With thoughts inevitably turning to September and planning the return to the classroom, Femi and Matt discuss some of the key aims for the first few lessons of a new academic year and delve into the approaches one might use in order to achieve them.  

In particular, thinking of the first week or two with a new group as being all about creating the classroom culture that you want for the rest of the year, and about training students to become very effective learners.  I.e. this period is about ‘learning to learn’ and the actual material, topics and concepts that are covered are less important than the lessons we are teaching students about learning behaviour, making a prompt and silent start to work, being engaged, being fully attentive, producing work of very high quality presentation, checking answers, and so on.

Good teachers create effective learners through very deliberate actions, and most of that work takes place very early on in the year.  This is a subtle business because everything hinges on what you place the emphasis on in your classroom but the best teachers do not start the year with the emphasis on students getting the right answers, for example.  So at the heart of today's discussion is really 'what do you place the emphasis on?' and it may well pay to listen through that lens.