9 Teacher Goals for Personal and Professional Growth

What are your main goals as a teacher? For many educators, the first goal is likely to make a meaningful impact on their students’ lives. Besides that, teachers have various other goals that they share, no matter the grade level or subject they teach.

Yet, with the busy schedule of managing classrooms and teaching curious (and sometimes easily distracted) young minds, finding a quiet moment to think about your personal and professional goals as a teacher can be challenging. Keep reading to discover some professional development goals for teachers.

9 Professional Development Goals for Teachers

1. 1. Become a Better Teacher: Good teachers know that being a “lifelong learner” isn’t just for students; it’s for educators, too. This means always wanting to get better throughout your teaching career, whether by reading, researching, attending workshops, or taking advantage of other learning opportunities.To keep improving your knowledge and skills, a great idea is to do professional development courses for educators regularly. These courses cover lots of important topics like Classroom Management, Reading and Literacy, Technology in Education, Bullying Prevention, and more.
   2. Make the Most of Technology in Teaching: Technology is changing education, and teachers are using new strategies and tools to help students learn and prepare for the digital world. Since students spend a lot of time on screens these days, it’s not practical to ignore technology. Instead, finding smart ways to use it in your classroom can really benefit your students.Some teachers are having success with tech teaching methods like podcasting or using a classroom app that keeps students and parents in the loop. Extramarks Smart Class Plus can be a great way to make the most of technology. It lets you do everything from live sessions to creating tests and managing classes online. Plus, the Extramarks teaching app is free to start with a ton of content. If you want to know more about how it works, click here.

1. 1. Sharpen Your Presentation Skills: Do you use tools like PowerPoint or Keynote for your school presentations? Many teachers do, but not everyone is an expert at it. So, improving your PowerPoint skills can be a good idea. While you’re doing that, keep these principles in mind:- Keep Slides Simple: Your slides should add to what you’re saying, only say some of it. If you use just a few critical words on each slide, you’ll have to talk to your audience, which makes it more interesting for them. You can give more details on a handout or suggest further reading. If your presentation is interesting, students might want to learn more.- Use Visuals: Pictures are really good at making a point and helping students remember things. Whenever you can show an idea with a picture instead of just words, it’ll make your slides more effective.- Tell a Story: Your main message will stick better if you present it like a story. It might be a bit challenging at first, but once you decide to find the story in your content, you might be surprised.
   2. Improve Classroom Management: Good classroom management is important for a safe and happy learning space. It means having clear rules and routines, handling student behaviour, and making a classroom where everyone’s feelings are noticed and respected.Teachers need to know their job well and use effective strategies for managing the class. This can include planning ahead with clear rules and routines (that’s being proactive) or handling problems when they come up (that’s being reactive). Learning these skills helps teachers support all students in doing well in class.
   3. Expand the Role of Parents: Getting parents more involved in their children’s education has many proven benefits, and there are lots of ways to make it happen. Here are some ideas:
      1. Have an open-door policy.
      2. Encourage parents to volunteer at school.
      3. Give a family project to work on together.
      4. Invite parents to Fun Friday events.
      5. Assign homework that involves the whole family.
      6. Use technology like podcasts or a website to keep parents connected to the classroom.

      When parents are more involved, it often leads to:

      1. Better grades and test scores
      2. Enrollment in more advanced programs
      3. Improved school attendance and completion of homework
      4. Better social skills and behaviour
      5. Higher self-esteem
      6. Increased chances of graduating and going on to college or other education after high school.

1. Find a Mentor: School leaders can connect teachers with mentors who have experience in their subject area. Learning from these mentors’ successes and mistakes can be really helpful for teachers. Mentors can give honest and practical advice on teaching methods, which is important for evaluating teachers.
2. Encourage Creativity and Innovation: When teachers motivate students to try out new and creative ideas, it helps them remember what they’re learning better. Teachers can inspire students by creating a hands-on and professional learning environment. This kind of environment encourages students to discover and develop their natural creative talents.In light of this, school leaders can evaluate teachers by checking if they’ve built a welcoming and supportive learning environment that:
   1. Lets students explore their ideas and interests.
   2. Boosts student motivation, involvement, and success.
3. Implement Evidence-based Teaching Practices: Evidence-based teaching means using teaching methods that have been proven to work well in classrooms. To do this, teachers need to keep learning about the latest research and the best ways to teach. They have to be open to thinking about and improving how they teach all the time.This also means teachers should actively look for chances to learn more and grow professionally. By following evidence-based teaching, teachers make sure they give their students the best learning experience possible.
4. Improve Student Success Through Assessments: By assessing students, teachers and school leaders can find out where students need more help and adjust lessons accordingly. To improve your assessments, it’s suggested to use the Extramarks Assessment Centre. This tool allows teachers to make top-notch tests in different formats. It also automatically grades various objective papers, even those on physical OMR sheets. Plus, it takes care of administrative tasks, saving time and making teachers more efficient.

Closing Thoughts

So, there you have it – some practical and relatable goals for us teachers. Let’s keep our passion burning, be open to growth, and make a lasting impact on our students’ lives. Here’s to a year of teaching excellence!

Last Updated on March 5, 2024