Saturday, March 5, 2011

Tempus Fugit - Month three of the academic year

By now, teachers the country over are all wondering what they actually did over their long December break. Nerves are slightly frazzled as one looks at the planning and how little seems to have been done. Self-recriminations begin around now, the closer the first term marks' deadline looms, the more one wonders if it really was important to attend great-aunt Ivy's funeral after all.

Don't despair, just take charge of every day which remains of the first quarter. It is vital that preparations are done for the days one has left. Make every activity count and dispel any fancies that some tasks are more than others in the students' minds.Combine assessment tasks enabling them to be used for more than one category of marks. In the English class, for example, you could have learners research a specific topic and present their work in the form of a discursive essay. They could then present their work orally: as a reading piece or a persuasive speech. Combining written research and presentations work well in all the subjects which require a presentation mark.

Make sure your mark lists for CASS are up to date and ready to simply add the March mini-exam marks thereto. Think ahead and make sure that you give the senior classes an April holiday task and the younger learners a book or set genre to read before the start of the new term.

Start thinking carefully about each child in your register or home class - are you ready to make an academic report comment about somebody's child which will bring them praise from their parents or a self-esteem draining dressing down, or worse personal criticism?

Plan your holiday carefully too. Which days will you dedicate to assessments and preparation and which days to recharge your batteries? Keep holiday tasks manageable - if it is house painting you wish to do; choose just a room or two - if you return to school exhausted, you will be of little use to the children who are far more important to your sense of well-being in the end than the physical exertion suffered painting five rooms instead of two. Teachers know better than anyone else that the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" holds true for anything the outcome of which we place value upon.

Choose your holiday novel now, don't leave it until the last minute. The very best way to find a holiday read is to ask your closest colleagues who their favourite authors are and maybe even ask them to stick their neck out and choose the one book that is their favourite of all time.

Increase the level of your informal assessments and judgements of inherent talents or promise shown in your subject and other areas and school activities you have observed. Listen carefully to how your learners respond and structure their responses to your verbal quiz and class questions. Make notes if you need to and encourage specific areas of your learners' interests. Now is the time to boost your learners emotionally. Give children individual attention - even if during some classes it is in the form of direct eye-contact, an affirmative smile or a nod; but communicate.

Regardless of what the child's results are at this stage of the year, they must at least feel confident that you have not written them off, that you do not treat them according to the standard of work they produce. Provide slower learners with simple revision tasks to complete over the holidays, so they have already focused on improving their subject understanding and results, before the new term begins.

Try to find out if any child has a stressful holiday ahead of him or her, such as a wedding which will see a step parent enter his or her life; or a visit to a father the child has seldom or maybe even never seen.It is vital that scared teenagers at least have one adult with whom they can share their fears and concerns. If you deem it necessary, make sure the child has your number and the assurance that he or she can phone you anytime if there is a crisis. Remember to warn your family there may be a call and to ask on day one of term two how the child managed the stressful event.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Some ideas for the new year

The children will soon return. Everything is ready for them. The teachers are overjoyed to see each other and some quietly murmur " School is just so perfect when there are no children here."

The week before opening provides each teacher with the perfect opportunity to live out the adage "Things begun well, end well." As teachers, it is our duty to start every new academic year in the best possible way. Managers must oversee this start and keep checking on the progress of the preparations for the return of the pupils.

Here are a few tips for teachers on beginning the year well:
1) Make sure your classroom is organised from day one. Ensure you have discarded last year's mess and all superfluous papers.
2) Colour code your files and preparation books according to the subjects you teach, so you do not waste time looking for your teaching tools.
3) Examine your classroom from the point of view of your pupils, especially new children who are seeing the room for the first time. Does your classroom look organised? Are your display boards attractive and interesting? Can the children see what subject venue they have entered? Every new child should be able to step into your classroom and think, "Well, this is obviously the English classroom," for example.
4) Ensure that your administrative documents for the first few days are ready and easily accessible in a filing tray on your desk or in your drawer. Your class list will be essential obviously. Your ten day registers and office returns will be vital too.
5) The week before opening is a good time to create birthday charts for your new class. Think of creative ideas to make your chart attractive. Think Kindergarten - create a colorful clown and use a balloon for each month of the year and add the birthday dates for each child therein.
6) Make sure that all your teaching resources and handouts for the first few weeks are already copied and ready to distribute to your classes. This time is vital and you will need to spend your time wisely - setting the tone for your classroom management expectations and getting to know your new pupils.
7) If you are not really good with names, consider giving your children stick on name tags to wear for the first week or two. A classroom seating plan with each child's name thereupon is a good idea to assist you too.
8) Start filing from day one. Do not let piles of paper build up into insurmountable mountains. It is a good idea to file daily, before leaving your classroom at the end of the day; and make sure the next day's handouts are ready on your desk or shelves for distribution the following day.
9) Keep your record of marks updated from day one. Make sure that all tasks are marked within a maximum of three days; make sure too that you have entered the marks before you hand the tasks back to the children. Remember to sign and date tasks and make relevant comments. Use assessment tasks as an opportunity to boost your pupils' confidence. Contrary to popular belief, even a great big pimply seventeen year old will relish the sight of a bright sticker on her test paper.So when the year begins, make sure you have a stockpile of bright stickers ready to use.
10) For those of us with green fingers, it is always a good idea to have plants in the classroom and flowers when they are available. Plants add a touch of life and a reminder of God's creation. If you are a person who can kill a plant by simply glancing in its general direction, consider silk or realistic looking plastic plants in pots. If your school manager is agreeable, a beautiful singing bird in a cage on a very secure stand is a lovely touch. If you are in a Biology Lab the possibilities are endless - a fish tank, a snake tank, a colony of rats; it is always good for children to see and learn by example the incredible responsibilities one undertakes when taking on a pet.Remember too that even on cold days, your classroom windows should be open - fresh air is vital to clear minds and aids concentration.
11) Lastly, once you have gleefully circled all the "free" periods on your timetable - scrutinise carefully how best to use each teaching period each day. Use the lessons early in the day for tasks requiring maximum concentration. Plan to use the problem lessons such as straight after lunch, or the last lesson on a Friday for exciting tasks that do not require large amounts of concentration, but lots of participation.

Regardless of what we say, we all know that the school without the pupils would just be another boring work environment like any office or corporate concern the world over. And I am willing to bet that when you see those shiny faces next week and smell the brand new books and plastic covers; your spirits will soar and you will remember why you chose this, the noblest of all professions, in the first place.