The best way to achieve harmony in your classroom is to develop good, positive working relationships with the children in your class. Where there is mutual respect, there's no need for stickers and stars. Be a well-planned, enthusiastic teacher who listens to the children - really listens - and you're halfway there.
Here are some tips on giving feedback that will help to develop that kind of respect:
- Don't say work is good when it isn't - find something positive in your feedback but they'll suss you out if your praise is clearly not well-earned. Children generally know when they've not done their best. For example if a child gives a wrong answer in Maths, but has the method right, acknowledge their working - this would gain marks in an exam.
- Use phrases such as 'I like how you've done that'...adding the specifics appropriate to the context.
- Where a child is stuck or says something is too difficult, or they don't know what to do, tell them 'It's really good that you know that. You haven't had to wait for me to tell you. That means you're halfway to being right.'
- Likewise - the child who puts up their hand to tell you they don't understand is an ally. Tell them 'Thanks for saying you don't understand. I'll bet you're not the only one - the others will be very grateful that you were brave enough to admit it!'
When I look back to how it was when we didn't have IWBs, it's like looking into a different world. They're wonderful, BUT... we mustn't fall into the trap of over-using them. 'Beware the mesmerising effect of the screen' as Gayle Gorman said on an excellent course she ran a few years back. And she's absolutely right - children will sit and stare at a screen happily for ages, but it isn't necessarily always the best way to teach. Use the IWB when it's the best tool for the job - and it isn't always. Hands-on experience wins every time. And don't forget use of the imagination - images can rob some of that sometimes. I visited a school where it was policy that the IWB must be used in every lesson - bad practice of the worst kind in my opinion. Chocolate's fabulous, but I wouldn't want to be forced to eat it at every meal...
Less is more
Something of a mantra of mine is that in a lesson there should be less of the teacher and more of the children - they should most definitely be working harder than you. After all, you've already done loads of stuff before the lesson starts! I was reminded of this when I spent two writing mornings with some Year 4 children recently. When they started to write, so did I. This is good on several counts -
- it enables them to see you as one of them - i.e. you are doing what you've asked them to do, so you are equally involved
- it gives value to what you've asked them to do - because you're doing it as well, it must be worthwhile
- you're modelling the writing behaviour you want them to achieve i.e. head down, stopping to think, not talking, crossing out, etc.
- you experience what they're experiencing, which makes you more sympathetic to their problems
- you have something to share at the end, just the same as they have
- you can ask for their help in editing and redrafting, to model how this is done
- you're not disturbing their own trains of thought.
Self-differentiation
When I heard this idea some years ago I was very sceptical, but I tried it and it worked wonderfully. It's particularly useful in maths, so I'll give an example from there.
Imagine you've just been teaching about some aspect of, say, fractions. You have your three levels of differentiation ready for the main activity, just as you normally would. But, instead of YOU deciding who does what, the children decide for themselves. So - you briefly outline each activity, saying something like 'If you're feeling really confident and think you can probably do this with no problem - choose activity A. If you're feeling OK about it but aren't quite up to a big challenge, choose activity B. If you want to build your confidence by trying something simpler to start with, choose Activity C. And if you're feeling confused and want a bit more explanation, come over here with me and I'll go over it again for you.'
This allows those children who are having difficulty to get a bit more input - and if this becomes normal practice for you, there is no shame involved - it's all part of open acceptance that lack of knowledge or understanding is not a bad thing, and that all of us will feel that at some time. It also allows for children to go for a challenge, which, perhaps surprisingly, most of them enjoy. OK, there are likely to be one or two who'll go for the easy option, but this may actually help with self-esteem for some, and when they've completed their chosen activity they can be directed to take on the next level task. Just make a mental note of them in case they try it too often, at which point you step in! 'You know, I'm sure you could have a go at this level today...'
You may need to have in mind an extension task for the whizz-kids in your class. Maybe they could design the next level of challenge?!
A bonus for you is that you immediately see the children's own perception of where they think they are in terms of understanding the learning. And you can assess how accurate they were when you mark the work.
