Chipping Norton
When I was on my PGCE we would share horror stories with each other most Friday evenings. This was great fun and often very cathartic. There was an issue though. My first placement school was in Chipping Norton, a quaint market town in rural Oxfordshire. This was David Cameron’s constituency and he had opened their new science block. The school was a stone’s throw away from Jeremy Clarkson’s and Alex James’ houses (the latter would drop in to help the Y9 music students with their Britpop coursework). If you’ve built up a picture of what the students in this school are like, you’d be correct. As a place to hone the craft of teaching without worrying about behaviour, it was a trainee’s dream. The majority of other people on my PGCE were not in the same situation.
Once, in one of our Friday evening moan-fests, I joined in and mentioned how I had a student open a door for me, but in quite a sarcastic manner. Suffice to say, this did not go down well with other trainees who had been verbally abused, had someone start a fire in their classroom, and those that had been physically intimidated. Still, if you’d seen the smirk that kid had on his face when he opened the door for me, I think you’d understand.
I mention the above because I want to give some advice about how to start that first lesson in the academic year with a new class. This advice, I think, mostly holds for the sorts of schools I did not train in but have then spent the majority of my career working at. If these tips don’t seem necessary for you that’s not a problem. They are tips I’ve picked up, the hard way, that have helped me over time. If even one helps you too, that’s enough for me.
Before the First Lesson
- Decide the routines you want – Do not start your first lesson coming up with some sort of agreed behavioural charter. There are a lot of students in that room that will need clear rules and leadership. Decide what your expectations are in advance. What routines do you want your students to learn? What ways of working do you want them to have for different phases of your lesson? Decide on these and plan to communicate them, explicitly, with your students from day 1.
- Learn the policy – This one is particularly relevant if it is a new school for you. Speak to an experienced teacher and ask them what language the students are used to hearing from their teacher when it comes to using the behaviour policy. Are there verbal warnings, 3 strikes and your out, some sort of C1, C2, C3 system…. Whatever it is, use it, and the language associated with it confidently from day 1. It lets the students know you understand the systems in place. Do not make your own rules that go above, beyond or sideways to the school’s policy. This isn’t fair on the students and (fingers crossed) shouldn’t be needed.
- Content not a barrier – Plan lessons where the content is definitely not going to be a barrier to success. If this means pausing how ambitious the curriculum is temporarily, then so be it. It will be worth it in the long run and you need to be sure in the lesson that students are able to access the content you put in front of them as you establish the routines and culture you want. If some complain, let them know it will get more challenging over time as you get to know them better.
- Start tight and loosen later – Do not plan any outlandish lessons to begin with. Keep them routine and allow the challenge and intrigue to come from the content. Group tasks, talk tasks, lessons outside… can all wait until you have sorted out the basics.
- Make a Seating Plan – Let them know exactly where they will be sitting and stick to that initially. It will most likely be the first time a student challenges a decision you have made. If you can, check with a head of year that the plan is sensible but stick to it for that first lesson. Changes can be made at the start of the next lesson if needed but hold the line publicly with them all.
During the Lesson
- Learn their names – Have that seating plan to hand throughout the lesson and learn and use their names as much as possible. If there are pictures on your school’s data system then try to find them and put some faces to names in advance as well just to freak them out a little. It will mostly likely be the case that you end up learning where students sit before you learn who they actually are. I would get students to pack up early and move seats at the end of each lesson. They could only go if I got their name right. This meant I knew them and not just where they sat. This would continue until I would confidently get 100% correct every time. Letting students know that you want to know their names and that whilst they have about 10 new teacher’s names to learn, that you have hundreds of new students makes them sympathetic to the situation.
- Rehearse the routines – Have students rehearse the routines you want them to use. If you want a 5-minute silent starter then have 10 ready in advance and have students practise it until they get it right. It may make the first few lessons a slog but it’ll pay dividends in the long run. If you let one student talk in that first lesson, you are giving permission for them all the talk in the next one.
- Praise – Relax (or at least appear relaxed on the surface) and give students plenty of praise where it is earned. Not smiling until Christmas is an archaic notion you may come across. In a school with supportive behaviour management systems you should be able to be yourself and trust that the system has your back. Make students feel comfortable and let them know that their hard work will be rewarded.
- Firm but fair from day 1 – Do not make any special allowances because it’s the start of the year. Set out your stool early and do so clearly. Sanctions, where earned, will help students know where the line is. It is much easier to loosen rules later (though be sure of your rationale for doing so) than it is to tighten any.
After the Lesson
- Phone Home – Phone home for students with a (rough) 3:1 ratio of positive to corrective messages. This is likely not sustainable in the long run but only needs to happen for the first week or so.
- Over-Mark their work – This is not sustainable in the long run either, but having eyes on students work initially and writing comments and picking up on issues early on is a great way of preventing them from arising further down the line. Give them your most attentive self for the first 2 weeks then ease off into a more sustainable way of working afterwards.
- Catch up Individually – Meet students on an individual basis, with a head of year or form tutor if necessary, that did not act how you wanted and spell out very clearly, what you expect to see of them next time and how sure you are that they can rise to the expectations you are setting for them.
There are a few more tips focused on behaviour which may be useful here.
If you have any more to add then please do so in the comments.
Best of luck with the start of your year!
I’m always interested in what people make of this so please feel free to comment with thoughts, questions or incomplete musings. Follow this or my Twitter account Teach_Solutions for similar content in the future.
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