Academic Strategies

One important strategy for future English teachers is time management. As students who are preparing to become teachers, we believe that being able to manage time well will help us finish tasks on time, prepare lessons carefully, and reduce stress. We suggest using simple tools like a daily planner, a to-do list, or a time-blocking method. Time blocking means dividing the day into parts where each part is used for a different activity, like studying, lesson planning, or taking a break. This way, no time is wasted, and all important tasks can be done properly.

A useful tip from Thomas Frank’s YouTube video called "How to Manage Your Time Better" is: “Getting serious work done means minimizing context switches.” This means that when you want to focus on something important, like preparing a lesson or studying for an exam, you should not do other things at the same time, such as checking your phone or replying to messages. Doing many things at once makes your brain tired and work slower. Instead, it is better to finish one task fully before starting another.

This strategy matches with Stephen Covey’s Habit 3: Put First Things First, which teaches us to focus on the most important tasks before doing small or unimportant things. For example, a future teacher should finish making a lesson plan first before spending time checking social media or chatting. When we do the most important work first and stay focused, we become more productive and successful as learners and teachers.

One important academic strategy for future English teachers is learning how to give assessments. As explained in the video, assessments help teachers know what students have learned and what they still need to practice. This matches with Stephen Covey’s Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, because teachers must have a clear goal, making sure students understand the lesson and improve.

Teachers should also be proactive (Habit 1). In the video, the speaker says teachers must check students’ grammar, pronunciation, and sentence-making skills during lessons, not only during assessments. This means teachers should always guide students, give small corrections, and not wait until the test day to fix mistakes.

Another strategy from the video is to make the assessment feel like a celebration, not a scary test. This helps students feel happy and relaxed. The speaker suggests using games or rewards to make assessments fun. This relates to Habit 3: Put First Things First, focusing on what’s really important: helping students enjoy learning, not stressing them with exams.

Teachers also need to work together with parents, students, and other teachers. This matches Habit 6: Synergize, which means working well with others to reach better results.

Lastly, when the assessment ends early, the video suggests reviewing what students got wrong or giving extra practice activities. This connects with Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw, because teachers use the extra time to improve students’ skills, not just finish quickly.