Estimated read time: 3.04 minutes
Hey
Half-term is near and you've almost made it halfway through the year (congrats).
Round about now, many of you will have had or will be having parents' evening. This is a really good point in the year to get a fully rounded picture of how things are going. The whole Autumn term of settling, getting to know new teachers, curriculums and expectations – that's now behind us and most children have settled into the rhythm.
I find that a lot of niggles tend to have been sorted out round about now. Which is helpful, because the stuff that's still there? That's the stuff you really want to focus on now.
One of the parents on Mindset Made Easy last week, whose child is in Year 2, said,'
This is one I get a lot, so let's look at it.
As a teacher, you really need the kids to be participating in lessons. It lets you know that they’re listening and engaged. You are also constantly assessing everything, so you need to know if the kids are 'getting it' or not. When they answer questions, you know whether their understanding is secure and you can plan your next teaching steps. It's really helpful, and really important.
Plus, it's quite disheartening to teach a lesson you finished planning at 10 o’clock the night before only to ask a question and have zero replies from the 30 little munchkins in front of you. (To be fair, if this is happening, we teachers also have to look at our planning and delivery!)
Anyway, let's think about why the pupils might not be answering. Perhaps they are:
Does any of this resonate?
Here are some discussion points you could use to encourage them over these hurdles:
You can have these pep-talks at bath time, dinner time or whenever works for you all. If your child finds these conversations hard, try having it through a toy. 'Teddy doesn't like answering questions in class. I think he's a bit worried about getting the answer wrong. What could we say to make him feel braver?' Start it off like that and feed the points above into the conversation.
Talking to a toy often takes the intensity out of those conversations. 😊
Another brilliant book from Bright and Field, perfect for kids who are comparing themselves to others.
While the mouse looks at the lion and wants to be as big and impressive as him, it turns out the lion is terrified of mice! This is a sweet reminder not only that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses but also that these things are not always obvious to others.
Get out some art materials 🎨
Pop some music on the speaker 🔉
Sit down together and use the music to help you create some art, whatever comes out. 🧑🎨🖼️
Angry or frustrated moment? Put on some punk rock and let them scribble it all out! 🤪
Need to lighten the mood? Try some circus music! 🎪
Play with your genres and see what happens.
Have a good one!
Becca