Becoming a teacher at an international school in India is challenging and rewarding, requiring a diverse teaching skill set. Let’s begin by gaining an understanding of these teaching skills.

Teaching skills can be seen as magical abilities, allowing teachers to bring their subjects to life with their spells. Teachers must also use their teaching skills to develop a dynamic and participatory classroom atmosphere that inspires little scientists to learn and explore.

• To become a successful international school teacher and stay ahead of the curve, it is imperative to invest in professional skill development and continually acquire and develop new skills.
• Advanced technology and changing trends have raised the expectations of students and education, so teachers must be prepared to meet these demands.
• If you are well-versed in using intelligent boards and presentations, it will help you to effectively deliver lectures and cater to your students’ learning requirements and potential.

As such, you must continually strive to update and grow your skill sets to keep up with the times and gain access to the top teaching jobs in international schools. Having the right skills can make the difference between an average teacher and a great one.

One of the best ways to learn about the top teaching skills international schools seek is to check their job descriptions. Well, we've done that for you. Here are the common skills from the job descriptions of some top schools:

1. Technology Integration: The Future of Education‍

• As an international school teacher, you must integrate technology effectively into your classroom to make your teaching more effective and easy to understand.
• Use online resources like videos and interactive simulations to support student engagement.
• In today’s world, when students are well versed with technology, they should be aware of the boons and banes of it. Integrating technology would give them a larger perspective and ideas for learning new things daily.
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‍2. Differentiation: The Secret to Success

• This skill helps meet the diverse needs of students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
• Adjust teaching strategies to ensure every student can access and understand the learning material.
• In today's world of inclusion, it’s crucial that a teacher caters to the needs of all the students in the class. From a student with a high IQ level to an intellectual disability, students should be comfortable with the strategies used.
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3. Classroom Engagement: The Spark that Ignites Learning

• Engagement is the magic ingredient that makes learning come alive.
• As an international school teacher, you must create an engaging, challenging, and motivating learning environment that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills among all students.
• Use hands-on activities, games, real-world connections, and technology to make lessons more relevant.
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‍4. Cultural Competence: Understanding and Embracing Diversity

• Cultural competence is understanding, appreciating, and working effectively with people from different cultures.
• Develop an understanding of cultural norms, values, and beliefs and create a sound cultural setting.
• Use this understanding to create a positive and inclusive learning environment for all students. You can easily do this by taking examples from different cultures and celebrating all the festivals together in the classroom.
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‍5. Creativity and Innovation: Unleashing Student Potential

• Creativity and innovation skills allow teachers to design engaging, impactful lessons that unlock student potential.
• Teachers must use imagination, ask never-ending questions, and experiment with new-age teaching methods to foster creativity.

6. Collaboration and Teamwork: The Power of Partnership

• Collaboration and teamwork skills enable effective work with colleagues, students, and families to support student learning and success.
• Teachers must build positive relationships with others, communicate effectively, and work together to achieve common goals.
• For example, a yoga teacher can partner up with a dance teacher, and the same goes for academics; a math teacher can teach a topic called "perimeter" using a social science topic on farming, making the lessons more interesting and interdisciplinary.
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7. Communication: The Power of Connection

• Effective communication helps international school teachers convey complex information clearly and engagingly to resonate with diverse students.
• The teacher can ask open-ended and rhetorical questions for continuous discussion and communication in the classroom.
• Good communication skills help to understand students better and create good relationships; a lack of them can create misunderstandings and an unhealthy environment.
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8. Classroom Management: The First Key to Success

• Classroom management establishes clear expectations, ensures student engagement, and enhances overall academic achievement.
• Mastery of classroom management lets teachers focus on teaching and learning rather than dealing with disruptive behaviour or other distractions.
• Effective classroom management helps students and teachers prioritise their work and clearly understand goals, aims, and objectives that must be achieved in a particular time frame.
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‍9. Critical thinking: A Guide to Maximizing Analytical Thinking

• Critical thinking helps teachers develop the ability to think for themselves, question assumptions, and evaluate their learning.
• This skill is essential for teachers because of international schools’ diverse student backgrounds and perspectives.
• Fostering this skill helps teachers become more independent professionals who can analyse the distinct learning styles of their students.
• It is a valuable skill teachers can use throughout their lives, regardless of their chosen field or career path.
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‍10. Leadership: Taking Care of Those in your Charge

• Leadership skills help teachers to inspire students to achieve their goals.
• These skills build strong teams with a strong mindset and create a culture of trust and mutual respect. They also allow your teammates or learners to have credibility and trust in you.
• A teacher with strong leadership skills can easily resolve conflict, make better decisions, and adapt to change, resulting in the smooth functioning of all the tasks allotted. They know how to motivate and give constructive feedback to others in different ways and situations for better results.
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Micro and macro-teaching skills - are two sides of the same coin, yet so different. 

