My
book, '100 Free Ways To Happier Days! Was published in November 2015.
To mark this event I have created this blog. It is intended for
anyone who works in a school. It is called:
I
have had a variety of roles in school. To start with, I attended
school myself as a child and had a whole host of learning
experiences. Since then, I have been a teaching assistant, trainee
teacher,teacher, SENCO and Head Teacher. I have also attended school
as parent of two children and now I go into school and offer pupils
1:1 emotional support programmes.
I
have taught children of all ages in Primary school,I have been a
supply teacher and visited a whole variety of schools. After
working in a private
independent school attached to a Children's Home for pupils with
emotional and behavioural difficulties, my
next teaching experience included working as
an English teacher in a secondary school for pupils with autism. The
youngest children I have
worked with were aged 4
and the oldest were 19.
I
can honestly say that some of my very worst and very best
experiences have taken place in school. What about you?
There
are 100 short posts in this blog.
You
can comment below or email me at cathee@hotmail.co.uk
I
would be very willing to offer further support if this is something
that would be useful to you.
Just
get in touch and we can take it from there.
1.
They say they don't care but they do!
I
am making this my very first post because I know that this issue can
really 'press people's buttons.'
Let's
face it, sometimes children can be frustrating!
If
you work in a school the chances are that you will probably relate
to the experiences of staff who have tried to warn a pupil or pupils
that if they continue to behave a certain way, they will experience
a negative consequence or sanction. These could include them
missing their play time or having to attend Detention. Instead of
adjusting their behaviour they may shout,
"I
don't care!"
They
carry on doing the very thing that eventually does get them into
trouble.
The
thing is, they may tell you that they don't care but they do. By
saying that they usually succeed in getting you annoyed and if you
lose your cool that is an excuse for them to escalate their
behaviour further. In reality, they do care. They care what you say
and that want to get things right. They just aren't emotionally
developed enough to be able to admit that to you yet. When they say
they don't care, try ignoring this comment and calmly restate the
likely consequence if they do not adjust their current behaviour. By
staying calm you are in the best position to help them and even if
they do not listen to you this time, they will be more likely to
listen to you in future once they realise that you were right.
2.
Being told off in front of the whole class is humiliating.
In
my first couple of years of teaching I used to tell pupils off in
front of the rest of the class and wonder why they responded in a
rude and unhelpful way. I soon learnt that if I truly wish to help
pupils to adjust their behaviour, it is far more effective to talk
to them when they have not got an audience. That way they are more
likely to be willing to listen to what you say as they have not got
the fear of 'losing face' in front of their peers. My original
strategy came back to bite me once. I was walking along in the
estate where I used to live. A rowdy group of teens were ahead of
me shouting and attracting attention. As I walked past, one of the
boys shouted, " Hello Miss!"
He
asked me if I remembered him and I had to admit that I didn't. He
reminded me of who he was by telling me the following story:
"You
used to be the reception teacher at my school and one day you
called me into your class. You told me off in front of them all. I
had pushed one of the children over and they had fallen in the mud."
It
turns out that this had happened 8 years previously when he was
about 10. He went on to say that he shouldn't have pushed that pupil
over. The memory of this incident came flooding back. I told him
that I had been wrong to tell him off in front of the while class.
He told me that it was OK. He said goodbye to me and went to rejoin
his mates.
The
whole episode made me realise what a huge influence we have on
children. We do not need to humiliate them to get their attention. I
could just as easily asked to see him at break and had a quiet word
with him. I learnt from this though and whenever I need to see a
pupil because they are disrupting the lesson I start by calmly
asking them to stop whatever it is that they are doing. If this does
not work, instead of causing a confrontation, I quietly state that
I will talk to them after the lesson. This usually works well as
they have no audience and have had time to think about their own
behaviour and calm down. I am not saying I let them 'get away' with
disruptive behaviour. By acting in this way I signal to them and the
pupils around them that I am not happy with their behaviour and that
I will be picking up on it later. I find this strategy a lot more
effective as it stops other pupils joining in and making the
situation worse.
3.
They listen to everything you say while appearing not
to.
I
learnt this lesson when I had a child in my class who would not sit
with the others. He would walk about the classroom playing with
toys. I realise that he was not able to sit on the carpet with the
others at his stage of development. So as long as his behaviour was
not too distracting I left him to it, especially as I soon
discovered that he was listening carefully to everything that was
going on. I discovered this when I asked a question that none of the
rest of the class could answer. It was a question about a character
in the book I had been reading. After realising that none of the
others knew the answer, he calmly walked up to the front of the
class and shared the answer with them. We were all amazed.
After
realising that he had been listening avidly to everything that had
been said I realised that most of the pupils were in fact listening
to me when they sometimes appeared not to be. The exception to this
is when a pupil is so absorbed in what they are doing they are
unable to respond to anything else that happens around them. When
this is the case, calmly using their name at the start of your
comment will usually attract their attention.
4.
You have more influence than you think.
Think
back to your own childhood. Can you remember any of the teachers and
school staff? The chances are you can. One day I was walking in town
with a friend of mine who is a supply teacher. We walked into a
sweet shop to buy some snacks and a man working at the till started
beaming. He explained that this man had been his teacher 15 years
ago and that he still remembered a wonderful story about a chocolate
cake that he used to read.
When
you work with children you have more influence on them than you
might think.
If
you make a positive observation about a pupil they glow inside and
can often remember your words many years later. Unfortunately the
same applies to negative comments. How many of us gave up drawing,
sport, singing, acting or anything else because a teacher or member
of staff told us we weren't very good at something?
I
work with people who are in their teens and they can still remember
what teachers said about them many years ago.
Choose
what you say to children carefully. You have a lot of influence on
them . You can build them up or knock them down, simply by what you
say.
5.
Give more positive interaction than negative.
This
can be harder than you might think. I had 29 children in my
reception class one year. In Early Years a lot of the recording of
progress is through witnessing developments and writing them up.
This is a good way of showing progress but it is also very time
consuming. Children at this age are emergent readers and writers so
much of their learning takes place through experience and by 'speaking and listening.'
Staff need to comment on where the pupil is
and let them know what their next steps are to make progress. This
is important but it is also important to ensure that the pupil is
receiving plenty of positive feedback. One day I decided to create a
tally of positive and negative comments I made to the children. I
also added in the comments made by the rest of the staff. I
discovered that we were more negative than positive particularly
with the more challenging pupils. I decided then and there that this
had to change and I started to be actively more positive in what I
said to my pupils.
Next
time you are in a classroom listen to the comments made by the
adults in the room. If you find that you are being more negative
than positive, see if you can change this.
6.
Offer take-up time.
Some
children process things more slowly than others. Sometimes children
are in such an agitated state that they may hear but not yet be
ready to respond to what you are asking them to do. In lessons, some
children are very quick and are able to answer your questions
straight away but if you wait for a little longer, some of the
children that think more slowly will get the chance to answer. Their
answers can be well thought out and more sophisticated than the
answers of the quicker thinkers.
Offering
'take-up time' can reap many benefits. Try it for yourself and see
what happens.
7.
If you shout, they only get louder!
I
learnt this one the hard way. If you have a noisy class and you
raise your voice to be heard above the racket they will simply get
louder which will force you to shout to get attention.
