Just like first impressions, you only have one chance to get off on the right foot. When you start a school year, or commence any course it is imperative that you relate to learners in a fun and engaging way. This is the time to start forming relationships and ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding expectations.
Ice Breakers
I have a few tried and tested ice breakers that I use to get everyone in a good frame of mind. Ice Breakers start conversations and reveal information about other people in your class or course that you didn't know before. You may find that you have more in common with classmates than you think!
As a Teacher it's a great idea to get involved in them too, as this helps to break down barriers and lets students know that you too are a real person with thoughts, feelings, dreams and hopes. They certainly aid in breaking down stereotypes, which is always a fun thing to do.
Values
This is the perfect time to talk about and work on values. This can be around personal values and class values. Just listening and understanding what it is that your students / learners place value on can be very helpful for future planning. Most will talk about the value of family and relationships, others will value their education, or things like honesty, integrity and trust. This is the perfect time to agree some class / course values for the duration of the year. When you get buy in from students, and they have actually agreed and taken part in the process, this is a powerful thing!
Goal Setting
Everyone has goals in life - these can be personal and related to school and education. It's so important to identify your goals and have your students do the same. I work with the SMART goal system and it can be really helpful for learners to understand this system and how it can help them achieve their goals both in the school environment and work wise.
Time Management
We all need assistance with Time Management and that includes your students. If they can get into some great habits now, they are headed for a successful school year. We don't naturally have Time Management skills, but it is certainly something that can be learnt and once mastered will serve them well for their school year and beyond. It can be as simple as having a written down To Do List or as systematic as using a process such as Steven Coveys Matrix.
I wish you well for the start of the school year or the beginning of your workplace course. Taking the time upfront will stand you in good stead to move forward with positivity and confidence.
