What are pedagogical skills?

Pedagogical skills are a teacher’s ability to instruct students and manage their classroom. Teachers learn the material, understand their students, communicate with parents, collaborate with colleagues and form their own fair and consistent guidelines. Many teachers continually build upon their pedagogical skills throughout their careers to better connect to students and teach material.

Examples of pedagogical skills

Teachers use many kinds of pedagogical skills to encourage student learning. The importance of each type can vary based on the grade level you teach, the values of the school you work for and your own personal teaching goals. For example, a first-grade teacher may want to learn more tactics for keeping students engaged than a college professor, since younger children can have shorter attention spans. Here are a few skills that most teachers could benefit from having:

Communication

Part of teaching is being able to effectively communicate the information your students need to know. This can involve skills like writing clearly or knowing how to engage students in class so they pay better attention. Outside the classroom, your communication skills can be useful for talking to parents about their child’s progress and needs.

Adaptability

Every student has different needs and progresses at a different pace. A student might do better with a different instruction style, or the entire class might learn material faster than expected. If you’re adaptable, you may find it easier to accommodate a student’s needs without disrupting the class, and you may also find it easier to adjust lesson plans as needed so students remain challenged and engaged.

Collaboration

A student’s education is a collaborative effort between the student and teacher, and it may also extend to their families. Help your students identify and communicate their needs, then work together on potential solutions. If students feel more involved in their education, they may become more motivated to do well. It also helps if you collaborate with a student’s family, who may have more insight into a student’s behavior or learning style.

Inclusivity

Students often learn best in a safe, welcoming environment that makes them more confident in expressing ideas, asking questions and telling you about their needs. Being inclusive helps to create that environment by making students feel that they’re treated equally, no matter their race, gender, ability or background. For example, you might learn about the cultures of students in your class so that you can better communicate with them and identify ways to make them feel welcome.

Compassion

Students’ personal lives can sometimes affect their ability to learn in the classroom. You might not know the details of their lives, but you can still treat them with compassion. Instead of reprimanding a student for missing an assignment, consider asking why they missed it. You may be able to find a solution or some way to help them be more present and productive in class.