Organizing a class is not easy and every teacher knows it: it requires planning, study, novel tactics that can attract students … Like a writer, a teacher also wants to absorb and keep his audience fixed and pending, which is none other than the students, and for this it is necessary to create an atmosphere of drama and tension or of unexpected turns as in literature.
Similarly, a teacher or professor, just like a good writer or filmmaker, has to know how his story will begin and how it will end, with the difference and added complication that a teacher must create those stories every day.
And that’s the real key to good planning, finding the right beginnings and endings , because if you don’t get your students involved early on, then that collaboration and attention may no longer be recovered. If you add an impromptu ending to that, you run the risk of failing in planning, throwing away your work and your goals.
Therefore, the 8 minutes that matter most in a class correspond to the beginning and the end of it . If a lesson or activity in class does not start strong, the interest of the students will soon fade and the teacher will have to do a double and much heavier work to try not to lose that much needed attention. And it is that, if this attention is not achieved, neither will the planned objectives of understanding and work be achieved.
Ways to make those 8 minutes magical
- Start class with good news
Classrooms in which everyday events or news and problems are discussed openly, that debate and ask critical questions of interest, or that celebrate the beautiful things in life, build the climate of comfort necessary for students to get involved , share ideas and participate in honest and open discussions. Starting the day with good news is a very simple and affordable way to reach students.
- Establish cross disciplines
Throw a soccer ball during class before teaching the disciplines of physics, play a song that alludes to or reminds of your mythology topic, measure the angles of a Picasso painting in math class … There are almost endless possibilities! ! The integration of other disciplines teaches students that ideas and concepts do not stand alone, but exist within a larger network of knowledge . Starting with another discipline or with another activity related in some way, can also open the senses to a deeper learning.
- Work and plan with the help of YouTube
One hundred hours of video are uploaded every minute on this social network, and in it there is something for every grade, subject and focus that we need. Supporting networks such as YouTube not only makes learning visible and modern, but also enables teachers to make connections that would not otherwise be possible, bringing knowledge in step closer to the common interests and media of the older students. young boys.
- Reflections in 5 minutes
Students need to study and write a lot to learn and to improve themselves, but there are other, more dynamic mechanisms to achieve those same goals. For example, if we ask a doubt or question related to something in the subject, in a more current and interesting way, students will be challenged to discover the answer and may also feel motivated to go further and investigate what is necessary . One way to do this is to start each day with a question that students should spend about five minutes answering. This ritual will enhance reflection and learning in a less aggressive and more interesting way than a full lesson.
Other tricks to end a class well
- Level up
It’s no secret that kids love video games, in part due to the constant rewards of reaching new levels and ranking higher. This creates a sense of achievement, competence, and value . And video games, in this sense, offer an important tactic for teachers, who can play with this need to improve and develop levels of competence based on concrete standards. For example, at the end of a lesson, ask students to plan their own progress and divide the work into goals, naming these phases typical of their favorite video games. Basing planning on levels and linking them to popular games can be the ideal motivation to get even the most reluctant students to exceed their achievements.
- The power of the post-it
Another way to create a positive climate in the classroom, beyond the beginning of the “good news”, is to end with notes of interest but more related to the group of students and the class. For example, you can ask students to write things they have learned from someone else in class or that they like on a post-it note , which they will post on the board as they appear. At the beginning of the next day these notes will be read aloud, creating a very positive atmosphere to start over. This idea reaffirms that a classroom is a community of learners and encourages everyone’s participation, improving the atmosphere of community and companionship, because… who doesn’t want to start the day with good words and messages?
- Other social networks in the classroom
The collaborative and connected spirit of the digital world can be replicated in the physical classroom. Many education professionals have already written about the positive ways of using Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram in the classroom . In the last four minutes, you can challenge the students to write a creative tweet or to find an image that also identifies in an original and creative way with the topic to be studied or the goals to be achieved on Instagram or Pinterest.
And you, how do you start and finish your classes each day?
Interesting ideas to illustrate and energize the classes. Thank you!