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teachwire.net/secondary C P D Strategy 3: THE CLOCK A simple timer – be it a physical device or a software app displayed in front of class – provides a quick and easy way of adding a sense of urgency that can help keep students on track. As well as communicating the necessary idea to students that time is precious, writing under timed conditions also adds an element of competition to the activity. Needless to say, it’s also a useful technique during exam preparations, demonstrating to students what those time pressures will feel like in practice and familiarising them with how much they’ll be expected to write in the time available. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dawn Ashbolt is an assistant principal and director of teaching and learning at Wrenn School room, facing you. Difficult students will regularly sit at the back, often facing away from you, thus enabling them to disengage and disrupt more easily. Sitting them at front lets you spot issues instantly and effectively intervene. It’s also great for allowing you to award praise quickly and provide support before they lose focus. Make sure you maintain the seating plan you’ve drawn up, as some students will try to move surreptitiously or cajole you into letting them sit somewhere else. Remember, you are in control. Respond to every request to move with a consistent “no.” Strategy 5: PAIRING UP “Whenever I attempt group work activities, the classroom ends up too noisy and some do very little work. Should I persist in using group work? ” Group work is one of the trickiest of all areas to get right. How can you ensure every student is participating meaningfully and making progress? If your class tends to lose focus when working in groups, try starting with pairs first. To facilitate a paired discussion, start with a ‘Think / Pair / Share’ scenario. Have the pupils initially think about the task individually, before announcing the pairs that you’ve chosen and then encouraging each pair to share their ideas by discussing them with one another. An effective pairing strategy will bring about a situation where both students are required to contribute, making it simple to spot anyone who doesn’t seem to be working easily. If all goes well, you could then ask two or more pairs to combine and share their ideas, therefore resulting in a group that actually works! Strategy 4: THE SEATING PLAN “Lots of ‘naughties’ in this class make it difficult to control” Moving disruptive students during a lesson can work, but it’s often an intervention that arrives too late and can even lead to further confrontation and disruption. Instead, start seeing your seating plan as a key technique within your behaviour strategy. The phrase I use is ‘keep your enemies close’. I know that sounds harsh, as your students aren’t really your enemies, of course, but it can feel like that sometimes! Manage those especially tricky students by seating them at the front of the 65