If
you start off talking quietly to the class and they start to get
louder, try talking even more quietly or stop talking completely
until the children are quiet. In a school I work in now they have a
very effective system. If any member of staff notices the noise
level is rising they simply raise their hand in front of them and
scan the room with their eyes. As children and other staff notice
they do the same until everyone is silent. This works incredibly
well. Why not try it for yourself?
8.
'Majoring on the minors' will cause you stress.
When
you are working with a class who are causing concern, start by
making a list of all the behaviours that you would like to change.
Once you have your list, look at it carefully and decide what
behaviours are really important and which behaviours you can tackle
later.
Once
you have decided what changes you would like to make, communicate
this to your class clearly. Do not expect to make too many changes
at once.
It may be that you are trying to stop children calling out
in class. If this is the case, let the class know this and agree
some rewards and consequences. If the pupils are able to stop
calling out, what good thing could happen? If children persist in
calling out, what consequences could there be?
If
this is the behaviour you wish to change, remember to be consistent.
Calmly ignore calling out and focus on pupils who are displaying the
alternative behaviour that you are looking for. It can be tempting
to focus on a child who calls out the right answer when you have
posed a challenging question but if you are being consistent, ignore
this calling out too.
Reward
any effort pupils make to change their behaviour in a positive way.
Let a lot of other things go. If you try and change too many
behaviours at once you will confuse your class. I was told not to,
'major on the minors' when I was training to be a teacher. This
turned out to be very good advice.
9.
What you focus on, you will get more of.
This
is one of the most useful things I have learnt. If you focus on
positive behaviour, you will notice more of this type of behaviour.
If you look for negative things you will find more and more of it.
Look
at your class and try and notice the good things they do. This is
especially important with pupils who demonstrate what we term as 'challenging behaviour. '
No pupil is 'good' all the time and no pupil
is 'bad' all the time.
See
if you can 'catch' them doing 'the right thing.' If you praise a
pupil for sitting quietly and tactically ignore them when they are
calling out, they are likely to modify their behaviour. Remember,
behaviour patterns take a long time to establish and so they take an
even longer time to change. Be calm, be patient and be consistent
and slowly the pupils will start to respond to what you are teaching
them.
10.
If someone is not feeling safe and happy, they will not learn.
In
1950's psychologist Maslow, created a ' Hierarchy of Need' that
showed that for people to learn and progress they must first feel
safe and secure. Some of the pupils in your class may not be feeling
safe. There could be problems at home. Parents could be arguing,
older siblings could be causing conflict or their family may be
suffering severe financial difficulties, for example. Some children
may have come in to school having had nothing to eat or drink for
whatever reason.
It
may be that their difficulties lie in school rather than at home.
They may be being picked on or bullied by other pupils, for example.
If
a child is refusing to work in class, try to remember there may be a
whole host of reasons for this that have nothing to do with trying
to annoy you or being stubborn. They may be very tired as they have
difficulty sleeping or they may be feeling ill or anxious about
something.
Children
experiencing difficulties usually appreciate the routine of school
especially if their teachers are willing to give them time, space
and to listen to them if they do feel that they need to talk.
11.
Play to pupils' strengths.
We
all have our own strengths and talents as well as areas of
difficulty. Take time to find out what the children in your class
like doing and what they feel they are good at. Once you know this, see if there are ways that you can tap into their strengths and
talents. We all like to feel valued and appreciated. If we are able
to demonstrate our talents to other people we are likely to grow in
confidence.
If
you can build a pupils interests into their learning you have a
recipe for success. It is good to teach the pupils to value a whole
range of strengths such as the ability to be a good listener or to
make other people laugh.
If
a pupil has been given ample opportunity to demonstrate their skills
and talents, they are far more likely to risk trying things that
they find harder.
12.
It is OK to make a deal.
Some
teachers feel that making a deal with a pupil is 'giving in' to
them.
I
do not necessarily agree with them. Some pupils are invested in the
learning process and can see the point of learning to do difficult
things, such as learning to read and write while others do not yet
see the relevance of these skills to their lives. It is the task of
a good teacher to be able to get this message across over time but
in the meantime if the pupil is not motivated by the task itself or
by trying to please you, then a positive step forward is to make a
deal with them. This deal could be for them to work on the task that
you have set for 20 minutes in order to receive 5 minutes 'computer
time' or doing something else that they enjoy. This kind of approach
works well, particularly if you praise the pupil for completing the
20 minute task. Once they start to see the point of completing the
task you set you can start to wean them off the deal by increasing
the amount of work they need to complete before receiving the agreed
reward activity.
Try
this approach out for yourself and I think you will see it has its
merits.
13.
Help pupils to see the point and to make learning relevant to their
life.
This
point links closely to point number 12. Until a pupil can see the
point of completing an activity, what is in it for them, they are
unlikely to be willing to make much effort. If you are able to help
them to realise that these skills will help them with the things
that they want to do later in life, you are likely to see more
progress.
One
good way of linking learning to the lives of the pupils in your
class is to find out more about them. If you know what they like
doing now and what they want to do when they are older, you are
likely to be able to make links back to the tasks that you wish them
to complete.
An
example of this might be that a pupil in your class wishes to become
a film director when they are older but they say they hate literacy
and writing stories or learning about novels written by famous
authors. If you are able to help them to realise that a good story
with believable characters, an exciting plot with a clear start,
middle and end are the hall marks of a good film as well as a good
novel they are much more likely to see the point of the task you are
asking them to do.
Linking
their life to their learning in any way you can is likely to help.
You can also refer to any of their hero's if they have managed to
overcome obstacles to get where they are now.
14.
Allow pupils to share their talents with others to boost self-esteem.
If
you take time to find out the skills and talents of the pupils in
your class why not make time for them to share their skills with one
another? If a pupil is good at baking then maybe they can teach
other members of the class to bake too. This is likely to provide a
real boost to their self esteem. One pupil or group of pupils may be very good at taking
photographs. Maybe they could organise a photography competition for
the other pupils in the class?
Offering
all the pupils in your class the opportunity to shine and to teach
others new skills is likely to really help them build up confidence
in themselves and this will help them to persevere when they are
asked to try things that they find harder to do.
15.
Unless you see the whole thing, ask for every side of the story
before taking action.
One
thing that causes a lot of upset in school is when someone gets told
off for doing something and the member of staff does not listen to
their side of the story before taking action. It can be difficult to
work out what really has happened in a dispute if you were not a
witness to the lead up to that incident as well as the incident
itself.
I
discovered this when I had a little boy in my class who kept telling
his parents that the other children in his class were bullying
him at play time. I was tempted to tell the other children off but
then I decided to watch him and his peers for a whole playtime
without taking any action. That way I discovered what was really
going on. At first it did appear that the other children
were chasing him so I walked closer and discovered that what
was actually happening was that he was pretending to be a dinosaur
and had been chasing and growling at the other children so they
joined in by chasing him but he did not realise that they were being
dinosaurs too. He thought they were being nasty to him. I fed this
back to his parents and invited them in to watch for themselves.
They were amazed when they saw their son chasing the other children!
Sometimes
an adult witnesses a child hitting another child and goes over to
tell them off. What they may not know is that this has been
retaliation for days of being picked on by the other child.
It
is really important that all staff take the time and effort to work
out what is really going on before acting in this way.
16.
It is OK to make mistakes, say sorry and admit you are wrong.
