In this blog, I would like to share some ideas about going back to school:
1- Moving away from a reward and punishment system:
During the first week of the school year, students, in collaboration with the teacher, write essential agreements. These agreements consist of several positive, sentences representing actions. If a student violates these agreements, we talk to him, and we develop an individualised in collaboration with the specialist and the parents. It is essential to understand that a student who does not follow instructions may be seeking attention or facing problems that cannot be solved by depriving them of break time or asking them to write a phrase repeatedly.
Example :
– Respect: We Respect all ideas, time, and resources.
– Responsibility: We Take responsibility for our learning and complete the required tasks.
– Collaboration: We work together to complete designated activities.
2- Preparing the classroom environment:
Before the start of the school year, many teachers focus on preparing the classroom, decorating the walls, and choosing topics to attract students.
However, it is time to involve students in selecting the classroom’s name or decorating it. They will spend nine months there, and they likely have more appealing and contemporary ideas. This can be an opportunity to teach principles of democracy, elections, and voting by letting students participate in choosing the preferred name or theme.
3- Communication with parents:
Parents are essential partners in the learning and teaching process. It’s time to break the barriers and establish transparent and responsible communication with them. Organizing a meeting at the beginning of the year to connect with parents, explain curriculum requirements, and create a supervised WhatsApp group for communication can be helpful. Workshops and educational sessions for parents can also be arranged, along with presenting significant activities throughout the year and involving parents in preparation, organization, and communication with associations or experts.
4- Increasing student motivation:
Alfie Kohn’s book “Punished by Rewards” discusses the idea that rewards offered to students can be considered as punishment because they kill intrinsic motivation for learning and tie it to material rewards. To increase internal motivation for learning, teachers should:
– Prepare content that grabs students’ attention and relates to real-life situations to make learning meaningful and engaging.
– Empower students to make choices and actively participate in the learning process. Listening to students helps meet their needs and interests.
– Create a community by building strong connections between teachers and students and safe learning environment. The first week can be dedicated to connections activities, providing an opportunity to get to know students’ personalities, strengths, and areas for improvement.
I wish everyone a successful year filled with achievements. You can check this webinar to get some ideas to know more about your students.