Teaching Skills: A Practical List With Examples and a Self-Check

What are teaching skills?

In teacher training, a teaching skill is a set of actions that others can see, measure and help you improve. For example, the skill of questioning includes asking clear questions, pausing and spreading questions across the class.

In job adverts and interviews, the term is wider. It covers communication, planning, patience and the other things a school looks for in a teacher.

Part 1: Classroom teaching skills, done well

B.Ed courses train these skills through micro teaching. Our guide to micro teaching explains the practice cycle and its timings. Here the focus is on using each skill well in a real class, with words you can say.

Introducing a lesson (set induction)

Use the first two or three minutes to get learners ready. Link the topic to what they know, make them curious and tell them what they will learn today. You can say:

• Last class we learnt about [topic]. Today we will find out [new idea].
• Put up your hand if you have ever [everyday experience].
• Look at this. What do you think will happen?

Explaining

Explain one idea at a time. Start with a one-line summary, give the steps in order and end with the same idea in different words. Check that learners understand before you move on. You can say:

• Here is today's idea in one line: [idea].
• First this happens, then this. So the result is [result].
• Tell your partner in one sentence what [term] means.

Questioning

Ask one short question at a time. Pause before you name a learner, so that everyone thinks. Ask easy recall questions first, then why and how questions. You can say:

• Everyone, think. I will choose someone in a moment.
• What is it? Why does it happen? How would you use it?
• Hands down for now. Talk to your partner for one minute first.

Probing (follow-up questions)

When an answer is wrong, half right or missing, do not move on at once. Give a hint, ask for more, or pass the question to another learner. You can say:

• No answer: think about what happens to ice on a hot day.
• Half right: good start. Can you tell me a little more?
• Right answer: why do you think so?
• Pass it on: do you agree with her? What would you add?

Illustrating with examples

Choose examples from learners' daily lives. Give an example, then the rule, then another example. Some examples that work in Indian classes:

• Percentages: a phone battery at 60 percent, or a discount in a shop.
• Averages: a batsman's runs in his last five matches.
• Speed: a train that covers 300 km in 5 hours.

Stimulus variation

Change something every few minutes to hold attention. Move around the room, change your voice, pause, use gestures and switch between talking, writing and showing an aid. Charts, models and short videos help here, as our guide to teaching aids shows. You can say:

• Look at this diagram. What do you notice first?
• Turn to your partner and compare your answers.
• Let us stop talking for a moment and look at the model.

Reinforcement

Respond to answers in a way that makes learners want to try again. Praise the effort and the thinking, not only the right answer, and never mock a wrong answer. A nod, a smile or writing a learner's answer on the board also helps. You can say:

• Good thinking, [name]. You used the clue in the question.
• That is partly right. Who can add to it?
• Thank you for trying. Let us check it together.

Using the blackboard

Plan your board before the class. Start at the top left, keep letters large and lines straight, and use coloured chalk only for key words. Write only the main points. Face the class when you speak, not the board.

Managing the class

Set a few clear routines and use them every day. Give instructions in short steps and say how much time learners have. You can say:

• When I raise my hand, you raise yours and stop talking.
• You have three minutes. I will tell you when one minute is left.
• First open your notebook. Then write the date. Then copy the question.

Closure

Keep the last three to five minutes for closure. Sum up the lesson, link it to the next one and ask learners to use the idea. You can say:

• Tell me three things we learnt today.
• Before you leave, write one question you still have.
• Next class, we will use this to [next topic].

Part 2: Skills every teacher needs

These skills matter in every school, coaching centre and online class. Schools look for them in resumes and interviews.

Planning is easier with a fixed format. Our guide to the lesson plan format gives one you can copy.

Two assessment terms come up often in interviews. Formative assessment means checking learning while you teach, such as quick questions or a short quiz. Summative assessment means testing at the end of a unit or term, such as a half-yearly exam.

How to write teaching skills on a resume

Do not just write words like good communication. Add a short proof for each skill. Here is a sample you can change.

Teaching skills. Lesson planning for [Classes 6 to 8, CBSE] [science]. Clear explanation using models and simple experiments. Questioning and doubt-solving in classes of [40]. Formative assessment with weekly quizzes. Slides, short videos and online quizzes. Regular progress updates to parents.

In an interview, give an example for each skill you claim. A short story about a real class shows more than a list of words.

Rate your teaching skills: a self-check table

Rate yourself from 1 (I find this hard) to 5 (I do this well every time). Be honest. Then check again after a month.

Pick your two lowest scores. Work on one skill each week. You can also ask a colleague to watch one class and rate you on the same table.

How to build your teaching skills, step by step

Skills grow with practice and feedback, not with reading alone. This simple routine works for school teachers, tutors and coaching teachers.

1. Choose one skill for the week, such as pausing after a question.
2. Write one line about it at the top of your lesson plan, so you remember it in class.
3. Record five minutes of one lesson on your phone, with your school's permission.
4. Watch the recording and count how often you used the skill.
5. Ask learners one question at the end of a class, such as which part was unclear.
6. Watch a senior colleague teach once a month and note one thing they do well.
7. At the end of the week, rate yourself again on the self-check table.

Keep the changes small. One skill used well every day helps your learners more than ten skills tried once.

Skills that matter more in coaching and online classes

• Time planning: a coaching batch has a fixed syllabus and a fixed exam date, so plan each topic in hours.
• Doubt-solving: keep a few minutes in every class for doubts, or set a weekly doubt hour.
• Test analysis: after each test, go through common mistakes with the whole batch.
• Clear speech on camera: in online classes, speak a little slower and check that your board or screen is readable.
• Checking attention online: ask learners to answer in the chat or unmute often, because you cannot see every face.

The 5 main skills and the 7 principles of teaching

Is there a list of 5 main teaching skills?

No official list of five exists, and different books give different lists. If you need five, these cover most of a teacher's work: communication, planning, classroom management, subject knowledge and assessment.

What are the 7 principles of teaching?

Lists of principles also vary, so say which list you mean. A widely used list is the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson wrote it in 1987.

It was written for colleges, but it fits school classes too. In simple words, good teaching:

1. Encourages contact between learners and teachers.
2. Helps learners work together and help each other.
3. Encourages active learning, so learners do things and do not only listen.
4. Gives quick feedback.
5. Gives enough time to each task and uses that time well.
6. Expects a lot from learners, with goals they can reach.
7. Respects different talents and ways of learning.

Active learning links to many teaching methods, such as group work and projects. Indian B.Ed courses also teach maxims of teaching. These are short rules such as go from known to unknown, from simple to complex and from concrete to abstract.

Share your teaching on Sikhami

Your skills grow when learners can see your teaching and respond to it. Sikhami gives every teacher a free teacher profile with your photo, a short intro, an About section, your subjects and links. Learners can follow it, write reviews and ask questions. Institutes can invite a published teacher to teach on their courses.

On your own account, you can post clips (short videos) and notes. You can earn from paid notes, paid clubs, meetups, study rooms with an entry fee, memberships and Super Chat. To sell a video course, you create a free institute on Sikhami and add the course under it. Joining and posting are free.