Back to School III

That first day can be intimidating for many teachers, even those teachers who have been doing it for years. A new year means new students, perhaps a new year level and classroom. I'm writing these posts as much for others as I am myself =).

I've looked at 

1. Establishing Goals

2. Developing Classroom Rules

3. Enlisting Parent Cooperation and 

4. Preparing the Routine of that First Day

5. THAT FIRST DAY

Be in the classroom a little early and greet each student as they come into class. If, like my school that first day there is an assembly in the morning, you will not meet every students in the class, but make sure when you get to your class line, that you greet them and make a quick introduction.

If tables are set up, you could have a worksheet on each table, which students get straight into while you wait for others to arrive. Make sure that this is simple enough for all students to complete. The aim of doing this is so that students walk into the room and see there is a routine straight away. If you prefer, you may stay on the carpet and have students put away their things and join you on the mat. It might help you to have a reference on the board of steps they need to follow before they come to the mat. With my students, I display the steps I would like them to follow using pictures, as many are not fluent with English e.g. A picture of a bag on a hook with the words 'Hang your bag on the hook'. It is important that how you start the day matches what you expect on the average day of school and what you may do will be different to another teacher's approach.

"Expecting students to just sit is unreasonable. If they use that time to just sit and chat, you are misteaching them about what your classroom will be like. You are saying 'This class is really easy. You have time to talk all day.'"

Dealing with behaviour of students can be a struggle that first day. Some students will enjoy testing your boundaries. When discussing a student's behaviour with them, "your manner should be gentle, but firm. Your voice should communicate that you are not the least bit angry or flustered. You simply know exactly what you expect of your students."  Don't avoid conflicts with students because it's only the first day, as this first day can set the tone for the rest of the year. When there is a conflict, just ensure that you do remain calm and in control of the situation. Try not to raise your voice, you shouting will not resolve the issue any faster. 

By the first day you would have already prepared your schedule, with planned activities. Below is generally what I do on the first day

• Introductions

• Name Game

• Discussion of routines and class rules, including allocating tables

• Tour of the school and discussion of school rules at every point

• Read a story on mat, perhaps with a fun follow up activity

• Making Book Covers

• Have students write me a letter about what they enjoy doing at school, what they find difficult, what they are looking forward to etc. This could work with younger students if this was done as a speaking and listening activity or drawing a picture for each one of these things etc.

• During any independent work, I may find the time to listen to some students read or walk around the class having a chat with individual students

• Group Game

• Discussion and Review of the first day, as a class.

As stated in the previous post, it is better to plan too much than not enough. Do not stress if things don't get done. Simply concentrate on getting to know your students and setting the tone for the rest of the year. If things do not work out the way you had planned, or behaviour became out of control, at the end of the day evaluate what you believe caused these issues and try to deter that behaviour the next day. 

Good Luck! I hope that you all have a fantastic first day. It would be great to hear how it went from some of you.

Back to School II

Continuing with the last post about starting a new year, I've written about

1: Establishing Goals

2: Developing Class Rules

3. ENLISTING PARENT CO-OPERATION

The main point argued in the handout is that parents need to be well informed. When parents know what is happening in the classroom, they often offer more support. Write a letter to parents on the first day of school. The letter should have goals for the year and the expected behaviour of the students. It should also be clear that you are available for phone conversations, meetings etc. Personally I generally state that I am available daily before and after school and give a time. It means that parents understand that during class time, I am not free to leave to have a meeting. (I will have my letter to parents available in an upcoming post).

4.PREPARING THE ROUTINE OF THAT FIRST DAY

Know what time school starts and how the day is normally set out e.g. my school has 8 lessons a day, assembly on Mondays and Fridays etc. Find out if there are any compulsory activities taking place on that first day. This day will be different than the normal classroom routine. Some schools even begin the testing process on the first day to decide on ability groups etc. Have a chat to colleagues, a Coordinator, the Principal, someone who will be able to help you. If you're new to the school, hopefully you will be given a mentor. If you haven't, find someone you are comfortable speaking to about it and ask whether or not you will have a mentor and who your first stop should be if there is a problem.

Have some group activities planned, particularly ones that allow you to get to know your students, for them to introduce themselves and for you to do the same. Name games are fantastic as well, as for some teachers, this can be one of the most challenging aspects of getting a new class, remembering those 30 names. Have an approximate time for each of the activities you do plan. It will help you to feel the flow of the day.

As well as group activities you will need some individual activities or 'filler' activities as you may know them.  These may be puzzles, colouring, listening posts, educational games (matching games, addition games), colouring book covers etc. You will find many ideas online, if you are having trouble. You may decide to make each student a pack of work to complete for the day. You may choose to use it as assessment or allow them to take it home to show their parents.

As well planning activities it is important for students to understand what the routines will be, where to find things, what materials they are allowed to use in free time, new classroom rules and so on. The rules you established earlier need to be discussed. Perhaps like me, you want your students involved in the making of these rules, so you will need to allow time for students to discuss with their peers and then share with the class. Another important thing is to take any new students on a tour of the school. I do this with the whole class as it refreshes their memories about the rules outside.

It's really important that you spend this first day talking and lots of it. Allow your students to talk and share with you and their peers. Try to really begin the process of getting to know your students before the pressures of the curriculum and the stresses of daily school life begin. The first day should be fun and exciting. The first day for many students can mean so many different things. Some are excited and some are dreading the day. It is your job to make it as enjoyable as possible, while giving them a taste of what the following days will be like.

Lastly, have your planning well organised that you can see what activity is next and what resources you will need at a glance. It is also better to over plan than to not have planned enough. The activities you might not get through on that first day can be done the next day. 

Back to School

It's the start of a new school year very soon here and so now that the Christmas season has ended and the New Year resolutions have already been made, I figured I should begin planning for the new year. I was given a handout at the beginning of last year by our school Counsellor about how to prepare for that first day. I do not have the source, so if anyone recognises it, please let me know. 

The main aim of the handout is to stress the importance of setting a positive learning environment from that first day, and they believe this will happen if you are more prepared in the lead up. This preparation, I feel is more important when this year will be your first teaching position. Most teachers do prepare before the year begins, however we sometimes forget about those little things because we have done it so often.

1. ESTABLISHING GOALS

This refers to setting goals for your class as a whole. The handout focuses on goals for desired behaviour. Below are a list of their suggestions

• I want my students to work independently
• I want my classroom to be a calm environment
• I want my students to be helpful to me and to each other
• I want each student to continually strive for improvements in all areas
• I want each student to learn as much as they are able to learn

2. DEVELOPING CLASS RULES

You can read my post about classroom rules here.

One of the most important aspects that I found when reading was that rules that begin with "Don't" imply that you expect your students to misbehave. They gave the following examples for students when working at their tables

1. Don't talk

2. Don't get out of your seat

3. Don't bother your neighbour 

4. Don't be late handing in your work

*Keep in mind not all students will understand what neighbour means when we use this to refer to their peers.

They used these examples to reword into one rule that was worded in a much more positive way

"Work quietly and independently at your seat until you have completed your work."

We also have the tendancy to make these long lists of rules. It is better to keep your list to 5-6 rules. Creating these rules can be difficult when we have so many expectations. The handout explains that you can brainstorm a list of rules that you desire, and try to combine some to reflect your general expectations as shown above. Each rule requires a consequence and this needs to be decided before these rules are implemented in the classroom. It is also important to decide how you will enforce these rules e.g. will you give students consequences for breaking rules or reward those students who do follow the rules or both?

Check back soon for some more ideas.