Create an engaging classroom
To create an engaging learning environment that immediately wows your students, spending a few hours on your displays will go a long way. You can decorate the walls with colourful educational posters, make a fun display or even let your students contribute with their own artwork. Letting them put their own stamp on the classroom can make the space feel more inviting, and help your class feel a sense of ownership over the space.
To keep things fresh, relevant and most importantly fun, be sure to change up the displays semi-regularly; you can continue to have your students help, too! Creating an environment that reflects the creativity and individuality of your class goes a long way to enhancing the overall learning experience, and making them feel more at home.
Establish the class rules early
Setting classroom rules early helps students understand what's expected of them and where they stand with you as a teacher. It also establishes important boundaries and teaches them how to behave amongst their peers.
It’s always a good idea to involve your students in creating the rules and encourage them to think about the reasons behind each rule so they understand why they're important. Keep the rules simple and consistent, and make sure they are displayed where everyone can see them. This helps create a fair environment where everyone is on the same page.
Create structured routines
Creating structured routines helps build a more secure and predictable classroom environment for students, which can help lessen the anxieties that sometimes come with prominent change. Start by introducing simple daily or weekly routines to provide that additional element of stability, such as routines for entering the classroom in the morning, packing up at the end of the day, asking to go to the bathroom, and lining up for break time.
Clearly communicating what you expect at each stage will ensure everyone understands their role. After a few weeks, these routines will become second nature, helping the day run smoothly and allowing your students to focus more on learning.
Introduce golden time
After creating rules and routines, why not try introducing a reward system. Golden Time, also called Rainbow Time and Reward Time, among many other names, is a great way to motivate students to try hard and do well; it also gives them something to look forward to.
Created by education consultant Jenny Mosley in the 1980s, Golden Time rewards students for good behaviour, effort, and hard work with fun activities for enrichment. This makes students feel excited and motivated while helping them understand the importance of following classroom rules. It rewards them for doing so, encouraging them to carry on with their good behaviour. It also gives teachers a chance to connect with their class through these fun sessions, creating a positive and calm atmosphere you can carry throughout the year.
These are just a few techniques that we've learned at EPSL over the years. We're sure you have some of your own as well! Regardless of the strategies you choose, you need the very best equipment. That's why we offer a wide range of school exercise books, personalised exercise books, and supplementary reading material. You can find all of these on our website. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call us at 01254 686 500. We're always happy to help!
