Sunday, January 24, 2016

Have fun getting to know your class

So you've had a few weeks to settle into school, and it's all going well,  but as teachers we really need to get to know who the little people are in our classes.

I often get to know the parents of my class well. Why? Well, quite simply they are the experts on their child, you can learn so much from them, and this is important because, we as adults do not go into jobs we don't like, we don't eat things we don't like, so why are we making children learn things that are not important to them?

Yes, there are parts of our job that we do not enjoy, and so there are parts of school that no one enjoys. But, why are teaching them to count using teddy bears when they like dinosaurs?

I therefore, find it incredibly important to find out what makes my learners tick. And, there are a few activities that you can use to do this.

There are games to play, and a simple google search will help you out there - I always like to start off with the concrete and consolidate with a worksheet or more abstract activity.
So for the concrete activity you can have a look at our hot air balloon activity, where you can make 3D hot air balloons to hang up in your class. This way, all the learners in your class can see what everyone else likes, and you may even see new friendships develop...

If you want something a little more simple, have a look at our getting to know your class book.

Most importantly, get to know your class! I find this one of the most important aspects of starting off your year well, you class will respect you more, for trying to teach them about what they are interested in, and quite simply they may enjoy class and school more...