This
is a very important lesson to teach children. A really good way of
doing this is by setting a good example yourself. If you make a
mistake it is good to admit it in front of the children and
apologise if necessary. That way the pupils will learn that it is
fine to make mistakes as long as you are willing to learn from them.
It
is also important for children to learn that adults make mistakes in
their learning as well as children do. If you don't know how to
spell a certain word then admit it and ask the class to suggest how
to find out how to spell the word. They will soon get used to making
use of a dictionary if you are willing to use them yourself.
You
can even make a deliberate mistake on the board and ask the class to
spot and correct it.
17.
It is good to offer alternatives.
If
a child refuses to do something, rather than' backing yourself into a
corner' it can be effective to offer the pupil a choose from a range
of alternatives set by you. Some people call this a 'forced choice.'
Offer one or more activities as an alternative to the task that they
have refused. That way you have a 'win-win' situation. The pupil is
continuing to learn and they are completing a useful task.
You could
say, " Either finish that worksheet or do your handwriting
practice.” for example. That way the child maintains some control
and you get at least one task that you have planned completed. If
you praise them for completing the task, you might find they will be
willing to complete the other task too!
18.
Start teaching from 'where they are.'
By
this I mean, it is important to take time to discover exactly what
your pupils know about the subject you are teaching. It may turn out
that they know a lot or a little about what you are about to teach.
There is no point in covering something they know all about but on
the other hand if they have no prior knowledge you may need to carry
out some preparation work before going ahead.
I
was a personal tutor for a boy who was taking his GCSE maths exam
last year. I looked at the question and started to talk him through
the steps he needed to take in order to answer the question. It
turns out that he had missed quite a lot of maths as a younger pupil
so we needed to carry out a lot of preparation work before he had
the skills needed to answer the original question independently. I
realised that he has very little knowledge of multiplication so we
worked on this first. Once he was able to recall the multiplication
number facts, he found answering the question a lot easier.
If
you are able to pinpoint what the pupil already knows and you build
on that then they are more likely to be willing to join in and to be
able to make progress.
19.If
pupils are brave enough to tell you they don't get
it...
If
a pupil tells you they don't understand something, spend time
finding out how they will learn the information or skill rather
than repeating what they have been shown before.
When
I was a young girl, one of my maths teachers wasn't very
understanding of the way I learnt. I got stuck answering a sheet of
maths questions and I hadn't understood her original explanation so
I told her that I didn't understand how to solve the problem. She
merely repeated what she had said before only louder and slower. I
was really embarrassed as I still didn't understand and as I didn't
dare ask her again I ended up copying the answers from my friend.
When
I became a teacher I remembered what had happened to me and whenever
a pupil asked me for help I would try and find another way of
explaining the task if they did not understand my original
explanation.
We
all learn in different ways and so if you can work out how the
pupils learn best then they are likely to make rapid progress.
20.
Children are capable of making allowances and so
they understand that we don't all have to be treated the same.
I
sometimes hear adults complaining that some pupils are treated
differently from others and that this is not fair.
The
way I see it is that most children can make allowances if adults
take the time to explain to them that some children need more help
than others to learn and succeed. A child who has difficulty walking
may take longer to run a race but if you give the time they will get
there. Some children need special equipment to help them with their
mobility and as long as children are able to ask questions they are
likely to be very understanding.
It is harder to understand hidden
disabilities and difficulties. Some children find it very difficult to
sit still and concentrate. They may have a condition such as ADHD (
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.) This may mean that they can
only sit still and work for a few minutes before needing a 'brain
break' where they may need to move about for a bit before resuming
work.
If
this is handled sensitively, children can usually understand that
some pupils need extra support in this way. The key is to be as open
as possible so that the pupils feel that they are able to ask
questions and learn more about the ways other pupils may need help.
If
all pupils learn that we all have our own particular strengths and
difficulties they are more likely to understand why we can't all be
treated exactly the same.
21.
When setting work - work on the 80/ 20 principal.
Pupils
need to get things right around 80% of the time in order to be
willing to risk trying and potentially failing for the remaining 20%. If a task
is far too hard or far too easy they are likely to be demotivated.
If a pupil is given work pitched at their level they are far more
likely to be willing to attempt the task set. Everyone likes to
succeed and if they try their best they would like to think that
they are capable of completing the work they are given. If a child
is regularly given work that is too difficult, they are likely to
give up trying and if the work is far too easy they are likely to
become easily bored.
If
everyone in the class is given work pitched at the right level they
will all be used to succeeding most of the time but they will also
expect for some of the work to stretch them and they are more likely
to accept that sometimes they will get this work wrong if they see
other pupils making mistakes too.
22.
The pupils may look like they understand but do they really?
Ask
questions to check understanding.
I
sometimes find that a whole class can listen beautifully to an
introduction, you can ask if they understand the task and they will
say 'yes.' This can lead us to assume that the whole class have
understood the task and so we can be disappointed when 30 minutes
later we look at their work and discover they did not understand what
they had been asked to do.
I
learnt the hard way that it is a good idea to ask questions at an
early stage to assess that the pupils really have understood what
you have asked the to do. Sometimes a small group understand what
they have been asked to do but the majority are struggling. At these
times it is good to let the group that understands the task get on
with it while the rest of the class remains with you and you model
what you want them to do or explain the task in a different way to
help them to understand.
23.
When differentiating work, ensure the work is age appropriate.
Pupils
are all too aware that their work looks different from their
friends. If the work looks too 'babyish' they are likely to refuse
it.
This
is a tricky issue.
If
you have some pupils that are less able than their peers they will
need different work but it is important that the task is suitable
for their age group. If a pupils in your class is far behind their
peers in reading, it can be tempting to give them resources intended
for younger children but this can be demoralising for them. If a
child keeps being given tasks that they think looks 'babyish' they
are likely to refuse to attempt the work. The trick is to find or
create resources that look age appropriate but are sufficiently
differentiated for them to understand. Sometimes a pupil will be
more willing to work on their simpler task when they are out of
class so their friends can't see their work.
Pupils
don't like to feel exposed in front of their friends.
24.
English can be a great source of fear...
Writing
and reading can be very challenging to many pupils so start from
where they are - What are their interests? Can you change that
letter writing task to suit a passion of theirs? I had a pupil who
showed no interest in writing a letter until I said that he could
write his letter to The Fat Controller from Thomas The Tank Engine.
Some
children will happily write about a topic that they are interested
in. Some are willing to type using a keyboard.
If making these adaptations helps the pupils to learn then why not adapt
the task in this way to encourage your pupils to try?
Once
they build up their confidence they are more likely to be willing to
attempt a wider range of tasks.
25.
They may need a 'brain break.'
Some
children can engage in a task for quite a long time but then start
to fidget and get restless. It is a good idea to offer these
children regular 'brain breaks.' You can send them on an errand or
to do a lap of the playground. You can send them out into the fresh
air. By doing these things the pupil will be able to have some time
out and then they should be able to return to the original task
within a few minutes. You could send them to the drinking fountain for a drink of water. Drinking enough water also supports learning as it is very important to stay hydrated.
26.
Many children appreciate 'visuals' to help them plan their
lesson/day.
Some
children really need to know what is happening in their day. They
may not be able to absorb verbal information very well. These pupils can
really benefit from having a visual timetable. This can be made of
symbols printed on card and laminated. They have Velcro on them and these can be placed vertically
along your board so that the children can see the order of
activities. Once an activity is complete you can get someone to tick
the task off. This can really help a pupil to know what is expected
of them and it can help them when unexpected change occurs as you
can change the symbols on the board to warn them that the lesson has
changed in some way.
