Top Tips For Teaching Yoga In Schools - Tip #30: It's Important To Know What Your Students Know
Welcome back to the blog!
I’m writing this on a beautiful summer weekend day, and I hope that wherever you are and whenever you’re reading this, you’re able to take some time for YOU! Our work is SO important, but it’s so important for us to take care of ourselves so that we can show up for our students in the way they deserve - because they deserve well-rested, emotionally connected, present teachers!
A key part of teaching is knowing what your students know - that information informs our teaching. It let’s us know areas we need to cover in more detail, how and where we should be offering more targeted support, and what lessons and activities were enjoyed and well received.
So, I hope you find this tip helpful and keep it in mind for each program / session you offer for students, both inside and outside of schools.
And finally, please SHARE this blog post or leave a comment if you found it helpful or know someone else who could benefit from it!
Tip #30: It’s Important to Know What Your Students Know
I’ve noticed that as yoga and mindfulness teachers, we often fall into a trap of not wanting to “assess” kids because it’s not in alignment with what we do, as tests and quizzes can produce a lot of stress and anxiety for our students. And while that is true in some ways (we don’t want yoga and mindfulness to be stressful for our kids) it IS important to know what your kids know, and whether or not they’re getting what you want them to get out of your program.
The point is that, no matter what, you want students to demonstrate to you, in some way, shape, or form, what they know. This doesn’t have to be at the end of every lesson: it could simply be at the end of your time with them. But, it does have to be something: a feelings journal, a poster, a presentation, a video of them teaching a skill to a friend or family member.
Giving kids the opportunity to demonstrate what they know will allow you to gauge not just the success of your program, but also, what topics / skills you might need to teach differently or spend more time on in your next session, or with your next group of students.
It’s also data that you can use when interviewing with school administrators -- you’ll be able to share with them if and how your program was effective, and demonstrate your reflective thinking skills by highlighting what you would do next time, and why.
Tip Takeaway: It’s important to know what your students know, and where they are, in real time. Think about what you want your kids to know at the end of their time with you, and HOW they will demonstrate to you that they know those skills. Be creative--it doesn’t have to be a pen and paper test, but you always want to ensure you’re teaching with a purpose. Building in opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know allows you to tailor your instruction in the moment, implement changes in the future, and provides you with data and insight that principals and administrators are looking to see when you’re approaching them about teaching in their school.