Positively Teach
Gain Social and Emotional control so that you can start to enjoy your profession.
Your Body
Mental health depends on physical health
It is common knowledge that a human body needs to exercise in order to function effectively (Mentalhealth.org). This is no secret but exercise is often the task that is given the slip when time is limited. However, not exercising is more detrimental to mental and physical health than can be expressed and as outlined in the clip below, exercise is just as important as brushing teeth. How long would someone go without brushing their teeth? It is a simple point to make but draws attention to just how important exercise is for the human body.
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In the YouTube clip below, Wendy Suzuki, an award-winning neuroscientist, discusses her research on how exercise assists in the development of the brain and retaining information. Her research focuses on understanding the patterns of brain activity underlying long-term memory as well as the role of aerobic exercise in improving learning, memory and cognition. This is relevant to the teaching profession whereby new synapses are being developed as beginning Teachers are exposed to the many situations, scenarios, processes, computer systems and much more, exhausting the brain while it tries its best to remember everything. As Wendy explains, exercise helps the brain to move this new information into the long-term memory. Therefore, going home to sleep at the end of a long and emotional day is possibly the worst thing a new Teacher can do. Instead, it is advisable to participate in some form of exercise which will assist the brain in making sense of new information and filing it away neatly so that it can be called upon again when needed. Wendy suggests an interesting technique to train yourself in to loving exercise; she claims that shouting positive affirmations during physical activity will teach your brain that exercise is something to be enjoyed and eventually you'll be looking forward to your next sweat session. This is a solid example of emotional intelligence and how you can control your feelings before they hijack you and have adverse effects on your health.
Your Body Language
As previously mentioned, the Teaching profession is an complex web of interrelated skills stemming from many other disciplines, one of these being Social Psychology. In a very brief sense, Social Psychology deals with human behaviours in social interactions. Effective Teachers are socially intelligent and have the skills to manage and manipulate social interactions in various forms. One very important social interaction that requires social and emotional strength is being the leader in the classroom and having your students respectfully accept this. This process takes time as you develop meaningful relationships with your students but for you to be sure that you are leading and not trying to 'make friends' it's important to be aware of how your voice and body language play a part in being perceived effectively. Ultimately, to be an effective Teacher, you want to be respected and admired as this is the most effective way to lead your students.
The YouTube clip below explains how body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist, Amy Cuddy, explains how 'power posing' (standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident) can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain possibly impacting our chances for success.
As a beginning Teacher it is not uncommon to experience times of self doubt. This is a natural progression in the industry and can be beaten by applying the strategies suggested in this clip. Try power posing before your lessons or anytime you're feeling that your confidence in lacking and feel the change in your emotions. Again this is a perfect example of how your emotional intelligence will positively impact your teaching.
Your Voice
Further to your body language, another vital element playing a part in becoming the leader in your classroom is your voice. This is another tool that requires fine tuning on order to be effective and, as explained by Julian Treasure, an international speaker and Author, an audience will not listen if the voice is ineffective. Julian demonstrates some useful vocal exercises and shares tips on how to speak so that people will listen. This directly relates to the Teaching profession as the voice is arguably the more important tool in the classroom.