Parent Evenings
Tiring, stressful, yes - but they can also be rewarding and are as much for our benefit as they are for the parents. Here's a few tips:
- Have a way that helps you stick to your schedule - running over is no fun for anyone. You might sit opposite the clock, have a timer or small clock on your desk, or a subtle signal from your laptop.
- Consider inviting the child to the discussion - this is not only good practice in so many respects, it really helps to keep the discussion focused on the child and their learning.
- Be prepared. Have:
- any of the child's work that you expect to talk about ready to hand
- any data that you've collected about the child
- a list of a few key questions that you want to ask them (remember this is a two-way thing - it's your opportunity to gain some insight that could be helpful for you in relation to your teaching)
- handouts that parents can take away with them. These might include things like handwriting style, spelling lists, explanation of calculation methods,VCOP or phonics, a list of recommended books, school-created leaflets on how they can help at home, etc.
- water to drink!!
- Don't allow yourself to be distracted. Stick to what's relevant. If they start on anecdotes, or lengthy reminiscences of when they were at school, nip it in the bud politely and get quickly back to the point of the conversation. (Though some bits of information about a parents' school experience can sometimes be enlightening).
- Try to build one or two 5 or 10 minute breaks into your evening, to give yourself a breather, go to the loo, grab a hot drink, or provide some catch-up time if some appointments have run over a little.
- Provide something for parents and children to do while they're waiting to see you - books to browse, good wall displays to look at, paper & pencils etc. It's also a chance to gather information via a parent questionnaire.
- Make notes for yourself - if you promise to do something, write it down so you don't forget.
- Have a way of signalling that it's the end of the conversation - stand up; say 'Well, I think that's everything. Thanks for coming'; shake hands; close a book very obviously...
Do you have any annoying verbal ticks? Many of us unknowingly over-use certain words or phrases - especially 'OK?' which our listeners are only too conscious of. From a classroom management point of view, this can lead to problems, as learners may ignore it after a while, making it redundant, or even make fun of it at your expense. Aim for clarity of delivery, to give your listeners confidence in you!
Mid-time blues
The Spring term. being in the middle of the academic year, can seem something of an anti-climax, resulting in a dead, potentially dull or depressing term. All the excitment of the start of the new school year is gone, as is the build-up to Christmas. The Summer term has better weather and the end of the year to look forward to, but spring is none of these things.
So - be aware of the fact, and plan to do something about it - create something of your own to look forward to. With the actual season of spring coming, why not extend it to an earlier start and use that to build up to a big spring event. OK, Easter comes at the end of it, but we don't usually do much about that until it's almost upon us. So maybe using the natural world could be your focus. Plan a building programme of what you might call (romantically, I know) 'nature's awakening'.
Look for the first snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, sticky ash-tree buds, etc. And if there are none where you are - plant some, or some quick-growing seeds, even if they're indoors. Create a bird-feeding station and arrange times for some bird-watching, with simple identification charts. Keep a tally of bird visitors, and observe behaviour. Look for nest-building activity later in the season. Do regular bug-hunts and keep a diary of what is seen first and by whom. Note the lengthening days - keep a chart of earlier sunrises and later sunsets. Find poems to go with the theme.
If this doesn't appeal to you - fine; choose something else that matches what you'll be doing anyway, or something totally different - but do create something!
New Year planning
As you start to plan the term ahead, make sure you think of yourself as well as the class and the curriculum. Take a step or two back and give yourself an overview of each week and day, ensuring that you haven't overloaded yourself with preparation, photocopying or marking. This is particularly important with regard to marking - as you plan your separate literacy, numeracy etc. it's easy to get involved with each isolated lesson, only realising later that collectively you've ended up with loads to prepare or a huge amount of marking.
Reduce literacy marking by having each lesson building up to one main marking effort - allow the children time to edit and self-correct and work with a writing partner - it saves you time and stress and is good practice for them into the bargain. Plan some maths that they can mark themselves as you provide the answers - old-fashioned but fine to do sometimes. And get them to make use of checking work against success criteria that they then comment on themselves.When you mark it, you comment on their comments! This can even be done with very young children, using smiley faces etc.
How do you use homework?
