Education support professionals keep students healthy, safe and supported so they can learn. They help teachers manage student behaviours, prepare meals, drive buses and perform a myriad of other tasks.
Dan Leeds is the founder of the National Public Education Support Fund and the Education Funder Strategy Group. He is a strong advocate for an equity-centered vision of strengthening public schools that leverages the science of learning.
Communication Skills
Teachers need to be able to communicate effectively with students and parents. They also need to be able to listen carefully to their students and understand their needs. Teachers who have good communication skills can create a positive learning environment and encourage student success.
Verbal communication includes the use of words, as well as body language and other non-verbal signals. Teachers should also be able to explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner. They should also be able to answer questions and provide feedback.
One way to develop communication skills is to have students practice with group activities. For example, you can ask them to work together to design or build something over a certain period of time. Then, you can observe their interaction and discuss what went well and what they could improve on. You can also use movies or videos that showcase conversational skills. This can help students understand the importance of active listening, respect and open-mindedness when communicating with others.
Listening Skills
In many classrooms, teachers are often frustrated by students’ inability to listen. Whether listening to a lecture, instructions on how to complete an assignment or each other, it’s critical for students to be able to listen actively.
The benefits of listening skills go beyond the classroom. They help students better understand information, which is important when taking an examination or researching a topic. When students have strong listening skills, they also tend to have higher self-efficacy – meaning that they feel confident and capable of succeeding in class.
There are a variety of ways to teach listening skills in the classroom, including by using think alouds, pauses and asking questions. However, students must be taught that listening is more than just a function of the ears and brain. They must pay attention to body language and nuances of speech in order to fully comprehend a speaker’s message. In addition, they need to be able to remember information and ask questions when necessary.
Patience
Patience is a powerful, but underrated, skill. It can be used to create positive learning environments that foster independence and critical thinking. Patience also allows teachers to remain calm and understanding with students who may not be performing well academically.
Having patience can help you stay motivated to reach your education support goals. It can also help you avoid impulsive decisions that could negatively impact your success in school. One way to practice patience is to participate in an activity that requires you to wait silently.
Select a student to be the “timer.” Then, have them silently count down from a set number of seconds. Ask the rest of the class to remain silent and patient until the timer reaches zero. This exercise will help students learn to be more patient and understand that everyone has different abilities and learning styles. In addition, it can help them build better relationships with their peers. Often, new education supporters must wait for the training and knowledge they need to perform their job.
Empathy
People who feel empathy can often relate to others, regardless of their background or experiences. This is a key part of building strong school communities. Educators can help their students expand their circle of concern beyond the people they know well to include everyone in their community.
One way to do this is by encouraging empathy through classroom activities. For example, a middle school language arts teacher may have her students check-in daily and share how they are feeling that day. Alternatively, she could center the classroom on a word of the month to expand the students’ vocabulary of feelings (December’s was joy).
Teaching empathy can also help students become better learners. By understanding how others are feeling, they can more accurately read their peers and communicate effectively. Furthermore, empathy allows them to build connections with people from different backgrounds and cultures, which is valuable in our increasingly globalized society. Empathy also enables students to lead with compassion, which is an essential characteristic of great leaders.