a collaborative learning environment.

Open-Ended Discussion

Ask thought-provoking questions that encourage critical thinking and discussion. Encourage open-ended discussion among students so they can share their opinions and explore new ideas.

This promotes active listening and also builds critical thinking which would make the class more engaging. That said, you should keep in mind that such discussions can sometimes lead to disagreements and uncomfortable conversations.

Teachers can leverage these uncomfortable conversations as opportunities to model respectful and constructive communication.

Practicality

Simply telling students to learn something without showing them how that knowledge or skill can be leveraged practically in real-world scenarios and environments does not motivate learning.

It’s advisable to create connections between classroom learning and real-world practicality by showing students how they can use the knowledge outside of school.

If there’re specific careers in which this knowledge is essential, it’s advisable to let students know and also present examples of successful people who leverage this mastery in the field.

Support Changes

Students sometimes believe it’s them against the teacher. The truth is that this isn’t the case as the teacher is responsible for the well-being and the success of the students.

With the introduction of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, there’s been a lot of debate around the use of the tool in education.

Unfortunately, the education industry isn’t the best at adapting to technology which has led to students working to identify ways to beat the system while teachers are also trying to catch such students.

Teachers should learn to embrace such tools and leverage them in their teaching methodology as opposed to simply banning them outright.

The world is changing and the education industry needs to learn to adopt artificial intelligence in education.

After-School Learning

Encourage students to continue learning even after school by leveraging various tools, both online and offline.

Instead of students seeking random information, encourage them by recommending resources such as reading lists and directing them to online platforms where they can find the necessary information.

You can also advocate for further learning by encouraging them to take up extracurricular activities and join clubs related to the subject matter.