3 Tips for Young Teachers to up their Teaching Game (part 1)

Young teachers are the lifeblood of the marching arts. Each year, eager educators initiate long and winding careers that impact the lives of those around them more than they will ever know. The beauty of being a young teacher is the fire, energy, and the unique perspective you bring to your group. But of course, there are teaching fundamentals that new teachers just don’t know when they get started. Mastering these elements is essential- they are not steps that are required which conform you to a mold of a “stock teacher”. Rather, they are tools that help you become a more authentic and “understood” version of who you aspire to be.

Today I want to share what I’ve learned in my time teaching through three actions you can implement into your teaching repertoire. The principles behind them will guide a young teacher to being more effective at their craft.

Use specific language

As I began my teaching career, I felt like I had a grasp of the knowledge of the fundamentals of building a visual program. In truth, I thought  I knew more than I actually did. One of my earliest discoveries came in using specific language to help more clearly define what I was asking of each student.

As a simple example: imagine telling students to put their feet on the yardline. Now imagine instructing them to place the arch of their foot on the center of the yardline. The second example achieves a clearer result. The arch of the foot is a smaller, more specific target than the entire foot. 

Using specific language can seem tedious at times. But over time this kind of specific language builds a more clear framework from which your students can learn. Here are a few brief examples of how to improve language:

By using specific language, you remove more and more ambiguous language from your teaching. This helps your students reach success more efficiently. It’s like adding hours to your day by reducing the number of beginner’s mistakes your students will experience early on.

Find & Eliminate Your Filler Words & Catch Phrases

“It’s not a problem”

I used to say this phrase all of  the time. I don’t even know why I said it. But any time I would share with my team what I noticed was not quite right yet, I’d add this phrase at the end of it. I think it was perhaps my subconscious way of ensuring the students that, even though something was right, there was a solution. Eventually, my students started giving me a hard time about the phrase. A little embarrassment & good natured grief was all it took to root that phrase from my vocabulary entirely.

This step is twofold- in this first example, you see my old catchphrase: “It’s  not a problem”. This is a particularly ineffective catchphrase I lumped in all the time. It is repetitive and serves no true instructional value. Eliminating “catchphrases” like this is essential. They tend to be filler that we use when we aren’t really sure how to be more clear. When you eliminate these kinds of catch-all phrases, it forces you to be more specific about what you are trying to communicate. Overused phrases also tend to fall on deaf ears as you say them in every possible scenario. And take it from me, when you students catch on to your phrase, they will make sure you know every time that you say it.

If you don’t know your catchphrase, record an hour or so of teaching and search for phrases that you use over and over. I assure you that, if you have one, you will find it 4 to 400 times in that hour of  teaching.

Note

The kinds of catchphrases we are looking to eliminate are the non-instructive ones. Examples can include “love it”, “excellent”, or “one hundred percent”. Coaches such as Nick Saban and John Wooden have developed “sticky catchphrases” that encapsulate principles of their teaching. One of my favorite examples is Wooden’s “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast”. These are meant to teach or reinforce concepts, these are highly effective teaching tools: don’t mistake those for stock catchphrases.

The second part of  this tip is eliminating filler words. You know the ones that are most popular:

• Like
• Umm
• Yeaaaaah

Typically, young teachers and speakers use these often when they are uncomfortable or new to having the “spotlight” in teaching/rehearsing. We use these words because we don’t like to fill the silence. But they are typically ineffective and come across as unprofessional. 

Embrace. Silence. 

If you need a moment to think, take a moment! Adding a long monkish drone of “umms” to your thought process will not be helpful. When you record yourself listening for your catchphrase, count the number of times you use words like “umm, like, and yeah” to fill a silence. Eliminating these will greatly help the perception that you are as competent and thoughtful as you are capable of being.

Use your students names

Your students are young and impressionable, and their experience in band probably makes up a big part of their life right now. The more often you can specifically address them by their name, the more important they will feel. Memorizing names early shows respect, and while it isn’t always easy to memorize dozens of names quickly, the effort pays dividends.

When I’m memorizing names, I link new people I’m meeting to other people I know with the same name by shared characteristics.

Example: “this student’s name is Jacob. He is quiet but clearly has a funny & dry sense of humor, much like one of my best friends of the same name.”

If I meet someone with a new name, I still focus on some positive characteristics that stand out so I can use their name in the future if I happen to meet someone who shares their name. This method works for me, but probably won’t work for everyone. Here is a CNBC article with a few other suggestions of methods that may help. I’m not “good” at memorizing names, but it’s a skill I’ve worked on for years. You can learn an effective way for you too. What matters most is the effort. The students will remember the effort when you use their names and treat them like the valued individuals they are, rather than just another cog in the marching machine.

Putting it all together

You’re probably not teaching in the marching arts because of your love of professional development. You’re here because you love the activity, the people, and the performances. But if you’ve read this far, you also probably want to continue to do what you love just a little bit better. These tips will not “transform” your teaching. You likely have a well of knowledge from which you draw from already. These tips will help you to be more effective and efficient at communicating your information, bolster other’s perceptions of you as their instructor, and ultimately help others trust in you through making them feel valued.

Implement these tips one at a time and see how your instruction transforms.