Classroom Changes: How to Prepare for the New

As the new year begins, the “New Year, New Me” vibe influences many aspects of our lives, and the classroom is no exception. We, teachers, surprisingly often find ourselves surprisingly eager to introduce changes that promise to enhance the learning experience for our students.

However, I think that is evil and instead of joining the bandwagon, I encourage you to simply sit back and relax. Before you go with introducing changes, take a step back and evaluate the effectiveness of the practices you currently use, the changes you’ve made at the beginning of the new school year.

Let me help you and take a look at the things you might have – and frankly speaking should have – implemented in your classroom, before ushering in something new. If you want to take a look at the post, click on the title!

1 Class Contract

The class contract is a powerful tool that helps set up expectations and keep a positive learning environment. Revisit the class contract introduced earlier and assess its effectiveness. Are the current rules still relevant? Have there been any challenges in keeping them? Think about it: maybe some adjustments are necessary or maybe the existing contract simply needs reinforcement?

Class Contract – benefits for students:

• promotes a clear understanding of behavioural expectations
• creates a supportive and respectful classroom environment
• encourages a sense of responsibility and accountability among students

Class Contract – benefits for teachers:

• establishes a framework for consistent classroom management
• reduces disruptions and conflicts through agreed-upon rules
• enhances overall teaching efficiency and effectiveness

2 Classroom Feedback

Classroom feedback ideally allows students to learn about their strengths and weaknesses as well as helps us see areas that may require improvement. I wrote notes about some basics of giving feedback (click!) and using the feedback matrix (click!) that could be really helpful. Now is the time for you to reflect on the feedback culture in your classroom and identify recurring themes – some of them you might need to change, some require more focus etc.

Classroom Feedback – benefits for students:

• enhances student voice and involvement in their learning experience
• provides a platform for expressing concerns and preferences
• fosters a sense of ownership and collaboration in the learning process

Classroom Feedback – benefits for teachers:

• offers insights into the effectiveness of teaching strategies
• enables targeted improvements based on student input
• strengthens teacher-student relationships through open communication

3 Planning Learning

Planning own education is quite important for effective learning. If you used my simple lesson plan and talked about various learning routines and strategies, now is the time to check your students’ progress. Discuss both feedback from the students and your own reflections on the ease and effectiveness of implementing the ideas you’ve come up with.

Planning Learning – benefits for students:

• provides a more engaging learning experience
• allows for increased student participation and interaction
• enhances understanding through varied teaching methods

Planning Learning – benefits for teachers:

• improves students’ motivation
• facilitates adaptability to student needs
• improves overall classroom efficiency

4 Classroom Organizers by Students

Inviting students to take part in creating their learning environment is not only helpful, but also fun! If you’ve already created classroom organizers, revise the concept. Are these organizers still relevant and useful? Use feedback from students and evaluate whether any adjustments or modifications are necessary.

Classroom Organizers  – benefits for students:

• fosters a sense of responsibility and organization
• encourages collaboration and teamwork
• enhances ownership of the learning process

Classroom Organizers – benefits for teachers:

• reduces the burden of organizing and managing classroom materials
• promotes student autonomy
• strengthens the teacher-student partnership

5 Lesson Goals

Communication is key in any educational setting. Read the post on the importance of transparent communication by Ewa Torebko and assess whether you are consistently communicating lesson objectives, expectations, and the purpose behind various activities. Has this approach increased student engagement and understanding?

Lesson Goals – benefits for students:

• clarifies learning objectives
• fosters a sense of purpose and engagement
• enhances understanding of the relevance of each lesson.

Lesson Goals – benefits for teachers:

• improves student focus and participation
• establishes a transparent and positive classroom culture
• facilitates effective evaluation and assessment of student comprehension

Before you decide to make changes in your classroom, do take a moment to reflect on the existing practices. Revise feedback, class contracts, student-led initiatives, and communication strategies, because that’s how you will be able to make better decisions about what works well and what may need adjustments.

And once you decide you’re ready for something new, check my blog next week – I’ll share a simple no-prep lesson plan on introducing changes in the classroom.

Enjoy!