In many schools and classes the children are set work as soon as they enter the room in a morning – but is this a good thing to do?
The easy answer to this is that it is up to the school or the class teacher – and if that’s what has been decided, or what you have decided to do then that’s fine!
In another of my articles I looked at the guidelines for teaching times in school. These were based around the following figures.
- Key stage 1 – 21.0 hrs / week
- Key stage 2 – 23.5 hrs / week
However I did make the observation, and those of you who have done this will verify; that these sorts of figures are extremely hard to achieve and are usually only demonstrated when OFSTED visits!
In fact to achieve these figures then the following sorts of adjustments must be made
- Changeover times need to be very slick and an almost immediate change of subject and focus
- Playtimes need to be exactly on time and returning to the classroom and from the cloakroom needs to be pushed along
- Every spare minute needs to be filled and productive
- Every avenue of slippage must be eradicated …so no getting coats on at the end of the day 10 minutes before school finishes!
You get the picture….
However, in the course of a normal teaching day I hope that things are a little less hectic, a little more relaxed and of course a lot more fun!
So what are the reasons we would set work for the children at this time of day?
- It gives the children something to be getting on with as soon as they arrive.
- It makes for a settled and quiet atmosphere at the beginning of the day
- Its an opportunity to revise, or consolidate work that we have covered or are covering.
- It gives the teacher the opportunity to get the paperwork done to start things off.
All excellent reasons to set work for the children to complete and there really are no down sides to it at all….or are there?
Perhaps not downsides …but is there an alternative to this (which of course is NOT setting work) and would this be preferable?
Let’s look a little closer
How about putting ourselves into the shoes of the children….having arrived at school you walk into class and straight away you have to start. No time to settle down, no quick words to a friend – nope…here’s the work now get on!
For me, and let’s be honest probably for you too – I really wouldn’t like to have to do it….do we do this on arriving at a training course or arriving at school in a morning? No we sort of ease into it!
Now I am not saying that the children are allowed to ease into their work….but perhaps it may be a little too much …an immediate start?
The usual time allowed for this can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 20 minutes – it allows the teacher to take the registers and then perhaps move around the class and mark the work or to go through it with the class – in any case, this “early morning start” stuff should NOT add to your marking load….get it finished and out of the way in 1 hit!
The biggest reason I never did this early morning work
I never did it…well except when OFSTED were in. The biggest reason I never did this immediate stuff was because…
“I like to ease into the day”
To be absolutely honest it’s the start of the day for me as well. I really don’t want to be chasing kids this early to get on with work or finish what has been set…..I really don’t. But having said that there were a few things I did expect from the children at this time in the morning and they were a part of my classroom management strategies….so they were written in stone!
- Children could not spend forever taking off their coats
- They could talk when they were settling down at their groups
- When I asked for quiet to complete the registers then we had quiet from everyone
- If I was interrupted I would stop and raise an eyebrow….it was enough!
That’s all pretty straightforward stuff you will say – and it is. However I also used this time for something else…something, in my opinion just as important as any set exercises on the board. I used this time to build the classroom atmosphere, children’s confidence and also an enjoyment of being in OUR class.
(I have written a full article about building classroom atmosphere and it can be found on this link if you would like to read more)
In my classroom, first thing in a morning was an important contribution towards building that atmosphere.
Its quite simple, but presents a relaxed approach to the start of the day and slowly eases both you and the class towards the days timetable.
I am sure many colleagues do the same thing but just for the record here are the sorts of things I would add during that time.
- Taking registers – attendance and dinner
- During the attendance register I would take time to ask specific children about special events that might have happened….pony riding or starting cubs or football training.
- I would comment on someone’s new hairstyle or ask about a new pet that had arrived.
- I may even ask “did you see…..?” for a current event.
- I shared any mishaps or events that had happened in my own house….(all the children knew I had 2 boys and knew their names)
- Just as an example the class knew Friday night was McDonald’s night in our house and the barbecue sauce always made a mess…squidging out everywhere!
Basically we used the time to:-
- ease into the day
- bond as a class
Once over – then it’s time for action…..
” Book monitors hand out the Maths books – rule off from the last piece of work and put today’s date……..”
At the end of the day, of course, it’s your choice….your class and your children. There is no right and wrong here – just what works for you and more importantly what works for the children in your class.