27.
How many instructions can this pupil process at once?
This
is a very important question to ask. If you give a child too many
instructions they are likely to only remember and act upon the first
one or two instructions and forget the rest or they may just
remember the last instruction that you gave them.
A
good way to check how many instructions the child has managed to
retain is to ask them to repeat back the instructions that you have
just given them. That way you can check their understanding and
retention of what you have said.
If
a child is having difficulty with remembering instructions giving
them a simple list of instructions written down as bullet points can
help as can visual reminders.
28.
Their parents/carers may have had negative experiences of school
and may be frightened of/feel threatened by you.
Many
adults report having had negative experiences at school and this can
affect the way they feel about school as grown ups. This in turn
influences their children.
Work on your relationship with parents and carers in a
positive way to win their trust and they will help you with their
child. I discovered this at a school I used to work at. Some of the
parents would come in to complain and they could be quite
aggressive. If I became defensive this would take the situation
worse but when I truly listened to them and tried to see the
situation from their point of view they became instantly more
approachable. If I felt that I had done something wrong or that the
school had let them down in some way I would whole heartedly
apologise and again this had an incredible impact on the parents who
became a lot more flexible and willing to work in partnership with
me in order to support their child. I always try and remember that
if someone seems unreasonable and angry they may be reliving a
previous experience that has nothing to do with me.
The more we try
to see things from the point of view of the parents and carers, the
better our communication with them becomes.
29.
Use humour to diffuse difficult situations.
I
find that if I can maintain a sense of humour and see the funny side
of a difficult situation I am more resilient and able to cope with
stressful situations when they appear. I know we all have our own unique sense of
humour but if you are willing to laugh at yourself a little
sometimes, then other people feel less threatened by you and are
more willing to communicate effectively with you.
30,
A 'change of face' can
work like magic.
Sometimes
a pupil stops responding to you and whatever you do and say only
seems to make the situation worse. At these times it is best to ask
someone else to work with them for a while to allow them to calm
down. They are usually able to respond positively to you again after
a while spent calming down. Battling on with some pupils can make the
situation worse. If a child feels 'backed into a corner' they can
find it very hard to respond positively to you for fear of losing
face.
31.
If a child is willing to apologise, be gracious enough to
accept their apology.
It
can be very hard for some children to apologise as this involves
having to admit that they got something wrong. This is not an easy
thing for young children to do or for older children who do not feel
very secure in themselves.
I know it can be upsetting when a pupil really
'presses your buttons' but if they do apologise please try to be
gracious and accept their apology. Once I persuaded a child to
apologise to their teacher. I helped them to realise what they had
done wrong and they agreed that they would apologise but when I
located the teacher and the child apologised to them, they stated
that they did not accept their apology. I won't forget the look of
shock and disappointment on the pupil's face.
32.
You don't have to have the last word. You do not need to fight
for power. You have it automatically.
It
can be hard to believe that deep down children do respect adults.
They sometimes act like they don't care what you say or think of
them but the reality is that they care deeply what you think about
them. When you say something and a child answers back you don't
need to respond to 'have the last word.' If you make your comment
and then refuse to be drawn into an argument with the child, they
will realise that you mean what you say. They will try and get you
to argue with them and if they can get you to change your mind, they
will.
33.
Be predictable so the children trust you.
I
find that if children can predict your likely response to given
situations they are likely to feel relaxed around you. They can cope
if you are firm as long as you are always firm. They find it very
unsettling when you are relaxed one minute and very formal the next.
Some teachers can be friendly and jovial one day and short tempered
the next. They tolerate some lively behaviour one day and award
detention the next. This can be very confusing for children. Some
find it very hard to read body language and find this change of
approach very unsettling. When giving sanctions for rule breaks the
certainty rather than the severity of the sanction is most
effective. If a child knows breaking a rule always leads to a
certain sanction they are less likely to repeat this behaviour in
future.
34.
If they do not bring in their homework, check that it is achievable
for their ability/life style.
Some
children have very supportive families and they are given
encouragement to do their homework but this is not the case for all
children. If a child in your class is not completing their homework
there may be a number of reasons for this. They may find the work
too hard or they may not be given the opportunity to do they work at
home. It is a good idea to offer something like a homework club for
pupils who require help to complete their work. Some parents have
literacy difficulties or struggle to help their child with difficult
maths questions.
35.
Reward acts of kindness as well as academic achievement.
We
all too often hear of negative happenings in the news. We are much
less likely to hear of acts of kindness. This is a shame as being
able to empathise with others is a very important life skill. It is
important to reward pupils when they show kindness towards others as
well as for academic achievement. In order to our pupils to become
well rounded people they should be encouraged to be kind to other
people.
36.
There is a difference between pupils swearing
habitually and them targeting you.
It
can be shocking, annoying and offensive when young children swear in
school but it is important to remember that many children grow up
around adults who swear frequently so they may not know that other
people will find swearing offensive. Once you have calmly explained
that swearing is unacceptable then it is reasonable to expect the
pupils to learn not to swear in school. Some children may swear to
show off in front of their peers. When this happens you are more
likely to receive a favourable response from them when you calmly
address the issue out of earshot of their peers.
It
is also helpful to separate out habitual swearing from acts of
targeted swearing at someone with the intention of offending them.
Pupils learn by example. We need to model the kind of language that
we find acceptable in school.
37.Are
the pupils at the stage where they are reading to
learn or learning to read?
Children
learn to read at different ages. Some pupils are still struggling
with the act of learning to read when they leave Primary school, for
example. If a child is still struggling to read it is important to
offer other ways of learning for them. They cannot be expected to
read long extracts of text and respond to it if they are still
struggling with the mechanics of reading. In order to learn these
children respond well to working in pairs, having visual support and
listening to presentations rather than having to read text. They
will also need lots of opportunities to learn to read so that they
can develop this key skill.
38.
Boost their self esteem then watch them learn!
If
a child has low self-esteem they are unlikely to thrive and learn.
If you would like to help a child to learn and progress, start by
boosting their self esteem and watch them fly! Adults sometimes
forget how much influence they have on children. Children may not
admit it but they tend to believe and absorb everything you say
about them. Ensure that you focus on the positive when working with
children and they are more likely to progress.
39.
Find alternative ways of recording.
Some
children find the written word extremely difficult so why not give
them alternative ways of recording? Pupils can make an audio of
their ideas. Pupils can work in mixed ability pairs with the most
able pupil acting as a scribe for the pair, for example. This can benefit
both children.
You
could let children record their ideas using audio too. Some pupils
feel more confident using a word processor with spell check.
40.
Give them tasks that allow them to succeed in front of their
peers.
Pupils
love being given the chance to shine. If you give pupils plenty of
opportunities to learn and succeed in front of their peers they are
likely to love being at school and will become confident in their
own abilities.
Children
all have their own individual strengths. Some are happy to perform
in front of others. Others may be very good at Sport. If pupils are
given regular opportunities to succeed in front of their peers they
will become more confident in their own abilities.
41.
Give the quiet ones take up time and they are more likely
to answer you.
