Yesterday, I posted my first set of tips for NQTs starting in September. Today, I’d like to share a few more:
6. Make a PowerPoint template you can use for all your lessons
If, like many teachers, you will be making extensive use of PowerPoint for your lessons it will save you a huge amount of time if you have a template ready with slides for things like date, title, LO, homework etc. For the date, use the Insert Date function in PowerPoint and make sure you tick the option for it to update automatically – it gives you one less thing to think about. I also have a hidden slide at the end where I have template text boxes, template disappearing boxes to reveal gap-fill answers and icons for the key skills ready to copy and paste into slides. Over the summer, I’m planning to expand my templates ready to include the layout for my most common lesson activities to reduce my workload further next term.
7. Get to know people, don’t shut yourself away
Some days, you will simply need to put your head down and work through a lunchtime. But make sure you take the time to get to know people early on. Spend time in the staff room getting to know your new colleagues and you will quickly feel a part of the school community. Shut yourself away and it makes this harder.
In particular, get to know key support staff – the site team, reprographics, office staff, finance, any pastoral support staff, technicians, learning support, librarian, catering, cleaners, data team, exams, cover – everyone, basically! There will be a time when you need one of these people to save your bacon, and it’s much easier (not to mention less awkward) if you’ve already introduced yourself. The chances are they will be sympathetic to a new teacher and very happy to help. The running of the school would fall apart without them.
8. Frame your instructions and corrections positively
This is something I will happily admit I still need to work on sometimes. When you are managing behaviour or setting expectations, tell the students what you want rather than what you don’t. Let’s not forget that many teenagers’ stock response to “don’t do X” is to immediately do X, but it’s also about your own frame of mind. If you are constantly telling children “don’t do this, don’t do that” it isn’t the most fun way to spend your day.
So, in practice:
| Instead of telling a child… | Consider telling them to… |
|---|---|
| Don’t talk over me | Listen / pay full attention |
| Don’t turn around | Face the front |
| Don’t hand work in late | I expect work handed in on time |
| Don’t be rude | Be polite |
| Don’t chat with your friend | Focus on the lesson |
| Don’t slouch on your chair | Sit up straight |
| Stop fiddling with your pen | Put the pen down |
In reality, sometimes we are going to come out with “don’t” phrases and that is normal, natural and fine, but just the process of trying to get into a routine of framing corrections or redirections positively will make the overall atmosphere in your classroom more positive. Plus, a positive instruction is more likely to get a positive response. Students overwhelmingly want to please, so tell them what it is that you do want, and most of the time they’ll do it. Conversely, if you spend half your lesson saying “don’t do this, don’t do that” the mood will turn sour and it will get you down. So, be positive!
Important: Acknowledge when the student responds positively to your correction or redirection with a quick comment so that they know their correct behaviour has been noticed. All it takes is a quick ‘thank you’ or a thumbs-up if you’ve moved on and are mid-flow with your lesson. Catching students doing the right thing is a great way to spread the positivity in your classroom.
9. Have a printed seating plan to hand for quick annotations
Initially, I noted missing homework or lateness that needed following up (e.g. “Mr X let me out late”) on a post-it note, warnings and credits on the board and other notes goodness knows where. Before long, it was apparent that this was not manageable or sustainable. I trialled a printed register to annotate but it quickly became apparent that finding a student’s name on a list every time I want to give a credit or a warning was just a total faff.
I printed out a copy of each group’s seating plan and put them in a clear pocket. That way finding the student was easy as it was based on the seating plan, not register order. I bought this non-permanent red pen. I use it to make quick annotations – tick for a credit, X for a warning, H for missing homework, L3 for 3 mins late, a teacher’s initials if I needed to follow up lateness blamed on them. At the end I can then add anything necessary to SIMS or my records in bulk later. It doesn’t smear and wipes away easily with moisture, so a spray of any cleaning product or even water will do the trick perfectly.
Pro tip: This is also a great way of quickly taking the register. I just scan the room (in my case while they’re doing their silent starter), look for anyone missing and jot down an N next to them, then on SIMS click on the lesson period (e.g. 1MON:1 – above the first student) to select everyone, press / to mark all as present in one go, then change any absentees to N or latecomers to L before saving. The room stays silent and it’s done in 30 seconds.
Side note: always follow up if they say a teacher kept them back; half the time it’s not true or at best a stretched truth, and sometimes the realisation that you will actually check is enough to panic a Year 7 who’s chancing it into being honest! If they know you will always follow up, they are less likely to try to get away with it.
10. Ask for help if you need it
If you’re struggling with something, don’t suffer in silence! Be proactive in asking for help, be that from your mentor or anybody else. Your mentor is likely to either have the answer, have suggestions, or if it’s a particular aspect of teaching they might be able to point you in the direction of a teacher who is strong in that area. When I wanted to improve my management of low-level disruption with Year 9, my mentor suggested five different teachers I could observe. I sent them an email and had almost immediate responses from all of them; I arranged to observe one each week for the next five weeks during my frees and gained a huge amount.
One of my deputy heads said this in September:
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, the sign of weakness is in failing to ask for help when it is needed.
This is very true. Teachers have all been there. Those with 30 years’ experience who seem to do everything effortlessly were once in their first year. This year in particular, there will be a realisation that you have had less time in the classroom and this will, I am sure, be matched with a willingness to help and share advice. The sooner you seek it out, the sooner you can put it into practice, develop and feel more in control.
Hashmançais 