On the one hand, micro-teaching focuses on the fine details and intricacies of a single lesson or activity. 

On the other hand, there's macro teaching, a big-picture approach that looks at the entire curriculum and how it all fits together.

‍Micro-Teaching Skills

‍Micro-teaching has two meanings in education.

• Firstly, it refers to a classroom teaching style where teachers work with small groups of students for short periods (10-15 mins). Specifically, 1-2 micro-teaching skills are observed and used in the class, in earlier grade levels, such as elementary school.

• Secondly, it can refer to professional development generally used to monitor a teacher trainee's skills. Teachers give a short lesson to a small group of peers or students, followed by feedback and evaluation.

•  Microteaching is highly effective in teacher training as it enables teachers to experiment with new instructional techniques and lessons in a low-risk environment before implementing them in a full-class setting. 

Macro-Teaching Skills

‍In education, macro-teaching is a well-known teaching approach. 

• It involves a method where instructors teach the entire class for a more extended period (35-40 mins). 

• This method is especially beneficial in presenting new ideas or conveying critical information to students.

• Macro teaching is also helpful in planning a long-term curriculum for the whole semester or year. Teachers can communicate course objectives and expectations to students at the beginning of the course, which helps students comprehend what they will learn and how to achieve their learning objectives.
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Let’s understand it in a better way through a comparison table:

So, which approach is best for your teaching? The answer is both! Combining micro-teaching and macro-teaching creates a compelling and engaging curriculum.

‍Micro-teaching focuses on perfecting skills, while macro-teaching focuses on a big-picture perspective for comprehensive education. Together, they create an essential and well-rounded approach to teaching, unlocking the magic of education and helping students reach their full potential.

Now that we have a better understanding of the top skills, let's focus on how we can develop them and make ourselves future-ready. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Indulge in Reflection

Encourage yourself to assess your learning and progress. Seek support and guidance from others for better teaching and learning.

Be Adaptable and Flexible

Be adaptable to changing circumstances. Whether it's a last-minute schedule change or a disruptive student, remaining flexible and adaptable is critical

Embrace New and Innovative Approaches

Teaching constantly evolves, so stay updated with the new techniques and trends. Attend conferences, read up on the latest research, and collaborate with other educators to stay on the cutting edge.

Enrol in Online Courses & Qualifications

Enrolling in online courses and qualifications provides access to new teaching techniques, enhances subject knowledge, offers networking opportunities, provides flexibility, and can lead to recognition and advancement opportunities.

‍Engage in Peer Learning: Join Teacher Communities

Joining teacher communities allows you to connect with and learn from colleagues from diverse backgrounds and cultures. This collaborative learning approach can help you make your classes more engaging and inclusive.

Attend Professional Skill Development Workshops 

Attend workshops focusing on international teaching practices such as cross-cultural communication, culturally responsive teaching, and teaching English as a second language. Teachers can promote inclusion and cultural awareness in their classrooms by attending these workshops.

‍Participate in study Abroad Programs

Participating in study abroad programs can give you first-hand experience with different educational systems and cultures. You can take inspiration for your own classrooms from these systems.

‍Seek Mentorship Opportunities

Connect with experienced international teachers who can guide you and provide resources as you navigate new teaching environments and cultures.

‍Attend Language Immersion Programs

Language immersion programs enable you to enhance your communication skills by improving your language proficiency and exploring innovative teaching methods. You can create dynamic and inclusive classrooms by participating in these programs and fostering your professional growth.

Now that you’re familiar with international school teacher skills, here are some of the job opportunities that opened up for you:

If you still wish to explore a pool of more teaching jobs, click here on the Suraasa job portal.

In conclusion, becoming a teacher at an international school requires unique skills. The modern educational landscape demands that teachers continuously update their teaching skills and invest in professional development to meet changing trends and stay ahead.

So, are you ready to take your teaching career to the next level? Don't wait any longer to become an outstanding international school teacher. Talk to a mentor today to acquire and hone your international teaching skills for young and foreign learners.