I
worked with a teacher who was very good at giving pupils plenty of
time to answer questions that she asked them. I did not used to be
so good at this. I would ask a question and then if I didn't get a
quick response I would start to select another pupil to answer my question. My
colleague taught me that if you give pupils enough time to work out
their response, they are likely to give you an answer. Quieter
children who are happy to sit back and let more dominant pupils do
the talking are often capable to giving insightful answers if they
are given the chance to respond to you.
42.
Encourage peer feedback and support.
Some
pupils work best in pairs. They also enjoy offering constructive
feedback to their peers if they are taught how to do this properly.
Some pupils are too shy to speak up much in class but are very
willing to share their views with their partner, for example. If you
can encourage your class to give each other effective and supportive
feedback you will be providing them with an important life skill. We
all need to give and receive feedback in life and we can all learn a
lot from this.
43.
Create a climate where it is safe to fail.
The
best classrooms are those where the pupils are taught that it is OK
to fail. If you are not making mistakes, the chances are the work
you are being set is not hard enough. We learn at least as much from
our failures as we do from our successes and this is a vital lesson
for pupils to learn for themselves. It is good to see teachers make
mistakes sometimes too and that it is OK to point this out and help
the teacher to correct their mistakes. If we create a climate where
all pupils are encouraged to learn from one another we are moving in
the right direction.
44.
Encourage a climate where it is OK to be different.
We
are all different and if we can encourage our pupils to celebrate
this we can do our bit to make the world a better place.
We
all have our difficulties but we also have our unique gifts and
talents. If we give children the opportunity to try new things they
will discover skills that they didn't know that they had.
Your
pupils may have hobbies that you know little about. They will love
sharing their skills with others especially if they are teaching
their teacher something new.
45.
Teach emotional vocabulary and encourage its use
throughout the curriculum.
Many
pupils struggle to understand their own feelings and to communicate
them to others. It is really important that children are given the
opportunity to recognise and name their own emotions and to
understand the feelings of others. Some children have a very poor
emotional vocabulary and do not recognise that they are feeling
happy, sad, angry, frustrated, scared or any other emotion. Other
pupils may recognise feelings in themselves but struggle to
recognise emotions in others.
Body
language can be very hard for some pupils to read.
The
more help you can give children to understand and recognise their
own emotions and that of others the better.
46.
Are you aware of The Anger Cycle?
When
we get angry, parts of our brain temporarily stop functioning. The primitive part
of our brain responsible for fighting, running or freezing takes
over. This is very useful when we have to escape serious threats but
it is not so helpful when we get angry in school and can no longer
hear or respond to the people who may be trying to talk to and help
us.
If you remember this, it is easier to cope when a pupil gets
angry and then appears to shut down and totally ignore your efforts
to support them.
In most cases when a pupil gets angry it is best to
leave them in a safe place to calm down. Most do not want to be
near other people when they feel this way. If you monitor them from
a distance you will be able to check that they are OK at the same
time as giving them the space that they need. Some teachers do
realise that pupils need time to calm down but some of them do not
realise how long they need. It can take well over an hour to calm down
fully so it is best not to discuss the incident that triggered the
outburst until the pupil is definitely calm or you risk flaring them
up again just as they were almost calming down. It is perfectly
acceptable to return to an incident the next day if needed and then
when the pupil is calm and responsive you can discuss the incident
and agree suitable consequences.
47.
Be aware of your own emotional state and that of
others.
Teaching
can be very stressful, particularly if things are tough in your own
personal life as well. Many pupils find it hard to believe that you
have a life outside of school so find it very hard to make
allowances when you are not feeling your best. We all know how tough
a day can be when you arrive at work feeling dreadful to start with.
Often things go from bad to worse. It is great if we remember this
when pupils or other staff members appear to be in a challenging
mood. It may be that they are having a hard time outside of school
so are finding it hard to function as expected in school. Sometimes
people don't want to talk about their difficulties, they just want
to get on with their day as best they can. At these times they are
likely to appreciate you being calm and helpful while giving them
space and the opportunity to talk if they want to.
48.
Allow your class to agree rules and consequences.
If
a class is invested in something, they are likely to value it. If you
ask the class what rules they would like to see in their class, you
may be surprised at the high quality of their suggestions. Give your
class time to discuss rules and see if they can agree on some useful
ones. Of course you are there to guide and support through this
process but if they have agreed rules and the consequences for rule
breaking as well as the rewards for rule following they are likely
to take the rules seriously.
49.
The benefit of collective rewards.
Some
classes can be really tough. The members seems to argue amongst
themselves a lot. It can be a really good idea to encourage these
classes to work as part of a team. If you give them a collective
reward they may see the point in working cooperatively together. I
tried this with a class who was finding it hard to be cooperative.
Every time I saw the class make an effort to be helpful to one
another, I would allow one of them to colour in one square on a
picture that was divided into 100 squares. Once all 100 squares were
filled in the class were allowed to wear their own clothes instead
of their uniforms for a day. They really enjoyed this and I did see
quite an improvement in their behaviour.
50.
Encourage Mindfulness.
Life
can be stressful and many children are worried about the past or
what may happen in the future. A good way to combat this is by
encouraging Mindfulness. Mindfulness is focusing on what is
happening in the present. You use your senses to fully take in your
environment. You can look at an object mindfully, noting its shape,
size an colour in detail. You can eat a piece of fruit mindfully,
tasting its flavour, noting the colour and texture, for example.
Colouring a picture can be an excellent way to remain focussed on
the present. Since the creation of colouring books suitable for
adults as well as children, this activity has become very popular
and is extremely effective.
51.
Allow time for quiet reflection.
We
lead very busy lives. We rush about from one topic to the next
leaving little time for pupils to rest and reflect. If you build moments of quiet reflection into the day, you will see that the class
will start to respond positively to this.
Straight
after lunch or just before leaving from home can be good times for a
rest period. Encourage your class to sit quietly. They can doodle or
close their eyes. You can turn bright lights off to make the room
more restful or play quiet music. Try this for yourself and see the
benefits.
52.
The benefits of water.
Many
of us fail to drink enough water each day and this can easily lead
to dehydration and symptoms such as headaches and feeling lethargic.
See if you can encourage the pupil in your class to drink enough
water. If you allow them to bring in water bottles and leave them
out on the table they are working on this will encourage them or you
could allow regular trips to the water fountain. This is
particularly important in hot weather. Try it and see the benefits
for yourself.
53.
Slow down the instructions, check back for understanding.
Pupils
are often eager to please you so they may not admit that they are
finding it hard to follow all the instructions you give them. Try
slowing down the speed of your delivery and ask questions to check
that they have understood the tasks that you have set for them. You
are likely to find a significant number of pupils in your class will
benefit from this. Many children have word processing difficulties
and it takes them time to work out what you are saying to them.
54.
Teach Active Listening.
Active
Listening is such an important skill. I think we have all
experienced days when we have tried to say something important to someone only to feel that they have been rather
distracted and have not paid us the attention we needed.
In order to
encourage our pupils to fully listen, we can model this skill
regularly. Help them to recognise different body language and to
pick up on tone of voice so that they can learn to interpret what
people really mean.
In
life, Active Listeners make very good work colleagues and members of
society. They help other people to feel valued and understood.
55.
Outdoor Learning has many
benefits.
In
Scandinavia, pupils are encouraged to take part in outdoor learning.
They are allowed to make camps and dens and to explore woodland. In
UK, Forest schools have started to be set up and offered as an
effective way of teaching our pupils. Research has shown that
children learn a lot from exploring their environment.
