TS 1 – Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils

Video - Posted on by Elizabeth Andriane Papanastasiou

TS 1: Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils
– Demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of pupils.

‘Don’t smile until Christmas’
Blog post

Friday midday. Lunch time is pending and of course Friday is here again, alongside a variety of playful moods and the inability to sit quietly. I have been meticulously planning this lesson all week; I want to make a good impression, as my mentor observes from the back of the class. I also want the students to learn; the topic is Multi-culturalism. It affects all of us; it is a part of our lives here in London.

I find an awesome video. It makes me smile. It is called the ‘Happy Muslim’. An incredibly catchy and current pop song plays as Muslims of all ethnicities mime and dance to the tune. It is lively and I thought it would be a great way to hook in students for the lesson. Last week their behaviour was excellent and I was under the assumption that this would end up being my best class! Oh, how wrong was I! Students seem to appreciate the video, but the lively buzz and undercurrent of low level noise does not stop. The class really responded to me last week. What changed?

I foolishly pleaded with them, saying “I am new” and “Come on guys, I thought that you were really good, why are you not listening?” It must have been so cringe worthy to watch! There were moments of good behaviour, especially when the head teacher had come in, and I was showing them a video. I remained positive and upbeat, thinking the students would be nice to me and would like me. Slowly, I lost control of the lesson, and by the end, noise levels were high, at times I had to speak over students, which is something I have been told NOT to do! The bell goes, there is a mad rush to pack bags and a scramble towards the door.

Later on, in the staff workroom I was reflecting with another student teacher. She said to me, “Lizzy, hasn’t anyone ever told you? You are not supposed to be too nice yet, set boundaries and let the kids know that there is a level of acceptable behaviour in class. And, don’t smile until Christmas!”

TS 7 – Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment

Posted on by Elizabeth Andriane Papanastasiou

TS 7: Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
– Manage classes effectively, using approaches which are appropriate to pupils’ needs in order to involve and motivate them

Observation – Year 10 class
Blog Post

Year 10, Friday afternoon. Energy and excitement levels are far higher than a Monday morning. This class is notorious for their lack of the following:

* Care for the subject
* Care for learning
* Lack of self-control

The class is a mixed ability Religious Studies class, with one third having SEN and two EAL learners with little English. Miss is a new teacher to the School but with many years experience and an excellent record of student achievement as well as the understanding of a variety of behaviour management strategies.

From the beginning of the lesson, when students enter the classroom, they are being generally unruly, which is nothing out of the ordinary for this class. Miss calms them, tries to settle them. There is a fun Do it Now! on the board, and a new seating plan which was created after several unproductive lessons with this class. Students mess around in the classroom, throwing lip glosses across to each other. Two girls bicker over a tin of vaseline and continue to punch each other.

Miss has raised her voice. No one is listening. She has moved on from the Do it Now! slide to the lesson title, date and objective. Still no one is listening. Only a handful of the same diligent students are paying attention, have their books open and have written the lesson title, date and objective.

Miss proceeds to move around the classroom and speak to the students who are ready to work. She asks them to come to the desk at the front of the classroom, and to bring their equipment with them. Once seated, around 12 students (less than half of the class). The students listen to Miss as she explains in a softer voice that they would be using the textbook to work on some revision of the topic including the key terms, in preparation for an upcoming end of topic test.

As I watch from the back of the classroom, students are now looking around to see where Miss is. They are trying to locate her with their eyes as well as by listening for her voice, which has now dropped to a low, ‘one to one’ level as opposed to raised to gain attention of the whole class. They look restless, asking each other “what is going on?” and “why is Miss ignoring us”. They start to shout out to Miss, “why are you ignoring us Miss, why don’t you care?”

Miss responds “I am teaching those who want to learn. You wouldn’t listen to me nor want to learn so I am leaving you to do what you wanted to do from the beginning of the lesson; Talk!” She then asked “Are you ready to listen, and learn?” They replied “Yes Miss”.

Drawing reference on Robert Laslett and Colin Smiths Four rules of Class Management, Miss had Got them in, got on with them (some) and let them get on with it (most)!

Following this, the lesson generally proceeded in a constructive way. This is not to say students listened entirely, nor did they give their 100%. But, this strategy did make them think about how much they could learn from Miss, her knowledge and excellent way of communicating information. She just touched the tip of the iceberg here, but persistence with this class will hopefully pay off as they year progresses. This begs the question; Is Ignorance really bliss?

Monday Mindfulness in the Staff Room

Posted on by Elizabeth Andriane Papanastasiou

Monday morning marks the beginning of the week but also the opportunity to change something. To do something new. To make a difference to one student, teach them one word or key term or challenge them to think outside of the box.

With a new pastor to lead collective prayer for the cohort on a Monday, we bow our heads. Most do, some don’t. Curious glances from those not lost in thought, deep expressions from those who are. Collectively, we are here, in that moment.

Good Morning Monday

Posted on by Elizabeth Andriane Papanastasiou

The theme for the week in School is thankfulness.  As the mornings become darker and colder, line up is chilly.  The morning prayer can be that little piece of warmth.  Collective worship. Students take so long just lining up but I realise that they move around and fidget because they are chilly. And restless, of course. I see some of them with such expressions that can only indicate they are lost in thought. It takes my mind back to when I was their age. The year 10’s, at 14 years old have so many thoughts these days about how they look and feel as opposed to dreaming about where to go and how to get there. I know because I speak to them about this. Some of them can’t see beyond their homes and school, and the town centre they frequent at weekends.

This little glimpse of routine at school is something they reject, but at the same time, something they crave.