Being a "good teacher" is a difficult goal to achieve, being largely dependent on a huge variety of skills outside of the main curriculum. Teaching Skills For Dummies focuses on these 'soft' skills of teaching, from maintaining discipline to creating engaging lesson plans and monitoring performance.

Introduction 1 Part I: Developing Your Teaching Style 9 Chapter 1: Building Your Teaching Skills 11 Chapter 2: Understanding Teaching Styles – and Developing One That Works for You 27 Chapter 3: Making the Most of Your Communication Skills 43 Part II: Teaching a Class 59 Chapter 4: Preparing and Teaching High-Quality Lessons 61 Chapter 5: Getting (and Keeping) a Class Engaged 81 Chapter 6: Getting the Most Out of Your Students 97 Part III: Managing a Class 121 Chapter 7: Structuring Your Teaching and Your Teaching Space 123 Chapter 8: Building Better Behaviour 149 Chapter 9: Creating a Positive Classroom Atmosphere 171 Chapter 10: Handling Challenging Situations 189 Part IV: Dealing with Different Kinds of People 209 Chapter 11: Getting to Know Your Students 211 Chapter 12: Working as Part of a Team 237 Chapter 13: Building Bonds with Parents 257 Part V: Succeeding Beyond the Classroom 277 Chapter 14: Climbing the Paper Mountain 279 Chapter 15: Getting Involved in Extra-Curricular Activities 293 Chapter 16: Evaluating and Furthering Your Teaching Skills 305 Part VI: The Part of Tens 315 Chapter 17: Ten Great Ways to Engage with a Group 317 Chapter 18: Ten Key Strategies for Handling Difficult Behaviour 325 Chapter 19: Ten Tips for Dealing with Stress 333 Chapter 20: Ten Best Book and Website Resources for Teachers and Trainers 339 Index 343

Be the teacher that they remember Are difficult pupils disrupting your lessons? Is paperwork taking up all your time? Are you looking for new ideas to keep your class interested? If so, you've come to the right place. This lively guide covers everything from delivering fantastic lessons to dealing with challenging situations and managing your time outside the classroom. Whether you're an experienced teacher or are just starting out, this friendly handbook will help you get the most from both your pupils and your career. Develop a confident teaching style – improve your communication skills and find the techniques that work best for you Prepare and present engaging lessons – structure effective lesson plans and get the most out of your students Manage a class effectively – encourage good behaviour and create a positive classroom atmosphere Deal with different types of people – build good relationships with your students, their parents and your colleagues Succeed beyond the classroom – deal with the paperwork, get involved with extra-curricular activities and develop your career 'Don't let the title fool you; this is an essential guide for any aspiring teacher. Sue Cowley uses her experience and insight to provide a comprehensive and informative resource, packed with excellent advice and brilliant suggestions for making both teaching and learning effective. A must for any teacher's bookshelf!' – Peter Hadfield, Principal Lecturer in Education, University of Bedfordshire Open the book and find: Body language techniques for projecting authority Advice on effective lesson planning Ways to appeal to different learning styles The best methods for assessing and grading your pupils Helpful time-management techniques Guidance on establishing discipline and dealing with confrontation How to deal with parents' evenings Ten top stress-busting tips