As a teacher, you’re often running from one thing to the next. From setting up your classroom to making copies of notes, to creating new lesson plans, to redesigning how you want to teach a concept based on what your students completed (or didn’t) yesterday, there is always something on your plate. That’s why learning ways to increase your teacher productivity is so important—not only for your mental health and well-being, but for your students, too.
When you’re working efficiently and are less stressed about your workload, you have more time to focus on your students and their needs. Plus, your kids can feel your positive energy and this leads to a better and higher functioning classroom overall.
From delegating tasks to your students to learning how to implement automation in ways you’ve probably never considered, here are four game-changing ideas to increase what you get done (with less stress and effort).
1. Pre-plan and tap into other teacher resources.
Although easier said than done, pre-planning your lessons and activities will save you crucial time and effort. If you know ahead of time you’re going to focus a unit on Tuesdays with Morrie, for example, it might behoove you to spend a Saturday afternoon drafting lesson plans for each chapter of the book. That way you know exactly what you’re doing (in big, overarching terms) but you also have the steps to move forward even if you end up not getting through what needs to be done that day or week.
Another useful tip is to tap into other teachers’ resources. Remember: other people have been there, taught that. There are a wealth of lesson and unit plans, documents, PowerPoints, homework sheets, etc. at your fingertips. And it’s not bad to use them!
To save yourself time, browse resources like Teachers Pay Teachers to see what can be useful for your classroom. This is often a cheap, time-saving way of getting yourself organized. [To check out my shop, click here!]
2. Use automation for the easy tasks.
You may never have considered this for your classroom, or even known it was an option. (I sure didn’t!) But tapping into Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can be a game-changer for your teacher productivity.
RPA software, specifically RoboWorx, is software that records your daily tasks and mimics the human reactions to save you time and energy. For example, this software can move files, log into applications, copy and paste data (think coping grades from document to report card!) and fill in forms, etc. You can save tons of time each day by relying on a reliable software to do your busy work, leaving more time for your actual teaching and planning.
Although daunting at first, the process is actually far simpler than you think and consultants are there with you every step of the way, helping to troubleshoot and set up the processes you really need.
3. Create opportunities for your students to be more autonomous.
When your students take the lead, their confidence skyrockets. Creating opportunities for them to play important roles in their own learning is important—not only to boost the overall classroom dynamic, but to increase your teacher productivity, too.
When you delegate tasks to your students this gives you precious time to work on the things you need to get done. It also allows them to feel more responsible for their learning and success.
4. Maintain a healthy balance.
Above all, you have to keep yourself balanced. This means learning how to turn off your teacher brain when you’re out of the classroom, leaving emails unread after a certain hour at night, and not spending your entire weekend grading. Easier said than done, of course, but if you create opportunities for rest and relaxation (even if this is small at first!) you will be far happier and more productive when you return back to work.
For other teacher tips, click here.
Featured Image Credit: TONL
This is a sponsored post with affiliate links. All ideas expressed and written are my own.