Each school usually has their own policy for homework, and generally we have to conform with that, but have you ever stopped to consider how well your own version of homework is? It's often not very effective. And the word 'work' is off-putting in itself! What if it was renamed - 'Home learning' or 'Home activities', or something similar? And what if didn't involve a worksheet? And what if the children had some say in what they did?
Do you spend time chasing up homework, or dealing with parents who have misunderstood, or put too much pressure on the child to do it - or even done it themselves? Ask yourself - is it worth it? What is this achieving? There has to be a better way! Perhaps offer the children challenges, pitched at different levels, or with different methods/outcomes matched to preferred learning styles? So...make a poster/write a song/create a comic strip/design a board game - all based on the same input. If it's maths, think creatively - don't send home lists of 'sums' - offer investigations; find maths games for them to play; encourage other family members to be involved/make comments etc.
Talk about homework with your class - find out what they think - and how easy it is for individuals to actually do it in their homes - not everyone has the space.
Slow thinking time
This is a really important idea and one which should be a fundamental part of anyone's teaching. And like most really important things, it's simple. It just means giving children sufficient time to think before doing something. This might be something as simple as telling them the day before they're going to be doing a piece of work, what they're going to do, in order to give them time to assimilate the concept. Or time to think about the events or characters in a story they're going to write, or time to gather ideas for a piece of art work they're going to do.
We're so often told to inject 'pace' into our lessons, and this is always taken to mean speed. But a marathon runner would get nowhere if using the same pace as a sprinter - point being there's more than one pace to be had. With slow thinking you're allowing the creative juices to flow, allowing for ideas to be considered and maybe rejected, or possibly refined. You're allowing for new ideas to surface that might be better than the original one.
In the course of a lesson, this might mean not expecting instant answers - think how well you react under those conditions - at the very least allow a silent count of 5 seconds before maybe offering a prompt, or leaving the question completely to return later in the session. Or give the question before doing the related teaching - then ask for the answer, e.g. 'I'm going to be asking you to divide a large number by 4' - then show them how to do it - then ask the question again. You've prepared the ground so the question doesn't come as a total surprise. So often, in our fear of upsetting a child who can't answer, and our fear of giving them a few seconds of silence to work it out, we move swiftly on with 'Can anyone help her/him?' It seems laudable, but I wonder...
Next question...
To elicit better responses from unwilling children, give them fair warning of upcoming questions - tell them 'The next question will be for you...', so they know in advance they'll be expected to give a response - this also works with encouraging poor listeners to listen more intently!
Reward systems
I've never been a fan of stickers and extrinsic rewards, and this idea - though fairly common - I find works well as a motivator and encourages collaboration. Although it is competitive, it works at a group rather than an individual level, which for me is preferable.
It's called Table Points, so does assume the children generally sit in groups around the same table for most of the time (though points can be earned at any time wherever the child maybe located!).
Give each table a name - either let them choose one (like at a pub quiz), or allocate one maybe that's linked to your current focus, or your class name if you have one. So if you're doing The Greeks, you might choose mythological creatures, or if it's teddy bears, follown that theme, etc. Give each table a laminated stand-up card with their name and an approriate picture displayed. Have a tally board displayed, with the same names and pictures. (So they learn about tallying at the same time!) Children can gain points for anything you select, but I chose things like being generally helpful, working hard, achieving something that had been difficult for them, listening particularly well, staying on task, etc. - you know the sort of thing. Points can be earned either as individuals or as a group, e.g. the most hard-working table in a session; the table to tidy up the quickest, etc. Make sure any other adults working with the children know about the system, and encourage them to award table points too.
Count the scores at the end of the week, and give the winners something to stand on their table for the coming week, signifying that they were the previous week's champions. I found a replica plastic 'Oscar' that worked well!
Are you gender biased?
We all like to think we are equally fair to both boys and girls in our classes, but from many observations, I have often found that even the most consicientious of teachers can unwittingly favour either boys or girls when asking for answers from the class, or seeking volunteers. Interestingly, this can differ, depending on the lesson - boys seem to be asked more often in Maths and Science for instance, and girls in English and the Humanities.