Some
schools offer pupils opportunities to grow their own fruit and
vegetables. This has many benefits. Other schools have wildlife
areas and others encourage their pupils to go out in all weathers by
providing suitable outdoor clothing, footwear and shelters.
56.Mindfulness Colouring.
Why
not let your class try Mindfulness Colouring? Give them colouring
sheets with intricate patterns on and many will really enjoy
colouring them in if you point out that adults like colouring too.
Doing this helps to focus the mind and reduce anxiety as it brings
you into the present. It can also improve fine motor control which can help children with letter formation. Try it for yourself in fact!
57.
Play to the strengths of your team.
This
applies to the children and the adults that you work with. Why not
find out what each individual likes doing and is good at and offer
them opportunities to shine in front of their peers? You may have a
teaching assistant who loves creating displays, for example. Why not let them
create some of your displays? A child may be good at making posters.
Why not let them make some posters to display in class?
58.
Plan your environment carefully.
Some
pupils get very distracted by too much information in their
environment. They do best with a clutter-free environment. Other
pupils enjoy bright and interactive displays to help them with their
learning. To support both types of pupils, consider putting the
interactive, bright displays at the back of the class so that they
are available to those who benefit from them but they do not
distract the other pupils. At the front of the room try keeping the
environment more clear and neutral. Neutral colours with only key
information on display there will help and you will have the best of
both worlds.
59.
Time to cool down.
Whenever
people get agitated or upset it can take a while for them to calm down. No
matter what our age, we find it hard to think clearly or respond to
people when we are angry or agitated. Bearing this in mind, if a
pupil in your class becomes upset then give them time and space to
cool down. Many pupils like to be on their own when they feel this
way so consider offering them this if it is safe to do so. If it is
not possible to leave them alone safely then give them as much
personal space as possible and encourage others to stay away until
they feel calm again.
60.
Teach respect for animals.
Children
can benefit a great deal by learning how to care for animals. By
learning what they need to stay healthy and by being able to focus
on something other than themselves they start to learn empathy.
Children should be encouraged to treat animals kindly and with
respect. Schools can play a useful role in helping pupils to overcome fear of certain animals such as dogs. By inviting someone from
an organisation dedicated to animal welfare you can provide
children with the opportunity to ;earn from experts and to have
their questions answered and their fears allayed.
61.
Appreciation of the environment. (Recycling)
Pupils
benefit from being shown how to look after our planet by recycling
and conserving our resources. If we are able to teach our children
respect for their environment, they are likely to grown up
appreciating the world around them and when they have children in
future they are likely to pass on this vital information. Teaching
children to look after our planet is a great investment for their
future.
62.
Debates -to teach appreciation of difference
of opinion.
Children
gain a lot from learning that people can hold differing points of
view and still treat one another with respect. By teaching children
to listen to other people and to respect their views, you will be
helping them to get along better with others. You can teach children
how to take part effectively in a debate where some people have one
view and other people hold a differing view. They can learn how to
disagree with other people without causing offence. This is a very
useful skill to have.
63.
Texts to teach Diversity.
Respecting
difference is so valuable. There are many texts available that can
help children to learn more about people who hold different views or
come from a different culture than them. Children can be shown that
other children have different beliefs than they do and that some
children have very different lifestyles to them. Respecting Diversity is key to helping people to learn about other people and
to respect their differences.
64.
Appreciating the team and their unique talents.
When
we work in schools we can see people every day and yet know little
about them. If you take time to find out the talents and interests
of the team that you work with you will be able to encourage
everyone to share their gifts. The best learning communities do this
and it helps people to feel valued and appreciated. Teaching
children to look for and appreciate their own talents and those of
other people is an excellent thing to do.
65.
Teach Resilience.
We
all experience failure and setbacks in our lives and our ability to
'bounce back' and learn from our mistakes and setbacks is key. If
you can encourage your pupils to cope with such setbacks in a safe
setting, you will be helping them to develop a vital life skill.
Some
children are encouraged to make mistakes and to become independent by
their parents while other parents are very anxious that they child
will get hurt so they tend to do things for them rather than let
them try things out for themselves.
Resilience
can be taught very effectively in schools. Teachers can share
stories where people have overcome challenges and adversity.
Be
careful not to over-praise. Children need to know when they have
worked particularly well and if you say all their work is
'excellent' when it isn't their best, this can be misleading.
If
a pupil fails at something support them to try again and praise
their willingness to try again.
66.
Offer a balanced curriculum- The World
needs artists and writers and musicians.
In
these times where attainment in maths and English are so highly
regarded it can be tempting to focus on these skills at the expense
of teaching other skills but this is a mistake. Society needs
creative thinkers: the artists, writers and musicians that enhance
our existence, making the world a better place.
Children deserve to
be given opportunities to listen to music, to enjoy art and to read
good quality texts as well as to experiment with art, writing and
music making themselves. Life would be very dull indeed without
creative people and so children should be given lots of
opportunities to be creative themselves. Creative thinking is a very
important skill.
67.
Positive praise and its benefits.
We
all listen to other people and take on board what they say about us.
This applies whether the feedback we receive is positive or
negative. In fact many people tend to listen out for and believe the
negative feedback and find it hard to accept positive feedback. being able to receive feedback is a very important skill that you can teach the children that you
work with. See if you can give more positive than negative feedback.
Make it authentic. Take time to find things to praise that the
children have genuinely achieved. If the child feels that your
praise is false they are likely to dismiss it but if you can help
them to accept and receive compliments and positive feedback you
will be giving the the best possible chance in life.
68.
Peer Mentors can be very effective in schools.
Following
training, children can volunteer to act as mentors to their peers.
They do not need to be perfect themselves. Often pupils who used to
struggle to manage their own behaviour can become the best mentors, following appropriate training. Mentors can help other pupils to
understand what has happened when things go wrong. They can
encourage peers who are fighting to listen to each other's point of
view. They can be encouraged to agree solutions that both parties
are happy with.
69.
Time to discuss difficult things.
Some
pupils find it very hard to talk about things that are bothering
them but if you give them the time, space and opportunity to do so, they may trust you enough to let you know what they are upset about.
Schools are very fast paced and some pupils take time to process
things. If you provide pupils time to talk about their feelings they
are more likely to share how they are feeling with you. This will improve their ability to communicate in all sorts of ways.
70.
Ways to let the class know you wish to attract their
attention.
Rather
than shouting above the noise of your whole class talking, it is a
great idea to agree a certain sign or gesture that the class can
take as their cue to stop talking. In one school the teacher holds
up their hand for quiet and when other adults and pupils see her
they do the same until the whole class is holding up their hand and
waiting quietly. It takes time to teach pupils to do this but once
they understand the signal this can work extremely well.
Some
teachers clap a rhythm and the class clap it back. See what works
for you.
71.
Everyone is equal.
This
is such an important message to get across to you pupils. They may
come from different backgrounds but if they can learn that everyone
in your class is equal, this message will stay with them as they
grow and will help them to be inclusive as adults. It does not
matter where you are born or the colour of your skin. It does not
matter if you are rich or poor, we are all equal.
72.Only
one person talks at a time.
Children
can find this very difficult. In fact, so can many adults. When
someone is talking and an interesting thought or response pops into their head it can be very tempting for a pupil to call out and shout over the
person who is speaking. Teach your class that for communication to
be effective we need to listen to others fully and they need to
listen to us. One way to teach this is to divide the class into pairs. One pupil speaks and the other pupil feeds back what they have said. This is much harder than it appears.
