Getting Back Into It

I am seeing and hearing the buzz of teachers setting up classrooms and planning the start to the school year.  I love this time of year when we start crossing over from our well-needed break into the beginning of new adventures.  I have a recurring thought in my head as I read the exciting posts of teachers around New Zealand.  I wonder...

 

How long will it be before our learners are immersed in rich learning experiences?

Yes, we do need to build relationships and get to know our learners
Yes, we do need to set up our routines
Yes, we do need to teach new activities so our learners can work independently and successfully
Yes, this will look different at different year levels

So how do we ensure we are doing these important things and getting rich authentic learning up and running early in the school year?

My thoughts are to consider

• Knowing your learner.  What do I already know about these learners?  (academic and personal knowledge) How can I quickly find out more?  Will I find out more throughout this learning experience?
• Prior Knowledge.  What do my learners already know that will help them to make connections within and beyond this learning experience?  How can I find this out?  How will I give my learners the opportunity to share their prior knowledge?
• Learner motivation and engagement.  How will I inspire my learners to become actively engaged and take ownership of this learning experience?  How will I incorporate choice into this learning experience?
• Scaffolding.  What will I need to do to ensure this learning experience is accessible to all the learners in my class?  This may involve the structure of the lesson (i.e. working in pairs), resources, technology and my deliberate acts of teaching (i.e. modelling and think alouds).
• Key concepts and Vocabulary.  How will I ensure that all my learners understand the key concepts and vocabulary within this learning experience?  What strategies will we use when learners do not understand?
• Opportunities to learn.  How will I provide multiple and varied opportunities for my learners to engage with and practise the key learning in this experience? 

 I think it is important that we use the data provided from the end of last year to set up our reading/ writing programmes.  If you find that there has been a 'summer slump' then getting them back to where they were, quickly, is an urgent priority.



A great resource available to help with setting up reading programmes is Teaching reading comprehension by Dr Alison Davis.  Click the images to find out more.

 These kits are a fabulous addition to your classroom reading programme too.

And one for writing is Effective Writing Instruction by Dr Alison Davis

Fidget and Sensory Tools

I bought two of my boys a Fidget Cube to test it out before the start of school.

Success!  They both love the Fidget Cube and now I have had to buy my husband one too!

So heading into a new classroom and a new year, many teachers are starting to think about their classroom environment.   My thoughts for preparing a classroom would be to consider Universal Design for Learning.  How does this space meet the needs of all my learners?  Am I giving multiple options within the classroom environment to allow learners to choose the best way for them to learn?  Consider how your classroom environment serves your learners with sensory input and output.  Are there quiet and noisy spaces?  Does the furniture provide sensory input to ground learners and help them concentrate?  What tools could support learning for all?