To find out just how fair you are being, ask your trusted Teaching Assistant to make note of whether you seem to favour either boys or girls in your lessons. To avoid being too well prepared, tell them not to let you know when they're doing it. Takes courage, but worth it!
Save Time on Marking
The best feedback is given in discussion and conversation, but we do have to mark work and if we're not careful we can spend far too long on it. When you're planning work, bear in mind how you will respond to it - and don't give yourself too much written feedback to do all at the same time.
Another time saver is to have symbols for comments you use frequently, and that are easily understood by the children. This saves you time writing and is easier for them to immediately understand - particularly important for less experienced readers. So, some teachers draw the tip of a finger to remind children to use finger-spaces; use // to show where a new paragraph should have started; FS for a missing full stop. You can easily work out your own for use with your own class.
Self Registration
Not a new idea, but not everyone does it, and it saves so much time! Basically, instead of spending ages calling the register, the children register themselves in a way appropriate to their age. So in Early Years, they might pick up a name card and place it in a box or wall-pocket, or dragging their name from one place on the interactive whiteboard, to another place, while older children can tick against their name on a class list (laminated maybe for repeated use). You could get them to indicate on the same list whether they're having a school or packed lunch or going home, maybe by writing a letter against their name i.e. S = school lunch, etc. Then either you or the TA simply transfers the information on to the official register, which is much quicker than calling it out. That means you have more time to teach and the children have more time to learn!
Plan a display together
Who plans the displays in your room? You? Your TA? How often are the children involved? Get the children engaged in the thinking and decision-making before putting up displays, whether of their own work or a stimulus or information display. What should be included? What should the background and border be? What headings are needed, what should they look like and how should they be produced? Where should various items go? How do you decide what to include and what to leave out? How long should the display stay? Will it include 3D as well as 2D items? Who actually puts it in place?
Success Box
Great for building self-esteem and valuing children's achievements in any sphere - this was the inspiration of a boy in my Year 3 class, for whom recognition of success was extremely important.
Have a special box with a posting slot. Make slips of paper - I had several designs - on which children record their name and their success. This can be anything, in school or out, so it might be getting a swimming certificate or feeling they've mastered something that was previouslsy very difficult, or it might be that they've made up with someone they fell out with, or ate all their breakfast! Anything!
The children post their completed slips in the box, which is emptied cermoniously at the end of each week, with the successes being red out to eh whole class before being posted - temporarily - on the wall. At the end of the next week, the children can take their success slips home, making room for the next batch.
Have a special box with a posting slot. Make slips of paper - I had several designs - on which children record their name and their success. This can be anything, in school or out, so it might be getting a swimming certificate or feeling they've mastered something that was previouslsy very difficult, or it might be that they've made up with someone they fell out with, or ate all their breakfast! Anything!
The children post their completed slips in the box, which is emptied cermoniously at the end of each week, with the successes being red out to eh whole class before being posted - temporarily - on the wall. At the end of the next week, the children can take their success slips home, making room for the next batch.
Salutory lesson ....
I've been busy doing some writing for an educational publisher, which has been very frustrating due to numerous last-minute changes, with no explanation. So I've had to keep re-doing all my work, with not a word of thanks - until finally one kind person said something positive about my writing. It made such a difference to my self-esteem and hence my attitude to the work. So...if it works with me - just think how it affects the children we teach! So - praise them! (But make it real!)
New Year, New Class
At the start of a new school year it's important to get to know each child as an individual in order to establish good working relationships. Ask each child to write you a letter at the start of the year, telling you about themselves. Give them some ideas, such as their family, pets, hobbies, clubs or groups they belong to, but also things like what they feel you should know about them. They can also tell you what they like and dislike about school - subjects or other stuff...
Less confident writers could draw and annotate pictures of themselves, with visual notes about the things that are important to them. You could reply to them if you feel up to it! But it's good to save them til the end of the year then hand them back for the children to see how they've changed over the year!
Letters Home
Keep a ringbinder with a copy of every letter that's sent home, so you'll always have it there for quick reference. Clear it out every half-term. You could ask a TA or child to do the job for you - specially important to know what's been sent home on days when you're not there, in case of future queries.
