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Do you require teaching skills to function well in your job role? This article provides a guide on how you can develop the skills and include them on your resume.

 

What are Teaching Skills?

Teaching skills are the expertise and qualities that a teacher possesses to impart knowledge and also instruct students. These skills are very much essential for planning lessons, teaching students, and also performing administrative responsibilities. Teaching skills also involve a lot of interaction between parents, other teachers, and students.

Teachers do their very best to impart knowledge that will remain with children for the rest of their lives. Teaching children how to count numbers, read and express themselves are fundamental skills that teachers need to have. For those who teach older students in secondary school and even tertiary institutions, they must guide them thoroughly on the best part of the career they should enroll in.

In general terms, every career has hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills refer to practical knowledge and expertise. For instance, a science teacher must be someone that can conduct research in the laboratory. Soft skills communication, leadership, empathy, problem-solving, and many more a teacher needs to have to become a successful teacher. Hard skills can be developed by training and experience while soft skills are inherent and can be mastered in a space of time. Teachers teach but they also boost their knowledge by furthering their education and attending teacher’s workshops and seminars.

 

Importance of Teaching Skills

• Impartation of Knowledge: teaching is a very much rewarding profession because it imparts knowledge. Teachers instruct students thereby imparting knowledge to such children. Teachers build the foundation of children by teaching them how to count numbers, how to read and write, and also how to express themselves. Teachers serve as the foundation for learning and teachers have contributed a lot to enhancing literacy in society. Teacher impartation of knowledge can also be on practical terms. Students in secondary school learn how to conduct research in the laboratory through their teachers. For every profession we have in the world today such as medical doctors, lawyers, and nurses; the path was first set up by teachers because without teachers there can never be doctors.
• Teachers inculcate Moral Values in Children: Education is not just about merit alone but morals. Teachers groom students on moral values that will help them become good citizens of society. Although parents also inculcate moral values in the children at home the role teachers play is indispensable. Teachers train students to have godly virtues and characters that will help them become patriotic citizens of the country. Most children that acquired moral values at school hardly lose sight of it.
• Setting the Career path: teachers play an important role in the development of children and they have a major influence on their future. Even as an adult, you will always remember your favorite teacher from childhood who influenced you to be what you are today. Embarking on a teaching career can leave a positive impression in the minds of children for years. Teachers set the part for some children’s careers by encouraging them to choose a particular discipline based on their performance and passion.

 

How to Improve your Teaching Skills

• Enroll for Further Studies: the best way to improve your teaching skills is to enroll for further studies such as acquiring a Master’s degree or a doctorate to boost your career. Once you enroll for further studies, you can also attend seminars on workshops for teaching to boost your skills. Join a network of teaching professionals to also interact with those in the profession and also get to harness some salient skills.
• Evaluate your performance:  at the end of every school session, evaluate your performance to see if you did well or not. You can ask yourself the following questions: Did you achieve your goals? Were there activities you can personally improve on? Did your students appreciate your teaching methodology? What worked out and what didn’t work out?

Asking yourself this question can help you improve your teaching style for the incoming year. Use your experience to become better in the nearest future. Ponder on how you want to move forward with teaching in the incoming session of the school’s calendar.

• Use Behavioral Awareness in Education: Engaging the DISC in the classroom to coach and instruct students will build them academically. This method will help you to interact with students and also empower them to communicate effectively with one another.  By adopting the DISC–based assessment, you will get to know your student’s strengths and it will help you use a curriculum that can improve their academic performance. By discovering your student’s personalities, you will get to group them into that will help them adopt a learning style that suits their personality. You will have a strong influence in their lives which will encourage them to be confident to achieve their academic journey. As a teacher, you can be a leader and supporter who can contribute to the betterment of education in society.

 

Jobs that Require Teaching Skills

• Pre-school or Childcare Teacher: this job demands teaching skills because it sets the foundations for children to learn numbers, how to read and write, and also how to express themselves. Teaching skills are very much viable because it sets the foundation for children and thereby enhance societal literacy.
• Middle School and High School Teachers: this skill is very much required in middle and high school to impart knowledge to students. It is at this juncture that students decide which career they want to adopt and teachers have a major influence on this. Students at this stage decide if they want to be science or art students with the help of teachers.
• College Teachers: teaching skills are needed even in the advanced educational system to impart knowledge to college students. Teachers in this phase students in their various disciplines or according to their area of specialization.
• Clinicians: Teaching is a very important skill for clinicians to develop. Clinicians must teach their clients about the process of psychotherapy and also how to about it. One method you must utilize to build your client is by conducting seminars. You may also be asked to supervise students and you need to possess teaching skills to achieve that.
• Advocates; teaching is not just restricted to academicians alone but you need to modify your message to present it in such a way that it will meet your audience’s needs. Presenting these findings involve that you communicating your message in such a way that your audience can comprehend. You need teaching skills to persuade your audience of the right step to embark on.
• Researcher: As a researcher, you need to conduct research and gather your findings to present them to people. You need teaching skills to present your findings to people. Some may find it very difficult to comprehend your research but you need teaching skills to make your research very clear and plain.
• Project Manager: As a project manager, you have to work with a team to carry out a project. You must educate or instruct the team to carry out the project successfully. To accomplish that, you need to possess teaching skills because a project manager is a project instructor. You are also responsible for overseeing the project.
• Sales Representative: A sales representative is an individual that convinces the client to work with an organization. He or she must employ teaching skills to convince the clients to patronize the organization.

