Self-study activities

Review

Read the research and practice summary on this week’s topic. As you read, reflect on:

1. the practices that you are already doing well
2. the practices you are doing some of the time, but could do more of/more consistently
3. the practices you do not use in your teaching yet

As you work through the activities in this week’s self-directed study session and mentor meeting, aim to both refine and extend what you already do well, and to build your skill and confidence in using practices which are not yet a regular part of your teaching repertoire.

Plan and theory to practice

Practical exercise

Read the scenario. Use this to test and extend your thinking around approaches to establishing the learning environment. At each numbered point of the scenario, using the information in the research and practice summary above and your learning from last week’s sessions, answer these questions:

• What is happening here?
• What decisions must the teacher make? What are their options?
• What would you do here? Why?

The first point has been completed as an example below.

Once you have completed the activity, review your responses by reading the commentary at the end of this session plan. Update your own responses as necessary.

The scenario has been written so that it can be interpreted in the context of any phase. You should consider the case in the context of your pupils, school context and specialism.

Managing a smooth start to lessons

It’s early in the first term of the academic year. You are finding that when pupils arrive at your classroom, it takes up to 10 minutes for them all to arrive and become settled and ready to start (1). There are particular pupils who are consistently the last to arrive at the lesson, by which point you just want to get started in order to engage the class in their learning (2). The staggered start to the lesson is eating into important instruction time and creates an unsettled atmosphere, which you then find difficult to eradicate (3). When you begin the lesson, you find that there are some pupils who are not focused (e.g. whispering to one another, fidgeting with equipment and clearly not actively listening) which often means you need to repeat instructions, explain things again, or have some pupils who are ready to move on and some who are unable to because they weren’t focused (4).

Example for point 1

What is happening here?

Pupils are arriving and entering the classroom at different times, often late.

What decisions must the teacher make? What are their options?

The teacher needs to set a routine in place for how the lesson begins – give clear expectations of pupils and emphasise the importance of punctuality. They also need to consider the school policy on dealing with poor punctuality and ensure they are following the systems in place.

What would you do here? Why?

I would establish why pupils were arriving late – if there is a legitimate reason (lesson before is further away, meeting with a member of staff), I would support the pupils in trying to improve this situation. If the lateness is not excusable, I would follow school policy in following up the issue with the specific pupils involved.

Reflection

Having completed the activity above, reflect on how this connects to your own practice and how you can draw on learning from this exercise to improve your approaches to establishing the learning environment.

You might ask yourself:

• which points of the scenario resonate most strongly with your own experience?
• which points of the scenario would you be most/least confident in addressing?
• who in your school could help you develop your practice further in areas covered in this scenario?
• what immediate change can you make in your practice to improve the way that you communicate behavioural expectations and shape your classroom environment?

So what could you do in this scenario?

1. Setting out clear expectations at the start of a new year is a powerful way to ensure consistency in your lessons. Decide how you want your lessons to begin – perhaps there is a school policy where all pupils must line up in silence outside the classroom, or perhaps you are allowed to choose how the lesson starts. Identifying a clear expectation which you reinforce every lesson will foster a calm and purposeful start to your lesson.
2. Find out why the pupils are late to your lesson by talking to them calmly, outside of lesson time away from the view of the rest of the class. Consider your school policy on punctuality – apply the appropriate sanction to deal with the late pupils, and continue to do so each time they are late, escalating your response as necessary if this is a repeat occurrence.
3. Preparation is key here. Set the expectation that there will always be the same routine at the start of each lesson. For example, pupils enter quietly and sit at their desk, remove their coats and get their equipment out for the lesson. It may be a good idea to have a task ready for them to engage with immediately, such as a quiz on prior learning, a ‘big question’ that requires deep thought, or perhaps responding to feedback in their exercise books. This will set the tone for a calm and purposeful lesson.
4. Again, this is about ensuring there are clear expectations which you consistently reinforce, ideally through modelling the behaviour you expect from pupils. The example in the research and practice summary of stopping instruction abruptly and looking pointedly at those not listening can be an effective strategy. It would also be appropriate to praise pupils who do conform to your expectations. Furthermore, you may want to reflect on the quality of your explanations – are they sufficiently structured and concise? As with the issue of punctuality, apply your school’s policy in managing the situation, initially aiming for the least-intrusive action but escalating issues as appropriate in line with the policy.

Next steps

Bring your notes from this activity to your next mentor meeting.

Be ready to discuss this activity with your mentor.

Use your learning in this session to make at least one positive change to how you establish the learning environment in your lessons over the coming week.