As many schools get ready for the start of a new term, teachers of all
levels will be resigning themselves to that fact that after 5 or even 6 weeks
of summer holidays when routines have slipped, getting their students to focus
in class will be something of a challenge.
Pupils, especially youngers ones will be excited to see their friends
again, but also in many cases anxious about being back at school and settling
into a new routine with a new and unfamiliar classroom and teacher. They may be
worrying about the challenges that the new school year will bring, and this can
all add up to one thing, a class of students who struggle to focus.
Whilst it is true that an entire month of not being in a familiar
classroom routine may make it hard to get things back on an even keel, it is
luckily not an impossible task. So, before you feel yourself wishing it was the
next big holiday try some of these tips in your lesson plans at the start of
the new term to get your pupils back on track.
Say Hello to Everyone
The first day back
at school can be somewhat daunting for many pupils, especially younger ones.
Make a positive start to the day by greeting all your new students as soon as
they enter the classroom. Give the children a chance to say hello to their
friends as well; they may not have seen each other much, if at all, over the
summer so let them get their greetings out of the way before they have to
settle down. If your happy greetings put just one pupil at ease who was
worried, then it will all have been worthwhile.
Give Them a Chance to Share
With several weeks
of information to share with their classmates, your pupils will have plenty to
talk about so let them do just that – it will help them get some of their
excitement out of the way. Rather than struggling to keep the attention of a
full classroom and begin your lessons right away it can be a good idea to
encourage your students to share information about their holidays and what they
did. Here are a few suggestions on how you can incorporate this:
·
Get pupils to sit in a circle and, using a round-robin, have each one
share what the favourite thing they did was
·
Divide the pupils into small groups and let them talk amongst themselves
about what their favourite activity of the summer holiday was
·
Set pupils the task of writing or producing a drawing about how they
spent their summer so that they can share with the whole class.
If you encourage your class to share information about where they went
during the summer or the activities that they took part in then, you will have
helped to quash the curiosity of their classmates, and of course their desire
to tell everyone, in a controlled manner, allowing you to keep control of the
class.
Review The Rules
Whether you teach
high school or a primary class, there are always some rules in each classroom
that help things to run smoothly. After a long summer break, and especially
if you have a new class, it can be a good idea to go over the rules and reinforce
them so that your pupils understand what is required of them. Remind them of
the rules that are in place and what is expected from them in terms of
behaviour in the classroom, to any adults they come into contact with and of
course their fellow pupils. In the case of secondary school pupils, it can
often be handy to remind them of the rules regarding uniform as this is
something that can obviously slip over the summer when they are able to wear
just what they want.
Allow your pupils to ask any questions they might have about the rules
as well. If you have different rules to their previous teacher, they may just
require a little confirmation.
Review Previous Learning
After such a
lengthy break, it is possible that your students may have forgotten some of the
last things that they were taught, so take some time to plan a couple of
refresher lessons. This will help to reinforce any previous learning. Don’t
overwhelm them with too much information all at once though. A few simple games
can be a good way of revisiting previous learning and will seem fun rather than
appear to be a bombarding of too much information.
Don’t Expect Them to Sit Still
After a summer of
running around, and probably doing physical activities, your pupils will be
full of energy that they will not immediately be able to switch of. Rather than
expecting them to do so find some way to help them burn some of that excess
energy. By the end of physical activity, hopefully, your class will be ready
to sit down in their chairs for a little rest. This will allow you to then
begin to turn their attention to the new lessons that you have planned for the
year and any new topics that you might want to introduce.
Routine
Once your pupils
have settled down, hopefully after the first few days back, then you will be
able to start your programme of learning for the year and get your lessons off
to a really great start.
Don’t forget though that there are a number of other holidays, of
varying lengths, that occur during the school year, so you may need to employ
some of these strategies again in order to refocus your pupil’s attention after
each holiday. The summer holidays however really are the biggest challenge you
will face. Other breaks will be much smaller and the chance to get out a
routine will be much less so you should face fewer issues.