 

How to Include Teaching Skills on Your Resume

• Describe Your Experience as a Teacher from Your Previous Job

Teaching is a practical course although it involves both hard skills and soft skills; to demonstrate yourself as a teacher, you need to describe your previous experience as a teacher in your past work placement. Showcase the projects you accomplished as a teacher and also how you were able to groom students to perform excellently in your subject. For instance, if you teach in a high school and you groom students for GCE exams and they perform excellently, you can also include it in your resume.

• Describe your Greatest Strengths: are you very accurate as a teacher and do you know how to communicate excellently with students? Do you know your student’s diverse learning styles? Did you identify their strength and weaknesses? You need to accentuate the areas of your strengths in your resume to capture your employer’s attention. A good teacher works wonders by turning a dull student into a brilliant student, you need to demonstrate your remarkable accomplishments in the teaching profession.
• Highlight Your Skills: You need to highlight the skills you possess in your resume so that you can demonstrate that you are very qualified for the job. You should enumerate three or four of the following skills:
  • Classroom management skills
  • Planning skills
  • Patience
  • Time management skills
  • Communication
  • Subject matter expertise
  • Observation skills
  • Organization
  • Imagination
  • Leadership
  • Digital Skills
  • Empathy skills
  • Presentation Skills
  • Instruction
  • Collaboration
  • Lesson planning
  • Goal setting
  • Curriculum writing

 

Examples of How to Include Teaching Skills in Your Resume

 

Pre-school Teacher Resume Sample

• Led preschool teacher for 2–3 years in an old classroom.
• Lauded 2 times by the board of directors for work ethic and dedication.
• Decreased biting incidents by 35% and hitting incidents through the adoption of an enhanced language-skills program. Parent satisfaction scores up 10%.
• Assisted raise assessments by 25% through the CLASS program application
• Promoted classroom activities and circle time. Performed meal preparation.
• Lauded 3 times by the lead teacher for a warm, supportive attitude.
• Utilized reflective practice to alter group presentation strategy and curriculum implementation, contributing to a 15% increase in assessment scores.

High School Chemistry Teacher Resume Sample

• Instructed Chemistry and Chemical Biology to 100+ students of 10-12th grades a year with 95 percent pass rate
• Prepared extensive lesson plans based on the updated curriculum from the US Department of Education.
• Established interactive presentations with the usage of relevant software (e.g. PhET simulations, Smartboard, etc.).
• Enforced lab activities based on scientific methodology and real-life chemistry applications.
• Ensured class safety during laboratory practice.
• Facilitated a positive learning environment by incorporating team-building activities and positive reinforcement techniques.
• Concentrated on ensuring the social and emotional development of adolescent students; cooperated closely with the school psychologist.

Online Instructor

• Formulated and implement professional development as needed (in a face-to-face setting and online).
• Provided education/instruction in Developmental and General Psychology to adult students in the Nursing, Massage Therapy, and Technology programs
• Provided guidance counseling and professional advancement to students.
• Helped over 90 personnel with their professional development by developing individual guidance plans and conducting annual performance evaluations.

 

How to Demonstrate Your Teaching Skills in an Interview

• Showcase your Communication Skills: most job recruiters know that one of the salient skills a teacher needs to have is communication skills. Demonstrate that you are an excellent communicator both verbal and non-verbal. Be very vocal and prompt during the interview session because the interviewer will analyze your interview to see if you possess the necessary communication skills.
• Demonstrate that you are an Expert in Your Specialization: in the course of the interview, they may ask you assessment-based questions in your subject area, this is the best time to show that you are an expert in your specialization. For instance, if you Study Education in Chemistry while in school, you will be asked chemistry questions to analyze if you have mastered your subject area well enough.
• Pass the Assessment test: For every teaching interview, there is always the assessment section where you will be asked to write a lesson plan and present it. This is more common for teachers in the elementary and high school sections. Write a lesson plan on a topic you are familiar with and engage your excellent presentation skills to present it.
• Showcase your love and passion for children: most interviewers are on the lookout for teachers who have passion for their work. You need to show that you are someone that has a passion for students and you are willing to be patient with them.

 

Examples of interview Questions to Test Teaching Skills

• Why do you want to teach?
• What are your strengths as a teacher?
• Why do you want to work for our school?
• How can you help our students?
• What do you find most devastating about teaching?
• What can you teach?
• How do you assess your students?
• What are your weaknesses as a teacher?
• Where do you see yourself in the next five years to come?
• Enlighten us about your teaching style.
• How will you motivate students to learn?
• How will you manage a classroom on your first day at school?
• How will you manage your time effectively to get all your teaching schedules completes?
• Describe one of your worst days in class.
• Why did you quit your previous teaching job?
• Tell us about your educational background.

Resume Skills