73.
Music in the classroom.
The
importance of music is sometimes underestimated. Think back over
your life and I bet lots of music pops into your head. We can
remember music that was playing during key events in our lives and
we love to listen to music that resonates with us. Music can help us to recall how we were feeling at certain times in our life. It cheers us when we are sad and lifts us up further when we are happy. Children can gain such a lot
from listening to music and from making music themselves. You do not
have to be a brilliant musician to enjoy making music. In fact if a
child sees you enjoying music and joining in with it they are more
likely to try it themselves.
74.
Pupils displays.
Many
teachers take a real pride in their classroom displays and they are
of a high standard. This is great but it is also lovely to allow
pupils to create displays for themselves. Allow pupils to choose
work for display and teach them how to display it effectively with
suitable titles and mounting. Praise them for their efforts and also
give them one or two simple points for development so that next time
they create a display it is even better.
75.Learning
Walls are an exciting way to support learning.
Usually
Learning Walls cover one subject. At the start of the term there is
little more than a title on display and then as children learn key
points, their learning is summarised and displayed on the wall so
that by the time the unit of work is completed the display has a
whole range of reminders and pointers to help the child remember the
learning that has taken place. This method has been shown to really support learning. Give it a try in your class and see how it can
help.
76.
Supporting colleagues rather than taking over.
Sometimes
in schools, staff can get confused when they see a colleague
appearing to be having difficulties with a pupil. It can be tempting
to step in and help them out but it would be far more helpful to ask
them if they are OK and if they need help. It may be that by
stepping in without knowing enough about the situation you may be
making the situation worse. When working with others it is very
important to get the balance right so your colleagues feel
supported but not undermined by your efforts to help them.
77.
The power of our words. “I like you, it is the behaviour
that needs to change.”
When
a pupil does something to upset another pupil it can be tempting to
step in and tell them off without giving much thought to what we are
saying to them. Some children have low self-esteem and are very
affected by what we say to them. We are trying to help our pupils to
grow and progress. In order to do this we need to think carefully
about the words we use when we are talking to them. By making clear
we still like a pupil while commenting on behaviour that needs
changing we are able to support the child in correcting their
behaviour without damaging their self-esteem. The things we say have
the capacity to make a huge difference to our pupils. Our words are
powerful so we need to choose them wisely.
78.
ABC- Antecedent, Behaviour,
Consequence.
When
a pupil has frequent difficulties managing their behaviour ,we can
step in to help them. If we carefully note what was happening before
an incident takes place and clearly describe the incident, we can
begin to look for patterns. It may be a certain lesson that triggers an
outburst or it could be their reaction to a particular member of
staff, for example. If we can find a pattern we can take steps to
change the situation.
Another
important step is to note the consequences of the pupil's actions.
It may be that a consequence intended as a suitable sanction may not
decrease the behaviour. A pupil may enjoy being sent in at Playtime
so they may get into trouble prior to Playtime in order to avoid
going out.
It
is easy to set up an ABC chart: to help you monitor possible causes
and effects.
|
A-
Antecedent |
B-behaviour |
C-Consequence |
|
T was about to go into her English lesson. |
She
kicked S in the line. |
T
was made to sit outside the class and missed the reading session. |
In
this example T may be deliberately avoiding going into class as she
has a problem with reading, for example.
79.
Behaviour has a function.
Pupils
can behave in all sorts of unexpected ways. This can be a real cause
for concern in school. It can be helpful to remember that behaviour
performs a function even if you do not yet know what function. Using
an ABC chart could help you to analyse behaviour and look for
possible causes. If you find and remove the cause of anxiety the
behaviour is likely to reduce. Often challenging behaviour is a
result of communication difficulties. The pupil may have difficulty
expressing themselves verbally or they may struggle to process what
other people are saying. This is likely to affect their behaviour.
Environment is another factor that can affect behaviour. Some pupils
become very distracted in a busy and cluttered environment. For
example.
When
we carefully consider environmental and communication factors we are
in a better position to understand behaviour challenges and bring
about possible solutions.
80
Real Life Examples.
Pupils
benefit from real-life tasks. One year I contacted a school in the
Shetland Islands and arranged for the pupils in my class to write to
the pupils in their school. This was a very positive experience as
the children were able to find out the similarities and differences
between their lives and those of the pupils on Shetland.
Finding
out things for yourself really helps you to learn.
If
pupils can see the point of doing something they are more likely to
enjoy doing it and when they enjoy doing something they are more
likely to learn.
81.
Chunking time with rewards.
Some
pupils really struggle to focus for a whole day. They benefit from
their time being divided up into manageable chunks so that they can better cope with their school day. If you provide them with a visual
timetable you can build in regular small rewards as incentives for them to
complete each task.
Rewards can include a few minutes computer time
or allowing them some time to play outside. You will be able to
decide on a suitable reward that suits the individual and the
school you work in.
82.
The power of visual timetables.
Visual
timetables are very useful, particularly for pupils who have limited
reading ability or comprehension difficulties. They also help pupils
who struggle to understand the passage of time. These timetables can
be displayed for the benefit of the whole class or you can make
individual timetables. If you laminate them they can be carried
round by the pupil without them being damaged. You can replace words
with symbols for pupils who cannot read. You can find suitable
symbols using Clip Art.
83.
It is the consistency not severity of the consequence that is
powerful.
The
most successful teachers are consistent in their approach. They make
class rules clear. They involve pupils in deciding the rules and
helping to agree the consequences of rule breaking. The consequences
do not need to be harsh. It is the certainty that you will follow
through with the consequence that is most powerful and has the greatest capacity to bring about positive changes in behaviour.
84.Taking
inspiration from each other.
We
all have unique skills and talents. If schools can capitalise on
this by taking inspiration from the ideas of staff and pupils alike
they are likely to flourish. There could be a Suggestions Box in the
school where everyone can be encouraged to post their ideas and
suggestions. If people realise that you will take their ideas
seriously they are likely to offer their wonderful ideas on how to
improve things. The more invested in a school the pupils and staff feel the more it is likely to prosper.
85.
Child initiated projects.
If
children are given time and the opportunity to direct their own
learning, they are likely to become creative thinkers, which is a
really important life skill. Topic work can lend itself to this way
of working. The teacher can ensure that key points are covered as
well as building in time for pupils to find out some things
themselves. In 'The Early Years ' lots of opportunities are provided
to ensure that pupils are able to initiate many aspects of their own
learning. It would be good if more time was devoted to such projects
later in the school. Pupils can plan, carry out and then review or evaluate their learning.
86.
School trips- new experiences.
Some
children have not visited many places before coming to school and so
school trips provide valuable new experiences for them. It is not
necessary to go to somewhere expensive or exotic. A trip to a local
wood or beach can provide children with many learning opportunities,
whatever their age.
When
pupils get older, many pupils are offered the chance to go on a
Residential trip. This provides many opportunities for pupils to
develop team building and independence skills.
87.
Inspiring speakers and visitors.
Schools
can provide pupils with the opportunity to learn from other people.
If someone has achieved something significant in your local area,
why not invite them into school to meet the children and give a
talk? It could be someone who has overcome adversity or has achieved
success in some way. They may be good at Sport or Art for example.
There is something very powerful about hearing someone's story first
hand and this can have a real impact on the learning of your pupils. Some of our Olympic athletes were inspired by meeting other athletes when they were at school.
88.
Celebrating success.
There
are many lovely ways to celebrate success in schools. Children love
certificates given out in Assembly, postcards sent home celebrating
achievement and many other similar initiatives. Parents and carers
appreciate it when their child is recognised for their achievement.
It is really important that the teacher finds ways to celebrate
everyone's success. Some pupils are academic, others are good at
Sport and some are very good members of a team.
If
you look closely enough you will be able to find numerous ways of
celebrating the success of every pupil.
89.
What was the best thing that happened to you this week?
A
very helpful technique you can teach your class is to identify what
has gone well that week. Pupils can sometimes get into a cycle of
negative thinking and may find it hard to identify something good
that has happened that day and they may find it hard to identify a really
great thing that has happened that week. This can also be difficult
for adults but if we can teach ourselves to appreciate the good
things in life, no matter how small, we can develop a more positive
outlook on life. If pupils really struggle with this you may need to
model it regularly by telling them things that you have enjoyed. You
may need to recap the week for them and encourage them to choose
something that they have enjoyed from a range of options but if they
are asked to do this regularly they will get better at it and will
start to see the benefits of having a more positive outlook on life.
90.
A balanced diet is important- teaching
simple cookery.
Some
pupils come from families who regularly cook from scratch but many
others may come from homes who rely on ready meals and convenience
food.
It
is a great idea to allow the pupils the opportunity to learn to cook
simple, well balanced meals themselves. In addition to this they can
be taught how to stick to a budget so that they learn that good food
does not need to be expensive. Schools can play an important role in
teaching the children the importance of eating healthily. They can
even get involved in growing fruit and vegetables to cook
themselves.
91.
The importance of Basic Skills-Life Skills.
Schools
do well to place a focus on teaching Basic Skills including vital Life Skills. The more independent the pupil, the more choices they
have open to them. When pupils leave school it is very helpful if
they have a good understanding of the world of work and the skills
needed to run a home. They should be able to fill in application
forms and know the importance of having a bank account. Depending on
the age of the pupils that you teach, there are key Life Skills that
you can teach them. This can range from letting a young pupil do up their own coat and butter a slice of bread to a pupil making a meal when they are older. This will help them to be prepared for adult
life when the time comes.
If a pupil has a disability they may develop at a different rate from their peers. It is important that you take time to teach them life skills and promote their independence as much as possible.
92.
Valuing their work even when they do not appear to.
Some
pupils have such a low self-esteem that they have little regard for
the work they complete, even if you tell them that it is good. They
may even rip up work that you have praised, for example.
Show them that
you value their work even if they don't appear to.
I
worked with some young people who regularly ripped their work off
the walls. I spent ages displaying their work only to find they had
torn it down. I was determined to show them that I cared about their
work and so I laminated it so that they couldn't easily rip it up.
When it got ripped down I simply put it back up again. Given time, these young people started to take pride in their work and if
someone else damaged it they would attempt to repair it and put it
back on display.
93.
Learn from older people.
Children
can learn a lot from older people. Older people have a lot of life
experience that they can share. Some pupils may have Grandparents
that they are close to but others may not know any older people. You
could invite older people in to school to listen to readers or
perhaps you can bring the children to visit a Care Home. Older
people can also gain a lot from being around children. Children can
learn to be kind and helpful by making drinks and listening to older
people, for example.
94.
Team building games.
Team
building is very important. Children need to learn how to work in
teams. They need to be able to follow and to lead as well as to take
turns and share. They need to trust the members of their team and learn to
be reliable. Team games can really help children to learn these
important skills. This is why it is important to offer pupils the
opportunity to be part of a team. They also need to learn how to
cope with competition. They benefit from experiencing winning and
losing. These are very important life skills.
95.
Time-line.
When
children need to plan ahead, they can benefit from using a
time-line. It can help them to plan out actions that they need to
take in order to achieve certain goals. They can draw a line and add
points on that line. The first point could represent where they are
now and the final point can be at the end where they have reached
their goal. The steps towards reaching the goal can then be mapped
on the time-line.
It
can be helpful to start the time-line from birth so your pupils can
record their key events and successes to date.
This
is a visual and clear way to map out tasks and to recognise
achievements.
96.
The benefits of technology.
We
are living in a technological age. It is very important that pupils
are taught to make good and safe use of technology in order to support their
learning. They benefit from being given time to learn about the
pro's and cons of different types of technology. E-safety is a vital
area and pupils gain from being given time to discuss the dangers
as well as the merits of technology.
Technology can be helpful to
pupils with various learning difficulties. Predictive software can
help with writing, for example. It is important to remember that not
all families have a computer at home so some pupils will not be able
to complete homework if they are required to use a computer at home.
Technology can be very motivating to some pupils and may engage them
in learning where other teaching approaches have failed.
97.
Clear boundaries.
For
pupils to feel secure they require boundaries. Some pupils naturally
respect boundaries while others may rebel against them. If schools
offer no boundaries some pupils may initially welcome this but they
will soon feel insecure. Schools can be unsafe places if no
boundaries are adhered to.
When putting in boundaries it is important
to make your expectations clear and to explain why you are using
them. An example of a boundary may be, ' we use positive language and
avoid swearing at others.'
Some
pupils may rebel against this and so a clear consequence should be
agreed when children do not adhere to the boundary that you have
set.
If
all the pupils know what is expected of them then they are more
likely to stick to the boundaries that you have set. Boundaries are
best when they are created using positive language rather than
offering a list of don'ts.
98.
Reparation.
When
a pupil upsets another pupil it can be beneficial to encourage them
to do something to repair their relationship with the child that
they have hurt.
They
may have a good idea of what they can do to help to put things right
or they may require help in deciding this. It is amazing how pupils
respond to this. Many feel shame and embarrassment after hurting
someone but are on the defensive so are unlikely to admit how they
are feeling but when they are offered the opportunity to do
something to help put things right they can feel enormous relief.
99.
Transition.
Many
pupils worry about the next step in their school experience. If this
is their first year at school they may worry about going up to their new
teacher the following year. Transition to the next Key Stage is also
a huge source of anxiety for many and changing from Primary to
Secondary and Secondary to College can be a worrying time for many.
We can do a lot to ease these fears.
Provide
pupils with opportunities to talk about their concerns and provide
opportunities for them to visit their new setting if at all
possible. Maybe their new teacher could visit them and answer some
of the questions that they might have. Pupils who have made this
transition can support them too. They could create a Power-point
giving the pupils useful information or they could run an Assembly.
If pupils are taught that it is OK to have worries about the future
and that they are free to share their fears they are likely to feel
a lot happier about what lies ahead.
100.
Revision and repetition.
Many
teachers get frustrated when the skills they have spent weeks
teaching are forgotten by a significant number of pupils in the
class. They may have spent a long time teaching Long Division only to find
the pupils do not score well in a test a few days later, for
example.
Revision
and repetition does help a lot.
When
we learn something new we grasp concepts at the time that we are taught but a little
while later we have forgotten unless we are given further
opportunities to try out what we have learnt. Some pupils benefit
from 'over-learning' where they are immersed in an activity over and
over again which helps the information to sink in. Many people need
to try something around 15 times before they feel confident.
I hope these 100 suggestions have been helpful. I would value your feedback!
